May Gray Gardening

Grevillea 'Superb'

Lately, we've had many days of grey overcast.  Gloomy and depressing for sunshine lovers.  For me, heavenly gardening weather.  The plants are happy.

Cannas waking up:

This gardener is thrilled to be able to be out all day in weather that never becomes too uncomfortably hot--the daytime temperatures hover around 68F (20 C).  

No stress here: 

 So much gets done, including little things I never have the patience to fuss over when the heat is beating down.   There is also time to enjoy every minute when each task is surrounded by fresh foliage and many flowers, none of which is stressed by intense sun.

Time to notice--Agapanthus buds!

'Black Pantha' Agapanthus, purchased and planted last autumn:

The first Dahlia buds:
The first Geum 'Totally Tangerine' flower.  I realized rabbits were nipping off all the buds, so adding rabbit guards all over the garden has been one important task for these gray days.
Seedlings and rooted cuttings potted up, to give away.  Hellebores, Trachelium caeruleum, Lavenders, Fuchsias.  So much more energy when it is cool. 

(Not the arrow indicated row--those are new, to be planted. 
Linaria triornithophora, and two California native plants, Lupinus albifrons, and Lessingia filanginifolia.)

 The second 'Superb' removed and a new copy planted and mulched.  It was tough removing a plant that supported so many birds and bees, was so spectacular and that I failed, by failing to regularly cut it back.  My bad.  I hope the new copies will do well.  

While I dug out the stump, a steady stream of confused and disappointed bees and hummingbirds came looking for those nectar-dripping 'Superb' flowers.  Beloved pointed out, rightly, there is no shortage of other blooming Grevilleas, Salvias, and Agaves in other parts of the garden, ready and willing to feed birds and bees.  They will be well fed until (and after) the new 'Superb's (hopefully) start flowering.   

Later in the day, a few of the hummers discovered the bouquet of cuttings on the patio table and happily partook. 

So sorry!

Good luck, dears. 
Plants removed from the prison of a small pot and given a chance to thrive in the ground.  I'm working to get almost all the potted succulents on the patio into the ground where they will be so much happier and healthier, except the tiniest, which really must be potted.  It's been slow going, but it is happening.  They deserve a chance to thrive. 

Plants planted, or moved, because the cool overcast means they can recover from transplant shock without the stress of hot sun.

Calylophus planted, Lavenders and Lotus hirsutus seedling settling in and growing:

 Failing plants removed.  The Lomandra 'Platinum Beauty' I worked so hard to divide and move has died.   

Oh, well, now I know how to kill Lomandra 'Platinum Beauty'! 

Seeds, sprouting.  A particularly delicious Bell Pepper from the grocery store yielded some seeds that I planted for the heck of it--and there they sprout.  We'll see if actual pepper plants result.  

Can't deny the seeds were fresh

Pauses taken on cool days, for flower photos.

'Earth Angel', with the second, non-dead Lomandra 'Platinum Beauty'


'Perle d'Azur': 

'Ascot' has never bloomed so much.  Planted at the beginning of the 2011-2016 drought, it never got any fertilizer, because it is better not to fertilize during a drought. I never got around to give it any fertilizer until this spring.  Oops!

Now I know how to prevent a rose from blooming for years--cool!

  Bird activity, to enjoy.  

Little things noticed, moments in time.

The half-moon in a blue sky.  The gray went away in late afternoon.

Skipper (Hylephila phileus?) in Lantana hybrid:
Ideas long simmering below consciousness emerge.  An all lavender-blue and white "room" in the garden would be fabulous:
These colors together are like opening a window in a stuffy room, and breathing in fresh air.
What's good in your garden this May?  What comes into your mind, with the leaves and flowers and sky, out there?

Comments

  1. I love cloudy days too. The garden looks best then and it is the best time to take photos. My favorite is when there is a mixture of sun and clouds with a majority of clouds. The sun is so harsh here. I worry about my face and ears especially when I'm at work. I try to keep sunscreen and a hat on but I'm not good at that.

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    1. Mix of sun and clouds is the most beautiful.

      I wear a hat always when it is sunny. just made it a habit that stuck. Ugly hat, but it has piece of fabric that covers the neck area to protect it from the sun.

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  2. Energy levels definitely surge when its cooler. For your bunny problem have you tried Plantskyd. It's an organic blood-based product out of Sweden. A tiny spritz on the leaves, it's absorbed into the plant and lasts for up to 3 months. I use so much of it I should take out shares. Lots of bulbs, trees and shrubs blooming but it is currently snowing and we are supposed to go below freezing tonight. Am a bit worried about who will survive.

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    1. Does that stuff work well? I've always wondered. I have blood meal for the plants that can't take phosphorus. I thought of trying sprinkling that around. I put the onion foliage around after onion harvest. Nothing, nothing seems to like onions except humans.

      Snowing?!?! Go below freezing tonight? Yikes!!! Best of luck for minimal damage.

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    2. Works really well for porcupines, deer, moose, hares, voles and mice.

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    3. Thanks, I'll check out that product. There was a rabbit out on the front slope this morning when we took the pups for their walk, and a missing Trachelium stem. GRRRRRRRR!

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  3. I think a white and lavender-blue garden space would be fabulous! I've had a dream of a lavender and peach mix for years...I was experiencing some of that same guilt this week as I begin to cut down some of the many Aeonium 'Kiwi Verde' flowers. I too had to remind myself that there are lots of other nectar sources in the garden, including more 'Kiwi Verde' flowers, but it's hard not to feel guilty when the bees follow me to the green bins with the cut flower stems! We're also enjoying the May Gray skies. Achillea 'Moonshine' adds sunny color to my back garden even under gloomy clouds.

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    1. Lavender and peach sounds good, too.

      I had to leave the green bid lid up because the bees were still going for the flowers in the bin...did not want to trap any.

      Yeah, love May Gray. Hopefully June Gloom, too.

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  4. Yes, rabbit guards really save the day (and plants), don't they? OMG, your photo labeled "No stress here" looks like paradise. Gorgeous garden!

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    1. Thanks, Beth. Less stress--after this past year, is a great thing.

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  5. I am going to say 68 might be just about my favorite temperature. Not great for the tomatoes though-there are always trade-offs !

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    1. The Russian and Alaskan tomatoes are said to be good with 68F. I'm willing to try them!

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  6. You have been busy. They birds and bees will soon appreciate your efforts. The vines in my garden are profuse now. Honeysuckles are the show stoppers now with clematis coming on. Climbing roses are not to be ignored too.

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    1. Your Clematis must be wonderful. It's a bit too dry for them here--without summer rain, they just are not as good as they are near the Great Lakes.

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  7. Today in Phoenix I awoke to the first cloudy cool morning in quite some time. A little rain was predicted but no such luck! I worked in my garden for 3 hours before the dark clouds all blew away and out came the sun. My Echinopsis are blooming now with big heavenly flowers so I am happy!

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    1. That 3 hours must have been great! Glad you got a bit of cool.

      Echinopsis are glorious flowers--enjoy!

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  8. I'm so glad someone besides me loves these cool partly overcast days! It's perfect gardening weather, and it's not like we don't have relentless sunshine the other 11 months of the year.

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    1. It is perfect gardening weather, and what is better than perfect gardening weather? Nothing! :)

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  9. I've also been making chicken wire cages for lots of plants as a defense against the rabbits. I'm a fan of 'Totally Tangerine' and other orange flowers. At our last trip to the Botanic Garden here we found a Geum called 'Fuzzy Navel'.

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    1. The cages do work pretty good, don't they?

      I was happy to see the first Geum flower. I wasn't sure they would bloom/grow here. Once upon a time I tried 'Mrs. Bradshaw'. It grew fine but I never got a single flower.

      Geums are not widely grown in So Cal from what I can tell, but 'Totally Tangerine' may become popular. Our growing season is so long, people want plants that flower a long time...

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  10. So beautiful! I can't wait to see the dahlias bloom. :)

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    1. Dahlias are the consolation prize for summer's yucky hot weather. ;^)

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  11. We have just gone through some very hot, windy, dry days here and it has been very hard on me to say the least. I too am a gray day gardener when happiest .. although I appreciate morning sun with soft rays, as well as late afternoon or early evening .. half cloudy half sunny works as long as it is not too hot.
    What a gorgeous garden you have with such beautiful plants .. I also watch the moon from all aspects .. I can never get enough of it.
    Funny how guilty we feel when having to remove a dying or non productive plant .. I feel that twang .. I have to remove a dead lilac that served as a support structure for 3 clematis.
    In turn the clematis were a hot spot for insects .. but I am replacing it with a standard Pee Gee hydrangea .. and knowing how well my standard Pink Diamond did with the Monarchs late summer .. well fingers crossed it will happen all over again.

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    1. Hot/dry in Canada? Yikes. Hope you don't get too much of that.

      Yes I feel terrible removing a non-successful plant--like I failed it. It's part of gardening.

      Great your hydrangea is doing something for the Monarchs! They need all the help they can get these days.

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