I usually start the day with coffee, every day the same breakfast (dill rye toast, avocado and 2 eggs). Then go out for a check around the garden. Aloe rubroviolacea bud is so cool. I pushed the pot next to the house to protect it a bit from possible frost. This morning was 39°, brrr!
And a step back. Featuring my red kneeling pad, ha.
Oh, isn't this charming? PVC pipes, I see from this photo one has come undone oops. I did a quick set-up so I can throw frost cover over it or polycarb panels if we get too cold and/or too much rain. All those blue cacti hate that combo. I tapped rebar into the ground and popped the PVC on top. I can disassemble easily, and maybe use the set up for shade cloth in the summer. No sign of freeze yet. The frame is laying in wait. So much easier to do this when it's 70° than 45° with cold fingers.
And C9 Christmas lights, this is not necessarily needed for these plants. BUT, the Agave attenuata, foxtail agave appreciate the warmth. They look ready for Spring early March, instead of "winter tormented". So, why not?
*During our bathroom remodel, we met a woman who worked for the material supply place. When I would pick out a faucet, sink etc., she would respond with a very drawn out "So sexy, why not?" This quickly became a phrase around here. New t-shirt, wash the car - even after making a sandwich "So sexy, why not?!" She was unintentionally hilarious in many ways. The phrase really works for garden projects, please try it out!
I obsessively check in with plants that were added in the past year. Hakea cinerea is pushing some new growth, exciting!
This area by the back fence is 50/50 with Australian plants. According to my unofficial tests, this Hakea must be one of the easier to grow. The blooms are creamy, aging to orange.
The ongoing grass pulling ARGH, when I finished my daily assignment of 45 minutes of pulling I thought to myself "I'm really getting somewhere!". This morning when I saw the bucket and still loads of grass, I thought "I'm getting nowhere with this!"
This Dudleya (I think edulis?) stuck in the hole in this boulder - feels like it's rooted.
I love the way this San Pedro cactus got weird in the area where the new arms grew, I hope it does it again!
Greenhouse is pretty packed, better safe than sorry. I think the winter of a couple years back still haunts me, with all the aloe & agave losses.
I've started turning on the Christmas lights at night for a few extra degrees of warmth.
Somehow the Leucadendron argenteums have survived - a week of 100°'s (right after planting) and now into the beginnings of cold. They are completely shaded, at the top of the slope by the back fence. I don't think they could take full sun here. I've read it's very common for these to grow for a few years then pbfffflt, die. Flora Grubb garden is selling them now, and they highly recommend growing them in deep sand. Which I definitely did not do. I'll enjoy them while I can. So sexy, why not?!
Do you do any protecting, or do you think it's ridiculous? ;)
I obsessively check in with plants that were added in the past year. Hakea cinerea is pushing some new growth, exciting!
They are amazing plants! They look so luscious. Wow.
ReplyDeleteYes, I would protect them. Mine are happily covered in snow!
I do love seeing snow fall, everything gets so quiet!
DeleteI hope you are able to save them. Christmas lights are a great way to generate a bit of extra warmth.
ReplyDeleteThey should all be fine, I'm being overly cautious.
DeleteWhatever garden we have was planted quite long ago now and aside some some summer watering and fall dead-heading, it doesn’t get much attention. We have ver ordinary, common plants — echinacea, daylilies, a few hostas, and a heuchera or two. We fill in with simple perennial pots.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds lovely Anvil!
DeleteI do love all your plants. I love that packed greenhouse. Stay warm!!
ReplyDeleteAnd I will try that saying... So sexy, why not and see how my family responds. Hee Hee!
Carla, this made me laugh! I hope they don't look at you like you're crazy. ;)
DeleteHaha, I'll be laughing about that for a while!
ReplyDeleteI do protect things here and there but it's more from rabbits than the cold. The cold here in Pennsylvania is just plain cold, and not as worthwhile fighting for a few degrees...
Crazy rabbits! Yes, I get it - if we really got a hard freeze I wouldn't bother either.
DeleteLove the Dudleya in the bolder, sweet!
ReplyDeleteLeucadendron argenteum... those silvery green leaves are so gorgeous. I was impressed to see those as substantially large shrubs growing in Minack Theatre: terraced garden on the cliffs of Cornwall (at the outmost tip of south-west England). I was smitten, not even realizing what they were. The iPhone ID it for me. They grow without protection from the sea wind and weather, though it rarely if never freeze. I hope you get to enjoy them for many years! So sexy!
P.S. your greenhouse begs an extensive visit :-D
Chavli
Wow, that must have been a wonderful sight! Ok, good idea - greenhouse post, thank you for that.
DeleteYou are an excellent plant steward, Tracy. I don't even check the contents of my lath house weekly sometimes, which has caused me plant losses, most frequently during the peak of summer. Luckily, winter isn't much of a concern here - we've never had a freeze so I rarely feel compelled to move anything around. The biggest issue now is our dry conditions - it's been over 7 months since our last real rain back in early May and that was less than a 20th of an inch as I recall. Our automated irrigation system is helpful but hand watering is becoming a near daily chore in one area or another.
ReplyDeleteI loved your story about the bathroom renovation salesperson ;) The lights in your succulent garden are indeed "so sexy!"
Your temperatures are just about perfect, not having to worry about the cold or drastic heat. But you also have to put up with very dry conditions, even more so than here. I'm sure you are ready for a break from the hand watering. She was a hoot!
DeleteCan't offer gardening advice, just want to say I always enjoy the diversity and color you share through your photos!!
ReplyDeleteThank you Hollis :)
DeleteSo many coool things! I love the pachypodiums in the garbage can. That's ingenious!
ReplyDeleteIt's just a tall & narrow weird pot, but I like the garbage can idea!
DeleteI think you know what my answer to the protection question is! So I wanna hear you imitating the lady who started the "So sexy, why not?" phrase. Couldn't you do a Instagram reel? Or YouTube video? Pretty please!
ReplyDeleteHa ha ha, I truly WISH I had the acting chops for that! -the part she really drew out was the whyyyy noooooot?
DeleteThe plants in the greenhouse look nice and snug. I do wrap up a Loropetalum that's planted in a border if it looks set to get below minus 5 degrees C - if I'm paying attention to the weather forecast that is.
ReplyDeleteHa, I start off December by checking the forecast every day. By February I'm over the whole thing!
Deleteso sexy, why not? Why not steal a family sized bag of chips too? Your garden is so classy, like me! hahahahaha
ReplyDeleteHa ha ha ha ha! What a character, and remember all the pictures she took of herself in the garden?
DeleteI admire your beautiful garden!
ReplyDeleteThank you Jeff the Chef!
DeleteI don't understand why everyone isn't commenting on the dill rye toast - that's not a very common flavor in most stores. Let me be the first to inquire. Are you finding it at a local bakery? Are you baking bread yourself? Oh my gosh, I have such a craving for rye bread myself and we can't find anything worthwhile locally. Just can't commit the time to try baking up a loaf. So sexy, whyyy nooooooot?
ReplyDeleteHa ha, you always make me laugh Jerry! I do bake, but nooo - this is straight from the 70's Oroweat Dill Rye (dark rye, or Russian if they're out). I am a fool for rye bread - especially the real deal marble rye.
DeleteIt's funny, up until my 30's, I would have hated it. But, then, on one fateful day I went on a roadtrip with two colleagues and tried a Reuben sandwich for the first time. Mind blown. I've been a fan of rye ever since. If only my mind focused on some of the more normal things. But, for me, the most important part of this post was the lead-in about what you usually eat for breakfast. I'm going to have to try this now.
Delete