I waffled on pulling summer annuals and chopping back Salvias and Cupheas because many of them still looked dandy.
Then 60 mph winds, with humidity under 10% and temperatures close to 90F/32C, blew in:
The wind decided for me. Start chopping in earnest. Time for the annual Iochroma reboot:
Such as the foxglove seedlings:
Some Calendulas into the soil, but the particular selection of seeds I chose don't seem all that special.
One change, not so many individual plants this time--they were too crowded last year--or was it all the rain?
Plenty of Stock and Snapdragon seedlings--will plant those instead of the Calendulas.
Stomping down a few dried up flower stems of last year's Matthiola (Stock) plants gave me this:
Annual Zinnia looking wistfully out at perennials from the doom of the green waste bin:
A bit poignant. Their time is complete.
Chopping back Salvias and Cupheas and pulling the Catharanthus exposed some empty space. This area was crammed all spring and summer with various flowers. Dutch Iris are beginning to emerge from the soil here and there:
TB Iris 'Clarence':
A Crinum/Amaryllis belladonna hybrid someone gave me. I'm not 100% sure what it is, but the leaves indicate it is not Amaryllis belladonna:
Aloe rubroviolacea coloring up pretty for the (hopefully) rainy season:
Another anthropomorphic moment: "My, what big marginal teeth you have!"
Blogging has been a struggle lately--visitors, then car repair, new tires, dentist, knee x-rays, hot weather, knee MRI, knee surgery consultation, getting a rug repaired that a puppy whose name I will not mention chewed the edges off of , strong winds, and some other stuff. Just keep gardening through it all, onward through the fog.
Oh no! It sounds like you're closer to a knee replacement than I am. I'm stubbornly hoping I can make it through another year. My new Ortho doc said I might be able to get by with a partial replacement but his more experienced and now retired predecessor said he didn't recommend it. Ugh!
ReplyDeleteI thought the anonymous comment referencing Iris 'Clarence' probably came from you. I planted 'Clarence' too but it was a no show in both spring and again in fall.
The wind picked up here late this afternoon but our humidity levels are still good. Maybe the marine layer here will lessen the impact of the Santa Anas.
Yeah, knee is not in good shape. Going to get a custom brace and think about the alternative which is dismaying.
DeleteSorry, forgot to id myself on 'Clarence'
Wind is roaring here today. I had to retreat indoors pretty quickly. --hb
You had a lot on your plate! Somehow "gardening through it all" can make everything a little easier. A chance to balance life's less pleasant events. I hope your knee surgery goes well so you can start with the recovery phase.
ReplyDeleteI don't have much experience with Calendula, but I am charmed with the one in photo you took: lovely contrast between the outside an inside petal's color.
Dutch Iris beginning to emerge is about all our gardens have in common at the moment :-D
Chavli
It seems like a lot but others have it much, much tougher. I remind myself of that frequently. A garden is a great privilege.
DeleteWas expecting a larger flower on the Calendula--it's only about an inch in diameter. Perhaps as the plant matures they'll get better. The color contrast is nice, for sure.
Dutch Iris awakening for you also? Interesting! Is that typical or was your autumn warmer than usual?
--hb
DeleteYes, life does make blogging a challenge at times. Things seem to keep happening and not always at convenient times. Hope everything goes well RE the knee situation. Some of our furniture is starting to get that frayed appearance as a rather larger kitten tears through the house at breakneck speed. I can hear the little needle claws puncture through fabric faster than a human can react in horror.
ReplyDeleteNew kittens are so cute and so fun, though. Enjoy (even through the wincing)!
Delete--hb
Delete60 mph winds! Your aloes are looking very happy. Good luck with your knee, that sounds rough.
ReplyDeleteAnd the winds are roaring today, too. At least the other knee is pretty good! --hb
DeleteKnee issues do not sound good for a gardener who gardens on a slope. Is surgery the answer? (love the googly eye photo!)
ReplyDeleteThat was the answer, yeah. I'm getting a custom brace instead, to put it off for a while. --hb
DeleteAt least you have two dogs so the culprit can remain a mystery...with Billie there's never any doubt! Shouldering through all those commitments is no fun, thank goodness the aloes will be in bloom soon...
ReplyDeleteLet's just say Natasha is in charge of punching through the doggie gates and leave it at that.
DeleteYes A. thraskii's stems appeared overnight. More on the way, hooray! --hb
Busy, busy. Thanks for continuing to share your garden adventures with those of us who have little in the way of blooms to share...until March. That Calendula is lovely, and the Zinnias, and everything else. Take care! I hope the knee treatment, whatever the docs and you decide, will go very well.
ReplyDeleteThanks for having a look at my adventures in dirt--March is a long way off, to go without flowers--we do know we are lucky here. Thank you!
DeleteNothing like a pair of googly eyes to make you giggle. With all that's going on your sense of humour still seems to be intact which is a good sign. Hope everything settles down soon and you are able to get out and garden.
ReplyDeleteThe garden always puts me in a better mood. Tomorrow looks promising--the wind has died down again, hooray!
DeleteI always thought that all of SoCal got Santa Ana winds, so I figured they were getting milder. Nope. Did a little research. They are more of a coastal phenomenon. That explains everything. I'm across the mountains now, so I'm not receiving them to the same extent I did in San Diego. Does it sound weird to say that I kind of miss them? Very sorry to hear about your knee troubles. That has to be miserable -- and frustrating. Hope you reach a satisfying resolution soon, so that you can get your get-up-and-go fired back up. I saw a t-shirt recently in a catalog that said something like "I don't want to do 'what doesn't kill you makes you stronger' anymore." Me either! Hang in there. Elizabeth.
ReplyDeleteP.S. Natasha, behave! Mom is tired and needs you to be a good girl!
The dry air and golden light after the winds--it does say "autumn in SoCal", doesn't it?
DeleteThe knee--it's the never knowing when it's going to snap and shift that is difficult. It's really nothing compared to what some must endure. Hah! Good tee-shirt!
Her Majesty Natasha will do whatever she can get away with.
Oh no, knee surgery in your future?
ReplyDeleteZinnias maybe gone, but so many plants getting started for late winter/early spring!
Right now I'm at the information-gathering stage. But if I want to keep walking...
DeleteYes, for one, Aloes!
Yes, that golden light. Did you have a colorful sunset last night? November is good for them. I have the knee problem too
ReplyDeleteKnee problem too--well, then you know how it feels!
DeleteWe're on the east side of the hill, so we get sunrises, but sunsets are hidden by the hill. Saw the sunset on the local news--yes it was a Wow! What we do get here is breathtaking full moonrises. I always go out and admire those.
Well I'm sorry to hear about your knee woes ! We have gotten about 1/2 inch of rain so far -I'm done with in-ground watering for the year -but weed season is here. No Santa Anas for us (thank goodness) but a couple of days ago I actually saw a mow-blow dude across the street aiming his blower into the bright red fall colors of a red oak to get that pesky fall foliage off the tree and properly disposed of. Jeesh .
ReplyDeletenice
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