Dogs are all well and wonderful, but you might be aware that my other great love is gardening. Let's get in the garden! Mother Nature has been extremely kind to all things vegetative here in the past 6 months. (Tho' by vegetative, I am leaving the teenager and his summer vacation out of this post...).
Below: OOohhh, I love this: Dark purple pansies behind Sedum 'Angelina'. 'Angelina' is one of my regulars throughout the garden.
In the interest of full disclosure: The above pansies are pretty much fried since this past week's 100+ degrees heat wave. So much for kind Mother Nature...taken in June.
Oenothera 'Siskiyou Pink' blooming her heart out behind Quail With Three Eggs :
At the entrance to the "Island Bed":
'Blue Celeste' Sweet Peas - I grew from seed - still blooming on July 19! That's a first! I love the rusted arbor with the pale blue. That's a tough, dependable HOT PINK (yeah!) common geranium in background. Common Geraniums: One of my current top five Tough, Low Water Plants For Ann's Garden.
In the "Island Bed":
Above: That's a white 'Iceberg' rose, with yellow Gaillardia 'Lemons & Oranges'.
Below: I love this combo! In the backyard, on the the hill - Geranium 'Rozanne', Euphorbia 'Tasmanium Tiger' and front, Heuchera 'Pewter Palace' :
Unexpectedly this year, this area became one of the prettiest spots in the garden. Bad photo, but beautiful results with wildflowers:
The wildflowers mix had some sort of white daisy (on left), tall red Shirley poppies on right, plus some reseeders from last year (California poppies). Sadly, I didn't get a photograph when it was in its prime.
Wildflower, Farewell To Spring Clarkia amoena:
More "Island Bed" - this was in June:
Behind the house, on the patio, some pots:
yuk - messy oak leaves! These pots look lots better now..stay tuned.
Below, Rose 'Barbra Streisand' or Babs, as I call her...
Taken in early morning shade. Same rose below taken in afternoon sun.
And, for the faithful dog followers, here's some canine action in the yard - black tri JJ (Ebbtide Careful What You Wish) and his mom, Fern, CH Ebbtide Fern. That mauve rose? The one I was trying to get rid of in the spring, Barbra Streisand. I decided I wanted to replace poor Babs with low-water Coleonema 'Sunset Gold'. Just across the path to the right (the entrance to the pool) there is a coleonema growing, and I thought it would be a nice formal (!!) element to the pool entry. So, I pruned Babs back hard after her spring flower flush, with the intent to dig her up and...relocate or sell...her. Well, she responded by quickly going right back into bloom and has not really stopped yet. So she has a reprieve until fall. I'm taking offers on her...
At her feet: dark blue Salvia 'May Night', Verbena "Homestead Purple ' (maybe) and that lime green foliage peeking out - Spirea 'Goldmound'. There is also a yellow rose behind her (she'll stay!):
The photos below are for Chuck, at My Back Forty (Feet), who writes one of my favorite blogs. He has a young wild grape 'Rogers Red', just like the one I have on the pool arbor:
Below: A closeup - before pruning on July 3rd:
The arbor is 10 feet above the deck. The top of the deck is 3 feet off the ground (where the little Vitis californica was planted 5 years ago). Chuck had a photo of his 'Roger's Red' on his blog and said he was "letting it go a little this summer". I recall saying the exact same sort of thing a couple of years ago ;-) It is growing in rocky, compacted, non-clay soil, with little water and lots of sun. LOL. Chuck, look out.
4 comments:
Just gorgeous, Ann! I need some of your green thumb magic here! Do you freelance? : )
Thanks, Deb! Actually, I do ;-) And you're in an almost perfect growing zone...sigh...
Wow! I have often wondered about your garden; it's been worth the wait. I'm happy for your wildflowers, mine were a bit of a bust this year.
And my Roger's Red is definitely not performing at this level! I cut it back pretty hard in the late winter before it leafed out, so it's only been allowed to go since then.
Does yours make grapes? I would like mine to make some grapes!
We'll be passing through your area tomorrow for a short stay at our friend's dad's cabin in Guerneville. Really looking forward to it.
Thanks for the nice comments, Chuck! It really means something coming from you. I'd love to have you stop in and see it in person! I have Parting Gifts ;-) And show you the things you have that don't look near as pretty here. The Roger's Red is loaded with grapes. I meant to prune the whole thing hard so just a few grapes this year(got a little messy last year) - but didn't like pruning on the ladder. I like sweet grapes, so these are not my fave. But pretty to look at... OF course, the grapes SHOULD be growing better here than SF?!! DO come visit sometime - I'd love to talk plants with you.
Post a Comment