Help the bees
Sunset mag tells you how: http://www.sunset.com/sunset/garden/article/0,20633,1038908,00.html
Rainy Day Daze
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).
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
California bush anemone (Carpenteria californica) budsThis 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
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
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!
Wildflowers in Sonoma and Mendocino counties
On the drive to between Sacramento and Mendocino, by way of Hwy 37 –> 128–> 101 N– 1, lupine and California poppies are quite spectacular right now, especially against a startlingly green background. Everything is green, leafing out and beginning to bloom. Ceanothus and lilac are blooming.
The change of scenery from the Valley to the coast is very dramatic. You go from flat land with a 360 degree view to rolling, oak-studded foothills, and then into the deep dark redwood forest. Then suddenly… boom… there’s the Pacific Ocean. The transitions are very sudden, which makes the drive interesting and makes the sunglasses go on and come off many times.
I was thrilled to discover I’ve got wi–fi at the rental house for the first time ever, so I can now glance up from my untethered laptop while composing a blog post and see the ocean. This afternoon, I may venture out back to one of the Adirondack chairs and check my e-mail while enjoying the peaceful waves crashing in the distance. This is one happy “camper”.
Yes, I am addicted to modern technology and yelled a “Praise Jesus!” when I also discovered my cell phone works here for the first time ever. If I were forced to go tent camping sometime in the not-very-likely future, I’d be one of those panicky techno junkies scrounging around every morning for my solar iPod/cell phone charger while wondering who’s gonna go out in the freezing cold to start the fire… to boil the water… to make my French roast coffee. Must… stop… thinking about tent camping.
Outside right now, birds are chirping and it looks like it’s going to be a sunny, non-windy day. No formal plans today except to wander around town on foot and by bike. S’later!
Spring front yard flowers and one annoyed kitty
I’m just a blogging fool today. That’s because I should be cleaning and running errands and packing before my trip.
Here’s what’s blooming in my front yard right now. Had gone out to check the mail and couldn’t resist grabbing my camera.
Emily rarely smiles for the camera. In fact, she rarely sits still for the camera. It’s difficult to get good pictures of her because the moment she knows you’re paying attention to her, she jumps down and starts rubbing against your leg. When I was photographing poppies this morning, she bit me to get my attention.
yellow ‘Lady Banks’ rose
Pink cyclamen
Ixia
Calif. Poppies against Western redbud (Cercis occidentalis)
More Lady Banks
Poppies and Ixia, both of which get by on natural rainfall
Buzz Kill by Novella Carpenter in Salon.com
I enjoyed this piece, and it relates to recent news regarding bee die-offs across the country. I’ll be looking for bees when my lavender blooms. I’m pretty convinced my veggie garden productivity last year was aided by the constant buzz around my lavender plants. It wasn’t an intentional planting arrangement, but it seemed to help and it sure beats having to hand-pollinate.
If you’re not a paid Salon subscriber, you will have to sit through an online ad or two before reading the article. Such is life in the frugal lane.
Mendo or bust
I’m going to Mendo next week. Will check in from Moody’s if there’s anything horticulturally significant to report. Yes, I’m bringing my camera. Not sure what the weather will be like, though. I’m hoping to get in some good bike rides, but if it’s raining we’ll have to go to plan B, which is to eat and lounge by the fire. It’s all good.
New book: The Home Orchard
Another fine offering from University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR)
Angela’s Stock Photography
