Friday, February 28, 2020

Wide Shots - Early Spring 2020

I started taking wide shots of my garden in September 2013, initially posting them monthly.  As my garden matured, I transitioned to a quarterly schedule in 2016 but last year, during our remodel, I skipped some of these.  I'd planned to put myself back on a quarterly schedule this year but Spring fever had me snapping photos here and there over the past week until I ended up with  what I thought provided a nice round-up to post today.

This is the photo that got me started:

This is the garden on the northeast side of the house, my original "dry garden."  I took it last Sunday as the last storm front moved through our area.  We got no measurable rain but the pavement got damp.  The bright red color on the right is provided by Grevillea 'Scarlet Sprite'.


I didn't take pictures of the entire garden but I covered a good portion of it so lets continue rounding the house in a clockwise fashion.

This is the view from our back door looking out at the harbor yesterday morning, after I'd cut down a mass of Artemisia californica just inside the hedge

This is the view from the narrow dirt path between that hedge and the wide border in front of it, looking back at the house.  I pulled out the woody Santolina from the area in the middle of the shot, filling in with annual seedlings as a stopgap pending inspiration.

A shot of the same area from a different angle, looking south

This is the garden on the south side, looking east toward the harbor.  The shrubs on the left (Agonis flexuosa 'Nana'), cut back hard in January, are slowly recovering.

I recently pulled out several succulents in the area just outside the lower left frame of this photo.  I'd like to replace them with something softer along the path leading to the lath (shade) house, possibly more Lomandra 'Platinum Beauty'.

This is the main level of the front garden looking south toward the path leading to the lath house.  I need to prune the Leucadendron 'Wilson's Wonder' on the left but I'm trying to pace myself as the ganglion cyst in my right wrist is still acting up.

I finished cutting back the last of my Pennisetum this week, including the one that obscured the Yucca gloriosa 'Variegata' and Leucospermum 'Spider' on this moderate front garden slope

View looking at the front door from the far side of the driveway.  The Hong Kong orchid tree (Bauhinia x blakeana) is still blooming!  The pink Breath of Heaven (Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold') on the right is a mass of pale pink flowers.

I took advantage of my husband's absence to take a photo of the area on the north end of the house, where his truck is parked much of the time.  I cut back the Leucadendron 'Wilson's Wonder' to the left of the chimney last weekend.  It had grown well above the roof line.

I'll close with this shot taken from the north end of the house looking across the front garden on the east side of the driveway


The garden's looking pretty good at the moment despite the fact that we've received only 6.6 inches of rain this season (i.e. since October 1st).  We warmed up dramatically this week, although we didn't hit a record temperature for February yesterday as some forecasters had suggested we could.  We have another very, very slim chance of rain on Sunday.  I'm not holding my breath but I am praying for another March miracle.

Enjoy your weekend!


All material © 2012-2020 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

23 comments:

  1. Hello Kris,
    I am so jealous, your garden looks like you are having summertime the year round. I love your what your garden is bringing you.
    Have a wonderful weekend ahead.
    Marijke

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It felt like summer today, Marijke. Pleasant, yes, but too early in the year to be this hot and dry!

      Delete
  2. Do you hear that whimpering sound, like a dog begging to be let out? That's me, wanting to fly through the ether to visit your beautiful garden! ;D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It does feel like La-La Land here at the moment, Eliza. Methinks you need to make a late "winter" visit to SoCal a regular thing.

      Delete
    2. I think you are right! :) Maybe next year... we'll see.

      Delete
  3. I love seeing how your garden has matured over the years you have been sharing it.Mine has matured several times in the 30 years or so I've lived here-ripping things out and starting over is my trademark. The rain that may show up in your parts was originally intended for us. Last Feb we got 8.84 inches, this Feb a big fat zero. I watered my Fuchsias after work today -never have I had to water in Feb. We average 3 or 4 inches in March and I sure hope it shows up !

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The last rain year was stellar. All I can say about this one is that at least it's nominally better than the year prior to that during which we tallied just 3.84 inches. The likelihood of rain with last weekend's storm was almost 70% here and we got nothing. We're currently showing a 30% chance of rain late Sunday night so it's hard to work up much hope.

      Delete
  4. I just love your garden! Fingers crossed for a March miracle, and an improving wrist.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Loree. The chance of rain has improved to 47% tomorrow night but I'm still trying not to get my hopes up this time around. There's seems to be another chance of light rainfall the following weekend.

      Delete
  5. Seeing your lush garden makes me anxious for spring to arrive here. Your garden is inspiring. I want to get out and plant...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hope Spring arrives soon in your neck of the woods, Lisa!

      Delete
  6. I have just shown my husband these wonderful photos and his jaw dropped! What a fantabulous garden you have Kris! And that wonderful view out across the harbour. Magical. Thank you for showing us round! Amanda

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Your're most welcome, Amanda. Thanks for joining the tour!

      Delete
  7. Dear Kris,
    thank you so much for this delightful walk around your amazing garden. It was a soul warming walk! Still have more than less winter here in Austria.
    Congratulations your garden is a paradise.
    Happy days and all my best
    Elisabeth

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Paradise would include a bit more rain, Elisabeth, but I'm glad I could offer you a prelude to Spring!

      Delete
  8. Replies
    1. It's a continuous learning exercise, HB, and I learn a LOT from gardeners like you!

      Delete
  9. There's a lot to love about your garden - the plants, the paths, the quality of light, the views - but one of my favorite aspects is your collection of Leucodendron. You have so many varieties and it's useful to see how big they can get / how they look in a mature garden. I bought a 1 gal "Wilson's Wonder" just 2 days ago thinking about beautiful it was - great to see a full grown specimen in your post.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I do have a LOT of Leucadendrons. 'Wilson's Wonder' was the first one I bought and I brought it with me from my former garden, where it had been in a large pot for 2-3 years. When I put it in the ground here, it exploded in size. The older of my 2 specimens routinely grows several feet taller than the 6 feet most growers project, despite the fact I prune it 2x a year. It's worth the effort, though.

      Delete
  10. Kris, your garden is a glorious achievement: beautiful plants and plantings, keen design, breathtaking views.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Susie! If you make it out this way someday to see your daughter, I hope you'll pay me a visit.

      Delete
  11. His truck has a good view - that stretch along the house is so attractive.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I wish the truck fit in our garage, Diana! Unfortunately, the garage was built 70 years ago when trucks apparently weren't as big.

      Delete

I enjoy receiving your comments and suggestions! Google has turned on reCAPTCHA affecting some commentator IDs so, if you wish to identify yourself, please add your name to your comment.