Wide Shots - Odd Angles

I've made a habit of taking my monthly wide shots from the same vantage points in my garden to facilitate comparisons over time.  This month I decided to change things up a bit by posting photos taken from less obvious angles to provide a different perspective.

In some areas, getting a different angle is easy due to level changes.  While my backyard may appear flat in most views, it slopes down a foot or more in front of the hedge (before plummeting steeply behind the hedge).

The usual view from the back door looking toward the harbor

View from the dirt path that runs behind the backyard border in front of the hedge, looking north toward the mimosa tree (Albizia julibrissin)

Another view further along the path: you can see the earth sloping downward beyond the Mexican feather grass (Stipa tenuissima) on the right

View from the same path, below the mimosa here, looking back toward the south

View between the trunks of the mimosa looking north toward the dry garden

The path through the dry garden leads down onto the back slope.  When we moved in, there was no path, nor any stairs leading down to the bottom of the slope.  I didn't even know that section of the garden existed until I happened upon it during the pre-purchase home inspection.

The usual view, focused on the gravel path we installed through the dry garden in 2012

View from under the grape arbor looking back toward the house

View from the upper portion of the cement block stairway that runs down to the bottom of the back slope, looking back upward toward the grape arbor

After curving around the hedge, the stair my husband constructed leads almost straight down, pivoting just in front of the lemon tree.  The property slopes down again about 12 feet beyond the lemon tree but that second drop represents the property line.

There are level changes in the front garden too.  The driveway slopes downward to the street.

The driveway slopes downward on a gentler gradient than the back slope

This photo was taken from the dirt path that separates the Ceanothus hedge on the upper level from the Xylosma hedge that runs parallel to the street

This photo was taken from the far northwest corner of the property behind a large Abelia shrub, looking past the garage on the left toward the house

And this photo was taken from under the Magnolia tree on the south side of the front door looking toward another area where the ground slopes sharply downward

Peering downward, you can see the flat area below our stacked stone wall and a peek of the succulent bed that runs below it along the street

Just to the left of the red-trunked Arbutus 'Marina' shown in the last photo is the arbor that marks the entry into the south side garden on the level of the house.

The usual view looking at the side garden and the harbor beyond

This photo was taken from yet another dirt path leading up from the area shown in the second to the last photo above

And we come full circle here with this photo taken from the path behind the backyard border looking back toward the south side patio and arbor 

That's it for my May wide shots post.  While these monthly photo shoots are useful to me in assessing developments in my garden, I expect the often subtle month-to-month variations in my photos are less interesting to those who read my blog.  Rather than post monthly updates, I'm going to move to a quarterly schedule.  My next wide shots post is planned for July.


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

After the Lawn: A Progress Report

You may recall that we removed the last sections of lawn this past fall.  The process of remediating the soil in preparation for planting carried the project well into the winter months.  I started planting the area alongside the street at the front of the house in January and, although tweaking will continue ad infinitum, I'm declaring the project complete.

Here's what the area looked like in late January:

The succulent area in the distance was mostly planted but the area along the driveway was still relatively bare

Here's what the area looks like now:

I've finished planting out the area along the driveway, although the plants I've used are mostly small specimens that will take time to fill the space

This photo shows how the new area relates to the borders surrounding the front door in the distance

Turning around in the other direction, here's a closer view of the the intersection between the flagstone path and the railroad-tie/gravel path used to move our garbage bins to and from the street.

The area beyond the gravel path is planted mainly in succulents

About half the succulents in this area are cuttings from my garden and a friend's garden.  The 3 small Agave attenuata on the upper right are cuttings from the larger specimen on the left, which I inherited with the garden.

This photo of the same area was taken from a "doorway" entrance through the hedge adjacent to the street.  In addition to the succulents (described in my January post), I planted some bearded Iris (moved from elsewhere in the garden), plugs of blue fescue (Festuca cinerea 'Festina'), and alyssum. 

I haven't even tried to count the plants I've put in.  I've used cuttings, divisions and transplants where possible but I've acquired lots and lots of new plants too.

The Acanthus mollis on the left is one of 2 I moved from elsewhere in the garden.  The next two photos show Arthropodium cirratum (aka Renga Lilies) I divided from large clumps in the south side garden where they got too much sun.

New plants grown mainly for their foliage include, clockwise from the left: Dianella tasmanica 'Yellow Stripe' (2 plants were divided to create 4), Abelia x grandiflora 'Confetti', Asplenium x Austral Gem, Aucuba japonica, and Iresine hybrid 'Blazin' Lime'

New plants grown for both foliage and flowers include: Arctotis 'Opera Pink' and Heuchera 'Palace Purple', Ajuga genevensis, Geranium maderense, Plectranthus 'Mona Lavender' and Rhodanthemum hosmariense

Plants added primarily for their floral color include, clockwise from upper left: Cistus saivilfolius 'Prostratus' (aka sageleaf rockrose), Geranium 'Tiny Monster', Pericallis hybrids in shades of blue, and groundcover Prunella grandiflora 'Freelander Blue' shown with annual pansies

For some reason, I've accumulated a lot of garden ornaments in this area.  They're a little intrusive at this point but, as the plants fill in, I hope they'll become less so. 

Clockwise from the left: The concrete cat my husband bought me for Christmas years ago (he'd be happier if Pipig was also made of concrete); the smiling face I brought from our old house; a wine barrel placed in an area under a tree which would otherwise be impossible to plant; a small birdbath; and a hanging ornament that spins in the wind

Everything is settling in nicely, aided by two good rainstorms just this week.  At the moment, everything is looking up in the garden.

A rainbow appeared over the harbor after yesterday's storm dropped almost half an inch of rain

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

Wide Shots - December 2015

I had the devil of a time getting half-way decent photos of the garden for this month's wide shots post.  It seemed that, whether I took photos in the morning or the afternoon, I had problems with sun glare, deep shadows or both.  I didn't remember having the same difficulties last year at this time but, when I looked back at my December 2014 post, I discovered that those photos were taken under gray skies.  This week, the skies are bright and sunny but only a few of my photos are worth sharing.

As I reported in a post last week, the backyard is still torn up as the result of removal of the remaining lawn area in late September; however, planting is underway.  You may notice that there are nursery pots strewn throughout the area.

The usual view from the door to the backyard, looking out toward the entrance to the Los Angeles harbor, which is barely visible in the sun's early morning glare

This photo shows some of the new planting in progress.  The Furcraea foetida mediopicta on the right was transplanted from a decorative pot elsewhere in the garden alongside 2 small Agave 'Joe Hoak' (one a gift from Denise of "A Growing Obsession") and a few Aeonium cuttings planted late Sunday afternoon in the half-dark.

I've done relatively little with the northeast end of the backyard thus far other than plant creeping thyme

While a portion of the front yard is also torn up, that mess is confined to an area between the garage and the street that I seldom include in my wide shot posts.  The area alongside the walkway to the front door is relatively unchanged.  I've added a few plants and cut back some others but the changes aren't dramatic.

The usual view looking toward the front door from the driveway area

A closer view of the planting beds to the left of the front door

A view of the area to the right of the front door, looking toward the Magnolia tree

A closer view of the portion of the pathway leading to the south side garden

I have only one decent photo of the side yard to offer.

The usual view looking toward the harbor through the arbor marking the entry into the south side garden

I took a few photos of the street-side succulent bed on the southwest side of the property too.

The Auranticarpa rhombifolia in the middle of the bed appears to be dying, once again raising the question of what should be done with it and the rest of the shrubs that once made up a hedge alongside the healthier Xylosma congestum on the far left

A closer look at the left (northern) side of the succulent bed

This photo shows the area that slopes down from the main level of the front garden above the succulent bed.  A dying portion of the Ceanothus hedge was removed last month.  I'm awaiting delivery of a Garrya elliptica from a California native plants nursery to plant in this area.

The right (south) section of the succulent bed

The garden is taking the lion's share of my free time this fall.  I suspect this may continue into winter, although, if the rains that accompany El Niño are as frequent as anticipated, that may slow down my progress.

As usual, I offer my thanks to Heather of Xericstyle for prompting my monthly wide shot posts.  They've provide me the best record I have of the changes in my garden over time.


All material © 2012-2015 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

Wide Shots - October 2015

I'm finding it very hard to believe it's already October.  It feels like summer here.  The days are a bit shorter and the nighttime temperatures have finally dropped below 70F (21C) but those changes are the only real signs of fall.  Although we got a touch of rain early last month, giving us the wettest September in Southern California in 75 years, the garden remains very dry.  Daytime temperatures are hovering close to 90F (32C) so work in the garden is still largely confined to early mornings and late afternoons, which has made our work in digging up the backyard area formerly occupied by lawn slow going.

I estimate we've cleared  between 120 and 150 square feet of soil of grassroots, the plastic mesh used in sod, and rocks but we still have a LOT to do before we can lay paving stones and plant the area

That's all I'm going to show of the backyard this month.  Like last month, instead of showing photos of each of the major areas of my garden for this wide shots post, I'm focusing on just one section: the front garden.

The earliest photos I have of the front of our house were taken by my brother on Christmas Eve Day, 2011, approximately one year after we moved in.  They show a front yard with lots of lawn. The lawn was green because the photos were taken in winter, our rainy season, and because irrigation wasn't restricted until 2014.

Photo courtesy of ericnp.net

Photo courtesy of ericnp.net

My first wide shot of the front garden was taken on September 30, 2013.

The quality of the photo is poor but you can see that the lawn was still in place

When I took photos for my wide shot post one year later in October 2014, we were in the middle of digging up the area formerly covered by lawn, going through a process nearly identical to the approach we're currently taking in the backyard.

You can see piles of recently dug soil in the far right side of this photo

By January of this year, we'd completed soil preparation, laid flagstones and planted the area.

Most of the plants in the foreground were installed in November and December 2014

Last month, I didn't post photos of the front garden but I did take pictures.

This month, the view is much the same except that it shows the bench/plant shelf we added surrounding the Magnolia tree in mid-September.  (Details are provided here.)

Photo taken looking east toward the front door from the far side of the driveway

Photo taken looking south

Photo taken looking north

The starkest before and after comparison I can provide is this one:

My brother's photo from December 2011 is on the left and my current photo, taken yesterday from a similar angle, is on the right

I can only hope that I'll be as pleased by the transformation of the backyard currently in progress as I am with the transformation of the front garden.

As always, my thanks to Heather of Xericstyle, who started me on the process of collecting wide shots of my garden in 2013.

All material © 2012-2015 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party