July
The intensity of July light is apparent:
Summer heat was late this year, so flowers looked beautiful even in July
Too hot to garden? Paint something.
Turned out nice.
Leucadendeon 'Wilson's Wonder' colored up
July was memorable for the big Agave marmorata bloom. The stem was 25 feet tall--measured after I cut it down a few months later. Hummers, bees and Hooded Orioles relished nectar so plentiful it splattered on to the foliage below, and even the street.
An effort to better coordinate color in the garden had promising results.
2019 was an outstanding year for bumble bees. They were everywhere in the garden for several months.
Several small growing Lantanas planted this year for floral color in late summer proved to be a good idea.
One more Huntington visit before the heat really hit. Water shooting from a sprinkler--liked the effect.
August
The Intercity Cactus and Succulent Show at the LA Arboretum is always an August highlight.
The Bismarkia grove is a must-see when we go to the Arboretum
Back at home, the goldfinch crowds at the urn fountain continued
Salvia 'Amistad'
More bumbling
Summer Dahlias...
August is also baby-lizard time.
2019 was the first attempt at growing a Canna. The saturated red flower color and the dark foliage provided considerable delight.
Proteas start to flower in August
An excursion to a wild, out of the way location led to a native Dudleya sighting.
The cooler than usual start to summer enabled the Orlaya to linger.
September
Lagerstroemia 'Dynamite' is always a highlight of late Summer:
Hot weather meant more indoor painting (the blue won):
Grevillea 'Ned Kelly'
The oak has grown to become the centerpiece of this area of the garden
Yucca 'Bright Star'
October meant a trip to California's Central Coast:
Back at home, the garden looked decent considering it was October
Aloe reitzii
November
Tagetes lemonii
December brought beautiful sunrises
Rain (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!):
and Sweetpea starts:
All in all, a wonderful gardening year. Oh, that rain! It's magic.
The intensity of July light is apparent:
The Intercity Cactus and Succulent Show at the LA Arboretum is always an August highlight.
The Bismarkia grove is a must-see when we go to the Arboretum
Lagerstroemia 'Dynamite' is always a highlight of late Summer:
All in all, a wonderful gardening year. Oh, that rain! It's magic.
Your garden brings joy year-round, HB. You've done a much better job than I have at protecting your sweet pea seedlings. The rain has indeed been marvelous - we've edged over the 6 inch mark here for the season to date, with a solid chance of more on Monday.
ReplyDeleteWe're doing great here on rain, too. Torrential over Christmas night to the next morning. Happy, happy plants.
DeleteIt was screen in the sweet peas--or else. Blankety-blank rabbits. Grrr!
Ah! More of your marvelous photos, each one a treasure. Thanks for sharing them. I especially like the bumblebee on the yellow Gaillardia? Rudbeckia? whatever. The yellow in the bumble is a nice color echo. And the Protea, the Grevillea, the 'Blue Flame' Agave... And the dried flower, I could get lost in that center.
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked them. Thanks! Gaillardia 'Arizona Apricot', nicely compact. The dried flower is the remnants of a Protea 'Pink Ice' .
DeleteBetter than a 48 inch receipt from CVS. ;^)
Thanks for sharing your beautiful garden moments! I was very impressed with your Agave marmorata bloom. Wow! 20' ! What a wonder for both humans and wildlife. Best wishes for a happy New Year and a prosperous 2020 gardening year!
ReplyDeleteHappy you liked them. Best wishes for a beautiful 2020!
DeleteYour garden is so colorful and floriferous. I thoroughly enjoyed the photographic tour through the year. Your skill as a photographer is remarkable.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lisa. It is easy when the plants themselves are so beautiful.
DeleteBeautiful.
ReplyDeleteKeep it coming in 2020, I can still dream.
Likewise, Jessica!
DeleteLooks like 2019 was a good growing year in your area. I hope 2020 proves to be just as bountiful. Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteIt was. Thanks, and Happy New Year back atcha!
DeleteYour year-end reviews are so welcome, a chance to see some of my favorite photos again.
ReplyDeleteWe were down your way for a very busy week over Christmas. While I would have LOVED to see your garden again I did get to (finally) see Kris's so that was a treat. With all the rain you've been getting (we experienced a couple of very VERY intense episodes) I was afraid the day might be a wash out, but it was glorious. Oh and I even got to see native Dudleya peeking out of the cliffs when we took a little side-trip to Ventura. That was fun.
Glad you got to visit Kris and see her beautiful garden (and Dudleya in habitat!) Aloe flowers late, so not much to see here besides a lot of garden that needs to be re-mulched, and a few barrels full of rain water.
DeleteI really like that Leucodendon - also the apricot-colored rose. Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteLeucadendrons are awesome! Happy New Year, Jason.
DeleteWhat a joy filled year in your garden - and ... rain!!
ReplyDeleteYes, though unfortunately January has been pretty dry. Hoping the polar jet stream shifts southward--there is still time
Delete