Neighborhood Standouts

I've resumed my regular neighborhood walks, at least when our temperatures don't soar into the stratosphere as they did yesterday and as we expect them to do again today.  When that happens, we pull down all the indoor shades and let the air conditioning take over.

On Thursday, our afternoon temperature topped out at 102.2F (39C), which was higher than was forecasted for our area

When I walk the neighborhood, I snap photos whenever I see something I like or that intrigues me.  While cloistered in the house during the current heatwave I pulled together a collection of those photos and thought I'd share them.  All but two were taken using my mobile phone's camera.  Those of us living along the California coast have mostly avoided extreme high temperatures this summer while people living in our inland areas have baked.  The inland valley I grew up in experienced temperatures over 115F (43C) yesterday and get even hotter today.  When I was in high school (a LONG time ago) no one spoke about global warming but, even back then, I swore that every summer got worse and worse.  Now there's plenty of evidence of that (not that all politicians acknowledge the fact and fewer still are prepared to address it).  As a whole, California had its hottest July on record and worldwide it's clear that global warming is a factor in one disaster after another.  Ignoring it isn't going to make things better.

But let me move on the what's looking good in the neighborhood!

For the first 10+ years I lived here, the front slope of this home was covered in a lumpy "rug" of fake turf.  It looks so much better now!

The narrow profile of this red-flowered crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia) grabbed my attention as I'd like to add one of these trees to my garden but was concerned about their girth 

I love the structure of this noID cycad

Located in the same garden, my phone's plant ID app identified this as a Mexican blue palm (Brahea armata)

I don't often see aloes blooming in late summer but this garden's aloes put on a good show every summer.  I'm not certain of the ID.

We inherited several Hibiscus in our former garden but the plants were covered in woolly aphids every year and I eventually removed them.  This one always looks great.

I took this photo of the beautiful Bougainvilleas in our south-side neighbors' garden from my back slope as their home is set back from the street and the plants aren't visible from that vantage point

Our north-side neighbor's home and garden are also set back from the street but leaves of one giant bird of paradise (Strelitzia nicolai) routinely pushes through the fence between us.  I photographed it from our side.

I love the wild blue morning glory (Ipomoea sp.) but I'm glad it's rambling through someone else's front garden

The same neighbor has Plumbagos winding through his front and back gardens (both visible from different sections of the street)

For a couple of weeks, I watered selected plants for neighbors who were out of town.  I snapped photos now and then in the process.

I don't have a solid ID for this magnificent Agave

My neighbor has Calandrinia spectabilis roaming through various areas of her garden.  I was surprised and delighted when I spotted what appeared to be a large mass of Tradescantia mundula variegata 'Tricolor' in the background, partially hidden by other plants.

This neighbor uses large and small succulents throughout her garden.  Many of the small ones are shown off in pots.

In this neighborhood, many, if not most of us, have slopes to deal with.  This neighbor has impressive stacked-stone walls to cope with them, all planted with succulents and other drought tolerant plants. 

No stacked-stone walls here but this multi-tiered structure provides spots for lounging and more plants 

I took one long distance shot from our driveway of palm trees growing alongside a house outside my neighborhood.

I must admit that I don't like palm trees, especially the tall ones that drop their fronds from great heights onto whatever lies below - they made a mess of the backyard of my childhood home and they can be dangerous.  However, this group across the canyon is always kept well-groomed and I admire the vignette (from a distance).

I've made inroads cleaning up my garden recently but there's still a lot left to do.  My efforts came to an abrupt halt when this "heat dome" settled over California.  It's expected to last through the weekend and I expect there'll be even more plants that need cleaning up - or throwing out - afterwards but I look forward to getting back to work next week.  Whether any of the dahlias in my cutting garden will be left to fill my vases is another matter.  Best wishes for a pleasant weekend, whatever you weather conditions!

All material © 2012-2024 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party