Category: Uncategorized
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Surprising what happens if you give things some time
Dahlia’s are one of my favorite flowers. I plant mine all as roots (mainly in pots) and for a while nothing happens and then they grow really fast (with some fertilizer) and will do this each year. Dahlias come in all sizes shapes and colours. The following show the variety. For those of you interested.…
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Pruning: A gardening lessons for work
Pruning is one of the big tasks in January in California, but its now May and the first fruits of all the cutting back can be enjoyed. I have 72 roses in my garden and when I started I was very timid in pruning back at the end of the year – scared I would…
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Californian Lilac
Ceanothus, or California lilac are native plants of the west coast. Funnily they are very common in English gardens and less common in Californian gardens. This is the time of the year when they are at their best when they bloom in various blues and purples. I have 5 planted in the garden, three in…
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February garden projects
The beginning of the year is always the busy time when things need to be prepared. At the end of this month I had a few small garden projects that I decided to complete. Firstly removing a four Abelia bush roots and extending my rose terrace. Secondly creating a small area to try and grow…
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First rose of the year
When we moved to California and started planting roses the first rose came around St Patricks day (17th March). Well on Sunday (27th Feb) I had my first rose. Crazy! This week some interesting flowers come out. This bulb (above) appeared and has just started to flower. I have no idea what it is. Next…
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Bulbs: Surprises each year
Bulbs are one of my favorite parts of the garden, particularly in the first few months of the year. Planted under the surface of the soil you have no idea whether they are growing or not and then they are forgotten, particularly if planted in prior years. Until like a nice surprise they appear as…
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The desert will blossom
Spring blossoms in SoCal come early. In my front garden I have largely Californian natives and the blossom from manzanitas in particular in January really attracts the bees. In the back I planted a Cherry tree in a shadier part of the garden and a winter Jasmine on an East facing wall. The jasmine struggles…
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Camellia first things to bloom in the new year
I have 12 Japonica Camellias in my garden. They are great plants with dark green leaves and very detailed flowers. But they do need shade, acid soil, care and patience. I have had them in the ground for a number of years and have had varied success. Shade is critical. The back wall has shade…
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First signs of life
January and February are the slowest months in Southern California for gardening. It’s lots of cutting back growth mulching and pruning the roses. Each week for the last three I have gone through 6-8 trash cans of green waste. Anyway nearly done. This year I have done a lot more mulching. I realized that while…