The Acacia podalyriifolia is really bursting with energy. I know silver and yellow can be a questionable combo, but I'm a fan -especially of the timing of it's blooming to life.
I've been busy with house stuff. Signing all the paperwork for the kitchen reno & new carpet- decisions, decisions! It dawned on me that it would be a good time to paint the cupboards in the hallway (while the old carpet is still here and I can be sloppy) the cabinets are still in decent shape just banged up. Sanded, cleaned, and go. I love wood, I promise you I didn't want to paint - they look like crap in person.
Put them back up, added handles. So what was a too dark hallway is now TOO bright. Ha ha, you can only laugh about this stuff, so I'll find a decent color and repaint the walls.
This tiny Eucalyptus (pleurocarpa?) I think - I'd have to check the tag to be sure. Is doing great grounded in the slope, so soft.
While I was with my daughter Olivia at IVX-San Ramon yesterday (she has pretty severe Crohn's, gets a 2 hour Remicade infusion every 8 weeks. Doing great after a surgery- Knock on wood). I visited the Ace Hardware next door, spotted Pyrrosia! Reminded me of
Loree, The Danger Garden contagious enthusiasm for them.
Ace Hardware garden centers can be gems, just depends which one you visit. The Grand Lake Ace in Oakland is hands down the best selection, it's great! Although their parking lot is tiny. I believe a friend of Ivan's worked at this store and did a great job with a wide reaching selection.
Sorry for the scattered post, I've been a bit all over the place this past week. I need to make a proper to do list. My aloes seem to be behind everyone else's.
With a few exceptions... probably because it's warmer next to the house. The leaves have a bit of sulfur dust from my rust treatment.
I pass by this little "farm" quite often. I'm completely envious of this golden barrel (and a few other cacti he has by the fence). I'm tempted to make an unsolicited offer on it.
One of the bossy hens came out and told me to get lost!
We are so dry here for a typical January. Any rain that has come through is just missing us. February is usually our wettest month, so I'm expecting a turnaround is in store. Hopefully not followed by cold, that's my biggest worry. Rain is supposed to be hitting this weekend, but our local weatherman predicted Livermore of getting .01" for the 4 days. Vs. North of us predicted 4-7".
When does it feel like spring in your neck of the woods? I'm thinking March 1st.
Sorry for the scattered post, I've been a bit all over the place this past week. I need to make a proper to do list. My aloes seem to be behind everyone else's.
With a few exceptions... probably because it's warmer next to the house. The leaves have a bit of sulfur dust from my rust treatment.
Wood's great, but sometimes you do need to paint. Perhaps you can do a stencil or something on the cabinets to break up the bright a bit.
ReplyDeleteI think I may do a lighter scale of the green feeding off of the kitchen/living room just so it flows? Now I think I should wait for the new carpet which will change everything up (again).
DeleteYour Acacia is beautiful! Have fun with painting the cabinets - that's one job I'd be afraid to tackle. I'll keep my fingers crossed you get that rain! We have a chance of rain late Tuesday into Wednesday and I suspect that must be part of your weekend storm so I have a vested interest ;)
ReplyDeleteThe cabinets came out looking better, but I worry about wear & tear. Yay for rain, now they've upgraded us to .41"!
DeleteSpring truly arrives in April and even then, tenuously.
ReplyDeleteSpring toys with all of us, off & on for weeks!
DeleteMarch 1st ... oh that is a dream of mine. ;-) Here in Northwest Wisconsin Spring comes in May... Memorial Weekend. Hee Hee... actually it might get here a little sooner.
ReplyDeleteMy seed order is arriving today. I will set up my seed starting station in a few weeks. Cannot wait.
How fun Carla, I really need to get on seeds as well!
DeleteThe yellow and silver look lovely together. Whoever says they don't is arguing with Mother Nature!
ReplyDeleteHa ha, I love that - they are just wrong!
DeleteI love the acacia blooms, I miss my (doomed because they're not hardy here) plant. So smart to paint when the carpet is going to be replaced! So you bought the Pyrrosia, yes? Many people don't like that version (because of the curl) but it puts out some really interesting leaves. That golden barrel cactus with the halo of babies is insane! We're extremely dry for January as well, if it stays dry until midnight then we'll have set a new record of 18 consecutive dry days, as it is we've tied the record of 17 set in 1940. Lastly, I hope Olivia is doing well.
ReplyDeleteThank you Loree, she is great. Just makes her tired for a few days, no bad side effects. I didn't buy it ONLY because I'm chock full of plants that need to go in the ground, and where will they go? Yesterday I got one thing planted, which led to having to move 4 other plants - one step forward. That is crazy for Portland, I'm hoping that means no losses this winter!
DeleteOh how exciting--a kitchen remodel! The cabinets look great! That shade of yellow on the Acacia is so bright and sunny. Your other plants look so healthy and happy, too. I hope you'll get some needed rain. Re: spring...well, I'm a little further south than Carla, and in springtime it can make a big difference. We get teases of spring in March, and then we go back and forth until about mid-April. May is an amazing month here. Currently, I'm dreaming even of March, with little hints of the new growing season. Cheers!
ReplyDeleteBeth, Thank you. Those "tease" days can be fantastic, too. We go back and forth quite a lot as well. Cheers!
DeleteMy aloes are just like yours - WEEKS behind their normal schedule. Looking at photos taken in early February last year show aloes in full bloom.
ReplyDeleteWhat is going on? I'm going to check photos from Feb. 2024 and do a comparison, good idea!
DeleteI really like the silver and yellow combination of the Acacia podalyriifolia - it's a show. The newly painted cupboards look good too.
ReplyDeleteThank you, I agree - it's a show!
DeleteGood luck with the rain and great job on the cabinets. I was happy to see boxes with unplanted plants you NEEDED sitting on your patio, that always makes me feel less alone ;)
ReplyDeleteHa ha ha, I didn't notice I had aired my dirty laundry!
DeleteI know nothing about the 'questionable combo' you mentioned, except to say that That silvery-green and That yellow make a spectacular combo! The gnarly peeling bark backdrop is pretty fabulous as well.
ReplyDeleteWhen zooming in on the bossy hen I spot all kinds of fun objects, worthy of unsolicited offers :-)
Parting shot of that fantastic Gazania... wow, what a color. Bunny 'happy meal' in my garden.
Chavli
I didn't know bunnies went for Gazania, we have a house bun - I'll check and see if I can safely give her one. I like the combo as well - I'm just remembering a post somewhere titled "Not a fan" that stuck with me. Oh that barrel cactus and friends! Love it.
DeleteI trust Mother Nature with color combinations it comes up with. Somehow, they seem to work. The silver and yellow are just fine! After all that cabinet painting- There may be a low-work way to mute the white just a little. Low work is good!
ReplyDeleteYou're so right on, trust ol' Mother Nature! Yeah, I'm not too worried about the hall cabinets. Honestly it was so dark before, it's nice to be able to see everything. I'll deepen the wall color and I think that will work fine.
DeleteThe cabinets look great! There is no such thing as too bright, in my humble opinion. My husband complains because I want every light on in the whole house all the time. (He walks behind me turning everything off.)
ReplyDeleteI wish your daughter well. Being chronically ill is extremely difficult.
Jeannie@GetMeToTheCountry