Thursday, June 28, 2007


For almost 27 years I've gardened in this yard. I've had many different beds, plants, lawn areas and plans. But what has remained the same since we remodeled about 16 years ago has been the side yard on the far side of my front yard. It has been a 20x7 foot blank space. My former neighbor planted two peach trees right inside the property line just before the remodel and they have been growing rather poorly with not much care. My current neighbor mentioned that she would like to clean up her side and that was the nudge I needed to make a decision on what I wanted on my side. Having enough to water already, and not wanting to commit to much more water use, I opted for a drought tolerant area. And since taking out an area of cement in the spring for the day care demo garden I had a supply of broken cement and rubble. I used rubble for the path base and topped it with river rock and stacked broken concrete for bed edges. So I now have a path leading to the water meter and two narrow beds planted with liriope, salvias, New Zealand flax and an aloe that was getting too big for the pot it was in. My neighbor was worried that one of the children would run into her yard/driveway when they were leaving here so I got more of the really easy fencing I had used on the demo garden and closed in the side yard. I had a drip system in place for the back side yard on that side of the house so I was able to extend the tubing through a conveniently located knothole in the fence and put a few emitters for each plant. I don't run that section often since it covers only a few star jasmines and pandoreas that need little water so it works out great! And we're going to clean up the peach trees and get them in better shape this winter when they're dormant. (You can see the stake I propped up one of the tree branches with in the photo above...the trees have a great crop this year that is threatening to break branches.) Now there really is no empty space in my yard...unless I take out more cement!

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Three Blooms That Made Me Happy Today




The wisteria is putting on a nice June repeat bloom...very different from the first big flush of flowers...I almost like it better with all the green contrast.
The scarlet runners began blooming today...I like them!...It's the first time I've grown them.
And here is the cypella coelestis I was waiting for on June Bloom Day...it blooms in waves with a one day bloom and this is the third set of flowers.

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

The Corn Was As High As A Four-Year-Olds' Eye






And now it's even taller! The kids are amazed at how fast the corn and beans have grown...the first photo is May 21 and the last, today...and you can see it has passed up the four-year-olds! The yard stick we planted in the corn has disappeared beneath the plants. We were marking the bean strings to document how many inches they grew each day but now they are shooting up above the trellis. And what we have been waiting for finally appeared today...our first bean flower!

Friday, June 15, 2007

June 2007 Bloom Day










It is definitely that time of year...fun to work in the yard, great hopes for a successful garden, the earwigs are slowing down, lots of little projects to fine tune. As well as no time to blog...and really not even time to read blogs. I have a lot of catching up to do. But the down side of summer had arrived, as well, this week. Our first run of over 100 degree days without our more common night time cooling off. Wow...I really AM a weather wimp. Spoiled, spoiled, spoiled. Having lived part of my life in Ohio I am not unaware of the possibilities weather can offer. But we really are blessed with what we have and I have to say I am in awe of what some gardeners endure without giving up. Future 100 degree days will allow me time to post about my new little sideyard drought tolerant garden and a few other recent projects but for now...here is a quick list of what's blooming in Davis today...
Daylilies...Big Gold (I wonder if I will ever remember to dig it out and pass it along to someone who WANTS a big gold daylily) and three others that don't fit the descriptions of what they should be. I think I have bad daylily karma.
Shasta daisies
purple potato vine
begonias
Rozanne geranium
alstroemeria Regina
Pink Parasol abutilon
lilium regale
several penstemons
several salvias (May Night, Blue Hill, Sclarea, berrelieri, muelleri)
anisodontia
several pelargoniums
agapanthus
several succulents
verbena
tomatoes
hollyhocks (note included bee)
golden oregano
liriope
fortnight lily
glossy abelia
nemesia
bush mallow
society garlic
blue marguarites
white potato vine
nepeta Walker's Low
scabiosa
In bud...cypella coelestis from Annies Annuals which I am anxious to see!
And now (8:30 PM) it is down to 82 degrees with our beloved delta breeze doing its magic...tomorrow will be a good day for the garden tour at the Sacramento Cemetery!