Goin' to California with an achin' in my heart.
Led Zeppelin. In my case, the "achin'" is the nausea and jitters caused by flying for 4.25 hours! Looking forward to the conference in Pasadena over the
next couple of days. Tomorrow I'll go to the Getty Center and will meet with Michael, their horticulturist. Many of those that are "LA Savvy" have said this is a must see and while I'm primarily interested in their grounds, I'll check out the museum as well. The conference starts in earnest on Thursday morning. Should be fun (not including the travel). Nice shot above of 'Arizona Sun' blanket flower (
Gaillardia aristata) that is a short-lived perennial but looks great in annual schemes as well. I'm a big fan o
f gaillardias in the annual garden or for a "seasonal punch". They don't establish well in areas that are irrigated frequently, hence our lack of success with longevity for this plant in other locations. The gardens are really filling out and our cucumbers are going crazy (see to the left). The support frames are working well and are allowing for easier access for picking and is also keeping many of the fruits off the ground. I hope to see gourds forming soon enough as everything still seems to be early. To the right is a shot of one of our annual beds yesterday morning. With few exceptions, our "drift approach" to planting has worked well and has been effective. The woodchucks and bunnies will not be losing weight this summer however... As a side note, the deep lavender blooms in that photo are a hybrid, annual bee balm (
Monarda hybrida) called 'Bergamo' that is a Fleuroselect award winnner for its early (and long lasting) blooms that attract bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. The foliage is also fragrant (lemony). I'm more impressed with this variety each year and it looks great for a good three months out in the gardens. Below is a signet marigold called 'Tangerine Gem' (
Tagetes tenuifolia) that is along our ornamental edible wall planting. The flower petals are edible with a slight lemony taste. However, not all marigolds (
Tagetes sp.) are edible. This plant is a nice tight mound with lacy foliage and a profusion of blooms. Further below is Dick P. falling asleep in one of our carts with Rollie, John and Dick H. Some people can sleep anywhere!
It was a smaller crew today but we accomplished a lot of work including watering all day. Despite overcast skies and the chance of rain, we just don't believe it anymore and hardly look up at those dark clouds. Larry worked on running irrigation, repairing irrigation, weed whipping and other tasks. Big John went on a trip with Maury and worked on push mow
ing, deadheading hostas and helping me get ready for the Home Garden Tour and Luncheon (for the locals, it's not too late to get your $10 tickets!!!). Janice was here to water, weed and plant. Little Jerry mowed and worked on pruning trees and shrubs in front of the visitors center. Hal and Doris worked in their area as did Mary a
nd Roy. Ron W. came in to help water and Dr. Gredler was here mowing and working on other small projects. Chris, Bob and August planted additional perennials in the sunken garden and we also saw Mary W., Chuck, Bill F., Vern and Dr. Yahr today. Nice shot to the right of the bloody dock (
Rumex sanguineus ssp.
sanguineus) with some good backlighting to show off those dark red veins. With edible (and showy) leaves, this perennial (zone 5) has much merit in the gardens. We don't let it bloom and form seed as I've heard it can really spread around. Either way, what a nice foliage effect on an 18" tall plant. We planted over 100 of these out in the gardens primarily as seasonal filler but will share many of them later if/when we dig them out. To the left is a nice combination down along the wishing well garden. This was just planted last year but it has matured quite quickly. The bottom photo is of a dwarf gloriosa daisy (
Rudbeckia hirta) called 'Becky Orange'. I love all Rudbeckias and this one is no exception with such reliable blossoms and a nice height of 16" or so. I wont be blogging until next Monday night but should have some pictures and stories to share. I just hope they don't involve a barf bag at 35,000 ft.......
Goin' to California with an achin' in my heart. Led Zeppelin. In my case, the "achin'" is the nausea and jitters caused by flying for 4.25 hours! Looking forward to the conference in Pasadena over the
next couple of days. Tomorrow I'll go to the Getty Center and will meet with Michael, their horticulturist. Many of those that are "LA Savvy" have said this is a must see and while I'm primarily interested in their grounds, I'll check out the museum as well. The conference starts in earnest on Thursday morning. Should be fun (not including the travel). Nice shot above of 'Arizona Sun' blanket flower (Gaillardia aristata) that is a short-lived perennial but looks great in annual schemes as well. I'm a big fan o
f gaillardias in the annual garden or for a "seasonal punch". They don't establish well in areas that are irrigated frequently, hence our lack of success with longevity for this plant in other locations. The gardens are really filling out and our cucumbers are going crazy (see to the left). The support frames are working well and are allowing for easier access for picking and is also keeping many of the fruits off the ground. I hope to see gourds forming soon enough as everything still seems to be early. To the right is a shot of one of our annual beds yesterday morning. With few exceptions, our "drift approach" to planting has worked well and has been effective. The woodchucks and bunnies will not be losing weight this summer however... As a side note, the deep lavender blooms in that photo are a hybrid, annual bee balm (Monarda hybrida) called 'Bergamo' that is a Fleuroselect award winnner for its early (and long lasting) blooms that attract bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. The foliage is also fragrant (lemony). I'm more impressed with this variety each year and it looks great for a good three months out in the gardens. Below is a signet marigold called 'Tangerine Gem' (Tagetes tenuifolia) that is along our ornamental edible wall planting. The flower petals are edible with a slight lemony taste. However, not all marigolds (Tagetes sp.) are edible. This plant is a nice tight mound with lacy foliage and a profusion of blooms. Further below is Dick P. falling asleep in one of our carts with Rollie, John and Dick H. Some people can sleep anywhere! 
ing, deadheading hostas and helping me get ready for the Home Garden Tour and Luncheon (for the locals, it's not too late to get your $10 tickets!!!). Janice was here to water, weed and plant. Little Jerry mowed and worked on pruning trees and shrubs in front of the visitors center. Hal and Doris worked in their area as did Mary a
nd Roy. Ron W. came in to help water and Dr. Gredler was here mowing and working on other small projects. Chris, Bob and August planted additional perennials in the sunken garden and we also saw Mary W., Chuck, Bill F., Vern and Dr. Yahr today. Nice shot to the right of the bloody dock (Rumex sanguineus ssp. sanguineus) with some good backlighting to show off those dark red veins. With edible (and showy) leaves, this perennial (zone 5) has much merit in the gardens. We don't let it bloom and form seed as I've heard it can really spread around. Either way, what a nice foliage effect on an 18" tall plant. We planted over 100 of these out in the gardens primarily as seasonal filler but will share many of them later if/when we dig them out. To the left is a nice combination down along the wishing well garden. This was just planted last year but it has matured quite quickly. The bottom photo is of a dwarf gloriosa daisy (Rudbeckia hirta) called 'Becky Orange'. I love all Rudbeckias and this one is no exception with such reliable blossoms and a nice height of 16" or so. I wont be blogging until next Monday night but should have some pictures and stories to share. I just hope they don't involve a barf bag at 35,000 ft.......
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