A Lot Of My Time

 

Natasha and Harry want breakfast.  And a walk.  And play-time.  And training sessions for Harry, in which Natasha "helps" by barking at Harry.  And training videos must be watched to help Harry.  He's still destroying this and that, but less and less.

Thankfully, Aeoniums grow fast: 

 And there's gym visits, mandatory for the strength to handle Harry, and the garden.  And suddenly Natasha and Harry want dinner.  And a walk...

Gardening (and garden blogging) has been neglected the past few months.  A lot of my time has gone to the dogs. 

The winter blooming Aloes haven't noticed.  The wonderful October and November rain we got not only washed them clean of summer dust, it also gave them extra vitality to produce flower stems. 

Aloe striata: 

A. suprafoliata is blooming:

The white version of A. ferox, flower stems just peeking out:

Aloe capitata seedling:

The Aloe capitata seedling that has never flowered.  It's in a very dry spot--I should move it.

Amidst Aloes, the Drimia maritima foliage emerges.  The rain did it.  

I chopped all the old growth off Salvia 'Marine Blue'.  Fresh new foliage has emerged (that rain again!).  

A. rubroviolacea coloring up:

Unfortunately it looks as though 'Eric The Red' has Aloe Gall Mite.  I need to get out there and chop off the infested area and treat the Aloe with systemic insecticide.  There's also an Oak and a trash palm sprouting adjacent--those need to go, too. 

I stop to get a photo of one of the 'Blue Glow' Agaves--so lovely!

Aloe alooides has it's first flower stems ever!  I bought it as a 2" seedling back in 2014.  

While the winter blooming Aloes are the big event of our winter, the 'Cara Cara' oranges are also going to ripen soon.  Yummmmmm.

Verbenas appeared on the front slope:

New and lovely roses blooming.  Our big November storm has left the soil moist for weeks, and the roses noticed. 

Grevillea 'Moonlight' did, too:

As did 'Frequent Flyer' TB Iris:

'Pink Gruss an Aachen':

The original 'Gruss an Aachen':

'Princess Alexandra of Kent':

Hydrangea 'Shooting Stars', pristine this December:

 And what appears to be a Lagerstoemia seedling with black foliage, as unexpected as a TB Iris flower in December:

Healthy fresh growth on all the 'Mystic Spires Blue' Salvias--so I was able to chop off all the old stuff (circled): 

And hacked all the growth off Iochroma 'Purple Queen', which was as tall as the house.

The rain brought weeds as well as renewal to the more favored plants in the garden, but I don't mind weeds, because weeds mean rain, precious rain.  Pulling weeds on the west slope, I was able to discover the Ceanothus planted late this spring has a beautiful pale blue flower: 

The irrational happiness of a thoroughly soaking rain continues long after the rain is over.