by angela@diggingbliss | Nov 13, 2008 | Uncategorized
OK, you guys gotta check out this French blog post about my blog. Can’t read a lick of it, but it looks like a really cool blog!
http://paradisexpress.blogspot.com/
As bloggers, we have the ability to see who’s linking to our blogs, and my curious nature has me checking every now and then, especially when I’m avoiding an unpleasant task or tasks.
When I followed the link, I saw that the post was written in French, a language I had a brief fling with in my freshman year of high school. Needless to say, French and I parted way as friends, but with my foreign language skills virginity still intact. In other words, I have no idea what this blogger was saying about my blog.
So I Babel Fished it. The translation sheds a little light, but remains fascinatingly cryptic.
From this…
“Très joli blog d’Angela Pratt, qui vit vers Sacramento dans le nord de la Californie où elle ballade son appareil photo. c’est chez elle que j’ai repéré cette graminée barbapapa.”
I got this…
“Very pretty blog d’ Angela Pratt, which lives towards Sacramento in the north of California where it ballade its camera. c’ is at it that j’ located this graminaceous barbapapa.”
Better French students than I… I need a better translation and I’ve got to know what is meant by this “graminaceous barbapapa”! It sounds so… so… well… kind of Italian, actually. Not that I speak Italian.
by angela@diggingbliss | Nov 13, 2008 | Uncategorized
One of my favorite local nurseries is offering a 20% off coupon through my gardening website, SacramentoGardening.com! I’ve never charged nurseries for a listing on my homespun site, but I decided it was a genius idea to offer coupon space. Why? Because it benefits you, the gardener… me, the web slave… and any nursery wanting to increase foot traffic.
Windmill is a family-run nursery, manager Andrew has a hort. degree from UC Davis, their plants are meticulously cared for, and they carry a wide selection of… well… everything– native plants, interesting perennials, Annie’s Annuals and perennials, water plants, Christmas trees, herbs, bonsai starters, succulents, trees, shrubs, grasses, gifts, seeds, bulbs, organic products and more. They had me at Annie’s Annuals, really, but I also really appreciate all the other stuff. See my Windmill-related blog posts.
Anyway, check it out! Print that baby and get over there before the coupon expires. It’s still fall, which we all know is the best time for Californians to plant just about everything. It’s also a great time to do a little Christmas shopping and Windmill goes all out this time of year.
When you use your coupon, report back and let us know what you got!
by angela@diggingbliss | Nov 9, 2008 | Uncategorized
My tree dahlias (Dahlia imperialis) are right on schedule. I first noticed buds at the beginning of November… way high up in the sky… approaching twenty feet… despite the fact that I cut them back in summer in an apparently futile attempt at shorter, bushier plants.
So, yeah, this is year three and I think it’s safe to say that tree dahlias will grow for extreme gardeners in Sacramento. They’re crazy fun– way too tall, prone to toppling from strong wind gusts, and might be snuffed out at the first cold snap before the buds open. But OMG, when you see those sky-scraping pink flowers you’ll want to yell, “The tree dahlias are blooming! The tree dahlias are blooming!” with the same level of excitement Navin Johnson expressed when the new phone books arrived.
Mexican bush sage (Salvia leucantha), pink sedum (now yellow, with brown seedheads), and spent agapanthus
In the last few years, I’ve been trying to provide overwintering hummingbirds with a source of homegrown nectar. Why? Because I’m too lazy to keep fresh nectar in my hummingbird feeders. The mixing… the boiling… the pouring… the storing. The doing it all over again. Ugh.
So far, Salvia and Cuphea have made November more nectarrific and colorful. Since November 4, doesn’t it seem like everything is just a little bit more sparkly?
Giant Cigar Plant (Cuphea micropetala)
Hummingbird Sage (Salvia spathacea)
It’s a big, bushy, sprawling plant with lovely gray-green leaves.
Purple oxalis and Corokia cotoneaster in a pot.
Mushrooms, oak leaves, and nasturtiums
by angela@diggingbliss | Oct 31, 2008 | Uncategorized
I really enjoyed John Greenlee’s grass talk on Saturday at the lovely Sierra 2 Center in Curtis Park. Greenlee seems to be aiming to broaden our concept of what a “lawn” can be. It doesn’t have to be fertilized and watered and mown within an inch of its life; Instead, you can simulate a mini-meadow using undulating waves of ornamental perennial grasses. And while you’re at it, why not sprinkle in a few native bulbs or wildflowers? How does mowing once a year sound?
Achieving a meadow look on a small scale, and in a way that dares to please even your fussiest neighbors, can be accomplished. But you want to have a plan in place before you kill your sod.
Read all you can about ornamental grasses, see what’s native or suited to our Mediterranean climate, and seriously consider calling an APLD member for help. Many APLD designers attended Mr. Greenlee’s seminar and are probably pretty fired up about ornamental grasses and meadow gardens. Hey, if Greenlee’s famous clients like Diane Keaton can kick the grass habit, so can we.
One of the grasses Greenlee talked about a lot was California native grass Carex pansa. It’s cute and he had some for sale at the post-seminar plant sale. One audience member asked for a deer-resistant grass recommendation. Know what he said? Deergrass, Muhlenbergia rigens. They may bed down in it, but apparently they won’t eat it. Your roses, on the other hand…
You can get a taste of Greenlee’s presentation by checking out his website’s Products page. There’s a slideshow, plant list and plant gallery.
by angela@diggingbliss | Oct 30, 2008 | Uncategorized
Thought I’d share a couple garden elements that caught my eye on a recent bike ride through a nearby neighborhood. Right now with the leaves turning, flowers still blooming and ornamental grasses in peak plumage, it’s a great time to hop on your bike or go for a walk in the greater Sacramento area. Hurry, before winter chaps all our… um… grasses.
How cool is this rock wall planted with Echeveria?!
Beautiful example of an autumn-focused plant palette
