Horrible Weather Returns, Stuck Inside Thoughts, Arhghhh!

Pink sky at morning, gardener take warning...

Last weekend I was stuck inside because it was raining, and happy/content, because it was raining.  This weekend, again I am stuck inside, neither happy nor content, because it is nearly 90F (32 C) outside, with relative humidity of about 5%. What a horrible winter it has been. Stuck inside, projects waiting. 

Will the weather ever improve?  
What to do?  Might as well blog until it cools off.  

A couple of weeks ago, I took a cutting of last year's sweet potato vine to propagate a new one for this year, carefully putting it into sterile soil, just damp enough, enclosing it in a plastic bag, etc, etc. Of course, it died. When I went to throw it into the compost, there in the compost was all the leftover vine, happily rooted in several places with 8" of strong, healthy roots, and with 6" or more of new growth, the foliage slightly pale from having grown in complete darkness.  I swear the plant was laughing at me. 
 There and back again. Also in the new plant department, I thought Agave seedlings were tiny, but Aloe seedlings--whoa! How do I possibly keep these things alive? And also in New Plants, this Alstroemeria 'Rock And Roll'--why? I finally figured it out--the foliage reminds me of Hostas, which do not grow here except as annuals.  Love Hosta foliage!  I hope the Alstroemeria doesn't bloom. The red and gold flowers would be too much. The foliage is enough. 
 
Bored gardeners stuck in the house sometimes go looking through old photos.  I found this one from 2006, right when I started thinking about replacing the Baccharis on the front slope with something more interesting.  The violet Bougainvillea is the same, everything else is different. 

The neighbors that planted that Lophostemnon confertus right on the property line have moved.  I wish they'd taken their tree with them.  Sorry, hot weather makes me grouchy.  When (if?) the Grevillea 'Moonlight' and the Ceanothus directly above the Bougie get larger, that emptyish area at the top of the slope will look better.  Ahhh...just occured to me that the big clumps of Aeonium-something just to the left of the Lophostemnon trunk's base belong at the base of the slope shown in yesterday's post instead of where they are.  A little more moisture, a little less sun and they'll be happier.  Must split up move them...when (if?) it cools off.



Spring appears to be arriving early this year, with a brutal summer and an ugly autumn likely to follow.  But for now...

Planted This Slope

Planted this slope.  More to add. 

It looks better in person, and it needs to grow in.  There are seven clumps (volunteer seedlings all) of Carex testacaea, a trio of Agave desmetiana (last year's bulbils), a trio of Agave gypsophila, (only one large enough to really see in the photo), and the Agave lophantha 'Quadricolor' group is also too small to see clearly.  More Agave gypsophila to add, and then at the bottom of the slope will go smallish,  clustering Aloes--greatheadii, ellenbeckii, brevifolia, sinkatana.  
A garden-buddy gave me this Aloe sinkatana--thanks, garden-buddy!


  
The Agaves and the Aloe flowers will motivate me to actually look at this part of the garden.  It was no-look land for--since we moved here.  The landscaper had put in Alnus rhombifolias (too big, too aggressive) and Ribes viburnifolium which never filled in enough to prevent weeds.  I switched out the Alders for Dodoneas and Cypress.  Then I switched out the Dodoneas for Pittosporum tenuifolium selections and got rid of the Ribes, which smells like wine that has soured.  There's a small fig tree back there, too... 

Nice to have a feeling of accomplishment, however modest the accomplishment.
 

Wednesday Flowers

Clematis 'Angelique'

Little left of what passed for winter this year,  still so much to do.
Rosa 'Lunar Mist', slightly marred by the week end rain.

The few Ranunculus returned from last year are either red or white.  They look fine with the pale apricot roses and ever-blooming 'Rozanne'.  The bright yellow Ranunculus that did not return clashed quite horribly. That certainly worked out well.

No Thrips damage at all--the white flowers are flawless.
 
Except in shape.  
 
Little 'Snowbird' rose, purchased last year as a rooted cutting, has settled into her prime spot catty-corner to another small white rose, 'Bolero'
 
I'll be taking a few days off from blogging.  There's so much garden work to finish up before spring arrives;  I need to focus. 
 
Back in a few days.   
  
 

Boris At Play

The garden needs to dry out a bit before I can get back out there.  More time to play with the puppies.

Boris loves to play catch.  Natasha likes to grab the ball and go hide in the crate and not come out.  That's no fun!



Boris at rest.  Natasha has been chewing on his face again.  Unlike the kitchen baseboard, at least his hair can grow back.

Mandatory Drippy Shots To Celebrate Rain Event

Yes, glorious marvelous rain.  I filled buckets...

...green tubs...

...the garbage bin...

 ...the black tub...

 ...the fountain, which was emptied because of the broken pump.

 That precious water will deep-soak the trees and shrubs, to help them survive our drought.  Each container has a ring of yellow pollen--pine?  Acacia?  Eucalyptus?  Avocado?  A little of all of those, perhaps.

Drippy celebration shots are called for.

Rain isn't just rain here, it's an event.

Happy, happy, happy!

'Blue Glow' Seedling Update And So Forth

 A writing pen included for scale

Four leaves plus the seed leaf on some of them.  Still tiny, but they look like Agaves!
The rootless remains of the original plant have sent up a new bloom stalk.

I read somewhere that damaging the tip of the inflorescence would increase the likelihood of bulbil production, so I did that.  There's nothing to lose at this point. 

Since I am taking care of tiny plants anyway, I thought I'd try growing Aloes from seed as well.  I chose some pods from Aloe capitata.  The pods were pretty dry and beginning to split open, but they still had some yellow juice in them.  The seeds look ripe.  
  
So, we'll see what happens.  No guarantee they'll be pure Capitata, or that they will even sprout.  An experiment, just for fun, but can one ever have enough of Aloe capitata?

A new plant for the east slope, near the new wall and stairway:  Arctostaphylos uva-ursi 'Wood's Compact'.  

This plant is native to California, though not to this particular area.  It has beautiful dark glossy green foliage and the typical white-pink bell shaped flowers of the genus.  Low growing (inches) and spreading (feet).  

And so forth.  The first Ranunculus flower has opened.  

Today's Morocco Daisy shot.

'Laguna' is putting out a few early flowers.
   
So is 'Tamora'.

 

Favorite Plant Lately (Hardly A Surprise) And Finished Project (Mostly)

 Hardly a surprise that Sweet Peas have been the favorite lately.  I gave some to a normally reserved and level-headed neighbor which prompted her to give me an impulsive hug and reminisce about her childhood memories of Sweet Peas.  Can there be a more delightful plant?  People beam when they see them, and think of childhood memories.  Children beam and reach and find joy in the fragrance and color.  The more Sweet Pea flowers you pick and give away, the more you have to pick and give away.
Not much of a garden display, they being mostly picked:

Yesterday, picking became more difficult because someone decided to chew up the scissors!  

Who is the guilty one?  Who?
"Not me!"  "Not me!  And you didn't let me finish!"

 Oh well.  At least there is the satisfaction of having failed at Sweet Peas several times in previous years, and finally finding success.  Sweet! 

Satisfaction also in actually completing a slope project yesterday.  There are several slope projects unfinished.  I've been struggling with them for a couple of years now with no solution yet.  I keep trying to find the way through a maze of decisions and actions, and keep reaching dead ends.  This smaller effort, yielding results, renews hope for the others.  

The steep area on the east side of the house had one of the recently removed Dodoneas and an Abelia too large for the area.  They were difficult to access and care for.  I added some blocks to make a stairway and a small wall to give a new plant more root room, and for a maintainer to maintain while safely standing on flat ground.

Nice flat space for planting.  I also fixed the drip irrigation.
 
A new Metrosideros 'Springfire' and mulch.

Try, try, try again, until it's right*.

*Not including scissor-chewing.