Friday, April 5, 2019

Wide Shots - April 2019

For most of March, I felt that spring was slow in getting started in my area of coastal Southern California but, toward the end of the month, temperatures began to warm and, after looking back at last year's April wide shots post, I'd say the season is back on track.  My garden didn't undergo any major changes last year but it has filled out a bit.

View from the back door looking roughly southeast toward Angels Gate, the entrance to the Port of Los Angeles

This is the view from the backyard patio facing north.  That wonderful plant with the orange flowers is Leucospermum 'Brandi'.

This is the view from the back patio looking south

And this is the view looking backwards toward the patio from the south end of the back garden.  Thus far, there's no sign of leaves developing on the mimosa tree (Albizia julibrissin) visible in the distance.  The Arctotis 'Pink Sugar' in the foreground on the lower left had already closed up for the evening when this photo was taken.


A quarter turn at this point has us facing the garden on the south side of the house.

This is the view of the south side garden looking west.  The Lotus berthelotii 'Amazon Sunset' I use as a groundcover is in full bloom.  Leucospermum 'Goldie' (in the foreground on the far right) is just getting ready to bloom.

View of the south side garden from the front garden looking east through the arbor.  The purple smoke tree (Cotinus coggygria) is just beginning to leaf out.  I recently planted 5 Agapanthus 'Stevie's Wonder' in the same bed and there are wire cages in place to help protect the new plants from the raccoons.


If we turn 180 degrees and look downward into the lower level of the garden on the southwest side, we see my lath (shade house) and the area surrounding it.

I've added some seasonal color with Pericallis and Nemesia outside the lath house but the shade plant collection inside needs some work


On the main level, we move into the front garden.

This is the view of the front garden from the south end looking north.  The gold flowers on the left are Freesias.  I thought I'd planted blue and white varieties here but what I got is yellow/gold and white.  Buying Freesias in bags as bulbs seems to be a crap shoot.

View looking backward from under the Magnolia tree

View of the front garden from the driveway

View of the front garden from the north end looking roughly southwest

This area on the other side of the driveway next to the garage has filled out well in the past year


My cutting garden sits on the other side of the garage.

The Ranunculus burst into bloom all at once but the foxgloves (Digitalis purpurea) have yet to produce a single flower spike.  The sweet peas (Lathyrus odoratus) are also running seriously behind schedule this year.


On the other side of the fence shown in the background of the last photo is the area I formerly called my dry garden.  As all of the garden other than the cutting garden is now planted with mostly drought-tolerant plants, that name no longer fits but I haven't come up with a better name for the area.

The path leads to a steep stairway down into my back slope

This is the same area from another angle.  The 'Scarlet Sprite' Grevilleas and Osteospermums have filled out well over the past year, aided by our heavier-than-usual winter rainfall.


With all the rain we had this past winter, the back slope is looking better than usual but it's probably a month shy of its peak.

The upper side of slope (on the right in this photo) is the biggest burr in my side.  It's a messy mix of ivy, honeysuckle and weeds.

The 3 Pittosporum tenuifolium 'Silver Magic' mark the boundary between us and our neighbor on the south side.  The calla lilies (Zantedeschia aethiopica) are flowering well this year (rain is magic!) and it looks as though I'm going to get some blooms out of the California poppies (Eschscholzia californica) this year.

This is the view looking back up the slope from the bottom next to the lemon tree.  There are a few bearded Iris in bloom but the main Spring show will come from Jupiter's Beard (Centranthus ruber) and pink evening primrose (Oenothera speciosa), which I expect to start blooming this month.  Both flowers are weeds here but pretty ones.  I'm still trying to clear some of the ivy and honeysuckle that burned up in last summer's heatwave, hence the cardboard.


The last area I have to show as part of my wide shots survey is the succulent bed that runs along the street.

The Agave desmettiana 'Variegata' here are still slowly dying but they look pretty in their pink foliage


That's it for this quarter's review.  Best wishes for a great weekend.


All material © 2012-2019 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

29 comments:

  1. Taking this walk around the whole of your garden just made me realize exactly how much garden you have and how beautifully you have planted it. And the color of the lath house complementing the tree. The rusty bark and house just give that little pop of color to break up the scene. You have a wonderful view but I think if I was walking around the garden the view would play second fiddle. You mention things being late coming in. For us it was the opposite, things were early and then winter came back and blasted some growth and blossoms. Now things are catching up and seem more normal. Happy Spring.

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    1. Happy Spring to you, Jenny! My garden's just over half an acre, large by the norms of Los Angeles County perhaps but probably not that big by Texas standards. For the most part, I'm oblivious to the view when working in the garden (especially when it's covered in a blanket of gray smog); however, it's usually the first thing visitors comment on.

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  2. Thanks for taking us on this tour. You see it daily but for this East coast guy, it is absolutely stunning. You're one very talented gardener. Steve B.

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  3. Seen all at once, the magnitude of your garden is awe-inspiring, Kris. Impossible to pick a favorite view! I love the textures and colors throughout, the osteospermum and grevillea are looking esp. exuberant. The cool blue/greens and purples on the other side of the driveway next to the garage is another favorite view. You must spend hours each week tending - it looks beautiful!

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    1. I'm particularly pleased with the 2 areas you mentioned, Eliza - both have filled out well within the past year. I don't spend all that much time working in the garden in the Spring unless I'm overhauling one section or another. Right now, the biggest maintenance issue involves deadheading, although the end of the rain and warmer temperatures may soon have me spending more time hand-watering.

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  4. The second picture, the tall chimney pot planter, is new? I don't remember seeing that before.
    I do admire how open and welcoming your garden is (mine drifts towards enclosing too enthusiastically)

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    1. The chiminea was left behind by the prior owner, Diana. I've been planning to treat it as a planter but thus far all I've done is stick a pot of Euphorbia tirucalli in the top flue. It's been moved around a bit so perhaps it just hasn't featured as prominently in my earlier photos.

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  5. Your garden looks all plump after the winter rains. I like the shots of yellow and gold flowers. They do stand out. You have a lot to take care of and it appears you do a nice job.

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    1. "Plump" is a great description, Lisa. Our rain seems to be mostly, if not completely, over so the plants may grow steadily more slender over the coming months.

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  6. I simply could not pick a favourite corner of your garden, Kris. It’s simply fabulous and you are one talented and hardworking gardener! I can also see how the garden benefited from all the rain you had. Your garden seems to be very large and I love the way you have it in different areas that seem to complement each other. How wonderful is spring!

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    1. It’s Jane from janesmudgeegarden.com btw. I don’t really know what happened there!

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    2. Thanks for the clarification - and the kind remarks, Jane.

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  7. Its as if I have walked along the most wonderful example of a 'Mediterranean' garden.

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    1. Thanks for visiting "off schedule," Noelle! Coastal Southern California is a Mediterranean climate and, luckily, in recent years more and more of our garden centers have recognized that and made lots of plants from places like South Africa and Australia available to us.

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  8. Rain is magic! Of course, there is also all your meticulous planning and disciplined non-stop effort...

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    1. This last storm seems to have passed us by entirely, although the clouds are still moving through and AccuWeather says there's a 1% chance of rain today...

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  9. Your garden always looks great but, with the extra rain you got this year, it's looking especially green and happy.

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    1. I'm glad to see you pop up, Peter! Both the garden and the gardener are happy. For the first time in 5 years, the entire state of California is considered drought-free. Still, I've no illusion that's a forever thing.

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  10. Wow!
    What an incredible garden. I came across your site from Eliza's mention of your garden and her providing a link.
    I enjoyed the whole series of garden photos and your garden tour.
    thanks for sharing.

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  11. What a view - what a garden! Amazing.

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  12. Wow, Kris, your garden is absolutely incredible! Slopes are always challenging. We have one as well and, even though it's not as steep so it's mowable, I would rather not have to mow and am trying to come up with alternatives that will take care of themselves (more or less).

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    1. If I had better knees (to risk climbing that slope) or deeper pockets (to hire someone else to do so), Margaret, I'd clear the entire slope of the ivy, honeysuckle and weeds and replant it with something more interesting and manageable. As it is, I'm trying to clear the dead sections of the vines, as well as the weeds, from the lower section as far as I can reach. It's a slow process...

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  13. Everything looks so lush and green in your gardens Kris. With your beautiful garden and that view, you must feel like you live in heaven.

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    1. During the cool season, it can be heavenly here, Cindy, but at the peak of summer, you might think it was closer to hell! Our temperatures are climbing again - we're headed well above 80F today - although we're expecting another brief dip to more comfortable conditions later this week.

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  14. I am determined to get to your garden sometime soon Kris. It’s looking fabulous!

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    1. You're welcome any time, Loree. It's already getting hot here, though, and we expect (hope? dream?) that our kitchen remodel will kick-off mid-May. I'd like to believe my garden will be unaffected but I really don't know what to expect.

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