Spring 2013

I've been making a few improvements to the yard.  I've added a table, chairs, and umbrella to my raised porch.  Now I'll be able to sit out and enjoy the backyard.

Meanwhile, many of the spring flowers have begun to bloom.  There are lots of poppies on the side yard.

The white sage I planted two years ago after another was decapitated by a city tractor is beginning to bloom.

Both my mountain lilacs are in full bloom (this is Ceanothus "Concha").  It goes nicely with the coral bells (Heuchera "Wendy").

The desert verbena on the parkway is coming in nicely.

And the parkway strip is filled with poppies (though my manzanita is not doing very well at all).

The front yard is dominated by the coral bells, along with some clarkia and a few poppies.  The desert willow (Chilopsis linearis) is just beginning to come out of winter hibernation.

While poppies predominate on the parkway strip, I have a few other wildflowers mixed in.

Lots of blossoms on the orange tree.  Perhaps, for the first time, I might have oranges this year.

The container garden in the front is doing well.

In past years, Chinese houses (Collinsia heterophylla) have filled the yard, but only a few so far this spring.

These flowers are "volunteers" who spread from other areas.  The white sage behind it is growing nicely after being pruned back hard.

More wildflower volunteers, mixed in with the bulbs (which won't bloom for another month at least).

This white sage hasn't been pruned at all.  I'm just cutting back flower stalks to keep it from blocking the side walk.

The fuschia-flowering gooseberry (Ribes speciosum) bloomed mostly over the winter but still has a little bit of a display left.

I pruned back the roses and they seem to be doing well.

Another view of the proch.

Photos

Selected photos from the trip:
Sunday, June 24th:



Monday, June 25th:
In El Mercat de Boqueria:




The Ramblas:



Having a snack:


In the Roman temple in the Barrio Gotico:



In front of the Sagrada Familia:



Tuesday, June 26th

In the Sagrada Familia:



At Park Guell:









Waiting for the bus:


Wednesday, June 27th:

At the Casa Mila



Thursday, June 28th:

At the museum of chocolate:

Bulbs

I put in two sets of bulbs in the front yard.  There's on small grouping close to the house that can handle summer water, but most of them are on the west parkway strip, which doesn't get any water from the sprinklers in the summer (I do some watering by hand every two weeks). 

Here you can see the white-flowering bulbs near the house.

The bulbs on the parkway strip are not as tall, but are blue and white.  They are called "Ithuriel's spears," and I put them in diagonal strips across the parkway.  I tried to waver them, to give them a slightly more natural look.  I put more bulbs in the ground in December, trying to fill in gaps in the parkway.

The bulbs are blooming in staggered shifts.  The bulbs I planted last year have begun to bloom. While the ones I put in this year won't bloom for another two weeks or so.

This section suffered a lot last year when they tore up the sidewalk and poured new concrete.  Thankfully, the bulbs grew back this year.

Meanwhile, I have some Farewell-to-spring Clarkia that's blooming.  Last year, I had a whole side of the front in bloom, but I put grass over that area last August, so no blooms there this year.  I may put down some seed next fall. 

I do have to let the front yard look a little "weedy" at times, in order for the wild flowers to go to seed.  That way, they'll bloom again next year.

Spring Wildflowers

The front yard is in full bloom.

 

Adjacent to the sidewalk are the margarita penstemon and the pitcher sage, then there are the blue flax and the desert willow with its new green leaves.  There are a few white chinese houses, and behind them are the clarkia and finally the heuchera.  There are also some poppies scattered about.

Here's a better shot of the blue flax and the elegant clarkia.  On the back right, you can see the reddish-orange monkey flower is doing well, and on the far right, you can see the lilac verbena is just exploding.

 

In the back are the heuchera. I've started dead heading these to get a second flowering.

 

The seaside daisies lining the walkway are all blooming.

 

 

 As is the white sage on the parkway strip.  In fact, the flower stalks on this are so long, I had to trim some back as they were blocking the sidewalk.  

 The pink yarrow is starting to bloom.

As are these blue gilias.

Leaving, on a jet plane

Almost finished packing for the trip. The big question is whether I bring a handful of ballpoint pens to give to school children. Here's the itinerary:

Hanoi: 2 nights
Ha Long Bay: 1 nights
Siem Reap (Angkor Wat): 3 nights
Cruise down the Mekong River: 7 nights
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): 2 nights

Finishing up the Second Year of Landscaping

I'm almost done with this second round of landscaping.

The wildflower meadow on the side needs some stability of focal point when the wildflowers aren't active, so I've added some perennials.

These include: achillea millefolium rosea (Island Pink Yarrow).


Blue-eyed grasses (of differing sizes):





And an artemisia california (California sagebrush "David's choice")


The finished meadow:


I've also added a large rose buckwheat in the front where the royal penstemon died:


I've finished the front walkway and added ornamental pots by the porch:


Each pot contains a monkey flower. This is mimulus carnivale:


This is mimulus cardinale:


I've also finished putting in the Carpenteria in the front planter box.


I put in Margarita penstemon along the second path across the parkway strip:


The Indian mallows are doing fantastic and the bees love them:




The fuschia-flowering gooseberry has come out of summer dormancy and added lots of new, green leaves. I'm hoping it will flower this year.


The monkey flowers near the back porch are doing nicely.



Lots of lemons on the Meyer lemon tree:


I've planted beets in the garden (nothing to see yet).


I put in a brickellia californica (brickellbush) near my back bedroom window. They are supposed to smell fantastic when the flower.