tz_garden

  I don't love waking up before the sun, however with the predicted temps this week I am grateful for the shorter daylight hours.  104° Tuesday, 105° on Wednesday, REALLY? Pretty much hovering on the dreaded 100 all week. Our tulip tree, Liriodendron tulipifera has started dropping leaves.  I'm doing a low level pick-up, they'll just keep coming.   Messy, messy messy. Thankfully, while we were celebrating a special birthday girl, the temps were perfection and the sunset lighting so lovely.  My pictures aren't doing it justice :( The golden barrel was a glowing ball of fire. I have 17 projects I'm ready to dig into, but realistically I'm not sure how much outdoor work I'll get done this week.  If it's truly going to be that warm, ugh.  I'm feeling positive tho, my dream for the back garden is to not "see" all the way across the cacti & succulents to the fence.  But require/entice a walk down the pathways to see everything.  Plenty of ...

I was strolling through the garden last evening, at the end of a hot day. Checking to see how everything fared.  Whaaaa, what's weird about that aloe? I *think this is Aloe Africana, probably a hybrid.  I purchased from the Dry Garden in Berkeley - no tag.  Please weigh in if you have thoughts on ID. I realize I shouldn't have been so stunned, Aloe's do bloom in September.  However, I always feel like mine are late to the party, everyone has been enjoying their blooms all winter -a huge plus when not much is blooming- and then mine show up when it's all over. This will be fun to watch! In other news, I've been doing the boring rituals.  Removing the tomato plants, cantaloupe vines.  I grew the worlds tiniest cantaloupes this year.  Not even enough to keep Tom Thumb and Hunca Munca happy!  I won't bother again, they need copious amounts of water -although the 4 bites were juicy and sweet.  Not worth it.   Random shots: Xanthorrhoea p...

 This Aloe Hercules has been putting on major growth. I was shocked when I looked back through photos (below). from January 1, 2023 😮.  Wait, I was taller than this plant?  I was also surprised to note how many of these plants have been moved from this area.   This thick hearty trunk brings me great joy. The bottom leaves dry and self clean. I noticed a wonky leaf near the top, and wondered what was happening up there.  From an upstairs window I couldn't tell? So, up I go! Yep,  2 heads are happening.  I'm thrilled about it, and wonder how it will change over the next year.   I've been busy cleaning here and there, much more to do.  The Banksia I put in the tank, and then abandoned this project, haha.  It is so happy, I guess it's staying. Oof, that's pretty. Did you know praying mantis molted?  I sure didn't! I hope it went and munched a nice fat grasshopper after this process.   Have a great week, has it coole...

"I see the exhibits are currently closed."  James last week when he came home to the shade cloth coverings up here and there, again.   I thought I'd be taking them down Saturday FOR GOOD, nope the 100°'s stuck around, down to 94° today.  I'll take them down tomorrow, 78°!!!  I'm going to need long sleeves!  Since it was a little cooler, I went out and fooled all the plants into thinking we were having an Arizona style monsoon.   And took photos of the areas that felt cool, even in the hot weather.  This will be a short post ;). One more pic of Yucca rostrata, just because she's so dang pretty. With the palm trees getting taller, this slope area above the pool gets a really nice dappled sun in the afternoon. Sweet rosy rosettes of Aeonium, In front of a plane touchdown, these sunburst Aeonium are in the full shade, so they continue to look lovely in the summer. And under them, every year I find this dirt clod thing - I thought it was a bee or ...

👎 to 100°s this week. Gross.  Humidity is 12%, . I AM grateful the nights cool down, which makes the mornings comfortable.  My oldest daughter Sophia and her partner Ivan spent Labor Day weekend with us, and Ivan is always up for some labor! He started his attack in this back dark corner by pruning the 3 Cotinus -purple smokebush.  I like the color, but dang that smell is overwhelming when you cut them.   And then as he kept offering to "clean this or that up", an old rose bush was removed along with some agaves (I don't remember planting them there, but there they were!), dead palm leaves & nuts, the stout Yucca and one of the trio of smokebush.  What took him 2 hours would've taken me a full day if not 2! THANKS IVAN! Sophia and I were inside making homemade Bao for dinner, at least we fed him. My goodness, they were delicious!  I had not made them before, the hoison eggplant were my favorite. I did some clean-up myself, after his feats of stren...