Wide Shots - May 2014

We're in the middle of a nasty heat wave, with high winds and temperatures soaring into the mid-90sF (35C).  To make matters worse, the seemingly inevitable wildfires that accompany heat, wind and drought here popped up in areas to the east of Los Angeles, polluting the air, turning the sky a dingy brown, and forcing the temporary evacuation of over a thousand homes.  I sincerely hope current conditions aren't a portent of what we can expect this summer.

The wind, heat and low humidity are already taking a toll on the most fragile plants in my garden, although it still looks pretty good in the wide shots I've included here.  My backyard borders have filled in some since last month's post.

Backyard photographed from the back door

Backyard borders photographed from the left side

Backyard borders photographed from the dirt path that starts in the southeast side yard

After repeated problems with raccoons digging things up in the southeast side garden, I pulled out some of their favorite targets.  There's been a drop in raccoon activity since then but whether that has to do with my new plant selections, the raccoons' foraging schedule, or pure luck, I don't know.

Southeast side yard photographed from the front lawn through the arbor

Side yard photographed from the side yard patio

Side yard photographed from the backyard grass path

Floral color is more prominent in the front yard borders than it has been for the last several months.  The 'Pink Meidiland' shrub roses, Hemerocallis 'Spanish Harlem', and Gaura lindheimeri 'Snow Fountain' are in bloom, along with various Pelargonium and Cuphea x ignea 'Starfire Pink.'  However, the lawn on the right side as you face the house (virtually invisible in the photo below) is in terrible condition, probably due to a combination of sparse rainfall and the greedy roots of the Magnolia grandiflora occupying that area.

Front borders photographed from the driveway

While sweet peas still dominate one of the 3 raised planters in the vegetable garden, I've now got seeds of 'Glass Gem' corn sprouting in the middle planter and the thornless raspberry bush I thought I killed last year has reappeared.  I've also got sunflower seeds sprouting amid strawberry plants in the third planter and the Mandarin orange tree in the corner still has plenty of ripe fruit.

Vegetable garden photographed from the gate leading to the dry garden

I've had some raccoon activity in the dry garden as well.  I put a tomato cage over a recently planted Agave vilmoriniana in an effort to keep them from tearing it out of the ground again.  So far, that's worked.  The first bearded Iris in this area is in flower and the daylilies have made sporadic appearances, although none were bothering to show their faces when I took the pictures below.

Dry garden on the northwest side of the house, photographed from the start of the path leading to the stairway down the slope

Dry garden photographed from the backyard

We did quite a bit of work on the slope last month, although it may not be readily apparent.  My husband went a little crazy cutting back the huge Yucca elephantipes that marks the boundary between us and one of our neighbors.  The Yucca still creates a sprawling fence along the property line but we managed to clear some space around a peach tree it had engulfed and increased the light and air flowing through the Yucca.  The Yucca appears to root wherever a branch touches soil.  There are a lot of plants buried under the ivy spreading from the neighbor's property, which I'm slowly cutting back.

Slope photographed from near the top of the concrete block stairway

A closer look at the "thinned" Yucca elephantipes - you may be able to make out the pink flowers of the slender peach tree we discovered just in front of the Yucca

That's it for this month's wide shots.  Please visit Heather at Xericstyle, the sponsor of this meme, to see her wide shot this month and to find links to shots presented by other gardeners.