Wide Shots - October 2016

My last wide shots post on my quarterly schedule was in July.  The garden never fully recovered from the horrible heatwave that hit in late June and, although I ignored my better judgement and did some planting over the summer months, there are still plenty of holes in the landscape.  I'm looking forward to moving plants around and filling the empty spaces this fall.  I wish I could count on rain but most pundits contend that we should expect below normal levels of precipitation again this season.  As the experts were totally off-base in predicting a deluge for Southern California last year, I hope they're wrong again this year; however, at present, the earliest rain I could find in forecasts for our area is expected in mid-November.

Here's what the backyard looked like October 1st as our latest heatwave finally backed off.

View from the back door looking toward the harbor.  The Lupinus propinquus that formerly occupied a prominent space near the fountain succumbed to tent caterpillars before I could get the problem under control; however, the dwarf Echium webbii I'd planted nearby appears to appreciate the additional root space resulting from the lupine's removal.

View from the north end of the backyard looking north.  That green rain barrel on the right and my 2 larger barrels have been empty for a long time.

View of the backyard from the south end looking north.  The mimosa tree (Albizia julibrissin) in the distance didn't leaf out or flower as well as in prior years.  That meant less litter but the tree really looks sad.

Next up is the south side garden:

View of the south side garden looking west.  The arbor next to the house fit the space better when the area alongside it was occupied by the 60 foot eucalyptus tree we removed at a neighbor's request in 2013.  I'd like to put in a large shrub or small tree there but the wind that tears through the area and the shade of the Arbutus 'Marina' just beyond the bed complicate the selection process.  I tried a Japanese maple there but it succumbed to the wind.  I'd like to try a smoke bush (Cotinus coggygria) but I worry the spot may not get enough sun.

View of the south side garden from the small patio next to the house.  The Arbutus on the right and the shrubs and trees along the property line are all scheduled for trimming before year end (part of my ongoing effort to placate a neighbor's view concerns).  

View of the side garden from the front garden looking east toward the harbor.  The tree trimming I've scheduled may at least increase the sun available to anything a plant in the bed next to the arbor.

Moving through the arbor and down a dirt path takes us to a lower level of the garden facing the street.

View of the area looking back up to the main level of the garden.  We extended the rock wall in this area in early September.  So far, the new succulents are doing fine.

This photo shows where the area connects to the street side succulent bed.  The 5 Xylosma congestum shrubs we added in spring to extend the existing hedge are doing fine, although they haven't grown much.  I fear it will be years yet before the hedge fills in.

View of the succulent bed from across the street

If we continue north along either the street or the dirt path behind the succulent bed, we reach the front of the house.

View from the driveway

View from the area formerly occupied by lawn looking across the driveway to the house.  Many of the plants I put in this area in late winter struggled during the course of the summer despite receiving extra water.  With the trees thinned, the sun exposure was greater than I'd factored into my planting plan so I'll be looking to change out some of those that are still struggling this fall.

View of the front garden looking from the north end of the house toward the south.  The 'Pink Meidiland' shrub roses that came with the house are looking awful but the rest of the area is generally doing well.

For the purposes of contrast, this is a photo of the front garden my brother took in December 2011 from a similar angle

Turning our backs on the front garden leads us into the vegetable garden.

The vegetable garden has some herbs but no vegetables.  I'm planning to use the raised planters mainly for cut flowers next year.  Since this photo was taken, with my husband's help, I've removed those 2 ginormus rosemary shrubs in the middle planter and the Westringia fruticosa in the third (distant) planter.

The photo above was taken at the garden gate that separates the vegetable garden from the dry garden on the northeast so next we move into the dry garden.

The persimmon tree and the grape vine in the distance are rapidly losing their leaves, while the 2 guava trees are loaded with unripe fruit.  I pulled out a large Dorycnium hirsutum (Hairy Canary Clover) that had seen better days, revealing the Agave ovatifolia I planted in 2012.  The clover has freely self-seeded elsewhere.

That gravel path through the dry garden leads us to the back slope, which is thankfully hidden from general view as it looks AWFUL.

Top of the slope's stairway looking down.  With the removal of the giant Yucca elephantipes at the bottom of the slope just beyond the lemon tree in December 2014, what was a fairly shady area was exposed to full sun.  The drought, water restrictions and June's horrific heatwave combined to lay the area low.

The area looks even worse viewed from the bottom looking up.  The upper portion of the slope above the cement block stairs, which was covered in ivy and honeysuckle, hasn't come back since the heatwave in June decimated it.  It's very steep and I'm not sure I can/should try to replant it on my own, although with my husband's help I might be able to do something with the area below the stairs.  (The orthopedist who says I'm destined for a knee replacement someday would be horrified.)  I'm inclined to see if the winter rains help the area recover but in this case hiring help may be the ticket.

That's it for my quarterly wide shots.  Hopefully, things will be greener by the time I post my next photo tour in January.


All material © 2012-2016 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party