Anxiety & Appreciation: My annual tree trimming exercise

I expanded my annual "tree trimming" exercise this year to include several shrubs that have gotten too large and unwieldy for me to handle on my own.  Although I have great trust in the company I've used since February 2013, there's always some collateral damage associated with the process.  Last year several large Agave attenuata rosettes and one Agave colorata suffered severe cases of what's often called "agave edema."  They were so damaged that I removed them.  I made a point of showing the arborist photos of the damage when we discussed this year's plans and he took precautions to prevent a repeat of that problem.  But the sheer volume of the debris created during the pruning process and the height from which many large branches fall, as well as the cleanup required at ground level, means that some plants on the ground will inadvertently be broken, stomped on, or dislodged.  This year wasn't as bad but then maybe I'm finally getting more accepting of the balance of the good and the bad associated with the process.

Here are the before and after shots, starting with the three shrubs I included in the trimming process this year:

My husband was disappointed that the height of the Callistemon 'Cane's Hybrid' in the back garden wasn't reduced but my objective was only to thin it down to reduce the heaviness of the branches

The same was true in the case of the 2 tree-sized 'Copper Glow' Leptospermums in the front garden

Ten trees were pruned:

This view shows the smaller of the 2 Arbutus 'Marina' in the back garden.  I delayed pruning this year principally because these trees were laden with flowers in September and I didn't want to disappoint the hummingbirds that flocked to them well into October.

This is the larger of the 2 Arbutus in the back garden

This is a shot of the interior of that tree's canopy.  I have all 4 of our Arbutus pruned each year to improve air flow and prevent the black soot that otherwise develops on the leaves.

This is a before and after comparison of the Arbutus on the north end of the front garden.  The succulents below the tree were those so severely impacted last year.  There were no problems of that nature this year.

The "before" photo of the Arbutus (left) on the south end of the front garden was marred by sun spots but it otherwise clearly shows the tree's appearance prior to pruning.  It sits atop a moderate slope so pruning it without causing damage to the area below it is particularly difficult.

The Hong Kong orchid tree (Bauhinia x blakeana) doesn't look much different does it?  All I had done there was to have a few dead branch tips removed.

These before and after shots of the 3 citrus trees bordering the cutting garden (a Mandarin orange, a navel orange, and a lime) also don't look much different.  However, all the dead branches were removed, which I could see when I viewed them close up, even if the change isn't reflected in these wide shots.  The trees are also in need to feeding, which I'll do in early spring.

These are photos of the Magnolia grandiflora in the front garden

This photo taken from the path leading to the front door shows how open the area below the Magnolia's canopy is now.  The light level is much better for all the plants below the tree.

The canopy of the ornamental pear tree (Pyrus calleryana) was thinned and some of the lower branches were cut off or shortened.  Before the pruning, I couldn't walk below some of them without ducking in places.

The crew also cleaned up the cherry laurel hedge that runs along one section of the property line in the front garden:

The 5 Prunus caroliniana shrubs that make up the hedge just get sheared to neaten them up but the crew has to be careful of the lath house, which they were.  My husband recently made repairs to the roof, which was damaged by last year's heavy rainfall.

There were also three removals on the agenda:

This peach tree came with the garden, although we didn't discover it until the massive Yucca was removed along the property line at the bottom of the slope a few years after we moved in. It grew larger and larger with intractable ivy crawling up its main trunk.  It never produced edible fruit and I didn't manage to successfully treat its annual leaf curl problem so it went on the removal list, as did a sapling it spawned.  The "after" photo is marred by sun spots but it shows how nice the Pittosporum 'Silver Magic' looks now that it's no longer hidden by the peach tree.

The removal also opens up space for the Ceanothus arboreus and the lemon tree located nearby.  I still have to cut back some of the tangled ivy left behind and should probably apply a stump killer to the base of the trees' trunks so they won't grow back.  As it is, I discovered that there's yet another peach tree sapling higher up the slope that I'd failed to identify.

The crew also cut a giant self-planted Pyracantha on the moderate slope facing the lath house flush to the ground.  I originally thought it was a Cotoneaster - until its vicious thorns showed themselves.  I'd tried to maintain it at a manageable size but it outgrew my efforts to contain it.

Its removal left a large area to be replanted

The stumps are still there so that's another problem I need to address

A lot of the smaller succulents below the Arbutus at the top of the slope and surrounding the Pyracantha were damaged or otherwise in need of a refresh.  Fortunately, the larger succulents nearby, including the Agave desmettiana, were undamaged.

I appreciate the airier look to my garden after the trees have been trimmed, as well as the additional light at ground level.  In addition, I think the trees and shrubs will be healthier for the work performed and I'm glad to be rid of the Pyracantha and the peach tree.  I've already returned everything we moved in advance of the work yet there's still a considerable amount to be done to put the garden in order, most notably a cleanup and replanting of the area previously covered by the Pyracantha and the area below it.  I'll probably rely heavily on succulent cuttings from elsewhere in my garden but this may be a plant shopping opportunity too!

As an aside, with the holidays approaching and various other stressors piling up, I'm tentatively planning to cut back my weekly blog posts from three to two per week at least through the end of the year.  At present, I expect to post on Monday and Friday each week.

Best wishes for a safe and pleasant weekend, whatever your weather.  I know that parts of the Pacific Northwest and Northern California are being hit hard by a Bomb Cyclone.  It's still not clear how coastal Southern California will be affected but it's looking more like we'll at least get at least a little measurable rain out of this system.

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

Sources of cool season excitement

Sources of cool season excitement in the garden are limited.  However, by comparison to much of the country, I know that those of us in coastal Southern California are lucky just to have our gardens remain active.  We don't get frost, much less snow, and we consider it cold when daytime temperatures drop into the low 60sF.  As I prepare this post, a tree-trimming team of six is busy pruning many of my trees and large shrubs.  It's a necessary although nerve-racking process but I'll cover that later this week.  In the meantime, I can offer only a couple snippets regarding events in the garden.

First up is a Mangave preparing to bloom.

Mangave 'Silver Fox' is the fastest bloomer among my modest collection of these plants.  This one was given to me by a friend as a good-sized pup in 2021 after the one I'd planted in 2017 bloomed out.

South Coast Botanic Garden had a 'Silver Fox' of its own in full flower when I visited there last week

Between October 31st and November 6th I got to work in my nearly naked cutting garden.  Seeds were sown and eighty-five bulbs were planted, along with a dozen plugs of snapdragons.  This week I was pleased to see that seedlings are already making an appearance.  It doesn't look like much yet but the germination rates seem faster than they were last year.

In addition to snapdragons, I planted 4 varieties of Ranunculus in bed #1.  They haven't emerged yet as far as I tell but the Calendulas I sowed from seed among them are popping up all over.  The Calendulas will be thinned as soon as they get taller and the Ranunculus show up.

In bed #2, the first of the 5 new varieties of Anemones are peeking up (in addition to those that have returned from last year), as are the larkspur (Consolida ajacis) seedlings.  The hardware cloth is a temporary measure to keep the birds and other critters from harming the seedlings.  It'll come up when it's time to thin the seedlings.

Bed #3 is already showing sweet pea seedlings; however, the Nigella papillosa seeds I sowed have yet to show themselves

A little rain would probably help things along.  The first "atmospheric river" of the season was slated to move into Northern California yesterday.  There's still just over a forty percent chance it'll reach my area this weekend but I'm feeling a smidge more optimistic about it.  As dry as we are, even a little rain would be the source of great excitement.

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

In a Vase on Monday: Responding to a challenge

Cathy of Rambling in the Garden is celebrating the eleventh anniversary of her "In a Vase on Monday" meme. Last week she threw down a challenge to participants with the simple suggestion to use "eleven" as a theme. Even though I tend to create more than one floral arrangement each week, eleven new arrangements, even tiny ones, was out of bounds, especially as the volume of flowers in my garden is at a low point now. Instead I decided to pull photos of one arrangement for each year I've participated in IAVOM. I joined up in late March 2014 and therefore pulled photos of arrangements for years 2014 through 2023, delivering a newly prepared arrangement for 2024 as the eleventh.

The search process was fun initially but I admit it did get a little tedious by the time I slogged through my 2023 photos.  I tried to balance the colors and choices to prevent repetition so I won't claim that each choice represents the very best arrangement of that particular year but here they are:

Left, created August 2014, and right, created June 2015

September 2016 and January 2017

March 2018 and July 2019

March 2020 and November 2021

August 2022 and September 2023

For the eleventh arrangement, I elected to use stems of Camellia sasanqua as my centerpiece.  The Camellias won't last long so I used one of my smaller vases.

The vase features 2 clasped - and well manicured - hands arranged to hold flowers, although as usual I mostly covered up the hands with too many flowers 

Back view

Top view

A closer look at those manicured hands

Clockwise from the upper left, the vase contains: Argyranthemum frutescens 'Aramis Apricot', noID Camellia sasanqua, Leptospermum scoparium 'Pink Pearl' with foliage of Prunus caroliniana, and Plectranthus scutellarioides 'Florida Sun Rose' (aka coleus)

For the record, we received not a drop of rain here last week.  However, I understand that the foothill areas got some and the mountains to the east received a dusting of snow.

Photographed Saturday morning, the mountains in the distance show the snow, partially hidden by clouds.  On Sunday, when you could still see the mountains behind the smog, the snow had already mostly retreated.

For more IAVOM creations, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.  Thanks, as always, for hosting this weekly meme, Cathy!  I know it's appreciated by many, whether they throw their own arrangements into the mix or not.

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

Bloom Day - November 2024

My garden is less colorful this month but, in coastal Southern California, there's always something to share.  I'll start with some of the plants that make a habit of blooming at this time of the year.

Many of my aloes are getting ready to bloom but Aloe lukeana in ahead of the pack.  It bloomed back in July and I didn't expect another round this year.

Hybrid Aloe 'Safari Sunset' also got an early start

Barleria obtusa was just starting to bloom last month but all 4 of my shrubs are flowering now

The Camellia sasanquas that came with the garden weren't put off schedule by the recent Santa Ana winds but they do seem inclined to bloom facing the house instead of outward

Senna bicapsularis (aka winter cassia) has once again sent its flowers sky high

Tagetes lemmonii (aka Mexican marigold) blooms in spring and then again in the fall

As is true in most months, there are some blooms that surprised me.

Callistemon 'Cane's Hybrid' reliably flowers during late summer but it's only produced a flush of flowers in November once before in 2016

I've previously missed all the flowers of Disocactus anguligar (aka fishbone cactus, syn. Epiphyllum anguliger) but I finally caught one before it withered away

I picked up a Helianthus 'Sunfinity' in late September and it took its time about getting its bloom on.  I'd thought that most sunflowers would have thrown in the towel for the season by November.

Medinilla myriantha (aka Malaysian orchid) always surprises me when it graces me with a flower or 2

While the Protea 'Pick Ice' in another area has already bloomed out, Protea neriifolia 'Claire' is made of stronger stuff (or it just gets more water from the irrigation system)

And then there are the dependable plants that offer color all or most of the year, at least off and on.

Correas (aka Australian fuchsias), left to right: 'Ivory Bells', 'Pink Eyre', and 'Wyn's Wonder'

Cupheas 'Honeybells', 'Starfire Pink', and 'Vermillionaire'

These noID self-seeded Gazanias are coming back with cooler temperatures

Grevilleas 'Moonlight' (left) and 'Peaches & Cream' (right) are more sporadic with their flowers than others in my gardens

Grevillea 'Superb' blooms all year round but it's current flower frenzy has been greatly appreciated by the hummingbirds since the flowers of Arbutus 'Marina' have faded

The Pelargoniums are putting on a decent show too.  Clockwise from the upper left are: P. hortorum 'Dynamo Hot Pink', P. hybrid 'Little Pink Splash', and 3 varieties of P. peltatum.

There are a few recent additions to my garden in bloom too.

Clockwise from the upper left: Antirrhinum majus 'Sonnet Speedy White', Argyranthemum 'Aramis Apricot', Nasturtium 'Alaska', and Primula vulgaris

I'll close as I always do with collages featuring the best of the rest.

Clockwise from the upper left: Felicia aethiopica, Polygala myrtifolia, Salvia 'Mystic Spires', Salvia discolor, and Vitex trifolia

From the upper left: noID Cyclamen, noID Dipladenia, Eriocapitella hupehensis, Fuchsia 'Windchimes White', and noID Impatiens

Gomphrena decumbens 'Itsy Bitsy', Osteospermum '4D Pink', and Persicaria capitata

Faucaria tigrida, Leonotis lonurus, and Pennisetum 'Sky Rocket'

noID Anthurium, Gaillardia 'Arizona Sun', and Leucadendron salignum 'Summer Red'

It's been more than six months since we've had anything that could be characterized as real rain.  Ours is characterized as a Mediterranean climate so long stretches without rain aren't unusual but this is getting ridiculous.  The marine layer has made tiny contributions at intervals since then but, since the start of the current "water year" on October 1st, those only amount to 0.03/inch of precipitation.  We're very, very dry.  Forecasters keep teasing us with reports of rain that "might" spill down the state from Northern California but, to date, that hasn't happened.  There's another slight chance in the wee hours of Friday morning but I'm trying not to get my hopes up.

For more Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day posts, check in with our host, Carol at May Dreams Gardens.

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