Secret Cottage Garden

My Bloomin' Jade

2010-01-26T15:48:00.000-08:00

A step outside my door (the only one in my little cottage) and a few steps along my garden walk will bring you to one of the bloomers this time of year. My jade trees. Since it doesn't freeze here, they grow and grow and grow. If given enough water, their leaves are fat and juicy. Since I plant shade-loving plants like ferns and cyclamen under them, they get plenty of water. It's a lovely walk down my garden path with plants peeking out from under the jade trees.

They are like any succulent. They have small root systems. With my generous watering, they can grow more than five feet high. One winter when the heavy rains came, I had quite a surprise. My jade trees started to fall over. The ground was too wet, their heads too heavy. The first one fell into my doorway. I opened my door to check on the heavy rain and there it lay. It gave a real jolt of pain to see one of my friends uprooted and laying the ground. That winter at least two more fell. It was an unexpected change to my garden path. I had to rethink my garden that spring.

I am a bit more experienced with the nuances of the jade tree. It needs to be well pruned, under four feet. Otherwise, the soft soil of the winter rains bring them down. I've had others to fall since that first winter. I want to keep the rest for the shade they offer to my garden plants and for the beautiful white flowers they bring in winter.

Their blossoms look like little white stars. So bright, so light on gloomy winter days. And the fat, luscious leaves are contrast to the blossoms well-worth waiting a year for.

Jade with fern and amaryllis leaf

When they are at the height of their bloom, the petals and pistils turn a light shade of pink, reflecting the blossoms' stems of reddish hue. The edges of the jade leaves join in the melody of red at the edges of their leaves. Such a wonderful climax to the bloom-time.

This part of the bloom bush is almost gone by. The blossoms are drying up and fading away, while some others are still in bud to give a refreshing look at more white stars.

Already in December there were masses of buds and some blooms. I crept out of my sick bed to take some photos. If you look into the blur on the right of the photo you can see the blooms still green, deep within their bud-beds.

Still nascent blooms beside the open stars. This is my favorite time of their bloom, when there is so much promise in all the buds soon to become white stars.

I am at last recuperating from the flu. As with those nasty bugs, they linger far longer than they are welcome. But my body is playing a fugue. When one illness/problem goes away, another emerges in similar theme. different voice. I now have frozen shoulder syndrome, a very painful condition of the shoulder that affects the whole arm and limits range of motion. Thus, I am not able to post or comment as much as I used to. Please forgive me. I miss my blogging hours, which I now have to limit to every few days. Hopefully this fugue will end soon and I can begin a new healthy body oboe sonata.

January Roses

2010-01-11T18:46:00.000-08:00

As I emerge from the cocoon of my sick bed, I notice the roses blooming in all the gardens. I could see them blooming through my windows as I lay sick. I even crept out from under my covers once to take some photos. They are a joy this time of year. They will be pruned soon to make the plants strong for their splendiforous bloom in spring. So now to enjoy them.

First Prize

and it's sun-dried version

The blaze of bright orange waved to me from the yard and I followed it as it budded and slowly opened.

Sundance

Peony rose opens

Peony rose fully open

Peace rose

Peace rose and Calamagrostic acutiflora 'Karl Foerster' grass

Flu Season Here

2009-12-07T16:10:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry I've not been in blog-world for a few days. I have the flu and will be back as soon as I am up to it. Greetings to all my blog friends. Stay well.

Muse Day- December

2009-12-01T16:58:00.000-08:00

Night-blooming Cereus

Wild Geese

You do not have to be good.

You do not have to walk on your knees

for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.

You only have to let the soft animal of your body

love what it loves.

Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.

Meanwhile the world goes on.

Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain

are moving across the landscapes,

over the prairies and deep trees,

the mountains and the rivers.

Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,

are heading home again.

Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,

the world offers itself to your imagination,

calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting---

over and over announcing your place

in the family of things.

- Mary Oliver

For more Muse Day posts see Carolyn at Sweet Home and Garden Chicago.

Blue on Blue

2009-11-28T15:16:00.000-08:00

My first 78 record was Blue on Blue when I was a teenager. I was never really fond of the song, but will never forget the title. Bobby Vinton was singing a song about having the blues. And this post is about the blues, but in my garden, inspired by Kiki at Awake with Charm and Spirit.

First a huge thank you to two wonderful bloggers who have given me the best blog award.

I received it from Noelle at Plants Tips and Guidelines for the Desert Garden and from The Violet Fern. Am I lucky or what. I am a great fan of both blogs. Do go and visit them. I love so many blogs that I will defer to others to list the best blogs. They've done such a good job.

Now for the blue in the garden. I have a variety of flowers and other garden structures in the garden that are blue. I'll start with the plants first.

Blue Glory Bower

Morning Glory

Forget-me-nots

Plumbago ceratostigma

Some of favorites are blue gray, like the succulents.

Sedum

Now into the things non-plant. Lots of blue pots, one of which if pictured below.

Echeveria in Blue Ceramic pot

My short blue picked fence

In general, I love blue, so have to hold myself back so that I do not paint all the wicker chairs blue. I'm due to repaint some of my flower pots blue. I really enjoy blue as an accent and flower in my garden.

Wordless Wednesday- Roses

2009-11-24T19:20:00.000-08:00

All roses found at LA Arboretum

LA Arboretum: Trees

2009-11-20T18:04:00.000-08:00

I love the strength and stature of a tree. They are the old and wise beings of the plant world. As they grow older their beauty shines in a new way. Some of the Arboretum trees had this sort of beauty.

Pink or Silk Floss Tree

Underneath this tree you can see young peacock fowl. This Ceiba speciosa belongs to the same family as the baobob and is originally from South America. Being drought resistant it does particularly well in Southern California. The bark is very unusual with very large and stout thorns adorning it.

Right now it has pink flowers. Later in the year these flowers will become large pods from which silk floss will fall. This is how it gets its name. Now for the flowers, which shed such a beautiful shadow of pink on the ground.

Ginkgo biloba tree

This tree's leaves are beginning to turn in autumn's coolness. This tree is unusual, as it has no living relatives, all others being extinct. It's extinct relatives can still be found as fossils. It originated in China. It leaves bear a resemblance to the leaflets of the maidenhair fern, giving it the common name, Maidenhair Tree.

The leaves look beautiful in the early stages of gaining their autumn color on the outer edge of each leaf. Perfect symmetry!!

There were other trees showing signs of autumn in the Arboretum, mostly maples.

A glorious abundance of gold against the blue sky. Such colors fill our souls in autumn.

I couldn't leave out my favorite tree, the paper-white birch. This far south they are small, but treasured sights.

The silver glow of the bark never fails to inspire me. When I lived in Russia, I was able to see many large specimens of this tree in the forest. Russians love this tree and write many folk songs about it.

LA Arboretum: Desert

2009-11-18T19:01:00.000-08:00

Madagascar Spiny Forest

Pachypodium (thank you JJ Glade)

This area of the Arboretum features some of the strange plants from this area of Madagascar. Please pardon my lack of knowledge of the names. If anyone does know, please let me know so that I can post them.

The region of Madagascar where the spiny deserts are receives little rain and has no shade. Some of these plants have an other-worldly look, as they have evolved over centuries to be able to survive the harsh conditions of this desert. Many of the plants are endemic to Madagascar and have strange and amazing shapes in their efforts to live in this region. The plant above has a swollen trunk to preserve water.

This was one of the few flowering plants in this section.

A type of Euphorbia (thank you JJ Glade)

This is one of the stranger plants in the collection. This specimen is large and arches over the path. The spines are hidden in the plump leaves on the stems. The leaves and the trunk store water for the plant.

Here are some other plants that caught the eye of my camera.

a type of Crown of Thorns

Pachypodium

Cactus Garden

The Arboretum has some beautiful specimens of cacti and succulents.

The fruit of the cactus

Just behind this cactus garden was the red fairy duster (thank you Noelle for the name of this plant), where I found the bees.

There are some wonderful succulents close by, some blooming, some just glowing with color.

A type of Aloe in bloom

Another type of Aloe in bloom

Euphorbia tirucalli "Sticks on Fire" (Thank you, Noelle

One of my favorites of the day with its bright orange and red succulent branches.

LA Arboretum: Wildlife

2009-11-16T16:21:00.000-08:00

We often go walking at the Arboretum. It's long name is the Los Angeles Arboretum and Botanical Garden. It occupies 127 acres of the old Rancho Santa Anita, purchased as an Arboretum in 1947. Located in Arcadia, it lies just below the San Gabriel Mountains. I hope to acquaint you with some aspects of it over a number of posts.When we last visited on Sunday, it was a bright sunny day with temperatures in the 70s. I took along the camera to share some of it with you.

The bees were so active on this bush, nestling themselves deep within each flower.

A monarch butterfly was still fluttering around the butterfly bush in the herb garden.

The ducks and geese were on the pond as usual, with the black-crowned night heron a-perch on a dried branch in the water. They are all year-round residents.

Wood Duck

Canadian Geese

Black-crowned Night Heron

This heron usually fishes at dusk and night, but does rest near this pond in the late afternoon. They do not look like their relatives in the heron family, with a stocky body and shorter bills, legs and neck than other herons. But they are excellent fishers. When after prey, they dive into the water with their necks extended. I love the unusual shape and silhouette of this heron.

One other bird was found singing high up in the trees.

Red-whiskered Bulbul

His red markings are not visible in this photo, but there are some other photos of him at this link. His red marking and the tall black crest on his head make this bird distinctive in the wild. This bird is originally from Asia, but has established a local population in Southern California. It feeds on berries and insects, but is taking his leisure in this photo, perhaps waiting for some dinner to fly by.

This is only a small look at the Arboretum. In the coming weeks I'll post more.

Perfume Plant

2009-11-12T16:14:00.000-08:00

Osmanthus fragrans-- my perfume plant

But before sharing this plant with you, I have some other thank yous to make. Jo at The Good Life has given me the Best Blog Award. I am honored. I just couldn't choose 15 of my favorite blogs as I have so many, so I won't be tagging anyone. But Jo is just great to have passed this award on. Kudos, Jo.

Also, I never thanked those who gave me the Honest Scrap Award. They were James at Garden Chronicles and Rosey at Dung Hoe. I already answered this award here. A big thank you to both of you.

Garden blogging is such a community affair, as you see from the awards we pass on to each other. That's one of the things that keeps us connected and having fun at blogging.

A question to my readers. I have changed the color of my font to make it easier to read against the black background. Especially those of you who have trouble with font on black, please let me know if this is easier on your eyes. This blog is for you to enjoy and I want to make it that way.

Now back to my perfume plant, Osmanthus fragans.

Blossoms of Osmanthus fragrans

It is such an understated plant to look at. Waxy leaves with slightly serrated edges. An unformed bushy appearance. But when it blooms noses turn toward it. Mine loves the cooler weather of autumn, winter and spring and is starting its blooming cycle. Just to walk past it is an mesmerizing experience. It smells like apricots and peaches, but more delicate and warm.

Can you call a fragrance warm? This one is. It envelopes me each time I come near. Evening is the best time to smell it at its height, as the cool air lets the perfume expand into the air. That part of my garden smells like osmanthus in the cool of the dusk.

Osmanthus blooms on the old part of the plant, often the woody part, as you can see in the photo above. In researching this plant for this post, I just discovered this fact. I had pruned my Osmanthus late. Thus I'm getting lots of new green foliage, but no blossoms on this part. But this plant is so forgiving. It is giving me lots of blooms on the unpruned branches.

I grow mine in a pot, as it can get large, up to 6 feet high! But this plant is so easy, it doesn't mind the pot. It just needs a little morning light and no direct afternoon light and it will give and give.

Osmanthus is from China, where it is beloved. It is also known as Sweet Olive or Fragrant Olive. There this plant is used in teas, perfumes, cooking. There are even festivals held in China just for this plant in flower. I received it from a Taiwanese neighbor as a gift. He told me it is used in more expensive perfumes. Perhaps some of our own favorite perfumes use Osmanthus as an ingredient.

A gentle spirit

An unassuming spirit

Speaking only with its scent

Caressing me with a soft embrace of

warm sweetness

You speak in dulcet tones

To those that will notice

Humbled in your presence

Watchful of your quiet voice

I receive from this sweet olive

The selfless gift of sensuality and love

It teaches me about the quiet gifts of life

Those that make no show

But offer me the sweet pleasure

of heavenly fragrance

Asking almost nothing in return

So few gifts come this way

How many plants do you have that are so easy, yet give so much?

I Blog Because...

2009-11-09T12:34:00.000-08:00

There have been a number of posts revealing the basic truth about the blogger, blogging, and other aspects of gardening that I have been inspired to join the ranks.

I blog because I came to a point in my life where that was what I needed and didn't even know it for quite some time. This has been a year of big transitions for me. I have been a dancer most of life, but thought I might need a better way to make an income as I grew older, so I went back to graduate school. I came to Los Angeles for the graduate program in Russian at USC. I loved all things Russian after living there and wanted to share it with others. It was that simple to me. But not that straightforward in a graduate program.

Salvia chiapensis

As I grow older I realize how little I really know myself. I had been doing artistic work for over 25 years and chose to go to graduate school. I had forgotten why I decided not to do just that after I completed undergraduate school in my twenties. I decided then that I wanted do all things artistic.

From the start graduate school did not agree with me, even though I did well in classes and papers. I love writing and researching. I thought I could manage on that. But I longed always for something more expanding. I gardened then out of survival. My garden was my piece of art. And I naively thought that could be enough.

By the time I had worked on the dissertation for some years, I had to admit that this was not what I should be doing. It was all so intellectual and theoretical. My real joy was the garden, as I had no other outlet for my creativity. So I stopped working for my PhD, short of finishing, because I could feel my real self melting away. I was getting sick more often and my physical endurance was fading. I read the signs and quit.

Ornamental cabbage with Bellis daisy

I didn't know what to do with myself after that. My health was shot. I had to sleep for hours during the day. I read, worked in my garden when I could and played internet solitaire. I did this for months, berating myself for not finishing the dissertation, while, on the other hand, realizing I should never have started it.

I finally started a journal about my garden. What was lacking was someone to share it with. I didn't really know what a blog was then. I'd heard of it, but didn't know what was in one. I began to search the internet for things to read about gardens. Newspaper articles, how-to sites, finally coming upon some blogs, still not knowing that they were blogs. Every so often the fleeting thought crossed my mind of sharing on the internet also, but just as quickly the though passed. I didn't think I could.

In one of my searches I found blotanical. It was a gullly-washer. I read so many sites about gardening. And they were called blogs. So that was what a blog was about. I could do that--- or could I? I thought blogging was something teenagers did. Dare I share so much with so many strangers? Publish on the web? The questions swirled.

Gulf Fritillary

Then it came upon me one day. I could try a blog and if it didn't work for me I could delete the whole thing.

From the start, choosing the blogspot, deciding how it would look, I became obsessed. I wanted it all done yesterday. Finally I was ready to start writing. I'm still not sure how to write for a blog. I love writing, so I write what comes to me. After all, there is not competition here. I push a button and what I wrote appears on the web instantaneously. The publisher won't send me back a refusal letter. And I became so attached to writing on this blog that I wrote every day for one week. I'd write about anything garden. Since I couldn't get out much, I focused on what was before me. The small area I garden. And as I read other blogs, I saw that one could garden on a balcony and still have enough to share with others. Blogging fed something in me that had hungered for some time.

I've been tempted to copy some of the style of others, since I didn't really think I knew how to make a winning blog. There I go again. Winning!! That is not the point of it all for me. Writing, having a passion to share, finding readers. I'm still finding my blog voice, but I think this will be here for the time being. It has given me a new direction while the rest of my life sorts itself out. I think everyone has their own story to tell about the blog they write.

Why do I blog? I don't really know. The descriptions I give to my blog change daily. I just know that each time I write and then push that button, I know I have done the right thing.

I have started. And I am still here. Why do things happen to us in life? How are we led from one stage to another? The love for my garden just bubbles up in me and now I can share it with other bubblers.

Passiflora 'Lady Margaret'

November Light

2009-11-06T17:49:00.000-08:00

I walk through the garden now and notice the changing light of November. The sun shines lower in the sky. And with this change comes the glow of November. Even here, where the leaves are not changing, but the temperatures are now in the 50s at night, the quality of the light changes. It is like transparent honey which is spread over the objects it finds. Sitting in the garden this afternoon as the sun moved toward sunset, I could see the shadows offset the golden yellow light streaming through the leaves and my bamboo fence.

The chrysanthemums changed color as the fading sunlight fell on their blooms.

I remember many Novembers for this kind of light. One in particular, I was recovering from a serious illness and had time to look at the November light. The light became the focus of my days, as I would wait for it to fall upon plants, corn stalks, red tractors, fallen leaves. It changed the objects it met, leaving them with the same glow.

Here the fronds of an Australian tree fern change color in the rays of this afternoon's sun. And I begin to notice a rose's glow, bedding plants set apart by the light and pansies' bright faces.

English Daisy 'Bellis'

Some of the new plants in the garden take on this light and look renewed and transformed.

Echeveria

Sedum 'Golden Carpet'

Such looking brings me a great sense of peace and tranquility. Does the light enter me? Or does the concentration bring me to this state? I think both. Observing the garden rather than working in it can bring some new revelations. So I found myself sitting and letting the light move and change about me. And the mood followed me inside. Gifts of the garden and the gardener who observes.

I have trouble sitting and observing the garden without wanting to do something to improve the plants-- pruning, sweeping, picking up debris. There are always so many tasks that ask to be done. But to learn to sit in the garden and observe is a fruit of taking more and more photographs for my blog. I cannot be so busy when I take a picture. I must move slowly and observe more closely. Then I see the subtle changes that can fill my spirit.

I remembered today how much I love November light. Nature offers such simple gifts. I must just pause to notice them.

"And to see takes time. Like to have a friend takes time." Georgia O'Keefe

Honestly, Scrap Me, If You Must

2009-11-02T17:33:00.000-08:00

I usually hide behind a few layers, so today I'll peel away a few and tell you some of the things about myself that I save in bottles on shelves in the many caves of me. Wander in with me and see what's there.

1. I lived in Moscow, Russia, for 4 years in the 1990s teaching a form of dance. I loved it, traveling as much as I could. I knew Russian from university and had always dreamed of living there. So this time was outside of time and in my dreams.

2. I love ice cream, but can't really have it anymore. But since I had dental surgery last week, my fiancee found some sugarless ice cream for me. After I let it melt a little, it fits perfectly into my happy mouth. Ahh, bliss.

3. I spent ten years raising small exotic finches. Seeing the little babies emerge from the eggs and grow up was my favorite part. I have one hand-tamed finch from that time, as well as a number of adults living out their years with me, now that I don't breed any more.

Pippa, hand-tamed finch who died at two years old

4. I have always been a vagabond about the world until quite recently. I have lived in this cottage since 2001. The longest I have lived in the same place as an adult. I've rather enjoyed this being in one place and now don't want to move when my fiancee talks about it. I've gone from vagabond to putting down roots that don't want disturbing.

5. I love detective and science fiction movies the best. The mystery and unexpected are terribly exciting to me. But I will watch almost anything, except some of the animated films and TV shows.

6. As a teacher of dance, I also danced on the stage. I loved it at the time, but am glad to dance about my garden now.

7. I see and hear nature spirits. Actually, all spirits that I direct my attention to. I've not always been able to do this, at least not consciously. The past ten years or so this ability has developed.

8. I will marry in the spring to this wonderful man. Tall, light and handsome. I never thought I'd do this a second time, that is, get married.

9. I love dogs and would love to have one. But the landlord doesn't allow them here. So I look at doggie pictures and doggies on the street and dream of the day I'll have a dog again.

10. I've always wanted to have a larger garden with secret parts to it, hidden by shrubs or trees. Then in part of the garden I want a sleeping room, where I can rest or work outside and hear the birds and the wind. Part of the garden would be just for tea, part of it just for dinner. The other parts of this dream garden are for walking with different attractions, like a fountain, certain kinds of plants, an arbor, a pergola and lots of flowers. But the sleeping room is the one I dream of the most. I love falling asleep to the sounds of nature.

Now for the envelope-- of those who will get the Honest Scrap Award after me.

The Rusty Hoe for all the unusual things she posts. She keeps me up-to-date on the world's unsusual.

Moj Vrt and all the fun posts she makes about her Croatian garden.

Dirt Simple for the really informative and artistic posts.

Nature Nerd and all the things she posts about her students.

Las Frutas de Paraiso for all things Nicuarguan and farming.

Le Jardin sous le Tillleul for the honesty and beauty on her blog.

The Cottage on the Corner for some beautiful photos.

The Violet Fern for the joy in sharing her lovely garden.

Singapore Plants Lover for all those Singapore plants.

Don't feel compelled to respond to the award, but it can be fun. To respond, copy the Honest Scrap award to your site and tell ten things about yourself. Don't forget to pass the award on to nine (or is it ten) other people. Let's get to know each other a little better.

Halloween and Remake

2009-10-29T16:01:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year. Halloween almost here. And time to remake beds in southern California. They do well if started in the late fall, can winter over in above-freezing temps and then grow into the spring. This gets plants established before the hot summer.

I am an informal gardener, so it's not always so easy to see the form in the way I've planted. But I like to plant where it seems to fit in my own quirky style. It can make for mess to the eye, until things get planted and grow. There's a method to my madness.

I certainly don't fit the organized gardeners of the first few categories in Nell Jean's post What Kind of a Gardener are You? The plan you see below is for record only. I made it after I got all the plants in place and like where they were. I knew generally what I wanted before I went to the nursery, but let my intuition be the guide once I got there. It seems to work for me.

One of my beds had an unusual number of plants on the wane this summer, so I've opted for more succulents and drought-wise plants. I did quite a bit of internet research before going to the plant store.

Here's the bed before I got any new plants in it. No pruning or transplanting done yet and some pots in places I think they might go. The bed is remade in three stages. This is the first.

Here is my drawing of the bed with the new additions and the legend being a list of the initials spelled out into words. The form of the bed has a rock bed on the left and right of a central rock with a crystal on it. The plants are interspersed in this structure. I often intersperse according to color and texture, balance and creative license. Not your formal garden here.

Hope you can read the legend. I did print. Skeletal map above with S's marking the newcomer succulents. A few other new plants came into the plan during planting. I never could make a good outline of a paper until after I'd written it. This was the same. I made the plan after I tried out the plants in their pots on the bed.

Here's another photo before I planted.

The rock bed is made with Arizona Travertine. It's related to porous limestone, but is a little harder. You can really see the orange, yellow and whitish colors of the stone, which I love, as well as the layers and porous character. That's what makes this rock so interesting.

Now for some photos after I got the succulents planted, the bed pruned and other plants removed or moved. This is the second stage of my remake of the bed.

Here you can see one hen and chicks. Later I add another to focus the area. It's not so easy to see the burgundy aeonium and echeveria behind it to add contrast.

The full bed with sprinkler going. I wanted to get this shot before the sun hit the bed and make the photo too bright.

Now for the final touch done today, with a few more succulents and the annuals-- pansies. This is the third and, dare I say, last stage, of the remake.

Full bed with lone yellow pansy in the middle waiting for a place.

Now I'll take you through the bed from the Bird of Paradise progessing to the plants by the door.

Purple pansies and golden sedum with silver edged horehound to back.

Rock garden with sedum and thyme interspersed. Native penistemum in back left.

Both hen and chicks by the central garden crystal. Pansies in forground. The zinnias are still popping.

Next rock garden with pansies and sedum. The dried flower stalks are from the yarrow. Chartreuse ornamental sweet potato wending its way through the bed at the back.

The rest of the rock garden the echinecea and rudbeckia on the far right.

This bed is not easy to photograph, but I wanted to give you an idea of a garden bed remake in my style. Hope it's been possible to follow and even enjoy. As it fills in I'll show more photos.

I have such fun doing this sort of thing. Really brings out the creative juices. I get so into the garden that I overdo it. After the second stage I had to rest with all the bending and stretching. I've had some pinched nerves in my neck, affecting my arms, and all that work got them inflamed again. But I didn't feel a thing as I was working. Only after the fact. And I do have plenty of dirt ground into my hands and fingernails, despite quite a few scrubs. All worth it as I step out the door and look on my handiwork. Gotta love a remade garden bed. All that potential waiting for time to pass.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-10-27T17:44:00.000-07:00

Butterfly Love

2009-10-26T16:13:00.000-07:00

I finally got some photos of butterflies in my garden. Even though they were the same variety, it is very exciting. I had to click fast, because they certainly don't wait for you. They were flitting about most of the time, as butterflies are wont to do. So I learned patience. A moving object is just hard to photograph.

The Gulf Fritilary

They are common visitors in my garden, but so busy in flight, that I hardly get a close look at them. Here it is perched on a passion flower, favorite of the insects and hummingbirds.

Lovely fluttering creature, for a moment I have the honor of breathing in your essence. Quiet you are on a blossom or leaf.

Wings closed tight I see the inner beauty of your flight. In your aberrant flight you seem not to know where you fly. But you find the flower or leaf that you need and settle into a momentary stasis. If I could be you for a moment, wings outspread in the sun, flying on the drafts of air. Velvet wings. Searching antenna. Seeking the light and the air.

So delicate, so ephemeral, the stuff dreams are made of, I bow to you little flittering creature of the air.

Dedicated to her

2009-10-23T13:10:00.000-07:00

Fall 2006-- Trip to Northeast to visit friend dying of breast cancer-- beautiful autumn-- last time to see my friend-- this post and the beauty of fall dedicated to her

This trip was to New York state, 2 hours north of the NYC. I'd lived there before I came to California and had a friend there to die of cancer the following spring. I flew out for a quick weekend to see her.

The following photos taken during my last walk with her.

She loved to collect berries for wreaths.

The autumn colors were at their height. So much glorious beauty. I will never forget that trip. The next pictures are taken in the company of another friend I stayed with.

These donkeys were lovebugs. We hugged and hugged. I couldn't get enough. Neither could they.

Berkshires, NY

Catskills in the distance

I know you hear me, dear friend. This is in your memory and dedicated to you in the spirit with which you lived and died.

Moon Planting

2009-10-21T18:07:00.000-07:00

It's amazing that plants are so connected to the moon, as the sun and the seasons have a more obvious effect. I've learned in my gardening that they do. In the Farmer's Almanac there is a small section that describes gardening by the moon. The basic idea is to plant above ground vegetables when the moon is waxing and below ground vegetables when the moon is waning. There is next to this a section that describes the best moon constellations for planting, fertilizing, pruning, etc. They go in to times for special work in animal husbandry, as well. Since I have no animals, I don't pay much attention to that.

I like gardening with the moon. I've used the Farmer's Almanac suggestions and also a calendar by the name of Stella Natura. It is set up like a regular calendar and tells you when to work with certain kinds of plants according to the zodiac constellation the moon is in. Not so far from the Farmer's Almanac, just a slightly different take.

I've done my own experimenting by noticing when plants seem to do best, if I take all this moon advice. And I've discovered some patterns of my own. It can get to be a bit technical, if you don't keep a garden journal. But I just mark things on the calendar and note if the seeds came up, the transplant worked, or didn't, etc. Sometimes I just remember.

I planted my fall garden seeds in old annual six-pack trays a week or so ago. I planted all the leaf seeds, the seeds of leafy vegetables, at what I though was the best time by the moon. They came up in two days.

They were sitting outside on the patio. I plant them this way rather than straight in the garden, as the squirrels are hard at work burying nuts. If I till and plant seeds, that's the perfect place for them to plant nuts, or so they think. So I'll give them a head start on the patio.

I am always so surprised when my seeds come up in record time. Ever since I've been trying to plant by the moon, this will happen to me. It doesn't happen every time, as I often don't select the very best time. It's a matter of connecting with my intuition and all the moon planting advice I've read, and then planting. It feels so good to get the right time. Sometimes I can sense that I've gotten the right time when I plant. I have the feeling that I've put the money in the right slot this time. Hope you understand what I mean.

Here are the little fellows just coming up-- my lettuces and mesclun mix. Seedlings are terribly exciting for me. They have all the promise of big plants with a salad to offer or big blossoms to come. They are little plants coming into being. I love it.

Here they are after a few more days. Getting to be big guys. Secondary leaves just starting to appear. I used to always water them with chamomile tea to prevent damping off, but lately I haven't had this problem.

I find this part of gardening needs a delicate touch and a watchful eye. I have to be cognizant each day of the seedlings. They are easily disturbed at this point, by lack of water, too much sun, insects. But it is one of the more fulfilling parts of gardening-- watching a seed grow into a whole plant with leaves and or flowers. It can be a frustrating part, as well, when the seeds don't come up or they're struck down by something or other.

The moon planting just gives me a jump on seed sprouting and, later, on the strength and health of the plant (more on that later). Have any of you done these kinds of experiments? Tell me about it.

My Blue Glory Bower

2009-10-19T15:22:00.000-07:00

The Glory Bower Bush is one of the gems of my garden. I keep it in a pot, as I've not a sunny enough spot to give it the room it would like to grow in. But it does happily in a pot.

It's Latin name is Clerodendrum ugandense, from the Verbena family. It can grow to 8 feet high and 8 feet wide and doesn't mind being trmmed back to 2-3 feet high to become bushier. Right now I keep it at 3-4 feet high and will trim it as it finishes blooming. It loves lots of water, which is another reason I keep it in a pot, so that it doesn't dry out in our heat waves.

It's buds are tight little ovals when preparing for bloom. They can even have a little color. They cluster tight together.

As they prepare to bloom the buds spread out into the air.

The plant is originally from Africa, actually Kenya, rather than Uganda, as the name suggests. There has been some controvery about the Latin name. Now it seems to be called Clerodendrum myricoides 'Ugandense.'

It will take light shade and handle temperatures to 20 degrees F.

All parts of the plant are poisonous, so don't try to take a snack on this plant. Another relative to this bush. C. trichotomym is used in Chinese herbal medicine for a variety of ailments.

The spiders enjoy it too.

In my garden it is very exciting when it blooms as its flowers are so spectacular, even though small. They look like butterflies with different colored blue petals and pistils that unfurl themselves like the anthers of a butterfly. Butterflies and bees love them and can often be found hvering around them when they are in bloom.

Now for the glory of its blooms and a few shots of the plant in larger perspective. Enjoy.

Passion in the Garden

2009-10-16T17:43:00.000-07:00

Well you've not seen anything more passionate in my garden of late than my passion flower vines. It's calling out for a post of it's own.

Blossoms, buds, new vines abound on this plant.

It cascades off the trellis in layers, falling in abandon on vine branch after vine branch. When these plants decide to be proficient, they really go after it. To give you the full effect, I'm just going to have to show you lots of pictures. Here goes, one after another. I just went crazy taking photographs of this beauty. It is showing off right now and who can resist a plant that has to show off.

Talk about passion in the garden, this passion vine is dong its best. Striking three-lobed leaves just never stop and on each stalk is a blossom and more buds. And don't you just love the three layers of this flower-- petals, second layer of petals, then pistils and stamens. It just wants to be looked at.

After two days of rain the plants were sparkling with raindrops the next morning. Out in the garden and here is this show-off plant still abounding in blossoms and beauty.

I've tried to take pictures of this plant from every which-a-way to give you the idea of what's going on in this part of the garden. Passion is the only way to describe it. Now enjoy these last few and breathe in the life and joy of a passion flower in bloom.

Did I see a third layer of petals, the white ones?

Yes, indeedy, I did. And look at the red splotching on the pistils. What a pistol this plant is!!!

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day- October 2009

2009-10-15T16:14:00.000-07:00

The blooms today are my old favorites: peony rose, begonia, passion flower, bird of paradise. We've had two days of rain-- most unexpected for us this time of year-- so the garden sparkles today. It's warm, so all the blooms that were in bud are coming out.

The peony rose ( I don't know it's botanical name, so if anyone has an idea, do let me know.) has got three blossoms and more buds. The other roses are busy giving me new blooms. Their stems have all gotten so tall that I will have to prune them back this winter. The garden is happy when the roses start to bloom again in the fall. The stress of summer is over and here, we still have weeks of warm weather, with the possibility of another heat wave. So goes our autumn in the Los Angeles area.

These begonias are the work horses of the garden this summer. No matter the weather they keep giving blossoms. You can see the shadows of the petals on this passion flower bloom. We have very nice clear skies today. A beautiful day.

And who else should show his colors today, but the bird of paradise, still unfurling more blossoms than he's ever shown in one season. Happy blooms for a lovely day.

For more Bloom Day shows go to May Dreams Garden.

Sleeping Honey Bee Dreams

2009-10-13T14:34:00.000-07:00

Little honey bee, little friend asleep on my house, what passes before your anthropod eye? Do you see the garden around you or do you dream of the flowers you have seen?

Do you see the pollen you have gathered to line your hive? And on your flight to your hive, just one more flower to light on, just one more. Until you are too heavy with pollen and must return. But it is so warm today, that you come back out of the hive eager for more flowers, for bathing in the flowers and resting on hot leaves, for basking in the summer sun until the evening cool sends you back to your hive.

Asleep and dreaming of different days, oh you of the segmented legs, you of the stained glass wings, oh you of the yellow and black striped tail. What do your anthers tell you today, on this cool autumn day?

Do you sense the other flowers that wait for you on that hot July day? The reds and the yellows? The ones that you literally roll in all for the sake of the pollen, to grace the hexagons of your hive, to feed the new lives of your nieces and nephews.

O sleeping honey bee of the dwindling race, I wish you long life and health. Awake when my garden is warm again and visit my flowers, carrying pollen from flower to flower, so to make the seeds that fertilize my beds and bring me more flowers to brighten my path.

Home, Sweet Home

2009-10-12T14:07:00.000-07:00

Now that the dust has settled from the house painters, the tree trimmers and the weather is a pleasant 75 degrees, the garden has started to look like home again. We swept, moved, rearranged and swept some more to get things back in order on the patio.

The chairs are ready for visitors. The fire pit prepared for the fire. Each pot and shelf and plant stand back in its place. Even the table waits expectantly for tea cups to appear. It is sight to behold, welcome to the eyes.

The begonias in the wrought iron scallops sit beside the blue house with the white trim. Ah, yes, our freshly painted blue house with the oh-so-white trim. And who else joins us, but

the peony rose with three opening buds by the sun dial. Our constant friend, the peony rose.

To Blotanical

2009-10-09T11:44:00.000-07:00

This rose is for Blotanical. With it I offer my thanks to Stuart for starting this great gathering place for garden bloggers. I have found a family of bloggers who come visit me and support me in my rambles about my garden. And, thanks to Blotanical, I can visit oh so many blogs. It's like taking loads of garden tours in one day. I love it.

Sometimes I fall asleep with images from others' gardens in my head. What a wonderful way to fall asleep. My life is richer because of the gardener gathering made possible on Blotanical. I can never say enough thank yous. So I offer you my favorite peony rose in bloom as I write.

You can find Blotanical at http://www.blotanical.com/.

Spider Takes a Walk

2009-10-07T12:20:00.000-07:00

Spider, spider, oh so light,

Who did frame thy symmetry,

Gave thee shape

And gave thee legs

So to walk

Amongst the flowers.

Who gave thee power

To spin a web

So to walk

In air, freespace.

Who gave thee purpose

So to change

Thy path a-walking,

Thy way to go.

Who did give thee

Such a mind

To walk in shades

Of orange, blue

Red and white,

In beauty bold

Where beauty brights.

Spider, spider, oh so light

To walk with you

Upon this day

About my Bird of Paradise.

Paradise, paradise

About my Bird of Paradise

Oh, to have such a view

As spider walks

On Paradise.

They Survived!!

2009-10-05T12:21:00.000-07:00

I think the assaults on my garden are over for now. The tree trimmers came, destroyed two plants, but, praise heaven, they're gone. For those of you who have been following this blog, you know my garden has lived through drought, heat, Santa Anna winds, house painters, now tree trimmers. The live oak they trimmed is just above my garden. And I've got some survivors. Can you believe it?! I've got some beautiful survivors. As I touched up their pictures to show you, I got so excited. Doesn't matter to the garden. They ARE gonna survive. Boy, can I learn a lesson.

My pride and joy is my peony rose. I've no idea what her real name is, as she was a gift from the weekly market. But her bloom is such a knock-out, so full, so fragrant, that I call her the peony rose.

Wait until you see the blossoms that are still singin their hearts out. I honor them here.

Dragon Wing Begonia

Bird of Paradise

Echinicea

Begonia

Crown of Thorns

Cranesbill Geranium

Some of my champions are leaves. I'm just busting to share them with you. They're going great guns. Who'd a thought.

Purple Oxalis

Persian Shield

Forget-me-not

Staghorn Fern

Ornamental Sweet Potato Vine

I could tell you a little story about each one. The Persian Shield lost half the plant from the tree trimmers. But this beautiful half remains. The forget-me-nots have spread to almost cover this plants. No stopping them in all this drought and heat.

The cranesbilll geranium has not stopped blooming through everything. It even has lots of buds, just as my peony rose does. That bird of paradise just keeps on giving blooms. It, too, has its beak-like buds yet to open.

I learn so much about how to live from my garden. There will be survivors. Surviving will happen. Hurrah for the garden, one of my very best friends. Hurrah for the survivors.

My Bloomin' Ferns

2009-10-01T11:54:00.000-07:00

My ferns are blooming. I've never noticed such a prolific bloom as this year. And whoever heard of a fern blooming. Little white flowers is what they have. So little it's hard to see them unless I give you a close-up.

So what are ferns doing blooming. Aren't they supposed to have spores or things like that. To put your mind at rest, these aren't true ferns. I've always called them asparagus ferns, so I thought they were ferns. Their foliage bears a resemblance to that of the vegetable asparagus, also from the Asparagus genus. But, of course, they don't sport those delicacies of vegetables we all steam or boil and put butter on in the spring. Well, the asparagus I'm talking about aren't vegetables or ferns. I'd always wondered how they could survive the droughts untouched. Now I know. They're from the family Asparagus, but not fern-related.

There are three of them, as far as I can tell. Asparagus sprengeri, meyrsii, and plumosa. I grow all three and have been pleased each time I see them bloom. Asparagus sprengeri blooms in the spring and by now has red berries. I'm giving you this link to go see, as my sprengeri have not done well this year, so I didn't torture you with a photo. But the other two are looking good this year and fall blooming---- so here goes.

Asparagus plumosa

I'm sure all of you have seen this before. It's a small houseplant up north and a climber here in the south where it's almost like a weed, albeit a pretty one. Each branch that becomes a climber also has thorns on it. Makes it just that more difficult to prune.

Asparagus meyrsii

I'm sure you've all seen this one too. It's also called foxtail and other common names that I don't have at the tip of my tongue.

But I like them. They're hardy plants, have a good look next to the other plants and wear a green fuzzy apparel of needle-shaped, prickly leaves that are quite handsome. So if you haven't learned something, I have. This was kinda fun.

Now you know what I'm doing with bloomin' ferns.

Autumn Kinkitis

2009-09-28T11:38:00.000-07:00

I don't have the best of the garden to share today, but there are signs of a transition into our kind of fall. The garden had taken quite a beating the last few weeks between the heat waves and the painters. And then, surprise, the painters are finished. Nice little blue and white cottage. And it was so "chilly" outside, I had to wear my bathrobe in the garden this morning to survey the plants.

My tomato is still producing, despite the heat-damaged foliage.

My leafy begonia did not survive the heat. I hope they will produce new leaves from the bulb. I keep watering them.

The path the painters made through my bed to get at the side of the house. It will take some time for this to recover.

My rose bush suffers from heat-melted blossoms and painter sanding dust. I will have to hose off each plant in the garden to give the leaves a chance to breathe again.

One echinacea dried to a crisp by the heat, while its neighbor still blooms. Nature is mysterious. We never know which plant the strong sun will toast and which it will leave to flower.

There is some good news. Despite the heat some plants have fourished.

Witness my peony rose. Four buds!!

Dragon-Winged Begonia

Rabbit-foot Fern

Staghorn Fern

Jupiter's Beard

Salvia Chiapensis reblooming!!

If the cool temps remain, even for a week or two, other plants will start to recover, more blooms will appear and my fall garden will flourish. With every loss comes new life. How happy that the garden shows me this truth in every season.

Now I've got to go to the garden center for a new hose. This one has permanent kinkitis. Who says I haven't been watering!

Bird of Paradise

2009-09-25T12:55:00.000-07:00

So here it is again, my Bird of Paradise. It has decided this is the year to bloom and bloom. I'm so excited to see all this activity after nine years of solitary blooms. This deserves its own post. Here we go.

Before they bloom they look like

this, then

this.

I love the way they start out green and become shades of red and orange with the outer covering of the blossom wrapped in layers around it's special charge.

Then they turn their heads to the side to prepare to bloom.

Then one morning I walk out to see that it's just opened up to reveal one blue petal and two orange. They just slip out of that tightly wound bud and stand away from the bud in petals sequentially farther away from their sprouting place. You can still see the reddish and orange color on the stem and a bit on the bud itself.

Here you can see that two more orange petals have emerged and one more blue. The red stem shows more in this photo.

Here's another view of my special beauties, showing even more of their character. I've not done anything different to my Birds this year. They've unfurled their feathers just because this was their time. Nature is mysterious and wonderful when it surprises us like this.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-09-23T12:46:00.000-07:00

Blue Glory Bower

Love those Leaves

2009-09-21T16:16:00.000-07:00

Passion Flower

Ornamental Sweet Potato

Variegated Ivy

All leaves have their own personality, especially the ones from different plants. The above three leaves have three or five lobes, but on closer examination are quite different. The Passion Flower leaf reaches its veins into each of the three lobes and has parallel veins, while the Sweet Potato treats each lobe as part of the larger leaf and does not have parallel veins. The colors of the Ivy almost obscure the veins in this leaf.

At the expense of not getting too technical in this post, I will describe some leaves and leave the others for you to notice the difference. It's only because of this post that I've started to recall some of my high school biology and look at leaves as individuals again. It's so easy to see the flowers and forget about the leaves that engender them.

Polka-dot plant

Caladium

Some leaves are more spectacular than the flower, as the above two. The Polka-dot leaf has veins that do not follow the pattern of the pink color, while the Caladium does. The Caladium looks as if its sap ran deep pink in the middle of the leaf.

Australian Tree Fern

Staghorn Fern Frond

Mother Fern Leaflet

The ferns are a world all their own. Leaflets grow off of the main stem in different shapes and sizes. The spores on the back of the Mother Fern leaflet can form new ferns. I love the gentle curve of this leaflet.

Yarrow Leaf

Boston Fern Leaf

But even ferns are similar to the leaves themselves, as in the two leaves shown above. The Yarrow may have a more complex form, but both leaves grow out from a central stem.

Cranesbill Geranium

Kalanchoe

Begonia

Plumbago Groundcover in Fall

These leaves show the different colors that leaves can have. The colors in the last two photos show on the leaves in different places, some year-round, some due to their exposure to the sun or the turning of leaves in fall. The succulents have no visible veins.

Mexican Heather

Hen and Chickens Succulent

Some leaves form a recognizable form, while others have their on creative chaos.

Forget-me-not

Purple Oxalis

Two of my favorite leaves. Seen close the Forget-me-not has a wonderful contrast of colors. The various colors and the form of the oxalis speak for themselves.

Do Plants Talk?

2009-09-17T17:41:00.000-07:00

As I work among my flowers, I find myself talking
to them, reasoning and remonstrating with them, and adoring
them as if they were human beings. Much laughter I provoke
among my friends by so doing, but that is of no consequence.
We are on such good terms, my flowers and I.

- Celia Thaxter, 1835-1894

I also talk to my plants. I can hear their voices answering me.

Many people talk to their plants. A recent study agrees with Prince Charles' comment two decades ago, saying that it was very important to talk to plants and that they respond to us. In this study the Royal Horticultural Society found that tomato plants grew faster when read to.

The idea of talking to plants appeared in literature in the nineteenth century when Gustave Fechner wrote that he believed that plants had emotions and that humans could promote healthy growth through these emotions by talking to them. Later Luther Burbank wrote that plants may not understand the spoken word, but could telepathically understand the meaning of speech.

Some forty years ago in The Secret Life of Plants the authors affirmed these ideas by experiments proving that plants feel the emotions of their gardeners from some distances away and respond.

Some of us are even so sensitive to our gardens that we know without seeing them that they need something. It could be water or more light, or even just our presence speaking with love and admiration for these special beings.

We can have an effect on plants and they physically respond. But do plants talk to us? They have no possibility for speech, but can they communicate in different ways? In the seventeenth century it was believed that plants had souls. In Islamic philosophy this is believed to be the case. Having a soul connotes a basic consciousness.

Every tree, every plant, has a spirit. People may say that a plant has no mind. I tell them that a plant is alive and conscious. A plant may not talk, but there is a spirit in it that is conscious, that sees everything, which is the soul of the plant, its essence, what makes it alive.

—Pablo Amaringo, Peruvian ayahuasquero

I agree with these Indians. A spirit inhabits every tree and every plant, even flowers. They do speak to us, if we know how to listen. Most gardeners have cultivated the fine art of listening to their plants' voices.

The temple bell stops

but I still hear the sound

coming out of the flowers.

- Basho, 1680

There is a new apparatus that measures the messages of plants and posts them on Twitter. It will help gardeners know when their plant needs to be watered. For those of us who have cultivated listening to our plants, this machine could be fun, but unnecessary. Our plants talk to us and we respond to their needs. Could there be anything more down-to-earth for a gardener to know?

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day

2009-09-15T10:53:00.001-07:00

Bird of Paradise

The Bird of Paradise are really blooming now. Two blooms have opened and I have three more. It's a happy plant this year. They've come back into bloom since the heat wave is over.

Passion Flower

Also the Passion Flower is the hummingbird's best friend with lots of blooms, as well the ants in the photo.

Firecracker Sage

Autumn Sage

The Autumn Sage and the Firecracker Sage started blooming in the heat and are gathering for a profusion of blooms.

Echinacea

Orange Zinnia Profusion Mix

Wildflower "Jupiter's Beard"

My garden doesn't have a plethora of blooms. However, it does have some little gems, which I share with you. Enjoy!

(See May Dreams Gardens for GBBD)

Purple Oxalis or Shamrock

2009-09-13T17:25:00.000-07:00

I first fell in love with oxalis, when I discovered all the variety in this genus. The purple three-leaf Oxalis triangularis is the one pictured here. This post was inspired by a comment from Tatyana about my deep purple leaf. I am enchanted with every aspect of this plant. It's leaves have a number of different shades of purple on their leaves. Each leaf is a triangle and they close like an umbrella when the sun shines on them or night comes.

The genus hails from Mexico, South Africa, and Brazil, but has spread to many countries. It grows year round here, but doesn't flower in the heat. It is also called wood sorrell and is edible, although I've never eaten it. Perhaps it would do in a salad, having a somewhat bitter taste. I love looking at it so much, I've never thought to eat it.

Its blossom is lavender, although it's a little hard to tell in this photo. The blossoms also close at night and in the sun. Mine is so used to Southern California now that only a week after a heat wave and temperatures now in the 80s, it has started to bloom again.

This is the small bed they live in with a cyclamen, impatience, and heather. As it gets cooler I'm going to add more oxalis to this bed, but two different varieties. I'll share those with you after they're up.

Peace in the Garden

2009-09-11T12:26:00.000-07:00

Now that the fires are under control and heat has abated, a peace has permeated the garden.

The stress for the plants is less and they seem to breathe out and relax.

The garden spirits are back at their daily work, rather than trying to sustain the plants in difficult times.

The mornings are cool; there is even a breeze from the ocean.

Listening into the silences between the leaves and hearing the plants talk to me is possible.

I can hear the voices of garden spirits whisper, giggle, and sigh.

The peace reaches into all aspects of garden life.

I feel I can talk to my plants in admiration and love for their beauty.

They love to hear these things and flourish.

We are all ready for the fall to overtake us and fill the garden with a new kind of life.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-09-09T11:05:00.000-07:00

Praying Mantis

2009-09-08T12:18:00.000-07:00

It was a special moment! To find the graceful, yet most unusual form of the mantis by my door. Excitedly I ran indoors to get the camera to capture this special visitor to my garden. They are welcome visitors to the organic garden, as they consume insects that prey on our plants. They dine on aphids, moths, crickets, grasshoppers and are even fast enough to catch mosquitoes and flies. I hope this one has laid eggs in my garden.

"I am the praying mantis. I have come to care for your garden. With my grace and stealth I will protect your plants from insects that would harm them. I only visit gardens I want to save."

The word mantis in Greek means "prophet" or "fortune teller." They are called praying mantises, because their front legs often bend as if in prayer. Images of mantis in praying gesture. In Europe the word praying mantis is used to refer to a specific species. They are from the family of Mantidae. They are masters of disguise, as you can see from the above photo, where the mantis has chosen foliage close to his/her color to inhabit.

Comparing the two photos one can see the movements of the head. They can move their heads as much as 300 degrees. And they have large eyes to aid their powers of vision.

" I can see all you are doing, but know that you do not want to harm me. I know the human admiration and awe of my form. You are welcome to observe me." I almost feel that a wise creature speaks to me out of this mantis. It carries the aura of wisdom.

I caught a number of images of the mantis preparing for and cleaning his foot. If you want to see it even closer, you can see his tongue and mandibles cleaning the end of his segmented foot.

Cleaning his foot

The joy at finding this special creature in my garden remained with me all yesterday afternoon. An insect so otherworldly, yet so helpful to the garden is a welcome, very special visitor.

" I will come back again, when you least expect to help you care for your garden. Farewell, human." Farewell, little beast. I will look for your return.

Scotch Pine

2009-09-07T12:27:00.000-07:00

From Christmas Tree

Large Bonsai Shape

Most of the trees branches bend toward the West.

Placed outside in its Christmas pot,

it burst through the sides.

Only to find the sun striking it from the West,

behind the fence and house.

So it grew toward the sun,

branches curving bonsai-like.

But no hand wrought this tree.

It bent to seek the Sun

and found its own beauty.

Who But a Gardener

2009-09-05T12:59:00.000-07:00

Who but a gardener would have the interest to see the garden ornaments I have or tchotchkes, as the man about the house calls them. He took great glee in laughing at me as I carefully set up the shots. So, I ask you, where else can I share all of this with any hope of interest? And I love each one and take great joy in sharing. No visitor to my garden ever seems to notice, except the very few, who are interested in only one. Thank goodness for the blotanists and any interlopers. Just note that you can read my comments or simply enjoy the pictures, as you would at a gallery showing.

One of my favorites, the garden gargoyle. Is he thinking,drowsing? I believe he sees all behind his closed eyes. He's my greatest protector from bad spirits, as on the Gothic churches.

The next two are griffins, also from Gothic churches, with the body of a lion and the head of an eagle. They are reputed guards of treasure, which is my garden, of course.They both have such character. The one clinging to the shelf is an eccentric characteur--I love it! And I place them carefully in the garden to take full advantage of their powers.

A few odds and ends to give you an idea of the variety of my non-plant additions.

This representation of the Italian winds was a gift that has happily found a place in the large square garden, my first effort at gardening when I moved here.

My only conventional garden statue, St. Francis, near the bird feeders, since he talks to the birds. The Mayan calendar, below, is a little worse for wear since the squirrels decided to teeth on one side.

A sundial, above, that doesn't tell the correct time, alas. And my Genesa crystal, that is specially made from an old design to pull the air in and out rarefying it. There is a clear quartz in the center to bring more harmony into the garden. I do find my garden more peaceful since its arrival. They come in copper, too, but that's a good deal more expensive.

Thank you for taking the time to look at my little treasures. Hope I haven't overwhelmed you.
Perhaps you were inspired by some of them.

They do that to me daily, which is why I have them.

I've looked back over this post and found it a bit long, but what can I leave out. I've just gone a little nuts over this blogging. The Man doesn't seem to mind that I've something I can obsess over. And I am just pouring my heart out. Finally, a place where I can share about my crazy obsession with gardening and find companions to this lovely insanity.

Dreams of Autumn

2009-09-04T13:02:00.000-07:00

LET US CELEBRATE ORANGE PAST AND PRESENT The fall color of the north does not come here until November and December. Even then it is moderate. But having lived in mid-state New York for near on 20 years, I still feel autumn start now. Even though I don't miss the winters, I do miss fall. So I celebrate orange today.

Pumpkins are the center piece. Even though orange flowers are few in my garden's pastel palette, they are ones that are remembered here.

The bird of paradise is magnificent when it blooms. Soon I will have two new blooms. Even though it is the LA flower, it was brought over by settlers from South Africa. It didn't seem real to me before moving here some 8 years ago. That's why I had to have one in my small garden. Now that it's grown, I have to prune it often, lest it impede the narrow walkway.

The miniature rose and small zinnia blossoms bring orange to my eyes in pleasant array.

Two shades of orange from the same rose bush enhance the vision of autumn. In the North there would be leaves of this color, which I can only imagine here.

More pumpkins, these from last year. Dreams of an autumn I only see in those few trips to New York in the fall.

A walk in a Ukranium camp in October 2006. One of my last tastes of the lovely autumn in the North.

The Variety of Euphorbia

2009-09-03T16:23:00.000-07:00

In my recent research I've been quite amazed to learn of the varieties of Euphorbia. I've gotten very fond of the spurges, two of which are in my garden. This is them in flower in the spring. They have blossoms a little brighter than the rest of plant-- in the first photo, in chartreuse. In the burgundy, darker blossoms top the stems.

The burgundy spurge I got only this year and am not happy with its placement. When it cools off, I may move it. But the chartreuse one is in a perfect place. I have read in my research that others find these spurges too invasive. Thus far in my garden, I have been able to weed unwanted interlopers. This way I enjoy the spurge's spring display of not-quite-flower flowers.

The crown of thorns is a relative of the spurge, also being a euphorbia. Here it is in medium size.

The smaller size is pictured below.

All euphorbias are succulents, so require less water than most plants, thus surviving the heat and drought. The poinsetta is also part of this larger species of euphorbia. What a varied group of plants!!

Close up on Tiny Blossoms

2009-09-02T13:51:00.000-07:00

My love affair with cranesbill geraniums reaches its peak when they bloom. Even in the heat of the past week, this one continues giving me pleasure. When it's not blooming, its gray fuzzy leaves, shaped like an open shell from the ocean, whisper, Look at me. I am beautiful even now.

The other cranesbill is in the rock garden. The pink streaks are all that remain on the blossom so close to the orange rock. Against its green foliage it shows it true pale pink nature. This blossom in the photo is all the plant gave this morning after yesterday's heat.

The groundcover plumbago is one of the blues I can count on in the hot days. Its leaves turn reddish in the fall. So nice for our mellow fall in the deep south. It is a take-over groundcover, so needs to be put in a finite garden space or pulled out like a weed. I've allowed its spreading habit its way this year, so will have to get it under control in the fall.

The other blue blossoms has been a total surprise to me-- forget-me-nots. This plant has unexpectedly bloomed at a time that leaves me speechless. It is a total mystery to me. I'm waiting to see if it will give the garden any more flowers.

The fuschia still has a few blooms to offer. It has usually finished by the time the real heat comes. But the common sight of a begonia in orange-red bloom is a real joy. It exults in the heat, gathering a deeper color flower. Its leaves are edged in red in response to the small amount of intense sun it receives. It is really great seeing all these flowers so close. My eye knows the beauty from afar, but the camera brings them nearer than they appear. Hurrah for technology!

In Praise of August Favorites

2009-09-01T16:11:00.000-07:00

These black-eyed Susans next to my mounding Juniper have greeted me each time I come out of the door. I've enjoyed their faces as I emerge from sleep's cocoon each morning.

The gomphrena or globe amaranth have withstood the heat this month the best. They've not lost their purple strawflower-like blooms ever since I planted them.

These roses have continued to bloom, my Sundance and my mystery rose, as someone gave me this bush found at a market fair.

The leafy begonias have almost made it through the heat. And there is another gardenia blossom on my bush.

One of my favorites, the cranesbill geranium in miniature, is one of the stars of the native rock garden. It's tiny blossoms last through most hot days with a little water every day or so. To end summer with such a group is honor indeed. I wish they would not fade as the season changes, but I will find others to love in the next. Here we have an extended kind of fall throughout the winter. Very soon I'll be planting for this extended fall.

Poem of the Month: Touch the very Peace

2009-08-31T12:04:00.000-07:00

To look at anything,
If you would know that thing,
You must look at it long:
To look at this green and say
‘I have seen spring in these
Woods,’ will not do—you must
Be the thing that you see:
You must be the dark snakes of
Stems and ferny plumes of leaves,
You must enter in
To the small silences between
The leaves,
You must take your time
And touch the very peace
They issue from.
John Moffitt

This poem is centering and peaceful for work in the garden. That's appropriate for this day when fires rage on the hill above our neighborhood, threatening more homes and gardens. The smoke obscures our view of the hills and changes the colors of the foliage outside my window. It's frightening and makes us realize how delicate and vulnerable all life is.

Caladiums are Cool

2009-08-29T12:07:00.000-07:00

As the heat wreaks havoc on my blossoms in the August heat, I opted for more caladiums this year for color. Here they are in reddish color next to my garden griffin statue. He also protects the garden from bad spirits. I usually use colors in the red and pink range in this long bed right off my patio.

This one is a cooler color with chartreuse leaf and accents in burgundy.

This one is a pinker shade next to my Tiki statue, bringing good luck from the Pacific islands.

A little less pink and the cooler of shades of green. They're related to elephant ears, which always fow so large. Usually they grow much larger than mine. But in the dry heat, they stay small, like a miniature caladium. They love humididy. When we were groing up in north Texas, my mother always had green and white ones on our front porch to match the color of the house's trim. Very sheik. And she said they made the porch look cooler. She's always been an inspirer to my gardens, but I'm much more eclectic and mismatched in my garden style. At any rate I still think of cool Southern porches when I see caladiums.

Reverie on a Spring Flower

2009-08-27T17:26:00.000-07:00

On this triple-digit day, thoughts of spring (see May Dreams Garden) take me back to one of my favorite flowers, cerinthe. It has been called the shrimp plant, but that name is so undignified for such a beautiful and graceful form. Here it is in all its glory.

It is an old-fashioned plant, so only recently coming back into gardens. The flowers are surrounded by leaves that join in the hurrah of color the flower has. The flower has all the look of being an aberation of the leaves that nestle it. Its neat, upright habit in the photo above bely the branches' sprawling, haphazard habit. The treat is that each branch is topped with one of these candy-like, deep-deep purple flowers, as in the photo below.

I try to save seed from the flowers each year. If they drop before I succeed in doing that, I buy them. The seed are hard to find, but more nurseries are carrying them. Often they will self-seed where I least expect it. But I love these surprises of nature and am each year glad to see them in my spring garden.

Dog Days

2009-08-26T16:32:00.000-07:00

I've just gotten out to water in hopes of saving some of the plants that were seriously wilted in the hot bed. Hope they perk up. The others will get a good watering in the dusk hours. It was so hot here today that the heat came off the pavement in waves. They're predicting a few more days of this, so I will do my best to keep anyone in the garden from flagging.

I've really gotten into sedum of late. I've used succulents other than cactus in the garden. They don't mind the watering and survive the summer in great shape. Sedum is another kind of succulent I'm very excited about.

This one is one of my favorites. Besides being variegated, you can barely see the pink showing on it's branches. And it is really growing in the heat.

This one is also interesting, more in gray tones with leaves that look stickery, but are so soft to the touch. Sedums are also really easy to root. I want to start making gifts for friends from the sedums and other succulents, arranged in small pots. They're so easy to take care of. This is one of my first tries. I put a small statue in it that scares away bad spirits, as do the gargoyles on gothic churches. I'll try some other such pots for friends.

One other very interesting development for sedum is that they are being developed into what are called sedum mats to replace parts or all of the lawn. LA Times has a nice blog about it with photos. In our water-hungry land new ideas for saving water are au courant.

Beginning

2009-08-24T17:04:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the first of many blogs. I think it'll be fun! I've written about my garden for years, but never in such a public way. So this is a beginning for me. I've been a gardener as far back as I can remember. My mother handed me my first spade and said, go to work. I planted Bachelor Buttons, still one of my favorite flowers. My secret garden has been an experiment with new plants and learning what will go best, where. It's never complete, but always in the making.

It's the end of August and the heat has taken it's toll on this southern California garden. It's the time for heat-loving plants. The tomatoes, sown in pots on my patio, are still producing, but wilt in the afternoon sun.

The passion flower vine is blooming profusely, as is the firecracker salvia, both plants for the hummingbirds of this garden. The roses that still bloom are short-lived, as the strong sun wilts and dries them quickly.

I've already ordered my fall vegetable seeds from Seeds of Change. I'm going to convert the sunniest beds into areas for vegetables. Most of my garden is shaded by a large live oak and nearby houses, so there is little garden area for most vegetables. I've spoken with my garden spirits (fairies, gnomes, as they are known by other names) and they feel I am right to try lettuce, chard, radish, cilantro and parsley in those spots.