Twilight Stream

Twilight Stream, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.
The day was coming to a close and this cascade just begged to have its picture taken...

And a garden update: plants are waking up, with the 'Kentucky Colonel' mint sending up a multitude of fresh shoots. The lettuce, chervil, and parsley are all growing well, and my French tarragon is sprouting. The containers I planted with California native wildflowers are just starting to bloom, with 'Pennie Black' nemophila putting on a fine show of dark maroon flowers with white picotee edges. The tidy tips, bird's eyes, poppies, and baby blue eyes have yet to bloom, but they will start within a week or two...

State of the Garden - December 9, 2008

Well, it's December and the garden is still going.

Fog comes in regularly, and the temperatures don't usually go above 60, but the basil still has a few green leaves. The bell pepper plant looks like it did in summer, and I just harvested a large crop of 'Thai Hot Dragon' chile peppers. The morning glories are putting out 1 or 2 flowers a week, a little bit of a change from the 50 or so they put out every day during the summer.

The lettuce is growing quite well, as are the cool-weather herbs like parsley and chervil.

To the other gardeners out there: how are your gardens doing? Under the snow, or still creeping along?

Halloween Garden Update

Northern California is finally easing out of the warm summer weather. Rain will be falling for the next several days, but the garden continues to grow. Heck, even roses are blooming!

The sweet basil is still going strong:






















Roses are going through a second bloom period.






















'Paris Market Mix' mesclun from Renee's Garden. The plants are really growing quickly in their cage!

Tomatoes on October 30th

Amazingly, I still have ripening tomatoes on my single plant, despite the fact that tomorrow is Halloween. Rain is coming in, and it looks like it's going to be rainy through Monday. Hopefully the tomatoes will still ripen.

October Garden Update

I have not been taking many pictures of my garden lately. Here's what it's looking like right now. Most plants are doing well.

Giant lemongrass:






















Rose blooming by the morning glories.



































Mesclun and lettuce in a cage. The cage keeps the squirrels, raccoons, and birds out 100%, plus the snails and slugs can't find the plants because they're 3 feet off the ground. The plants are finally taking off because of the cooler temperatures, rain, and lack of animal attacks.

Multicolor Rose

A fluorescent rose in my garden.

Mesclun Mix

The mesclun I planted a long time ago finally seems to be growing.

New Plants

I managed to rescue some nursery throw-aways from a dumpster today. They were all rare and old pelargonium varieties. I snagged the following cultivars:

Hybrid Pelargonium Domesticum
'Halloween'

Hybrid Pelargonium Domesticum
'Inez'

Hybrid Pelargonium Domesticum
'Glowing Ember'

Hybrid Pelargonium Domesticum
'Tunia Perfecta'

Hybrid Pelargonium Domesticum
'Dawn'

Hybrid Pelargonium Domesticum
'Lavender Grand Slam'

Hybrid Pelargonium Domesticum
'Grand Slam'

Photos tomorrow...

Autumn Approaches...

As the summer days grow shorter, I can't help but start thinking about my fall garden. I am hoping to plant several varieties of lettuce in containers, as well as arugala, Swiss chard, and radishes.

I have only grown cool-season vegetables once, but my experience was a success. I had hundreds of bright-red radishes, along with carrots and lettuce. I had so much lettuce I was able to make several huge bowls of salad.

This year, I'm thinking about possibly growing mesclun, a mix of different greens. I am considering growing the plants in wide containers, but I have never done this before.

Anyone got any tips?

Verbena Bonariensis

My blooming Verbena bonariensis.

First Papaver

The first bloom on my Papaver commutatum 'Ladybird' from Annie's Annuals.

Rain!

Finally, after weeks of "unbearable" sunny weather, we are getting needed rain. The grass on the hills is being given a few more days of life before the hot sun bakes it to a crisp. The garden seems to be responding well to the rain, as things have been a little too dry for comfort this past month.

Update:

There was a super heavy downpour today as showers blew through the area. It was sunny and literally 1 minute later the streets had turned into flooded rivers. The rain was coming down in drenching sheets, so hard that waterfalls were pouring off of the roofs of houses. Almost as soon as the downpour began, it stopped, and the sun came out again.

Tropical Forest

I wish...actually my tropical garden looking up from below.

A Growing Garden

The garden is really starting to grow fast. I have bird's eyes and corncockle, Agrostemma githago, as well as some extremely robust California pipevine plants. All the trees have their leaves now, and my two banana plants are growing well. The king palm has been repotted and I have acquired a 6-foot tall golden bamboo. Summer looks like it will be good for plants this year.

Pipevine Eggs

Finally, after three years of waiting, I have pipevine swallowtail eggs!

Downright Tropical!

California is in the grip of an unusual heat wave. Today, the temperature got up to 83 degrees Fahrenheit! The garden is really starting to wake up and is taking advantage of the warm weather. My banana plants are starting to grow quickly, and I have rebuilt the tropical fountain set-up.

Warm Weather!

It seems spring is finally here in the Bay Area. Temperatures are supposed to be in the high-60s to low-70's for at least another week. The warm temps have caused my garden to start growing. Soon I will get my tropical garden back together. I will post photos when everything is set...

'Victorian Gold Laced' Primrose

This primrose is a recent addition to the garden.

'Drama Queen' Poppy

I can't wait to see how this thing grows. Supposedly it will reach 4 feet tall.

Wildflower Garden 2007

Today, I officially started my 2007 garden. I bought three packs of California native wildflower seeds and planted them in front. Hopefully they will be blooming within a month, assuming we get some warmth and sunshine. The seeds I planted are:

-Orange California Poppies
-Red California Poppies
-Baby Blue-Eyes

I will post pictures as soon as they germinate.