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Close to Home: Grewia occidentalis, 2015 Year of the Shrub #5
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A celebration of seasons in Southern California gardens. Saturday, July 11, 2015. Grewia occidentalis, 2015 Year of the Shrub #5. Here in the nurseries it is know as lavender star flower, a perfectly descriptive name. Other common names include Cross-berry, Four-corner (E), Kruisbessie (A), Mokukutu (Setsw.), Mogwane (N.Sotho), iLalanyathi (Zulu), umSipane (Siswati), umNqabaza (Xhosa), Mulembu (Venda), Nsihana (Tsonga). As you might guess, these names come from South Africa, its home. The leaves are alte...
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Close to Home: August 2015
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A celebration of seasons in Southern California gardens. Thursday, August 27, 2015. Chilli, Chili or Chile? Chilli is a UK word referring to the plant I think. Mark, correct me if I'm wrong. Chili is Californian for a stew made of beef (usually), beans and ground chile powder. Chile is Californian for the pod on the pepper plant. Or a country in South America shaped like one. What I find so fascinating is that Mark in the UK many miles and degrees of latitude away has chiles, too. In pots as well. The ki...
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Close to Home: Wednesday Vinaigrette
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A celebration of seasons in Southern California gardens. Wednesday, July 1, 2015. July 1, 2015 at 12:46 PM. Nice pun, too. July 1, 2015 at 3:37 PM. Your vegetables are doing well in this weather, Jane! The salad shot has my salivary glands working. July 1, 2015 at 9:55 PM. Oh that is very very good! July 2, 2015 at 7:06 AM. Funny meets tasty - love it! July 3, 2015 at 11:57 PM. Julie @ Southern Wild Design. July 7, 2015 at 4:51 PM. Getting to make some dinner! Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom). Agave vi...
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Close to Home: July 2015
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A celebration of seasons in Southern California gardens. Friday, July 31, 2015. Musings on the Last Friday of July. This July, 2015, the wettest since records began, occurred when monsoonal flow from the southeast met Tropical Storm Dolores from the southwest. What's happening around the garden? How tall do these things grow before they put out flowers? The agave 'Rosa Gorda' grows above the porch. What's happening on the blogs? Be praised, my Lord, through Brothers Wind and Air,. Be praised, my Lord, th...
janestrong.blogspot.com
Close to Home: March 2015
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A celebration of seasons in Southern California gardens. Thursday, March 26, 2015. The News for Today. I think the weather has been like a see-saw. When it gets hotter in the Pacific Southwest, it gets colder in the Northeast and all the rain and snow slide to there leaving us dry, dry, dry. The New Acquisitions Department. First Prize, rose-pink with an ivory pink reverse, withstood today's extreme heat perfectly well. Belinda's Dream, looking a little ragged from the heat. Added Fri Mar 27, 10:43 am).
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Close to Home: December 2014
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A celebration of seasons in Southern California gardens. Friday, December 19, 2014. Pig's Ears, My Favorite Plant (today). I bought this several years ago as Cotyledon macrantha. But today I learned that the correct name for this plant is Cotyledon orbiculata. Actually I never call it Pig's Ears, but it makes a catchier title. A peal of bells is the group name; also I like the appeal of the bells, very appropriate to this season. This post is linked with Danger Garden Favorite Plant This Week. Juniper le...
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Close to Home: Double or Nothing
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A celebration of seasons in Southern California gardens. Saturday, July 18, 2015. So far today (4:12 pm) we have doubled our average annual rainfall for the month of July, the driest month of the year, from 0.01 inch to 0.02 inch. Attributes of rain almost forgotten. Crocs are making a comeback thanks to little Prince George. They are my favorite garden shoe. Wettable. Http:/ dpw.lacounty.gov/wrd/precip/alert rain/index.cfm? It hasn't stopped yet. July 18, 2015 at 8:48 PM. July 18, 2015 at 9:03 PM. No me...
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Close to Home: January 2015
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A celebration of seasons in Southern California gardens. Saturday, January 31, 2015. Here comes the sun. Here comes the sun. Here comes the sun,. And I say, It's all right. My neighbor sent me this picture of sunrise looking southeast from our back yards a few days ago. Isn't it gorgeous? As I was eating lunch on my porch swing I noticed how the sun backlit some of the succulents. One I had just moved out of the shade about an hour ago and had never seen "the fuzz" lit up like this. More tiny, red teeth.
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Close to Home: April 2015
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A celebration of seasons in Southern California gardens. Thursday, April 30, 2015. Sedum Angelina and S. spathulifolium. Saw this on the LA Arboretum website and thought it jaw-dropping gorgeous. "Low growing and bright yellow, this sedum requires little or no additional water after it's established." For sale there, it looks perfect for a ground cover in a small area, if the slugs don't get it first. I could grow sedums here, but have had no success. These images of Sedum spathulifolium. Http:/ www....
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Close to Home: A Puzzlement
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A celebration of seasons in Southern California gardens. Thursday, July 16, 2015. Top picture is the growing tip. The rest are the enlarging seedpod or fruit if you will. They show the progress from when the petals fall off. Try to guess as you go through the photos. The flower and the answer to what this is is revealed at the bottom of the page. The older leaves are badly infested with red spider mite which seems to prefer this family this year. July 16, 2015 at 5:57 PM. What an interesting plant! Ive g...
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