Finally!

 Finally! After some unexpected rain yesterday I got out and wandered through the gardens and to my delight, there is a collective sigh of relief from all the foliage! Even the drought tolerant plants were getting really tired of having to be so tolerant of years of no significant, deep soaking rain and were showing signs of stress and lethargy.
 

 But finally there is a bout of growth spurred by the weekly rain we have been having and upcoming spring weather that can't be denied. Even the groundcovers that were the first to give up due to the dry weather have started to reappear.

 Shrubs that I planted years ago that never showed much growth are starting to take off - finally!

 I have planted so many perennials that just kind of dwindled away even though they supposedly tolerated dry conditions that are now bursting with life. 

This is how I think of early spring, flush with new growth and lush, deep colors of green! Finally!

Succulents Are Not Cactus, (But Cactus Are Succulents)!

 I use aeoniums as ground cover in a number of spots for the simple reason that they are so easy to propagate. Just take a rosette and stick it in the ground and you have a new plant.They do best in bright areas or filtered sun. But they are not fool proof in that they do need some regular water. They are not cactus! The picture above is a spot that they are quite happy in, a neglected corner with just the right amount of sun and water.

This picture is a spot they are not too happy with, along the curb in the front yard. My garden helper put them in on his own when the creeping thyme wasn't doing so well. Naturally they can't be walked on so maybe not a great choice next to where people park and get out of their cars. But the main problem is not enough water in this spot. There are sprinklers here, but the soil is so thin and sloped that it just won't seep into the ground and these guys are thirsty (but they are still creating offspring I notice). They ball up and turn red when not happy. I am planning on replacing them with dymondia in the fall or next spring. Not my favorite groundcover as far as looks go, but I guess you can't beat it for being tough and drought tolerant. Almost anything will be an improvement over this!

Winter Blooming Succulents

 I don't know where the time goes, but it looks like spring is upon us based on the roses starting to bud and the wisteria that is showing color. I have been wrapped up in various house projects that have kept me busy but I need to take a minute to reflect on some late winter blooming succulents that are unique to our climate. The long goose neck blooms like the one above are showing up all over the place in the winter in Southern California and to visitors they do look like quite a curiosity. They are the blooms of the Agave attenuata, a very common plant in our landscapes. It takes about five or more years for the plant to bloom like this and then it will die, but by then there are usually many pups formed at the base ready to take over. This one is in my street-side garden and is putting on quite the show. Originally from Mexico, you can see where they get their common name, Fox Tail Agave!

 Kalanchoe blossfeldiana is a plant that I usually buy in pots for the colorful blooms in the fall and I use for indoor decorating, but my garden helper loves to propagate them because they are so easy. As a result I have tons of them all over the gardens (often to my dismay)! They are not much to look when not in bloom, but this time of year they put on a big show of color. I just found out their common name is Flaming Katy! I kind of like them a little better now!

Also in the Kalanchoe family is this plant, whose name I'm not sure of, some big lanky cousin of the Kalanchoe blossfeldiana that is tucked back in a corner of the Moonlight Garden. Very charming little flowers I think!

Mid-Winter Updates

Thanksgiving and Christmas are big holidays at our house, but Super Bowl Sunday takes the prize for sheer volume of people at the house and I work all month trying to refresh the mid-winter gardens so that they at least look presentable since this is the only time of year many of our friends come to the house and most of them associate me with being a gardener and have high expectations. The camellias and azaleas are lovely, but I have been taking advantage of the lovely weather and abundant rain we've been having to add some pretty seasonal color that I have skipped the past few years. After the poinsettias were retired from their showy pots around the entrances, there were empty pots for many weeks until I got busy at the last minute to drop in some winter bloomers. I even updated this wooden planter with tiny succulent cuttings that will look good for months to come. Amazing how inspirational a little rain and sunshine in the middle of winter can be to a gardener!

Always Another Aeonium

There seems to be a distinctive trend around this place that whenever nothing else works, throw in an aeonium. I'm sure I was the one that started this trend by showing my garden helper how easy it was to propagate them by simply breaking off the rosettes and sticking them in the ground. I first tried them planted as a groundcover in the front where the rabbits ate everything I tried and sure enough they left them alone. As they filled in they started to look good and so they became the go-to filler for lots of other spots that nothing else seemed to work. Although they prefer sunny spots and regular water with good drainage, they will survive just about anywhere. They do have a tendency to look leggy and curl up if they don't get enough sun or water. Every few years they need to be refreshed and replanted if necessary. When they bloom they die down, but they don't seem to bloom very often. There is a big difference between surviving and thriving. I now find myself pulling them out of places where they are growing but look terrible. There are some places that should just be covered with rocks!

A Few Observations

 Every year my husband and I go away for a couple weeks to a health resort to allow my dear significant other to focus on his well-being. We typically go in the winter and I usually look forward to the warm weather and change of scenery, but this year as we left on the first full day of spring I was kind of disappointed to be leaving behind the gardens when all the excitement was just starting. We returned to spring in full bloom and lots of things going on so I thought I would just share some of the random happenings in SJC, starting with this beautiful amaryllis bulb that was kind of just stuck in the ground a couple years ago. You know that one corner of the garden where you put all kinds of odds and ends and just see if they make it? Well, this one did and is blooming proudly. It is precariously close to where the dogs cut through the path so I am tempted to cut it and bring it in, but I kind of like seeing it in the garden bed.

 The Anna apples are all ready growing like crazy. I should thin them, but my granddaughters love to pick the fruit every time they come over and they will get thinned by them soon. They were very disappointed this winter when there wasn't much on the fruit trees so I am glad there is at least something for them this time!

 I almost missed the first show of roses and I am feeling really guilty because even though I made many trips to the nurseries in the last few months, rose fertilizer never made it home with me so they are not as lush as they could be. I need to make it up to them this week!

 The California natives are all still blooming away and will probably be for another month or so. It has taken a few years for these rock rose (cistus) in the Moonlight Garden to get to a good size and covered with blooms, but they are lovely now and actually showing off during this dry weather, which is how they actually like it! I should probably put in some more out in the front street side garden where keeping plants looking good is a challange.

 I found the first clematis of the season starting to open.

 There were a number of orchids in bloom that had been sunk in the ground in their pots in a planter off to the side yard. Many types grow so easily for us in our mild climate that we take them for granted.

 There was actually a large group of dutch iris that was still blooming much to my surprise and delight. I always forget about them, but they just do their own thing. An impulse buy from Costco I believe.

 The aloe in the urn by the front door is joining in the show and sending out a bloom for the first time.

The snapdragons that were planted last fall are almost waist high and look more like a field of wild flowers than winter annuals. They must have loved the organic fertilizer that was used when they were planted and the bunnies must not be in the mood for snapdragons for dinner!

I think the overlap of the natives blooming, the winter blooming shrubs, vines and annuals, the spring blooms and the start of the summer annuals make this such a wonderful time in the garden for us here in Southern California. It is almost too much to take in all at once!

Varigated Succulents

I love green, all shades of green. I especially love it mixed with white. There is something so serene and yet uplifting about the soothing combination. Luckily I have the Moonlight Garden to allow me to surround myself in the peaceful mixture. It is not only the flowers that add to the color scheme, but variegated plants too. Here are two succulents that pick up on the theme with elegance and style.

More Than Green

This is the same garden bed I have been writing about in the two previous posts, but a different angle. Although primarily different shades of green foliage there is some burgundy grass and a container for some added interest. The succulents in the container were all just small pups and cuttings taken from other plants in the landscape and stuck in there to thrive and grow into what it is today.

The Yucca Tree

I remember planting this as a young yucca plant when it was flush to the ground. It was the centerpiece of a bed of succulents in a pocket of the grassy hill in Laguna formed by the creation of a terrace under the arbor. It has grown quite tall and actually is rather poorly positioned now as it blocks the view from the round-out in the walkway designed for seating. However I think we will just have to learn to look around it because I don't have the heart to remove it and I'm not sure it would survive being relocated at this size. I am not crazy about sharp, pointy shapes in the garden, but I do understand that they are a nice contrast to softer textures and therefor have a place. I am fond of the soft bluish-green coloring though.

A Sweet Discovery

I can get easily distracted by all the big things in the gardens. What needs to be done seasonally, what needs to be changed visually, what is not doing well culturally. Sometimes it is easy to overlook the small things, like this sweet little succulent that has been quietly growing in a container by the pool for a number of years. I have never really noticed it before, most likely because the pot is jammed full of stuff and I am usually walking by at a quick pace on my way elsewhere. Maybe I need to take some cuttings and spread it around a bit. It is too charming to go unnoticed!

Jade Blooms

The other day the blooms in a neighbor's yard caught my eye. It seemed way too early for many shrubs that have annual flowering periods and a bit early for natives that bloom in winter. When I got closer I realized that the display was that of the common (at least in our area) jade plant. A succulent shrub that is at best taken for granted and at worse shunned by Southern California gardeners as too pedestrian. I inherited a number of them in my SJC garden and I must admit I am guilty of totally ignoring them for the most part, but when I spotted this display in the back corner of the Moonlight Garden I must confess that I felt a bit of guilt for not giving credit to this simple and extremely drought tolerant plant. Luckily, they do not seem the least bit jaded (sorry) and just carry on with or without my appreciation.

My New Agave

I had to share a little something I picked up a few weeks ago at the nursery. Although I was not looking for succulents at that time I just couldn't resist this pretty variegated agave. Where did it end up? The green and white Moonlight Garden, of course!

Colors, Textures and Shapes

There aren't a lot of flowers in my gardens this time of year, although the mums are starting to bloom and will provide color for another month or so, but there is still a lot of interest. This is one little section from the street side garden in SJC and I could look at it all day and still see something new! Aeoniums, senecio, scented geraniums, purple sage, flax and ivy all make up a pleasing scene that requires little water or maintenance. Nice!

Waiting for Placement

This is the propagation area of the outdoor workspace in SJC. Lots of things that are waiting for me to find them a spot in the garden. October is typically the best time of year to transplant and put in new additions to the garden, but September has been so mild that I am starting a bit earlier than usual. I have already moved some shrubs that were in the wrong spaces so there are areas opening up.

Pups

One of the best things about succulents is the ease with which most of them propagate. Many will grow more plants easily by simply breaking off a piece, letting the wound heal for a few days and then sticking it in the ground.

Many succulents send up "pups" like this flapjack plant (kalancho luciae)

When this container was planted in the street-side garden a couple years ago the container was filled tightly and a few were added to the ground for a bit of whimsy. As you can now see there are a bunch of new pups filling in under the mature plants. As is the case with many succulent containers, this one will need to be refreshed by dividing the plants and pups before the whole thing looks cramped and the older plants start looking straggly. The good news is I have lots of spots to fill in with the extras!

Agaves Grow

While discussing the street side garden in SJC, I must include an update on the beautiful blue agaves that were planted three years ago. They are in a far corner, away from guests navigating getting in and out of their cars as well as children at play due to their ferocious spikes and thorny edges. They are so beautiful and producing lots of pups. There are additional succulents nearby as well as some lantana planted to intertwine with their blue spikes.

Three years ago this is what they looked like. All good things come to those who wait!

Time To Shine

I must admit that the street side garden in SJC was planned as a drought tolerant, low maintenance garden and it is. Because we pull into the driveway before passing this part of the yard I hardly ever see it unless I make a point to go outside the gate and take a look at it.

During the spring garden tours it takes a back seat to the flashier parts of the gardens inside the walls where the roses and wisteria flourish. During the summer months people seem to congregate in the shadier parts of the yard and the Moonlight Garden where the abundance of cool greens and whites are peaceful and soothing.

But this is the time of year that this little strip seems to come into its own. The orange lantana and the burgundy flax are common colors for the season. Ornamental grasses pick up the breezes and their seed heads seem to indicate harvest time in the fall. The structure of the large plants add an element of drama. Of course it is still an easy going garden, but it just seems to shine this time of year!

Bright Green Aloe

I'm not sure which aloe this is, but I sure like it. It was in a small pot that was stuck in the corner of a raised bed in Laguna many years ago and has since taken over the place. Most aloes are kind of spotted and often a drab green, nothing you would think for brightening up a corner of the garden. This beauty is so vibrant and bright that I think I may just pull off some pups and spread it around!

Hail Damage

A new spotty sport of Agave Attenuate? No, that is hail damage from a freak hail storm we had a couple weeks ago. We were out of town but there was plenty of evidence of the weird weather throughout the gardens!

A Charming Reminder

Last May I attended a fundraiser for a non-profit organization that I support. For a centerpiece on the table was this little square dish of polished rocks with three echeveria in the center. I purchased the centerpiece and brought it home and as I was bringing it into the house from the car I got distracted and placed in on the bench by the front door. It has lived in that same spot for eight months now and has grown three or four times as large and even bloomed. What a charming and carefree reminder of the event I attended.