Sunday morning sunrise
Rain is predicted for overnight Sunday into Monday--rain, the Southern California gardener's equivalent of Christmas, Thanksgiving, and New Year's Eve combined. Our rainfall since April has amounted to 0.25" (6 mm), so anything we get will be very much appreciated. The barrels, tubs, and buckets are in place.
Fill 'um up!
Cutting back, moving plants, and clean up continues in the garden. Six feet off the top of Hydrangea 'Shooting Stars'. The general advice for Hydrangeas is that they don't really need pruning, but it would take much more garden space to accommodate their size here. Don't have it.
The Aloes provide distracting beauty.Aloe ferox (white form)
Aloe 'Moonglow'
Aloe vanbalenii
Aloe vanbalenii up close
Aloe capitata hybrid just about to start opening:
Aloe ferox (coral red form)
Aloe thraskii with Rosa x 'Snow Goose' and Callistemon 'Slim'
Even Aloes not in bloom, like Aloe aculeata in the blueish winter sunrise light:
Indoors, a Ficus lyrata growth check. August, at repotting:Yesterday. The two windows enable it to get both morning and late afternoon light. Purchased in March, just at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic shut downs, it was only about 2' tall, and 30% off.
That's enough houseplants. Back outdoors, purchased some weeks ago, Leucadendron 'More Silver' and another Centaurea ragusina. Having killed the first 'More Silver' last year, I get two more tries. I'm going to try splitting a previously purchased, and much loved C. ragusina, so a spare, in case the split kills the first.
There's been raccoon activity in the garden, though the koi have been unbothered due to the somewhat inaccessible (to raccoons) style of the pond. They did manage to find the koi food jar, make off with it, open the lid, and empty the contents.
And it's raining now, in the middle of the night, so all's well. Rain!
I hope you get copious amounts of rain and that this is just the beginning (even though La Nina would normally mean otherwise).
ReplyDeleteI read for CA anyway La Niña statistically going back decades produces as many "average" rainfall years as El Niño. It is El Niño that statistically produces the record rainy years.
DeleteI tried not to get overly invested in the coming rainstorm, even when some sources gave us a 90+ percent probability, but I did anyway and sleep evaded me as I listened for its arrival last night. It came around 12:30am following a very loud rumble of thunder. We've picked up just under half an inch so far and, while we're getting slivers of sun and blue sky already, I'm hoping more rain is in store this afternoon. Meanwhile, the rabbits I thought the coyotes has mostly culled, visited and consumed most of the small Salvia and 3 Verbascums I'd planted late yesterday to take advantage of the rain. But even that didn't eclipse my happiness over the rain. I hope your barrels are filling up!
ReplyDeleteWe got the lightning and thunder at 1am here, and rain most of the night. .8" by this morning, then it cleared up, brilliant sun and bright blue skies, so I pumped almost all the collected rainwater from full barrels to the very thirsty Szygiums. Then it got very dark and more lightning and thunder quite close and now it is POURING. Happy I emptied them to thirsty plants and will get another filling.
DeleteAck! Sorry to hear about your rabbit attack. Exasperating for you to lose those new plants. Grrr! Blankety blank rabbits ate most of my Trachelium seedlings to the ground. The sweet-peas are all protected by hardware cloth hoops and are doing well, but the wind blew the Trachelium hoops off and the rabbits swooped in. Grrr!
A delightful day, though! Enjoy the rain. I hope you are getting a lot.
Beautiful picture of Aloe ferox. Each bud looks like a rainbow. Aloe aculeata looks like it’s decked out in fairy lights.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear you’re getting some rain!
You are right, it does look like a rainbow. When the flowers get closer to opening, they turn white. It is a most unusual and interesting one. The coral red version just stays coral red.
DeleteEvery rain event here is precious and never taken for granted.
Rain - is - lovely!
ReplyDeleteDirect from Heaven! :)
DeleteI can't imagine gardening with such a small amount of annual precipitation! All your photos are incredible, but the one with the bee near the Aloe is stunning.
ReplyDeleteIts different, alright. Not totally bad--a lot less weeds!
DeleteI'm glad you are getting some rain. Only .25" since April? That is incredible. My garden is very muddy and wet at the moment. I think we are behind on rain too although it seems like we've been getting loads.
ReplyDeleteThe storm dropped about 1.75" here--joy! I dug a bit in the garden, about an inch down it is still 100% dry. No mud.
DeleteYour aloe plants are have such interesting blooms. Those large ones are so very attractive. You keep them looking nice. I am happy to hear that you are getting some winter rain. We are predicted some this week too. Of course it will be accompanied by some snow and ice but that is what winter deals us here. Now that I am retired I look forward to it all.
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to be able to enjoy the snow without having to worry about getting to work safely. Driving on ice is pretty scary--I did it once--never again!
DeleteSo beautiful. I have never seen a blooming aloe. That is so cool. And congrats on the rain! I know you guys have been having such a drought.
ReplyDeleteGlad you found the Aloes interesting. Thanks. Rain is a big deal here because we don't get that much of it.
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