We had a cold storm roar through a couple of days ago: a sprinkle of rain and roaring winds. Smashed pots, of course. Tired of smashed pots. All plants into the ground this year!
A neighbor's Acacia baileyana went down.
Preparing to bloom, the fallen Acacia had put on a brilliant winter show for as long as we have lived here. No more.
Other mature trees in the neighborhood are continuing to die from drought and bark beetle. Tired of seeing that.
The storm was cold enough to leave our local mountain dusted with snow--compare the pale mountain with the brown foothill just in front of it--that pale is snow--though there was no frost here. Too windy.
Time to cut back 200 roses, and recharge for a new garden year.
Okay, one done...
Ah, wait! A lupine seedling! A bird must have brought it.
Ah, look! There's the start of Aloe marlothii's awesome orange-gold inflorescence.
I feel better already.
I feel better already just reading this. Instead of going out in the garden as usual I've been looking out at cold, damp, and windy weather for days with several days more in the forecast. I'm trying not to be tired of rain, just the cold part.
ReplyDeleteThe garden is so--renewing. I hope you can get back out there very soon. (Please send the rain here!)
DeleteThanks for the public service announcement: letting us peek into the dark side of your gardening climate. Sounds like you managed to shake off the ennui. A good thing. The gardening world needs you.
ReplyDeleteWas out most of the morning and all afternoon chopping roses until it got too dark to see. It was FUN!
DeleteNo pots in 2015? Ack! I can't imagine not having pots...
ReplyDeleteI'd forgotten that you had that many roses. I knew it was a lot, but 200 is... what's the word?... crazy. :)
Happy New Year!
Crazy? Who you calling crazy, Mr. Bamboo-in-Missouri? ;^)
DeleteSo sad to hear about and see the effect on the drought on the trees. You know it's really bad when entire trees die... It's cold up here too, but not much precipitation. The mountain resorts are reportedly at least partially open, but I'm willing to bet the skiing isn't quite what it should be yet. And so we wait...
ReplyDeleteWe're waiting here too. The weatherman said mid-month is looking promising, and so we hope...
DeleteToo bad about the pots and the Acacia - that was a nasty windstorm! It toppled an iron screen here but luckily the screen fell on an iron chair, resulting in no damage. I thought of you as I looked at my own roses, which I haven't yet touched. Pace yourself!
ReplyDeleteIt's the old space-in-the-greenwaste-bin thing the pace is constrained by. Probably for the best.
DeleteThat iron screen falling must have woke you up! At least no damage or injury.
When it is windy I lie awake at night listening to things crash outside.
Love the tired little monkey, hate the broken pot and fallen tree...
ReplyDeleteWell...could have been worse!
DeleteDespite being a CA native, I don't think I could go back to gardening year round. I like being forced into a resting phase during winter. 200 roses! WOWZERS!! Your garden must smell like heaven. :o)
ReplyDeleteThe nasty hot summer forced me indoors this year--there are certain advantages to a pause--the house got cleaned!
DeleteIf heaven smells like roses, then yes it does.
Nice "winter" scene of your mountain, I like those contrasts! Sprinkling rain and snow here...I thought I was the only person with down jacket and gloves here...nope, that's almost all I've seen for 2 weeks.
ReplyDeleteOnly 199 roses to go.....
Not quite to the gloves level here, and we'll be back in the 70's in a couple of days. Most of that snow is already gone.
DeleteI hope you are getting some good rain--when is rain ever bad?
So sorry about that beautiful old acacia and the pots! Glad that the garden has begun working it's regenerative powers on you! Here's to a nice rainy 2015 for you!
ReplyDelete