Gayfeather

I am quite fond of this bulb, liatris spicata or Gayfeather. I always seem to plant it as a side note that comes in a package of mixed bulbs. Every year when it blooms I wish I had planted more because it is a happy camper in the garden and makes a stunning flower for arrangements. I walked into a building yesterday and there was a huge arraignment of beautiful flowers including about thirty of these tall spiky blooms. It was stunning. Now I just need to plant about 27 more!

Drizzly Days

The unseasonably cool and drizzly weather is back after a week of sunshine and high temperatures.
I know there is much worse weather happening elsewhere in the country, so I'm not complaining. Besides, some of the plants prefer this weather and are quite happy.
Those that crave the sunshine (including me), are just going to have to be patient because it's an el nino year for sure!

The Garlic Harvest

We harvested some garlic from the garden that was ready to be pulled up and be cured. I plant it in the fall around where the tomato plants are going because there is a rumor that it discourages hornworms. I don't know if this is true, but I never am bothered with the nasty buggers, so I'll continue the practice. Now if only I could find a deterrent for all the furry mammals that are eating the tomatoes before they even ripen!

A Dahlia - Finally!

I was thrilled to see this beautiful dahlia, 'Jammin' Jelly' blooming in a perennial bed in the backyard in SJC. I have been trying for a couple years to get some dahlias established. The first year I forgot to order them. The second year I ordered them but they never got planted before they rotted. This year I ordered them, they came and I got them in the ground immediately. I have been watching the sparse growth on the ones I have seen come up and have wondered if I was going to get any blooms, when - viola!
I do love things that you stick in the ground, cover with dirt and then forget about only to be surprised by their appearance months later. And this was no disappointment!

It's All About Location

I am big on "the right pant in the right place". In my opinion it makes all the difference between a pleasant, successful gardening experience and a frustrating one. Here is a good example a happily located plant. This brugmansia, or Angel Trumpet, is in the Gravel Garden, in a spot that gets dappled sunlight and the runoff water from a planter behind it. It gets maybe one good dose of organic fertilizer once or twice a year and as you can see is growing and blooming quite happily. I have another one that is near the back door (so we can theoretically get whiffs of that lovely fragrance in the evenings) that should be happy, but is not. It is a scraggly mess that rarely blooms and will be relocated soon. Maybe right next to this one!

Do Plant Lilies

Asiatic lilies are one of the easiest bulbs to grow with such stunning results in the summer garden. I can't even remember planting these but they seem to survive on neglect and offer up their blooms when the exuberant spring blooms have died down.
My guess is that these were bought in a mixed package of bulbs from Costco a few years ago when this area was all lawn. They were at the front of the flower bed at one time, but as the bed expanded, are now at the back.
The only thing lilies do not like is shade and poorly drained soil, as most bulbs don't. Damp soil may cause the bulbs to rot. After the blooms are spent, remove the flowers so all of their energy doesn't go into producing seeds and into feeding the bulb for next year's blooms. Leave the foliage until it starts to die in a few weeks. If you are so inclined you can always give them a handful of organic fertilizer, but they will do fine without. They are not bothered by disease or insects in my garden, and the bees love them. If their beauty and their ease of growing doesn't win you over, remember too, they make wonderful cut flowers!

Defining Perfection

Down the street there is a vacant lot that the owner uses to grow mainly roses. I have been told he grows them to show in competition. There are a few other plants like dahlias and an iris growing there too. It is not a garden, just a plot in the middle of a dirt field with wire fencing around it and the most beautiful roses you could imagine. I have driven by when his truck is there and I have noticed the containers of insecticides and the chemical fertilizers all over the place. It is quite an operation.

I was walking by the other day on my morning walk and ventured in to take a closer look at the amazing roses. Remarkably there was not a spot or hole in any of them. They were all perfect. "Stepford" roses, so to speak. But there was something missing. The sounds of the garden. There were no birds, no bees, no rabbits, no life. It was eerily silent.

It was reassuring to walk back into my garden, full of movement and sounds, everything that takes place in a comfortable, natural setting, and smile at the signs of life, however frustrating they can be at times. My plants will never look perfect like my neighbors roses, but to me it could not be more perfect than the way it is.

Purple Potato Vine

I grow the white potato vine (solanum jasminoides) a number of places because it is so easy and lacy-pretty. I thought I would give the purple version a try, mixed in on an arbor with some 'Graham Thomas' roses to pick up the deep yellow centers of the flowers on the vine. The purple vine is much slower and denser than the white version, although I have only had it about a year. Still haven't enjoyed the intermingling of the vine and roses, they are slow to get established. The soil probably should have been amended much more than I did when I planted them. The spot used to have grass that was treated with chemicals, therefor very dead. I used a lot of organic fertilizer, compost and mulch, but it takes a while to reestablish life underground. Maybe next year!

The Cooling Effect

The Moonlight Garden (with all white flowers) is more than just an evening pleasure. Green and white has a cooling effect on the psyche on the hot days of summer.
A soothing, calm place to hang out with the high shade from the trees, the lush foliage in the deep shade and the gentle swaying of the palms and grasses that pick up the least little breeze make this a destination to sit on a warm summer afternoon.
Vines that add overhead shade in addition to the trees, ferns and ligularia add to the tropical, cool feeling. Everything thought out and coordinated for the desired effect!

A Bee

I have been feeling a little left out of the summer phenomenon of gardeners posting awesome pictures of bees on their blogs! I love reading about and seeing these amazing little creatures working away in their world of flowers and pollen. I have been really lazy about getting out in the garden with my macro lens to capture some pictures until the other day when I spotted this huge fellow, covered in pollen, scouring a sage plant outside the dining room window. He was kind enough to stay until I got a good picture. Now I am happy. But the birds... I need bird pictures!