2nd garden–2015

May 28, 2015 The plant getting the most attention in my garden right now is ‘Peter’s Purple’ bee balm (Monarda fistulosa ‘Peter’s Purple’), a 4-foot tall perennial with pincushiony, lavender-pink flowers atop long stems. I bought my original plant 5 years ago from Plant Delights (High Country Gardens carries it ...

May 25, 2015 Bluesy garden: our upper patio, just off the living room and master bedroom It’s always eye-opening to see how much a garden has evolved by comparing before and after images. We moved into our current home in October 2008, and I started tinkering with a few beds ...

May 16, 2015 I stalked this guy from the deck last night as dusk fell and he waited impatiently for his parents to bring him dinner. I wasn’t quick enough to get a shot of the feedings, but I did witness a couple. The hungry chicks — there are at ...

May 16, 2015 Purple pot and purple prickly pear — ten years after planting I’m still enjoying the color echo, especially against the gray deck railing. Vivid orange pomegranate blossoms add a fun color contrast in the background. So what leafy love is going on in your May garden? Please ...

May 14, 2015 My husband wins the prize for first sighting of a screech owlet in our owl box this year. He spotted a green-eyed, elfin face peeking through the hole this morning. This afternoon, I saw it too. He or she was tentative but curious, even after I stepped ...

May 12, 2015 During the horrible drought year of 2011, I swore I’d never complain about rain again, and I’m not tempted now. My garden has had nearly 5 inches of rain since last Tuesday, washing out a gravel path twice and incubating a healthy crop of mosquitoes. And how ...

April 28, 2015 After weeks of live oak litter, first leaves and then pollen catkins, and weeks of me raking, blowing, and bagging, the garden is finally visible again. Sunday evening I went outside with no expectation of doing any spring chore: no clean-up, no pruning, no planting, no mulching, ...

April 25, 2015 I’m all for bugs in the garden, even spiders, though I have an unreasonable fear of them. But in my coat and shoe closet? Early in the morning as I’m poking my bare foot in there to slip on shoes before driving my kid to school? Uh-uh! ...

April 16, 2015 Last evening the garden was bathed in the soft glow of a spring twilight. After a day of planting, mulching, and general tidying, I was glad for a quiet moment to just stop and enjoy the garden. The new “monolith” wall has made a handy spot to ...

April 15, 2015 I was putting together my Foliage Follow-Up post for tomorrow when I realized that I had pictures for a Bloom Day post too. The flowers of spring can be fleeting, and I want to give them their due, starting with a velvety, wine-colored pond iris that Rock ...

April 10, 2015 Damn the live oak pollen, full speed ahead…with the reveal of the painted stucco walls. (Really, though, the live oak pollen is out of control. I took this picture about 4 hours after completely blowing clean the patios.) After weeks of construction last fall, sampling a fiery ...

April 06, 2015 Its frosty, felted, gray-green leaves hint at its exceptional heat and drought tolerance, and they’re very pettable too. But when gray globemallow (Sphaeralcea incana) opens clusters of cupped, orange blossoms atop its silvery branches, it becomes a beacon of blooming beauty. Fire and ice! Gray globemallow is ...

April 02, 2015 Like Anastasia Steele, I’ve been seduced by Mr. Grey. Grey paint, that is. I’ve started staining the front-garden lattice fence a dark grey-green (Sherwin-Williams Black Alder), matching it to the lattice mirrors I recently hung on the house, visible in the background. Going to the dark side ...

March 31, 2015 While watering a seedling moonflower vine yesterday, I looked down and was surprised to see, perched on the edge of the watering can, a green tree frog. I guess he was hanging out in the can when I surprised him by filling it up. He didn’t seem ...

March 30, 2015 Here’s a living bouquet for you, dear readers. I just learned that Digging won the Readers’ Choice award in the gardening category of the Better Homes and Gardens 2015 Blogger Awards! Wow! Thank you so much for voting for me! You are my motivators, and in 9 ...

March 24, 2015 Petals unfurl seemingly overnight, new blossoms appearing each morning. Every garden stroll is a small voyage of discovery right now. This week I’m seeing masses of dainty, lilac spiderwort (Tradescantia occidentalis). A single summer snowflake (Leucojum aestivum) with flowers like dancing ladies in white ballgowns trimmed with ...