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Rainy Day Daze

by | Apr 11, 2007 | Uncategorized

I’m forcing myself to get back on a good sleep schedule, so today I am in a good-for-nothing daze, desperately wanting a nap but knowing that if I do, I’ll be up late again and the vicious cycle continues. Luckily, garden blogging isn’t brain surgery; one can blog and take pictures drowsily and no one gets hurt.

This sleepy, grey day did feel perfect for delving into my signed copy of Anne Lamott’s new book, Grace (Eventually). I had the pleasure of attending her discussion and book signing at Borders Books on Monday evening. She was fabulous and hilarious and thoughtful and profound. I thought she’d be mostly serious, but she got more laughs than most stand-up comedians on a good night. Her brand of black humor comes through in her writing and it definitely comes through in person. Also impressive was the fact that she was nearing the end of her book tour yet nothing she said seemed recycled or rehearsed. She’s the real deal.

A few snaps from today…

Chinese ground orchid (Bletilla striata) about to bloom. In my top 10 favorite garden flowers. You can’t see how beautiful this orchid will be, but it perfectly reflects how I feel about today… so full of potential but the timing is a little off.

Queen’s tears (Billbergia nutans)… also in my top 10.

‘Paul’s Scarlet’ English hawthorn

Red field poppy. I sprinkled seeds in a lot of my pots and they came up!

Baby lime

Purple columbine… one I got from Annie’s. Can’t remember which species or cultivar.

Delphinium, which I only grow as a hanging plant now because it’s proven so snailolicious in the past.

Happy Easter, 2007

by | Apr 9, 2007 | Uncategorized

California bush anemone (Carpenteria californica) buds
This is one of my fall-planted natives receiving no supplemental water yet doing great.

Sedum

Santa Barbara daisies (Erigeron karvinskianus)

Dan sees a squirrel

Dan “hides” in the grass

Annie, too, is “invisible”.

A springtime romp in the yard.

Chinese ground orchids… See, Snappy? These are about to bloom. The ones in cans behind the magenta ones are somewhat exotic yellow and white varieties and so far only the white has bloomed. Will report on any yellow blooms.

Viola cuteness

‘Apricot Chiffon’ California poppy

tricolor sage

Wallflower

Ceanothus, a very fast grower and very drought tolerant

One of the Annie’s plants I bought at the S.F. Flower & Garden show this year. It’s a glad! I think it’s a drought tolerant native species… well, not a Calif. native, but native to somewhere. Will report back when I find the tag.

Some o’ my pots on the back patio

Back from Mendo

by | Apr 8, 2007 | Uncategorized

Back from another Mendo getaway. As always– ate too much, didn’t exercise enough, didn’t take enough pictures, had lots of laughs… and can’t wait to go back.

I saw lots of trillium blooming at Fern Canyon at Russian Gulch State Park. If you go to Mendo, this paved bike ride/hike to a waterfall is a must. It’s spectacular… very Land of the Lost.


Camping, Angela style…

We had wi-fi at the house… for awhile. After losing access, I couldn’t even get a dial-up connection. Nooooooooooooooo! Thank God there’s an internet cafe in the village.

My mom made quiche. Take that, tent campers.

I love it when fog rolls through town. It’s thick and fast-moving. Every day was sunny, which made the fog an extra special treat.

Heed these words, unless you want to be the meat in a car sandwich.

Here’s a little something for dog-loving purse fanatics.

Catch the peace sign on the front railing? You’ll see a lot of peace signs in Mendo. My kind of town.




I stopped by Ingridd’s Potter’s Studio to take a few pics in her front garden. There’s always something interesting nestled in the flowers.






I love the rugged bluffs of Mendocino. Sandy beaches aren’t as accessible as in Southern California and the ocean waters can be rough on ships, but that obviously has something to do with the fact that Mendo still offers much in the way of pristine wilderness.

Despite the abundance of natural beauty, you’ll still spot the occasional dorky tourist…


Dinner at the Moosse Cafe. I had the halibut with fingerling potatoes and veggies. Whoops, I also sampled the honey and lavender crème brulee for dessert. Delish.

Huge victory for Sacramento city front yard gardens

by | Apr 7, 2007 | Uncategorized

The Sacramento City Council voted 8 to 1 for the Front Yard Landscape Ordinance with the deletion of subsection “c”, “…which had sought to restrict the growing of fruits and vegetables to 30% of the landscape and four feet in height.” (SacGardens.org)

A Sacramento Bee editorial, Needed: A peas treaty… Does council know beans about gardens?, weighed in on the subject the other day.

Get out those veggie seed packets, head for the veggie aisle of your local nursery, and check out the following books for inspiration. Don’t forget to plant some fruit too!