(Photo from Wayside Gardens)
This caught my eye in the Wayside Gardens catalog. Dark blue agapanthus is nothing new, but the blackish stems of ‘Back in Black’ might be, I believe. It’d be fun to pair this with something chartreuse… and it’d be crazy fun to put it with something red or orange.
Just got back from my cousin’s UCLA graduation. Temps were in the very comfortable seventies. Despite the coastal mildness of L.A. proper, I’m always struck by the incongruity of scrubby desert in surrounding areas and the opulent tropical lushness in landscaped parts of Los Angeles… especially in Beverly Hills.
Our celebration dinner was at Cha Cha Cha in Silverlake. A scene in Steve Martin’s Shop Girl was filmed at this Carribbean restaurant and Mr. Martin was reportedly a regular. Probably until he put it in his movie. The food was great, as was the fruit-filled Sangria. If you go, try the Crispy Shrimp Cakes, the Guacamole and Dirty Chips, and the Empanadas. Mmmm… Extra points for fun container plantings outside the restaurant.
The Jacaranda trees are in full bloom on the UCLA campus, which was a real treat for me since lavender is one of my favorite colors and I’ve never seen any Jacaranda trees growing in Sacramento.
June 20 edit: My friend, Weeder, informs me that she saw a Jacaranda blooming “in Sac. this Sunday.” Where?!!! I also vaguely remember seeing them for sale at POW once. The plot thickens. Sunset says it needs full sun, moderate water, prefers sandy soil but will tolerate other types (like my clay?), and is damaged below 25 degrees F. Why don’t we see it more often in northern California? It doesn’t seem like an impossibility. I hope someone will enlighten me.
This documentary has been in my Netflix queue forever… so long, in fact, that I decided to Google the title to find out if I could buy the DVD. Doesn’t look like it… yet. What I did discover, however, is that The Real Dirt on Farmer John will be screened at The Crest on July 27, 2007. Woo hoo! Mark your calendars!
See where else it’s screening nationwide and check out the rave reviews.
Theatrical Trailer
June 20 edit: Looks like The Real Dirt on Farmer John will be premiering on the PBS Show, Independent Lens.
Also, here’s a link to an interview with “Farmer John” Peterson on Fresh Air with Terry Gross.
Hey, I didn’t notice before that these “coco peat” bricks were packaged by Down to Earth Distributors, the same company that puts out my Bio-Fish fertilizer.
Watching your coco peat brick expand is fun. It’d be even more fun if they put a prize inside.
Whoa, there it goes!
Like magic, the brick has transformed within mere minutes into a large volume of moist, crumbly coir.
A couple months ago, I added the biodegradable liner bags from my kitchen compost crock to the bin to see if they’d break down quickly. Nope.
After side-dressing my tomato, pepper and basil plants with the finished compost from one layer of my Can-O-Worms, I added the coir pictured above to the now-empty layer, along with some past-their-prime veggies from the fridge. My veggie plants also got a dose of Bio-Fish and liquid Kelp fertilizer. That should give them some added vigor!
My Peaceful Valley Farm Supply order arrived a couple days ago. I’ve decided to try Down To Earth’s Bio-Fish fertilizer in my veggie beds. I also need to apply a fast-acting organic liquid food today because my newly planted veggies have settled in but look like they could use a boost.
I also ordered BurnOut II for controlling weeds that have popped up in my crushed rock pathways and in the D.G. surrounding my flagstone patio pavers. BurnOut II is a clove, citric acid and vinegar-based herbicide.
The Coconut Coir Fiber compressed bricks, which expand in water, make a really nice bedding and food for my Can-O-Worms
My late-planted ‘Gold Rush’ yellow zucchini plants already have flower buds. I can’t wait to start using them in stir-fry dishes and on the grill. A little salt, cracked pepper, fresh chopped rosemary and olive oil is all you need.
