Preparing for Easter

Clivia

 Easter is a big day in the gardens. We have been having an Easter Egg Hunt for as long as I've had a garden to hide eggs in and one of my favorite things is watching the gardens filled with kids hunting over, under and around all the beautiful plants. Throughout the years there are typically anywhere from five to ten little ones doing the hunting and the older kids do the hiding. It started in my Laguna gardens and then moved to the back yard in SJC and now we do it in the Moonlight Garden where the adults can see the fun from the seating area.

Indian Hawthorn

 Because Easter is early this year, the gardens will be in their Spring peak I'm hoping. The scents of flowers is heady and the early spring blooms are really prolific this year.

Wisteria

 I'm hoping the climbing roses and wisteria hang on for another week, although they have been blooming for weeks already.

Heliotrope

 One of the most fragrant plants in the Moonlight Garden is the white heliotrope. I planted a number of plants years ago and they just thrive and bloom all year round. They are rather easy to overlook, until you catch a whiff of the cherry pie scent!

Azalea

The camellias and azaleas are almost done with their show, but the roses starting to open, so it will definitely be a lovely day for everyone!

'Evelyn' rose

Persistence Pays Off

I do love an arch in the garden and I have lots of them. I add them all over to create height and add a vertical element as well as acting as a way to separate spaces. Most of them are wire ones that I purchase from catalogs or a nursery.  This also allows me to utilize a whole new group of plants that would otherwise be left to an occasional fence or wall - vines. This arch in the Moonlight Garden has had at least four different kinds of vines growing on it that I can think of off the top of my head. When I put it in about seven years ago I planted the very prolific and popular at the time 'Avalanche' clematis. Of course the more I thought about it the more I regretted the chance to put one of my favorite fragrant vines in,  Madagascar jasmine, so I added that too. Neither vine flourished the way I hoped they would. So I decided to just go for it and add a white passion flower vine and at least have butterflies all over. I probably added a star jasmine too. One thing about vines that should always be a warning is that they can be very aggressive. By nature they are meant to grow from the floor of the forest, and scale up tall trees to get the sunlight at the very top. All of the vines I planted on this arch had no intention of scaling much of anything and most barely made it over the arch but the most frustrating thing was they just weren't interested in blooming. Here and there would be a bloom but nothing like I was used to in my other gardens. It may have been too shady. I have a hard time realizing that this area doesn't get as much sun as it seems due to the tall queen palms. The hard ground isn't very fertile either because of years of chemicals used on the lawn that was here previously. Then finally I broke down a bought a white Mandevilla vine. I am not crazy about Mandevillas for some reason. A little too showy and tropical for me, so I have no idea why I bought two and put one on each side of the arch last spring, just desperate I guess. But just to keep me humble I suspect, those Mandevillas are just as happy as can be and are blooming for months now! Go figure!

Wrapping Up Summer

 If you read my blog for inspiring pictures, you had better stop now and wait for another post! After a busy summer with grandkids and a few weeks on vacation I've returned ready to take inventory and start thinking about what needs to be done in the SJC garden this fall. The list is long as usual. You can see by this picture that the cheap obelisks I had picked up at a big box store years ago have been falling apart for some time now and my garden helper has patiently been trying to save them for the clematis to cling to as best he can. I have already ordered metal ones and they should arrive any day now. It looks like this one may have collapsed and uprooted this poor plant that is still trying to bloom in spite on being treated so poorly.

 The established oleanders that created the privacy screen around the house continue to succumb to oleander leaf scorch. We didn't remove any this year but it looks like there are going to be some spots that will have to be addressed. One area is really going to be a problem because it is an area where the neighbor's house is close to the fence and we are going to become very visible to each other quickly as they die out. Luckily they have been trying to manage the dying screen on their side too so hopefully we can work out a quick solution. I have seen plumbago suggested as a fast growing alternative and I think I might try it next as a colorful option.

 The new privacy screen we planted last year is thriving nicely and continues to fill in. You can kind of see the foliage behind the fence that is in a part of our other neighbor's yard that relies on rain for irrigation is dying out after years of drought. There used to be layers and layers of trees and lots of birds and wildlife back there. The demise is sad.

 The backyard beds are kind of a mess, and kind of okay. (By-the-way, I took these pictures this morning after the sprinklers had been on which explains why everything looks so wet) I had planted a bunch of drought tolerant, tall perennials that would look good in the summer, last year, but they are still kind of sad. I blame it on the thin soil in this area. I had removed the old lawn that had been treated with synthetic chemicals and pesticides leaving the soil thin and dead. I had underestimated the amount of time it would take to bring the soil back to health by top dressing only and that was a mistake. I really wish I had done the old fashioned double digging in this area (okay, let me be honest - I wish I had instructed someone else to double dig, I don't do much double digging myself anymore!). However the plants like the pepper trees that thrive on poor soil have grown like crazy.

 Even the succulents look like they are tired of this hot, dry summer. Many people don't realize that although cactus are succulents and can go long periods without water, all succulents are not cactus and do need regular water. These plants will get a good, long, deep soak this weekend that they probably haven't been getting since I have been gone.

 My other citrus trees are not producing much of a crop this year, but my grapefruit tree is going crazy with a huge crop. I am sure it is because I personally baby it by turning the hose on it when I walk by to go out to the pool on the weekends and leave it on a slow drizzle for hours. It gets the same amount of fertilizer as all the other trees but I think it gets a lot more water.

 The fall colors are starting to show on the grape vine tunnel and the Boston ivy. In our area even though the nights may be cooling down in September and October, some of our warmest temperatures of the year may still be ahead so summer isn't really over yet.

 The Moonlight Garden has some highlight and some low-lights. After planting about four different kinds of vines on the arbor going to the pool, the white mandevilla vine has finally proved to be successful. Also, my Duranta 'alba' is finally blooming. I think it had been a victim of wrong season pruning. On the other hand I have no idea what is going on around the big urn. Almost everything is either gone altogether or munched to the ground by rabbits. It could have been a broken sprinkler that in this heat can cause an area to die quickly. I need to go back and look at pictures from last spring to see what was there that we lost.

 And then by the looks of the lawn, the dogs didn't get their tomato juice every day. And it is looking very healthy and good which means the gardener turned up the frequency of the sprinklers while I was out of town so that it would green up in spite of the draught (it was driving him crazy). The mushrooms are a dead give-away.

While we were vacationing in Maui, it was encouraging to see the island that has also been plagued by drought in the past few year turning a lovely shade of green again when we flew in to land. Since they are often influenced by some of the same Pacific weather currents we are hopefully this means we will be getting some rain this year too. 

But back to my garden now and all the challenges that keep it interesting!

When The Jasmine Fades

I just wanted to say a word about one of my favorite vines, pink jasmine (jasminum polanthum). It is such a sweet thing that is so easy to grow, nothing bothers it at all and it will ramble all over the place with little or no care. It blooms in the middle of winter when everything else is sadly dormant and is so very, very fragrant that it gives even the most discouraged gardener hope of an early spring in our mild climate. It does have one unpleasant characteristic though. It is not self cleaning and it is not easy to deadhead. Once the pretty little pink blooms turn to brown they hang on the vine way past their welcome and look very untidy while everything else is starting to look quite nice. Because the vine is so woven throughout the other plants it can become quite an eyesore.  The solution? My suggestion is to plant it at the base of shrubs and trees where it will grow up high looking for light. That way you will be able to enjoy the strong fragrance drifting down and even the cascading flowers in the winter while little else is blooming, but once the show is over and there are more interesting things to attract the eye closer to ground level, you won't even notice the brown swags that will hang on for a month or so until the new growth takes over and grows past the old blooms. Problem solved!

Wisteria and Roses

 I just can't get enough of my wisteria and roses.

 When they start blooming I actually get a little sad because I know they will only last a few weeks.

 Their beautiful scent, the buzzing of the bees, the sparkling of the sunshine peeking through the flowers will only be fleeting for the first few weeks of spring.

 They seem to be the first signs that winter is on the way out and the warm weather is on its way and soon all the other flowers will be appearing.

I really need to learn to spend more time just sitting under this pergola enjoying the beautiful arrival of spring and less time regretting how quickly it passes.

Just One More

Boston Ivy

 Just a few more pops of fall color and then I am done.

Chrysanthemum

 After such a beautiful couple months of sunny days and warm weather, it is definitely starting to feel like autumn.

Chrysanthemum

Enough lollygagging around and time to get busy, or I will regret it next spring!

Shady Grapes

We've had a busy few weeks with lots of house guests including grandchildren, both ours and others', visiting. The weather has been mild, but the grapevine tunnel in the Moonlight Garden became a shady retreat for them on days when they were left to their imagination to entertain themselves. I grow the grapes for ornamental purposes since the birds get to them before we do, but the kids had a great time harvesting any that had turned red everyday. Baskets were filled with fruit everyday as they scoured the gardens for something to pick. They thought it was great that they could actually go outside and find something to eat instead of the kitchen!

My Secret Clematis

Things don't always turn out as planned in any garden. I had planted this pretty white clematis vine an a wire obelisk in a new flower bed I had dug out in the Moonlight Garden when we first moved in to the SJC house. As my vision for the area clarified, I modified the bed and created a path and seating area in the middle of it that winter, while the clematis was dormant. I had forgotten about it, although I doubt I would have attempted to move it since they have such delicate stems and roots. The determined vine not only survived, but blooms like crazy along the ground behind the seating area. Little secrets like this are what make personal gardens so wonderful to explore!

Wisteria and Roses

I am not a great photographer. I've taken classes and read books, but I pretty much just walk around snapping pictures as a way of recording things. This is kind of a shame. We have a daughter who is an amazing professional photographer and I really should have her spend more time with me showing me some techniques to improve my pictures. Anyway, I had planned on going back out to the front pergola and getting a better picture of the beautiful scenario going on there this month with the old-fashioned roses and wisteria blending together for a lovely and fragrant setting, but we had fierce winds yesterday that stripped most of the petals, so I guess I am too late. This really was beautiful except for the lower plants at the bases of the pillars. There are roses and lavenders as well as some groundcovers that have looked wonderful in the past, but may be ready to be replaced. The lavender is just leggy with sparse blooms and the roses are spindly and small. I suspect there is not enough light anymore for the lower sun lovers and maybe not enough water. Back to the drawing board!

Two Pleasant Surprises

There are two beautiful things going on in the garden in SJC right now that I wish I could take credit for, but they just kind of happened on their own. One is this amazing cascade of pink jasmine (Jasminum polyanthum) that is cascading over the very tall privet hedge in the garden by the front door. I may or may not have planted this jasmine, I can't remember and it could be creeping over from the neighbor's yard. In past years it has bloomed while climbing up the green hedge, but this year it is an amazing fall of bloom all across the top. Do I need to mention that the scent is intoxicating? The whole property is scented with this heady delight, especially at night. I'm smitten!

The other scene that is bringing me much happiness is this native ceanothus that I did plant but had no idea it was going to join the huge salmon colored honeysuckle shrub behind it to form an arch filled with these amazing blue flowers in the back yard.  It was just a little tiny shrub that I stuck in to fill in an awkward spot and it has loved where it is and grown to quite a substantial form. I have had huge ceanothus shrubs in Laguna, but most of the ones I have planted here in SJC have not taken off like this one. Just proves the old adage, right plant - right place! 

     Both of these plants are pest and disease resistant, drought tolerant and the bees and butterflies love them. The only downside to the jasmine is it is not a self-cleaning plant and the brown flower brackets will hang on much longer than desired. Hopefully they are so high that they will not be noticed and the greenery will eventually grow over them. 

      Don't you love it when your garden offers up its own design inspirations?

For The Love of Sweet Peas

I adore sweet peas but I usually forget to plant these cool season annuals that love to climb up anything nearby with those charming little twisty tendrils, until I see them in a vase or someone's garden and by then it is too late. This year I managed to pick up a couple pony packs in the winter (I know, I know, they are ridiculously easy to grow from seeds) and stuck them in a garden bed next to a pretty wire obelisk and forgot about them. I have been thrilled to have a massive about of blooms that smell heavenly to cut for myself as well as give to others in huge bouquets. I wish they were the beautiful hybrids that are so charming with their colors and patterns, but they will do just fine for now. I must remember to plant them next year too.

Jasmine Wins

Years ago I planted this star jasmine at the base of my finicky climbing rose, 'Polka' next to the front door in Laguna.  I had seen the rose on a garden tour and fell in love, but as many romances go, reality set in and I became disenchanted with the rarely blooming rose. Not one to give up easily, I babied it along hoping for a better performance as it matured, but no luck. Meanwhile the jasmine took hold and grew up the rose and across the wire intended for 'Polka". There is a lovely white climbing rose, 'Lace Cascade', on the other side of the door that puts on a show every year, but now the two are entwined and while the rose takes a break after the spring display, the jasmine takes over and fills the air with its lovely scent from these dainty flowers. What a lovely welcome home!

Home

After a few weeks away it was nice to return to the signs of spring in the gardens! All my favorites are starting to bloom. Lavender, wisteria and even some roses are all showing color. There are blooms on the irises that will be opening soon. It is good to be home.

Scents of Spring

I must admit that I have been busy lately and the gardens get a bit neglected this time of year. Yesterday I was out very early (taking out the trash) and I was struck by the alluring and familiar scent of sweet, pink jasmine.  I'm not sure there is any aroma I love more than jasmine and the unexpected whiff caught me off guard. I wasn't expecting Spring to be so close at hand, but the rambling blooms of jasminum polyanthum indicate otherwise. Today I will make time to get out in the garden and see what else is waking up!

Procrastination Pays Off

Because I am a gardener and not a landscape designer I do things like purchasing plants that are not the easiest and most reliable. I bring them home based on emotion only with no regard to what really works. This was the case with this Queen's Wreath (petrea volubilis) vine that I ran across a few years ago. It had been trained as a standard, something that probably qualifies as a crime against nature (I know Billy, I know!), but I was so excited to see this old fashioned plant at a nursery that I just had to have it. You see there is a lovely, very old one at the Hortense Miller Garden where I am a docent and I am so happy when it is blooming because I love the purple, hanging blooms like charming little presents in the spring. So anyway, I found it, bought it, and brought it home and planted it in my SJC garden. In full disclosure I had bought one many years ago and planted it in my Laguna garden and haven't noticed it in years. Not sure if it is even there anymore. So for years I watched it flounder and look terrible and more than once made a mental note to get rid of it after years of one or two blooms and black tipped leaves. Then suddenly last week I was walking by and lo and behold, there it was blooming profusely in the middle of November! I know it may not look like much, but I am easily impressed! Maybe I'll add a trellis and give it a second chance - if I get around to it!

Easy Summer Color

There aren't many plants easier once established or more colorful than bougainvillea. Not everybody is crazy about this tropical plant which is very drought tolerant, but I love the classic Mediterranean ambiance that it lends to any California garden. Just don't try to dance with it, there are huge, sharp thorns among the beauty!

Mingling

Though technically not a climber, 'Graham Thomas' rose gets very tall in our climate and I have grown it on this arbor as an "almost" climber for years. 'Sally Holmes' has been left to her own devices for years and has worked her way over to mingle in with Graham, quite gracefully. They work together because they are a similar hue.

Take a Whiff

It is a fact that smells can alter our mood and behavior and the sense of smell is more connected to emotions than any of the other senses. You don't have to tell me twice because whenever I catch a whiff of jasmine I am immediately awestruck with a happy feeling and memories of being a little girl in my grandmother's garden. No wonder so many perfumes use jasmine as a main ingredient. I just wish you could smell this wall of star jasmine (rhynchospermum jasminoides). An amazing garden to me is one that has many wonderful scents like this that create an emotional response for the visitor, while enjoying the beauty.

The Grapevine Tunnel

An interesting garden has a degree of mystery to it and this little tunnel over the "tricycle track" in the Moonlight Garden provides that mystery. I built it a couple years ago by adding five wire arbors in a row over the DG path and planting a number of vines at the base. There are passion flowers and potato vines mixed in with the grape vines which are finally able to cover the entire tunnel this year. There are grapes on the vines, but I suspect the birds will get the majority of them, which is okay with me. A tunnel to pass through, a shady place to hide or just an opportunity to see fruit growing, it all works if you're six or sixty!

Happy Clematis

I added a couple clematis to the new rose garden a couple weeks ago and so far, so good. They were in five gallon pots and if you've ever tried to transplant one you know how challenging it can be. First we dug a large hole, much deeper than the pot. Then we slit the pot from the drainage holes up the sides, but not all the way to the top. Then we sank the pot and all into the ground and covered it with compost and soil to about six inches over the top of the pot. This actually covered the stems and all. Once in the ground we put the obelisk over it and watered well. Then you pretty much wait and see how the finicky vine liked what happened. It will either die immediately, get the dreaded 'wilt', or thrive. Luckily they are both thriving! This one is 'Victoria'.