Foggy

 

phone camera photo by Beloved

I love foggy mornings.  They have become rare in Southern California.  When paradise gets paved over, fog cannot rise. 

 phone camera photo by Beloved

Fog can sometimes help you see things more clearly, when only one or two things--a tree, a fence, can be seen.

Fog cleared, flowers to enjoy:

'Snowbird':

'Tamora'

'Snowbird' rose and 'Cobra's Eye' TB Iris make a striking pair:

Dutch Iris 'Silvery Beauty':

Purchased a couple years ago, Lavender 'Silver Anouk' was a complete dud.  I finally pulled it last fall and discovered it was three plants tangled together, fighting each other to survive.  Separated into two--one was unrecoverable--the two have dramatically improved, flowering for the first time.  A nice surprise.  In future I will check plants more carefully at purchase, and separate multiples.

'Molineux' continuing to flower like mad:

Flowers, yes, and foliage:

The rich grass green of unadorned Hydrangea foliage.   Without lawn in the garden, we can still enjoy the soothing fresh color of it:

New foliage in the form of new plants:  an impulse buy of Tillandsias from mail order Cuffel Farms.  The carefully packed, healthy plants arrived promptly.

I may move the spare cypress stump to the shady spot that used to have a cane begonia.  The new Tillandsias can live on the stump.  The begonia, if it recovers, can get the stump's location, which is not too sunny for a begonia, but that is too sunny for Tillandsias requiring  indirect sunlight. 

Speaking of stumps, blankety-blank critters.  I picked a beautiful 'Apricot Cream' rose...

...and left it in a glass bottle on the patio table.  Overnight...

Can you believe that?  Something came and ate the rose, leaving the stem and a single petal. 

Speaking of another stump, Pittosporum Stump #3 removal is the most difficult yet.  I keep at it, a little at a time.

 Honest, gut instinct tells me the 'Slim' Callistemon needs to come out, too.  While the view of the top of it from the patio has been a joy, it's going to end up squeezed between two Metrosideros.  Best to get it right.

Perhaps I can cut it back hard and move it.  Worth a try.  Callistemons are tough, tough shrubs. 

Speaking of tough, one more plant purchase, a short growing Sanseveria from the Lowe's death rack, marked down to $2.  In frost-free areas, Sans are remarkably tough.  I pulled off the two outer leaves that were badly sunburnt, repotted it to terracotta, and it joins the other two short-growing Sans on the patio table:

Last year it seemed like everyone was looking to buy short growing Sanseverias and they were ridiculous prices.   Knowing they offset freely, I waited.  Gut instinct there would be bargains eventually.  

Speaking of gut instinct, I knew when planting a Cuphea 'Vermillionaire' back in February it was too big a plant for this place:

Leftmost, circled:

But, I did it anyway.  An ideal solution presented itself when two of the three Geum 'Totally Tangerine's decided to flower a few weeks ago, after only producing a single solitary flower their first year:

The third Geum was languishing in too much shade.  I moved the Cuphea...

 ...and moved the third Geum into its place.  A perfect sized plant for the location, and conditions it can hopefully thrive in:

It is good to be honest with yourself when gardening, and at other times.  You can see more clearly, through the fog.