The 2021 Garden, Landscape, and Other Stuff Thread...

[eisman]

The rhododendron are blooming here, as are the azaleas.

 

[drj211]

The Persimmon has started to fruit!

 

[drj211]

Here’s a Century plant getting ready to flower after 20 years in the ground.

 

[taldesta]

1st Hummingbird 2021 visited feeder yesterday, May 8th !

 

[knarfeng]

A newly hatched Monarch, ready for her first flight.

 

[cj65]

I wish my photos looked more like the yard does. Lol. The ground cover is Dymondia, a relative of Gazania and real tight ground cover turf substitute. Hindsight 20/20, I would have used larger pavers, it is lucky I have a gardener. The pavers would be buried. I did the hardscape as I had some experience growing up when I mixed mortar and concrete for dad as we built our pool. He was a structural engineer so my stuff is level. However, my two walls are not connected, and I sort of planned it, let the plants finish the barrier, but that is a natural drain area and I wanted it open in case of heavy rain. Haha. What is rain? Anyways, my elevations were off on my two walls by just under 1/4”!!!!! Don’t tell my dad please. Ok, if you click on the pics they clear up to scroll through. The last one is the back yard Podocarpus henkeli Blue Yew Pine. There are medical offices behind us and tall screen adds property value. Glad I got those planted before we listed the house. We go on the market tonite and our realtor told us it should sell pretty fast.

 

[knarfeng]

That ought to sell quickly. Good luck with the sale!

 

[cj65]

I never finished the back slope and I have regrets. It was going to be Balcolm pink and Balcolm salmon ivy geranium. They bloom spastically and almost dead head themselves. I am hoping I can find them in Florida. Grand view geranium grew them in LA county for years.

 

[cj65]

Here is the ivy geranium I am talking about. It is on a median here in Simi Valley. The pink flowers fade to white before being spent and they even look great as they fade white. Balcolm series ivy geranium.

 

[eisman]

I can't stand the smell of geraniums. Probably because they got oppressive in the heat in southern California.

 

[cj65]

Ivy geraniums are not that pungent. I never thought it to be repulsive. Very interesting. Zonals have a pungent odor when disturbed. I never liked the scented geraniums neither.

 

[taldesta]

For the dependable brilliant colour from first bloom to frost here, geraniums are a great choice. Zone 4A. When I even brush the growth of my black current or disturb my bee balm ... well the scents are pungent, distinctive ... and I love being able to recognize by scent - a certain familiarity, not unlike recognizing varying bird calls.

Geraniums are neither off-putting nor pleasantly fragrant for me ... and the scent is only detected while dead-heading. Yet others have posted here how offensive they find them to the exclusion of them from their gardens.

Some plants, we may call common, pedestrian even ... simply glow, are low maintenance, and don't quit until first killing frost ... and may easily be over-wintered for even bigger blooms year after year.

Here's to geraniums

 

[LEGION 12]

Well all my seedlings died not sure why but the garden must go on .

 

[taldesta]

First dragonfly sighted today - may they feast and feast on the hoards of bloodletting blackflies !!

Four planters still to paint; you can see they need it and this one is not the worst. Coleus from cuttings (campfire & ruby slipper) are enjoying the heat and diffuse light in the porch ... and so are the chipmunks and squirrels.



Red Hot Cattails (Chenille) is winding down the blooming and I will cut it back and try for cuttings - great indoor plant for overwintering. Here I have nasturtiums (some started early and lots of seeds ready to germinate), one peony, one bleeding heart, one chipmunk ... and 3 more chipmunks, 6 red, 1 grey and a couple of black squirrels hiding from the dog.




Here's the 'old boy' lolling on the cool rocks of the birdbath. He's shed part of his winter coat only and looks a little rough, but he demands and eats his weight in sunflower seeds. Is it just me or do all squirrels lay about on the furniture like they do here?



The only seedlings lost are the sunflowers. Every last one. Squirrels are my suspects because they plant their own then eat them along with the buds on the maple tree when food is scarce in spring. Little gardeners

My 'use what's handy' decorating style; split logs and boards do the job to support basil, lettuce (emerging) and a delphinium (until it grows too tall) with lots of room for more in the porch protected from the strong sun in the West. In the corner thunbergia vines and lots more just germinating in same pots. Tomato seedlings and replacements for the eaten sunflowers are starting in the tub.



Scarlet runner pole beans are in pots on a stand for more shade on the south end of the porch. I tried to keep one leaf going when its stem was damaged ... with a twine/skewer splint. It seems to be working



Happy spring everyone ...

 

[eisman]

Spent a bunch of money on plants this weekend and most of yesterday working in the yard. First thing was putting these two planters in front. both the plants are dwarfs, a weeping cypress, and a weeping blue spruce. I really want to put a raised bed in here across the whole front but just can't justify the cost this year. As it is the front door and porch get replaced within a couple weeks.

I've been working on ground covers, looking for stuff that's fairly native and yet won't choke out the trees or camillia. The bearberry (the stuff in front of the ferns) seems to do well, but it takes a couple years for it to really start to spread. These plants are from a couple weeks ago. They are joining some I put in a while back that's really filling in between the ferns and hostas.

Stuck this wood sorrel in here in the shade, and I'm really hoping it will take off.

Had to do some trimming; the neighbors hawthorn and swamp maple were reaching way into the yard. I like the cover, but he never trims his stuff and I try not to let it interfere with my chosen plants. Really made a dent in the wood pile this past winter, time to build it up again.

My "little" oak really took off. It's 4 years old and was less than a foot high when I stuck it in here.

 

[eisman]

I pass Lakewold Garden every day on the way to work. I'd never visited, because they only open when they can find volunteer staff and that's rarely when I have time off. But I got off early Friday, so I thought I'd visit. This was a private residence turned into a public park. they have some of the most fantastic rhododendrons I've ever seen; many over 30' tall. I thought I'd share some pics:

I want one of these pale pink trees. I've been looking at all the nurseries for a couple years now.

This was a corner of the front yard.

The property goes down to the lake.

 

[LEGION 12]

 

[cj65]

i take horrible pics. I used too much grey and tried to splash some dark red in with it. I giggled at my over greying of the yard. It looks real nice right now and it is a bittersweet time in my life but looking forward to a new yard with gators to landscape. Anyways this one, it is in escrow, I know the new owners love the sponginess of the Dymondia ground cover. It is a unique plant and not hard to grow in mild winter areas. It has no problem with heat.

 

[knarfeng]

Congrats on the sale. It's always hard to move on.

 

[eisman]

When I originally put these granite blocks in place I used a fine ground cedar bark around them. I got tired of the neighborhood cats thinking it was just for them and decided to fix that. Started digging up the bark and laying down some 5/8 washed pebbles. Got about 1/3 done but really wears me out. Need more rock but the place is closed for the long weekend. Plan to just have them deliver the next batch, they can dump it while I'm working during the week. I'll throw some polymeric sand over them when it's done to limit the pebble migrating into the grass.