Eyesore

What to do about the hideous divider wall in the front entry?

The divider wall is partially and gradually falling apart, as you can see the stress fractures that were created by roots of the old, large cypress trees just on the other side of the wall.  Tearing it down and rebuilding is out of the question, since it is not our property.  It belongs to the landlord next door and there are no plans for renovations.

So, we have to live with it.  I need to figure how best to deal with it, without breaking the bank.  Planting creeping fig to cover the wall is still an unanswered question.  I don’t want the creeping fig to become invasive and take over, nor do I want it to further compromise the already compromised structure.

My plan is to grow perennials along the back while leaving room along the front for seasonal crops.  Currently, zucchini are growing along the front.  Sunlight  is abundant in this area, so it’s great for veggies.  A mop-head hydrangea is in the far left corner, that is relatively shady.  Several young angelwing jasmine are along the back with Orienpet ‘Silk road’ lily bulbs interspersed, and a papyrus at the opposing corner.  The papyrus is a nice vertical element without seeming too heavy or blocking too much light.  Also, there are several young euonymous situated at the foreground corners for color and structure throughout the evolving seasons.

Initially I wanted to put in a trellis, allowing the jasmine to grow and cover the wall, but I chose not to go that route.  It would have been too much of a headache, considering my hands are tied regarding anything structural.  So, I’m left with jasmine shrubs that I’m still planning to use, but not along the back wall.  Lovely fragrance is an important factor for the front entry, as it’s a treat for the senses and a nice way to be welcomed home.

I’m  considering dividing a purple fountain grass that has become overgrown. Dividing ornamental grass clumps can be a bit of a challenge.  Last year, after it was transplanted, it looked just awful as it went into shock.  Am afraid of that scene being repeated, but in the front entry this time!

Those are my reservations, but I think the deep purple foliage and its texture will lend nicely to the front entry, creating more vertical elements and adding kinetic energy.  What do you think?  Suggestions?

Iresine ‘Brillantissima’

Currently my favorite plant is Iresine ‘Brillantissima’.  Am uncertain if this image fully captures its vibrancy, but nonetheless, I absolutely love this plant, as I love dark purple foliage.  This iresine has striking, deep fuchsia veining against dark purple leaves. Grown in full sun the foliage takes on more of the fuchsia coloring and is stunning.  Be cautious not to situate the plant where it becomes too hot, as the leaves may burn.

Dark purple foliage is so versatile.  It adds that special element to any color scheme, giving depth and dimension to pastels, while anchoring bright colors.  It adds a level of sophistication.  When backlit, when the sun shines just so, it’s captivating.  And beat still my beating heart!  Imagine deep, dark purple foliage growing aside the dynamic and brightness of chartreuse’s yellow-green foliage!  It never ceases to take my breath away…

Tomatoes this year…first fruits

First tomatoes of the season.  It’s been quite cool lately, but they’re setting fruit…  Yippie!

• ‘Husky red’

• ‘Better boy’

• ‘Black zebra’

Sara & Thora

I might as well introduce you to these two ladies, my neighbor Sara, the personal chef extraordinaire, and her sidekick, Thora–the astonishingly smart & irresistibly cute pug.  One day, I just know it, Thora will forget she’s a dog and start talking to us in English.  

Sara and I spend many hours socializing outside in the garden, talking gibberish and getting a kick out of Thora being Thora-the-Explorer.  

Endless hours of nonsensical fun…

Haricots vert are producing…

In a week or two, the beans will be long enough to harvest.  These will be some of the first of the season.  Woo-hoo!

The seeds weren’t marked, so I have no idea if there will be yellow ones this year.  Let’s see…

An Unexpected Feline Escort…

At approximately 8:00 in the evening, we took a walk to the grocery store a few blocks away.  My boyfriend Frank and I, passed a random cat that was laying on the sidewalk.  We commented on how chill it was, since the cat didn’t move or even flinch as we passed it.

After turning a corner, we kept walking, still commenting on the cat.  Soon, we heard loud meowing behind us and realized that the same cat was trying to get our attention.  We looked back and saw it racing to catch up with us, like a younger brother running as fast as he could to catch up.  Its shadow soon appeared between us.  The cat escorted us the rest of the way to the intersection.  Somehow knowing that it wasn’t supposed to cross the street , it sat next to a parked car, looking at us and meowing desperately. 

The cat was like a four-legged human.  The loud meowing, repeatedly to get our attention and racing to catch up with us was very human-like.  I’ve never experienced a cat that gave strangers that much mind.  Also, I was touched that it selected us to follow–why, I don’t know and it doesn’t matter.  It was the most moving experience I’ve had in a little while.

At the grocery store, we made a point to purchase some cat food, but the cat didn’t wait for us…..

Rain or Shine?

Will it continue raining?

Is the sky starting to clear?

It seems that not even the sky knows what’s going on.

The Southland is confused.  In previous years, it would be hot by now.  The heat usually starts setting in around May, around the time of the Coachella Music Festival, out in Indio.  It’s ironic since Coachella was originally held in the Fall, but due to the heat, rescheduled for Spring and almost without fail, the hottest weekend of Spring would be the weekend of Coachella; like in the 100°s.

Many in L.A. migrate to the scorching desert for Coachella (to experience amazing musical lineups), which seem to lessen the city’s traffic, if only for a weekend.  As Coachella is becoming more and more popular and commercialized,  I wonder how much longer its mojo will last.

Anyways, I digressed.  Last year, the heat came on particularly early and stayed on particularly long; we really didn’t experience Fall.  It went straight from a long hot Summer into a rainy-ish Winter.  Fall was bypassed.  Are we being compensated now?

I have no complaints.  It’s not cold enough to ruin any veggies and the drizzle keeps the watering down.  I think the Gods heard me asking for Bay Area weather.

Blooms for flesh

Speaking to Nelly, my friend in New Orleans, I’ve been asked to contribute/provide dried, edible flowers towards her new endeavor.  She’s a chef in a city of foodies and is embarking on a high-end meat venture.  Am flattered and happy to help, even though the talk of different meats makes me nauscous, being a vegetarian. Currently, I don’t have a lot of edible flowers in bloom—and luckily, she doesn’t need them right away.  Now, how to best dry flowers?

Tomatoes this year…so far…

Taking a bit of a gamble by growing the tomatoes in the front courtyard, where there’s plenty of sunlight and heat. The neighbors are great, friendly, and respectful, but there is a small handful that might be problematic.  For instance, there is an apricot tree growing in a corner of the front courtyard.  Every year, except for this one, most of the fruit are snatched away in the middle of the night.  The guilty have been confronted at 2:00 in the morning on top of their BMWs, stealing apricots off of the tree.  When caught red-handed, the excuse they give is that in their culture, that’s how apricots are eaten, which does not in any way, explain how it’s okay to steal fruit off of someone else’s tree—particularly in the dark of the night, on top of their spanking new BMW.  So, that is the gamble I’ve taken.  The growing conditions are prime and as part of my crop rotation, I’m taking the risk.  Cross your fingers….

Also, instead of using square tomato cages, this year I’m trying something else.  It’s mainly (and hopefully) to best utilize the small space.  It’s called the Florida Weave: using stakes and horizontal ties.  ’Husky red’ is supposed to be rather stout, so she gets to grow in a lightweight cage.   I’m not sure if I did the weaving correctly; hope the rope that I tied horizontally will be enough to support their eventual weight.  If not, I’ll have to go in and retie. We’ll see…

Tomatoes benefit from being planted deeply, so I removed most of the leaves and planted them with only the remaining top 2-4 leaves.  I put the tomatoes in during the second week of May.  They’re still babies, but are growing rapidly.

Having been too busy this year to start them by seed, the seedlings I purchased from the local nursery are:

• Roma
• Black Zebra (heirloom)
  
• Better Boy
• Green Zebra (heirloom)

Husky RedThey seem to grow before my eyes!    These pics were taken 3 days ago, on Saturday 05.30.09  and they’re already outdated!  Looking forward to their beautiful fruit.  BTW, not one of the sprinkler heads are in operation.  It’s probably well over 20 years that they’ve been inoperative.

Sunday afternoon

A lovely Sunday: cool and pleasant. Beautiful these past few days.

Relishing in this pleasantness, but I’m bracing for the oncoming heat, due anytime.  Summers (for me) are excruciating; the heat, sweat, stink, and overall discomfort feels like payment to the Gods.  The Bay Area would be ideal for this gal, in more ways than one.

Socializing outside with Sara, my neighbor, over some morning coffee, the craving for mojitos hit hard.  Looking around, there’s plenty of mint to do the job.  But do I really want to juice all those limes?  Still contemplating whether to enjoy cocktails or take care of tasks such as laundry…