More Gardening Than Garden Blogging

 Above:  not a bad pairing--Leucadendron 'Ebony' with Phylica pubescens

Our first few weeks of winter have been outstanding:  plentiful rainfall and no heatwaves.  The soil is still so dry here it sucks the rain up like a sponge.  I've been enjoying long hours in the garden in between the rains.  
'Munstead Wood' is this year's impulse-buy rose:
 Planted onion starts.  Rain watered them in.  We're at over seven inches for the season, half way to "normal", and the season is only starting. 
 Enjoying the Aloes.  This Aloe came up in the garden of its own volition. It appears to be a cross between Aloe cameronii and Aloe hardyi.  This is its first flowering:
 Quite a nice plant for a volunteer seedling!
 The Grevilleas are enjoying the rain, too.
'Peaches n Cream':
 Argh, there's a dog hair--there's always a dog hair...
 'Robyn Gordon':
 The Ranunculus tubers I planted weeks ago are up and look good.  Each tree in the garden is getting a big soaking of collected rain water.  The lack of heat waves makes for happy plants and an even happier gardener. 
Rose pruning time

 Getting plants out of pots and into the ground
 Watching the three Leucospermum seedlings try to grow.  They are all still alive.  This one in the sunniest warmest location looks the best:
 The hills are even showing a tinge of green.  How long has it been since we had really green hills?  Five years?
 Enough with the blogging.  I'm already back out there.  :^)

Comments

  1. Oh, yes. Green hills. Love 'em. In a couple of months even those in your last picture will be brilliant green. And that looks much like Saddleback in the background. Ranunculus looking good, mine are just snail bait. I think that volunteer aloe is superb! Just splendid.

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    1. One thing about The Drought--it devestated the snail population around here. Brilliant green...won't that be amazing?

      Yes, Saddleback far in the distance.

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  2. Isn't the rain great? I love it. Seeing pictures of your roses all pruned reminds me I need to cut mine back. I'm always worried I'll do it wrong...

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    1. The rain is AWESOME! I can hardly believe we're getting so much.

      Rose pruning--can't go far wrong--they nearly always grow back. :)

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  3. That volunteer aloe is a beauty! Today was perfect for working outside - I spent the lion's share of the day out there myself. I got 2 flat of groundcovers planted before breakfast and planted Ranunculus as well, albeit from 6-packs. I've yet to tackle my roses but I only have a tiny fraction of the number you have to contend with. The raccoons have returned and are wreaking havoc at regular intervals, with their friends the skunks filling in on nights they're unavailable, but that's my only complaint at present. Happy gardening!

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    1. Sorry to hear about the rodents. Skunks, yikes! Another gardening day in store today--yipee!! Enjoy!

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  4. Hooray for the rain! That is wonderful news. Do you get your roses locally or from mail order? People rave about here. I want to try them.

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    1. I've gotten some from mail order, some local--lately local since I'm adding few to none and they are impulse buys. I still want to try a couple on fortuniana to see how that rootstock does here with flower production.

      The rain is so wonderful--the difference in foliage color just from dust being washed off is constantly amazing.

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  5. Naturalizing aloes! I'm awed.

    It's wonderful to garden vicariously through your accounts and pics; 8 degrees here for several days but back to 60 by mid-week, when I'll do my only rose pruning (trimming a small hedge of Scotch rose).

    So happy to see those green hills! My time in CA was during a four-year drought, so saw very few of those myself. Luckily we visited again after a rainy winter, and were stunned by the transformation. Every rosemary in S.F. was in full flower; I hadn't realized until then that they were supposed to!

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    1. 60s F is great garden weather--I hope you get out there too, and soon.

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  6. I am SO HAPPY you guys got decent amounts of rain! Wow - I can only imagine how wonderful that must feel!!! To see those hills green up in the distance is just icing on the proverbial cake. Here, we had another ice storm. Schools are closed for another day, and the kids are ecstatic - no surprise there. It is slowly starting to thaw, so I need to get out there with the camera to see if I can capture something nice. That volunteer Aloe is a true gift - it is fabulous!

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    1. I think we are all stunned--is it really happening? And will it last long enough, or will it be heat wave heat wave heat wave again? But today, we celebrate.

      Ice storms--yikes! Stay safe! Tough to walk on or drive on ice. Hope your garden is not damaged.

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  7. I love hearing about your happy dance, brought on by a healthy dose of rain. It would be wrong of us to keep it all for ourselves.

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