Too Tall

In Southern California the roses do not naturally go dormant. The sprawling ones will continue to grow until they take over the entire yard if allowed to do so. The upright ones will grow into small trees with blooms like this one that is at least six feet tall on what is normally a medium sized floribunda rose, 'Easter Basket'. Next month they will be corralled in and cut back to about three feet tall with three or four stems and all the remaining leaves stripped off to prepare them for their spring debut, at the size I prefer where you do not get a kink in your neck from trying to admire the blooms!

Late Fall Surprises

I must admit that most of my garden observations this time of year are quick glimpses I catch while getting the mail or carrying things in from the car. It is so cold that it is too tempting to stay in bed in the morning and it gets dark so early in the evening that my prime garden times are limited. I did however catch sight of these pretty pink hibiscus blooming along the side fence during what seems like an unlikely time of year for theses tropical beauties to make an appearance. Maybe the cold has forced them into a last ditch effort to reproduce before the frost does them in! Although they look more like summer and a bit out of place at this time of year, they are always welcome!

The Princess Gardener

My granddaughter insists on spending time with me in the garden when she comes to visit for the holidays and watering is her favorite pastime. You can tell she is a gardener by her eclectic choice of clothes and you can tell she is a princess by her headgear. She 'waters' the flower heads "because that's where their mouths are!"

Soooo Cold!

The weather here has been unusually cold this week with nighttime temperatures dipping down into the 30's. There is a threat of frost which will play havoc with the tropical plants like this banana tree that finally has started growing this year. Although it will recover and put out new growth from the base, if the temperatures do get down to freezing it will most likely lose these lush green leaves that have been flourishing with all the rain we have been having. We'll just have to wait and see how cold it gets!

The Word

Mum's

20 Years

Happy Anniversary My Love

Colorful Ivy

I have always wanted Boston Ivy growing on my house. For many years we lived in a house with cedar shingle siding and that is not where you want to grow any kind of clinging ivy that can pry off the shingles. Our home in SJC is stucco and in my opinion can benefit from a little softening that comes from growing ivy on it. I know there are some people that would cringe when they see this because it can ruin a paint job, but I don't care, I love it. I especially love it in the fall when the leaves turn color and signal the changing seasons, like now. Makes me happy!

Permeable Pavers

One of the most environmentally sustainable attributes of our SJC house are the permeable surfaces. There is a long driveway and motor court that uses these charming pavers that allow the rain to penetrate to the ground below and return to the water table as opposed to a solid surface that forces the water to drain to the street and into the storm drains, taking any environmentally unfortunate debris along with it. I also like the way the moss grows happily in the cracks creating a pleasing pattern. It took me a while to convince my gardener that this was acceptable and even encouraged because he was so accustomed to clients that wanted their "cracks" to be plant free and austere. Little by little!

One Confused Perennial

I have dozens of agapanthus that grow in my gardens and bloom throughout the early summer. This little guy has decided that November might be a good time to make a showing. Maybe it figures there is less competition for pollinators?

A Cooperative Vine

I do love vines however it is important to know the nature of the vine and where it will live before choosing one to plant. One thing I like about this passiflora (passion flower vine) is that it will offer some of its blooms on the underside of the plant so that when you look up going through the arbors it resides on, there are flowers to enjoy. Some vines have a tendency to bloom only on the sunny side of the plant so they would all be on the top of the arbor, out of sight when walking under. I like a cooperative plant!