… maybe we all need to plant more lavender. I’m seeing lots of bees around my lavender plants this year and remember noticing their lavender preference last year too. Wonder what lavender honey tastes like!
Here’s one of this morning’s visitors to my garden.
1. I took cuttings from this in-ground plant (1-gallon impulse purchase from Emigh Hardware):
2. I immediately stuck them in a couple plantless pots, and not long after am enjoying this:
I’ve decided to keep stuffing Calandrinia cuttings in pots and window boxes so I can go on summer getaways without worrying so much about what’s croaking while I’m away. Plus, there’s something so appealing about a plant with tough-as-a-camel grayish green foliage and incredibly delicate, poppy-like hot pink flowers. Tough, yet girly… like me. 😉
Back from a painfully brief 3-night Mendo getaway… didn’t plan on any serious picture taking during such a short visit, but I managed to snap a few pics of things that caught my eye on Main Street the day I was leaving. How could I not, faced with the riot of floral color and sense of fun that is Mendocino in springtime. Most of the time, though, I just went with the flow, which this time happened to revolve around shopping, dining, and relaxing. Not that I’m complaining.
Mendocino was experiencing a rare heat wave during our stay. I think it was pushing 90, which for non-air-conditioned businesses, is rough. I joked to our waiter at dinner that, “We’re not used to this heat because we’re from Sacramento.” He paused for a second and said, “That’s funny.” Actually, we’re not used to this kind of heat, this early in the season. We need time to acclimate.
When we left Sacramento on Tuesday, temps were mild. They have been all spring. Upon our return, we suffered through several post 100 degree August-like days. When the heat spell broke, we couldn’t really enjoy the milder temps because they were accompanied by a maddening wind that sucked the moisture and good humor out of everything and everyone. Then, finally… clouds and a night of gentle rain. What a refreshing relief. Today, it’s cloudy and a cool 63 degrees. My bike ride is postponed until tomorrow, but that’s OK. Very bizarre, this thing called weather.
Nice landscaping outside a local Mendo shop.
The flowers, totems, gargoyles and other decorations in this local garden make it very popular with tourists.
A sun with antlers? Sure, why not.
Hey, you can never have too many gargoyles, right?
Envy. Yep, that’s what this garden inspires.
Down another little alcove, I spotted this display of driftwood garden art. It must be fairly new because I’ve never noticed it before. Fun stuff!
That’s 707-937-3869.
Ah, Spring…
New to the garden… ‘Summertime Blueberry’ Osteospermum, next to Babiana stricta.
Calandrinia grandiflora… just now starting to bloom. Great plant– pretty, drought-tolerant, easy to propagate (just pluck a sprig and stick in a pot).
Chinese ground orchids (Bletilla striata)
Weeder, the bearded iris you gave me is blooming. Any idea which cultivar it is? Do you remember where you got it? Any bearded iris aficionados recognize this beauty?
AKA… “fruit shrubs”
April, 2006
These are newly planted whips from Stark Bros., which were cut down to knee height at planting time. Dave Wilson Nursery is another excellent source for dwarf fruit trees; They’re also the guys who pioneered this gardener-friendly technique.
