Sunday, December 1, 2013

Wide Shots - December 2013

A few months ago, Heather of Xericstyle launched a new meme to capture wide views of her garden and the gardens of other contributors.  Like many gardeners, I tend to focus on individual plants or isolated combinations of plants when photographing my garden so participation in Heather's monthly post gives me an opportunity to literally pull back and take the broader view into consideration.

Although I continued to tweak my back border in November, I'm not sure it looks markedly different than last month.  There's certainly less in bloom than there was in spring and summer but there are still some touches of floral color even now.  Frost is rare in our area and, although the nighttime temperatures are dipping lower, our daytime temperatures have continued in the low 70s, only occasionally dropping into the mid-60s.

View of border from backyard door

View of backyard border from new side yard pathway

Border from right side end

View from left side end



I also continued work on the "new" side yard garden in November, filling in some of the remaining holes.  Other than adding some additional thyme between stepping stones, I think I'm done futzing with it for the time being.  I'm hoping our winter rains and time will help the plants fill in.

View of side yard from front lawn area

View from side yard patio

View from back lawn area

View from narrow pathway behind the backyard border across the lawn to the side yard



There's very little color in the front border at the moment.  I cut most everything back, with the exception of the shrub roses, in late October and early November.  I've recently added a few annuals but they haven't swung into bloom yet.  The reblooming Hemerocallis 'Spanish Harlem' put out individual blooms now and then but their fall display is no match for their spring fanfare.

View from the patch of lawn bordering the street toward the house

Left side of the front border

Right side of the front border




This month I thought I'd also add shots of my dry garden on the northeast side of the house.  I haven't made any massive changes to this area in the last few months but I've made minor tweaks here and there, removing a few plants to make room for others.  With the exception of the 2 guava trees, this area was mainly dirt and rocks when we moved in nearly 3 years ago.

The pathway through the dry garden leads to a rough stairway down the slope at the back of the lot

The dry garden photographed from a small patio area on the northeast side of the house

Dry garden photographed from the stairs leading down the slope



I'll leave you with a few shots of the view of the horizon from the backyard.

Cruise ship in port in the LA harbor Saturday afternoon

An uncharacteristically clear view of the mountains to the east with a nearby neighbor's flagpole, decorated with Christmas lights, in the foreground

A night view of the neighbor's flagpole Christmas tree in lights, 20 or more feet tall, visible from my home office


How's your garden looking in the wide view?  Visit Heather at Xericstyle for other wide views.

20 comments:

  1. Everything looks superb! I have to go back to some of the pictures I took a year ago and see if I can compare. You've done a spectacular job!

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    1. Too bad I never took "before" pictures. I went back and looked at my copies of your pictures - they were taken in December 2011. I'd already gone to town on the dry garden by then but the eucalyptus was still in place in the other side yard.

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  2. Your garden is fabulous and is a refreshment to my eyes. I am very impressed with your "new" side yard garden! One can tell you love your garden and spend a lot of time in it. You also have some magnificent views of LA harbor and your neighbor's flagpole!

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    1. There are actually 2 flagpole Christmas trees out there - the 2nd one came up, at another house, shortly after the 1st.

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  3. Wow, what wonderful views and what a lovely garden you have Kris, a delight to see this morning!

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    1. The view is frequently hazy in the morning - smog combined with fog - but it usually clears by midday and gives us a much clearer, and more attractive, view.

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  4. Wow! Hard to choose a favorite but love the number five of the side yard with the flagstone path and view off in the distance. Nice, very nice!

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    1. Since we put in the flagstone path, that's become my favorite vantage point for photos too, Sue. Thanks for visiting!

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  5. Incredible! You've a beautiful garden and the wider shots really show of your hard work. The views too! Well, they are amazing. This has cheered me right up on a dark, cold and wet night! I hope you get the winter rains you wish for. If only the rain here would listen Id tell them to get moving!

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    1. I wish you could share your rain! We have a 20% chance of rain again tomorrow and 60% chance next week but those predictions frequently come to naught.

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  6. Your views out of the garden are amazing, Kris, I love your mature trees giving strength to the design.

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    1. The trees are wonderful, although I can't take credit for them as we inherited them with the property.

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  7. I always love seeing your garden and your views. Your garden is looking wonderful, growing and filling in quickly.

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    1. It still seems slow to fill in to me, Shirley, but then my last garden was a jungle. I'm trying to be patient...

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  8. Your wide views are gorgeous! Everything there still looks so much like our summer. You live in paradise. (Except in the worst part of summer when it's too hot to go outside.)

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    1. Yes, we're spoiled here. We still complain about the cold but our definition of that and yours are different. I do wish we'd get more rain, though.

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  9. I love the wide views of your garden. It looks wonderful. Spectacular views too.

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  10. You have the most spectacular views, Kris. But what I really love is how you've created a garden that holds its own with the view. It's absolutely stunning.

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    1. Thanks, Pam. Keeping all the plants in the backyard border below the sight-line of the harbor does present something of a challenge.

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