May, the Quick-Grow Month

I love May in the garden. The plants are vibrantly alive with flowers and the beginnings of fruit. Lovely scents permeate the air and loud colors demand appreciation. May also brings a slight turn of season for I have removed the majority of my early spring flowers: the pansies, violas, nasturtiums, and early wildflowers. The sweet peas have been removed to prevent the spread of mold to the vegetables. Their scent is replaced by white jasmine, that unmistakable May fragrance. We have been fortunate to have more sunny days than "May Gray" days and I hope that means "June Gloom" will not send too many overcast days our way. The garden is off to a great start and we will whether the clouds (if needed) with mildew spray and field trips to the Eastern (and sunnier) part of the county.

Butterfly Garden with Yarrow and Sage

Large tomatoes were planted 4/1, the smaller ones on 5/6. Staggering ensures fruit through the season.

Testing my green thumb with Japanese eggplant

Peppers in supports, lettuce, and cucumbers

Wildflower bed making way for future pepper patch

Patio flower bed with jasmine, lemon verbena, kangaroo paw, lavender, and purple hibiscus

Alternate view of patio

Pomegranate blooms

Artichokes are coming in!

Artichoke patch under the pomegranate tree

Sugar pie pumpkins grown from seed

The site of the future pumpkin patch

My first Hot Coco Rose

 

'Tis the Season (December Bloomday)

December is usually a slow time in the garden. Frost warnings have been posted for the inland valleys and it has been unseasonably cold for us near the coast. Time to curl up on the couch in a snuggie, cat on lap, and watch a football game. Nah - I am getting bored with that. Besides, I have a chrysalis, a bona fide pupa of a monarch butterfly! My first sweet little caterpillar survived! And now I find that I have a full-blown, unanticipated caterpillar nursery! I rushed off to the nursery in search of more Butterfly bush/ Butterfly milkweed, but they were all out. I had to satisfy my urge to do something by buying seeds. Will my little babies have enough food to get through their larval stage? I check on them every day. It figures that in my drive to plant nectar plants, I forgot to create a good size shelter for the babies. As soon as it warms up, I am planting those butterfly bushes in spades!

My biggest muncher so far

The nursery

There have been other good signs of the turn of the season. Life goes on and continues even through the cold months.

My nasturtiums are popping up!

Moss in between the pavers

This is what happens when you compost sunflowers

Tangerines, just in time for Christmas

Pomegranate tree turning golden

Plum leaves turning red - will we get fruit this year?

New limes

Thanksgiving Preparations (November Bloomday)

Although it is still too early for an accurate extended weather forecast, I hope that at least part of Thanksgiving can be spent outside on the patio. Hubby and I are hosting approximately 12 this year for a potluck style dinner. Not only have we been planning out menus, grocery lists, and indoor and outdoor cleaning schedules, but we are proceeding through phase two of the renovation of our 1950s ranch. The master bath upgrade is underway; it has literally been unusable (we're talking holes in the ceiling, no electricity or water) for the past five years. Phase one of the renovation (everything else except the bathrooms) really tired us out and it took us this long to get motivated again. As well as the bathrooms, we had the exterior stucco repainted and the house numbers replaced. I love the modern colors - they bring this ranch into the twenty-first century!

With new paint, the curb appeal has vastly improved, and all we need to do in the front yard is some weeding and trimming. The new layer of mulch will help to lock in moisture (we'll hopefully run on rain water through early spring) and will minimize though not eliminate weeds. In the back yard, I have pruned the roses, mulched the flower beds, and trimmed the lavender and fuchsia. All I need to do now is clean up the patio furniture and I will have an restful outdoor room ready for Thanksgiving, far from the bustle of the kitchen. Crossing my fingers for good weather! Now, onto my next and most favorite task, making pumpkin bread!

Ornamental kale with mulch

Sweet peas are in, but I doubt I will have blooms by Solstice.

Yay! My second round of winter vegetables are poking through the soil!

Starting the soil amending process

Must cook something with the kale

What is missing? That ugly pole - this opens the vista beautifully!

Companion Plants for Roses (October Bloomday)

Roses are such a romantic addition to a garden; they remind me of a more genteel and gracious time. But the question becomes, what the heck can I plant along side them? Most tradition rose gardens are strictly roses, with no other ground covers, companion plants or other color around them. While allowing the roses to take center stage, this can create a stark effect in private gardens, especially during roses' dormant winter period.

I have discovered that the best plants to intersperse among the roses are hardy perennials and annuals that can take full sun to partly filtered shade. My favorite rose companions are the following:

1. Catmint - Not to be mistaken for catnip - they are in in the same mint family, but are entirely different species; catmint is a perennial ornamental while catnip is edible for humans and their feline companions. Catmint has mint-like leaves and has lovely purple flowers that attract beneficial bugs.
2. Nasturtiums - These annuals do well in the shadier parts of a rose bed. Seeds germinate without much attention other than watering and will continue to germinate year after year if you let them go to seed. They will need to be trimmed to keep them off the rose bushes. At the end of last spring, my nasturtiums were eaten by aphids, but I count my blessings the bugs did not attack the roses.
3. Pansies  - I love to mix warm and cool colors in my garden, and blue and purple pansies help provide the cool colors I love, especially in the cooler months. The do well in filtered sunlight as well. Keep in mind, they will last up to 2 seasons at the most.
4. Alyssum - Once established, this hardy annual does well in both cool and warm weather. These small, white (other colors available) flowers act as a ground cover and is another enticement to beneficial bugs. It does not create too thick of a ground cover, making it easy to remove rose debris such as petals and leaves from the rose bed.

A word of warning about placing edibles near roses - roses have a tendency to develop blights such as mildew and gold rust infestations and consequently, they will need to be sprayed to ensure their health. Chemical pesticide sprays and edible plants do not mix and for safety's sake, I recommend separating roses and edibles. I did plant lettuce in my rose bed last winter, but I was not able to eat the lettuce due to spraying my roses for orange rust. Orange rust spreads on the wind, so in the event of an infestation, keep the rose bed clear of rose debris, mainly infested leaves. I have trimmed back my companion plants to make this process easier. Companion plants should never grow so think around the rose bush that the rose bush is stifled. Airflow through the rose bush is necessary for good health. Be wary of over large and invasive root structures, since those can stifle the rose bush as well (all of the above plants have not invasive root systems).

Roses at the Inez Grant Parker Rose Garden in Balboa Park. Notice there are no companion plants.

My double delight roses back in April with nasturtium and alyssum.

Rose bed in September before clean up. Catmint is in the bottom right corner.

Rose beds in September after clean-up of dead leaves and fallen petals. New nasturtium growth and experiment in  planting annual dianthus & impatiens. Note the thinner ground cover; this makes it easier to remove rose debris.

Brightening the Autumn Garden (September Bloomday)

By the time the first day of Autumn rolls around, I am tired! Tired of tying up tomatoes, fighting weeds, mildew, and pests - tired of it all! This fall season, I fought the urge to let it all go to seed. I added new cool season annual flowers: impatiens, pansies, alyssum and added some cool season vegetables as well: savoy cabbage, red romaine, chard, kale. My radishes and arugula (a type of bitter lettuce) have emerged from seed. My one saving grace to my gardening fatigue is that cool season vegetables are considerably less work that their hot season counterparts. I have two more beds to plant with cool season  vegetables, but that can wait until next weekend!

Annual Tomato Festival (Late August Bloomday)

After a two year hiatus, the Annual Tomato Festival hosted in Papi & Mama Tomato's beautiful garden is back and better than ever! Not to steal Papi's thunder, but he has been very tardy in posting anything regarding his garden. So, for today's very late August Bloom day, I will be posting pictures of his fabulous garden and some of the delectable treats served to our guests at the Tomato Festival last weekend!

A Platter full of YUM! (Copia, Zapotec, & Azoycha)

Partial view of Papi's tomato beds facing northwest

Detail of tomato beds

Family Heirloom - Sweet Papoons (red peppers)

Oregano in bloom with lemon

Italian Ice Cherry Tomatoes

Detail of Italian Ice Cherry Tomatoes

Zapotec, the forerunner to Costoluto Genovese

The spreads: Italian salsa, pesto, and Hubby's tomato tartar (aka tomato crack, recipe forthcoming!)

Tomato beds facing south - can you see Papi hiding in the background?