In My Garden – August 2022

In My Garden – August 2022

If May and June are the season for rhododendrons, August and September are the season for dahlias here on the Northern California coast.

Above are a couple of pictures of the dahlias at the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens. The dahlia garden is a favorite site for weddings in August and September; they are are spectacular with an amazing variety of bloom shapes, colors and sizes. If you ever get to visit the area, the Gardens are a highlight and a must see.

In my own garden, I planted a dozen new ones this year in a sunny spot along the driveway. They are flourishing (unlike the bearded irises that were in the same spot before).

Above are a few examples from my own garden.

Although the dahlias are the stars (and the lawn is now mostly a brown field of dead grass and sand), there are some plants of note.

Red Hot Pokers

Kniphofia caulescens, a variety of red hot poker

We often see the pokers growing wild in abandoned fields. They need no summer water once established and come back each year.

Lily

Lilium regale “Regal Lily”

These lilies are scented and the stalks are about 10 feet tall!

Helenium autumnale ‘Red Shades’

Helenium autumnale ‘Red Shades’

I first saw Heleniums at the Botanical Gardens last fall during a nature watercolor painting class, it was love at first sight. It’s going to take a few years to get them established, the clumps form by offshoots ad should become larger each year. They bloom late in the season when everything else is starting to go to seed or become dormant.

Cuphea

Cuphea

Bees and hummingbirds adore Cupheas and they bloom almost non-stop all year. I have several varieties in the garden and they all seem to do well and are fairly drought tolerant after the first year. I think the one above is sometimes called candy corn plant.

Lavender

Lavender

The lavender is almost finished but a few weeks ago it was covered in both blooms and native bumblebees, much to my relief. The bumblebees were late this year for some reason and I was worried. But we had a relatively cool spring and perhaps it just took them a bit longer to start their colonies.

The pollinator garden is looking a little wild, lots of grasses right now, I cut back the Shasta daisies so it looks a little messy.

That’s my husband in the second picture putting in birdhouses. We had 4 in various places around the garden already and just put in 2 more. Of the 4, 3 were inhabited in the spring…2 with chickadees and 1 with tree swallows. We’d like to encourage the tree swallows since they eat insects, most specifically mosquitos. Since I don’t use any herbicides or pesticides, the birds are important to keep down the numbers of unwanted insects.

We’ve had lots of beloved visitors this summer, both human and of the canine variety. Here is our friend Marylinn conducting an orchestra of dogs.

 

I hope you all are enjoying the end of summer. I can’t believe it is already September.

What’s been happening in your garden?

 

In My Garden – June 2022

In My Garden – June 2022

I honestly don’t know where to start. Everything is in bloom! June is gorgeous here in N CA. Although the rhododendrons are mostly finished (there are still a few blooms popping up here and there), everything else is in full flowering mode.

Just look at the variety in the bouquet above.

The sweet peas add their fragrance to any room where I place them. I especially like them in the bedroom where their scent fills the air when I enter the room.

Sweet Peas

Sweet Peas

The vegetable garden is in full swing as well. I decided to pass on planting tomatoes, cucumbers and beans this year. There simply isn’t enough sun for heat or them to do well and their performance has been disappointing.

But zucchini, which we love for grilling, is having a bountiful harvest. I planted several varieties and colors.

zucchini

zucchini

There are lots of other vegetables, greens do especially well because of our cooler weather.

New this year is our Traeger smoker, a generous gift from a house guest. Please let me know if you have any favorite recipes. It’s all new to us and we are still experimenting.

Traeger Grill

Traeger Grill

Also new is the metal whale on the railing behind it (but I think my husband installed it upside down).

Nasturtiums are almost overwhelming the dwarf lemon tree in this half barrel.

Nasturtiums

Nasturtiums

There are lots of flowers everywhere.

Happy gardening and have a wonderful 4th of July.

In My Garden – May 2022

In My Garden – May 2022

May and June are the months when Northern California gardens are at their most beautiful. Because it was a cooler than usual winter, the rhododendrons were a little late to bloom. The Rhododendron festival held by the local Noyo Chapter at the Mendocino Botanical Gardens was held the second weekend of this month and I was blown away by the variety and beauty of of the flowers. We have the perfect weather for them here on the coast.

For the first time I submitted one of mine and won an honorable mention in the ‘pink’ category, much to my surprise.

Mrs. E. C. Sterling

Mrs. E. C. Sterling – Honorable Mention

Here’s a close up.

Mrs. E. C. Sterling

Mrs. E. C. Sterling

There are several huge rhodys (to use the familiar) on the property, probably over 50 years old.

I am surprised they are doing so well as I didn’t do much watering last summer, but they are spectacular.

They had lots of Rhododendrons for sale at the show and I couldn’t resist.

New Rhododendrons

New Rhododendrons

They do so well with our acid soil and in our climate. As a plus they are not bothered by redwood roots.

Take a look at this one…

I couldn’t resist, it’s spectacular. Our garden is expanding!

And they make gorgeous, long lasting arrangements for the house.

What’s going on in the rest of the garden. Well, the roses are blooming and the sweet peas are starting.

Just Zoey

Just Zoey

Sweet Peas

Sweet Peas

Those who are regular readers know that I plant them in honor of my English grandmother who had them growing up the side of a fence in her garden. I love the scent and they make lovely arrangements.

Sweet peas

Sweet peas, this image was from several years ago

In the perennial garden the geums, columbines, foxgloves and salvias are blooming.

When I first planned this garden I wanted cool colors; blues, purples and some orange. Well, the best laid plans… It’s a bit of a mix up now with me concentrating on what will grow and flourish. The red salvias have definitely found a home, not a color I originally wanted, but the hummingbirds love them.

The vegetable garden is producing lots of lettuce. The cabbage, broccoli, kale, and cauliflower are coming along. And I see the first of the zucchini, still too small to cook but I look forward to popping them on the grill.

cabbage, kale, broccoli, cauliflower

cabbage, kale, broccoli, cauliflower

lettuce

lettuce

lettuce

lettuce

zucchini

zucchini

We’ve added two new outdoor carpets on the decks, and 4 new chairs on the front porch.

Off the kitchen

Off the kitchen

Front deck

Front deck

Our deck will need to be replaced sometime in the next couple of years. Sigh!

Here’s a quick look at the pollinator meadow. The two birdhouses were adopted much to our joy. Chickadees in the back one and a pair of tree swallows in the nearer one. The other birdhouses have not been rented and we will move them before next year.

Pollinator meadow

Pollinator meadow

The sweet William and lupins are blooming.

lavender and poppies

lavender and poppies

Along the front drive the Spanish lavender is in full flower, the native bumblebees are happy. I planted some new dahlias between the plants and they are about 2 inches high. They should be in bloom in late summer when the lavender is finished.

That’s all, much of my time in the garden right now is my least favorite activity…weeding. Thank goodness for Audible.

Happy gardening everyone. I love your comments, let me how your garden is doing.

 

In My Garden – April 2022

In My Garden – April 2022

Hummingbirds

Hummingbirds at the feeder

In my garden I have birds, lots of birds including hummingbirds which are my favorites. I’ve seen (and heard) Rufous, Annas, and Allens. Earlier in the season they fought each other at the feeder, now they seem more generous and ready to share. These could be the young ones who are not breeding yet. Sometimes there are a cloud of them chirping around the two feeders outside our dining area windows. I am filling them almost every day. The Annas are here all year, the others disappear in early winter. There is a big bottlebrush nearby and they love the red flowers when it is in bloom. I think many of the nests are in that huge shrub although I haven’t been able to find any.

Bottlebrush

Bottlebrush

One of the birdhouses we erected at the end of last month has been rented, at least I have seen sparrows darting in and out. Fingers crossed they will raise a family there.

We have had some much needed rain, 4 inches so far this month with another 4 anticipated in the next few days. It’s been a strange season with almost all of our rain happening at the beginning and the end of our usual rainy season. It’s still not enough to end the drought of the past few years.

The lettuce in the first bed I planted is ready for harvest. We have company coming for the weekend so a salad fresh from the garden will be a treat.

There is a patch of arugula at the end of this bed and radishes planted between the rows. The second raised bed has just been planted, the arugula is just starting to pop up in that one.

You may wonder, why the mesh over the lettuce? Well, remember pig pen Shanna the puppy? She loves to dig (as do the chipmunks) and freshly dug soil is the best ever. My inattention has resulted in several disasters over the past few weeks. Now I plan for the onslaught.

I’ve let the mustard and parsley go to seed in another bed to attract pollinators.

Nasturtiums are a wonderful addition to a salad and they are blooming with the spring rain.

Nasturtiums

Nasturtiums

These have come up in one of my half barrels of dwarf Meyer lemon trees. The nasturtiums, in truth, are looking healthier than the tree. It’s only borderline weather for lemon trees but I love having the lemons available when I want a tablespoon of juice to add to a dish.

Ditto the fresh chives.

Chives

Chives

The roses are showing some buds and I have noticed the appearance of aphids. Where are the lady bugs? I don’t use any pesticides with the exception of Sluggo (you would too if you saw the size of our slugs and the damage they can do in a single night). So I washed them off with a strong spray from the hose.

Aphids!

Aphids!

It appears that the Just Joey rose is going to be the first to bloom. It’s one of my favorites.

Just Joey

Just Joey

A friend on the board at the Mendocino County Botanical Gardens (MCBG) gifted me this beautiful Aeonium, I just popped it in to an existing pot of succulents where it looks beautiful. I didn’t appreciate succulents until fairly recently. They come in an amazing variety, are low maintenance and drought tolerant. Facts that are increasingly valuable these days.

The first azaleas and rhododendrons are blooming. They seem to be late this year, it’s been cold.

Azalea

Azalea

Rhododendron

Rhododendron

The rhododendron is one of the new ones and is still small, that didn’t stop it from putting out those amazing lavender/pink blooms.

The MCBG just started a ‘nature journaling club’ that meets once a month. Although not an artist I enjoy the meditative quality of looking closely at nature. Here’s my first effort:

If you live in the area, please consider joining us. You will find information on the MCBG website.

That’s my summary this month. Happy gardening everyone. How is your garden doing? Please consider commenting and giving me an update. I’d love to hear from you.

In My Garden – April 2022

In My Garden – April 2022

Spring is definitely here although we still have an occasional evening near freezing. Looking back over my post from April 2021, plants are slower to show themselves this year. This winter has been colder than the last. I posted that one on April 18, 2021, so the dates are comparable, just one year apart. It’s interesting to look back over previous years and notice the changes in the garden.

I dug up 3 of my dahlias to divide and fertilize them (just bone meal and some steer manure) yesterday. None of them were showing any signs of growth yet, I think I will wait a few more weeks to dig the rest. They didn’t do very well last year (lack of water? Crowding? Gophers? Nutritional needs? Too much fog?). Hopefully I can remedy the problems this year.

Signs of impending spring include tulips,

and buds on the rose bushes, they are happy this year. I planted them in half barrels three years ago and they did poorly last year. Doing some detective work I found that the surrounding redwood trees had grown into the bottom of the barrels and were choking the poor things. I had to dig out the roots, put in some new soil, compost and epsom salts. They are looking much better. In future I will periodically have to lift the half barrels from the soil to break any wandering redwood roots.

The ceanothus is gorgeous! This one was planted about 3 years ago and is flourishing.

Ceanothus

Ceanothus

And to my delight it is doing so with no attention or very little summer water (although I will need to weed out that dandelion I notice in the corner of the picture…sorry about that). It so inspired me that I have planted an additional 3 bushes at the front of the house. They are still small and I will have to nurture them this year but hopefully not after that. The front of the house looks a bit like the prow of a boat and the ceanothus, when in bloom, should look like the ocean. I understand the original owner of the house (and builder) was a navy man.

Ceanothus

Ceanothus

I moved the half wine barrels of bearded iris’s to the front where there is more sun. It’s doubtful they will bloom this year (fingers crossed) as they were replanted so late. But I hope they will be happier in their current spot without any competition from redwood roots. There were quite a number of iris bulbs so I planted some of them in smaller containers and gave some away. To my surprise there are California poppies coming up in the pots as well.

There are some signs of snail and fungal damage, sigh. I have not used any pesticides in the past although I do bait for our native banana slugs.

April Bearded Iris 2022

April Bearded Iris 2022

You can see the small ceanothus bushes between the barrels. They should reach a  height and size of 15′ by 15′ once fully grown.

At the first in-person meeting of the local (Noyo Chapter) Rhododendron club I won 3 new ones, a Rhododendron Pontiyak (5’x3′ light lavender color), Checkmate (2’x2.5′ lavender pink), and Emasculum (5′ pink).

Rhododendron Pontiyak

Rhododendron Pontiyak

The Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens (of which I am a board member) has a number of wonderfully scented ones in their collection and I picked up a bush of Coastal Spice (white and pink) in the plant nursery when I was there last. If you get a chance to visit the Northern California coast, don’t miss the Gardens.

Rhododendron Coastal Spice

Rhododendron Coastal Spice

All of the new Rhododendrons have been planted in an island bed near our pump house and garden shed.

There are several new ones in this bed and I keep it irrigated. The older established ones on the property are watered infrequently due to drought conditions.

You will notice the bird house in the center of the bed. We’ve placed four of them around the property but none have any resident families yet. There must not be a housing shortage for the birds here.

bird houses in the pollinator garden

bird houses in the pollinator garden – rent free but no takers yet

Vegetables are a dilemma this year. Should I plant them or not? I worry about the water they will need. I brought up the subject with the gardener in the vegetable garden at the Botanical Gardens last week. He feels that home gardeners use a lot less water than the huge commercial farms. So, comforted, I planted two of our raised beds. Here you will see lettuce, chard, cauliflower, broccoli and cabbage. I was excited to find a mixed starter pack of the cruciferous vegetables. The two of us cannot usually eat 6 heads of cauliflower before they start to go to seed and I don’t really have the storage space. Two heads are more manageable.

I also direct seeded some radishes, arugula and a mesclun mix.

I am going to skip the tomatoes and cucumbers this year. We get good local ones from the farm down the road. Zucchini will definitely go into at least one, maybe two, beds. We adore them freshly picked and simply grilled.

Lastly, and new, are three small fig trees on the front deck. They were started a couple of years ago by a garden friend from scions. It turns out that her husband doesn’t really like figs so she gifted them to me. It’s easier to keep an eye on them on the deck and it’s a sunny place. I had a couple of trees in containers on my deck in Oakland but the squirrels usually got to them before they were ripe. The squirrels are more cautious here and the dogs very diligent.

My constant garden companions watch me as I putter about in the garden, it’s their happy place as well as mine.

Shanna and Quinn

Shanna and Quinn

Casey is happiest snoozing at my feet as I write this.

Casey

Casey

I hope you are in your happy place as well.