If You Can't Work in the Garden...

 

The last two weeks have been... interesting. I have been trying to find a healthy balance between rest and activity, hoping to get a grip on the ITBS. It's been a roller coaster, with alternating good and not-so-good days. I can't walk too much (too painful), so walks at the lake are not possible right now - and I miss it very much. My doc send a referral to PT and I'm waiting for their return call to finally schedule appintments. However, not all is bad - the icing at the beginning helped and I'm doing my stretches. I also can do some yoga and thankfully am still able to do some strength exercises with my handheld weights. Things are not too gloomy - the only thing that bothers me is that the weeds are growing.

But since I can't work in the garden, I'm simply enjoying it - and there is much to enjoy (despite the weeds). Some mornings I'm sitting in my Adirondack chair in the early morning sun, drinking my first cup of coffee and listening to the birds. There are so many birds in my garden! It is such a joy to watch them and hear their cheerful voices.

The peonies are already done blooming. I enoyed them while they lasted. Years ago I planted them in memory of my mom who loved peonies. There was always a vase full with peonies on the living room table as long as they were in season. My parents used to buy them at the farmers market (my mom was a very dedicated farmers market shopper and so am I; my daughter is becoming one,too).

The Pacific Bleeding Heart, on the other hand, is still going strong. I grows in a shady part of the garden and has spread quite a bit since I planted the first ones. A California native, it goes dormant in the summer when it gets hot and dry, and reappears in winter. Maintenance of this sweet little plant is zero.

The ground Morning Glory is a prolific bloomer. It doesn't do as well in the ground as it does in pots and raised beds where it is taking off. I cut it back sometime after the first big bloom and it will bloom again. Repeat. Here it shares a raised bed with a salvia that my neighbor gave me (and I don't know the name of) and English thyme. There's also a climbing rose in the same raised bed ("Westerland"), some white alyssum and two kinds of lavender.

Speaking of roses - "Sheila's Delight" is almost through its first bloom; the second bloom is usually less spectacular. Behind it you can see Salvia sclarea (a volunteer) and Watsonia, that I got from a different neighbor. On the ground behind the rose you might see still very low California Goldenrod. Later in the summer it will bathe the garden in a golden glow. It has spread considerably since the first planting. In late fall I simply cut it back to the ground and by the following year it will have multiplied.

Another "multiplier" is Matilija Poppy, also a California native. Its flowers are huge, but don't keep very long. It is a spectacular plant, but difficult to establish. However, once it feels at home in a garden, it spreads. Not as "bad", though, as California Aster (photos of that will come in late summer, I assume). Neither are plants for a small garden.

Yarrow doesn't spread very much and sometimes simply dies over the winter. This kind, "Moonshine" is pretty resilient, but it doesn't like some spots in my garden. I have noticed that with some plants. It's continuous learning - do you feel the same way?

Monkeyflower "Jelly Bean" - another California native - loves morning sun and afternoon shade. This one is not such a "spreader" as its companions and I love its cheerful flowers. A big plus is that the deer leave it alone. In a shadier part of the garden I also have Sticky Monkeyflower which can be found in many places here in Sonoma County.

Speaking of cheerful - of course there are California Poppies. They turn up throughout my garden in the back as well as in the front. You can't really have a California native garden without California Poppies!

Another great drought tolerant plant is the Desert Mallow - and it can also spread. I first saw these flowers in Arizona where it mingled with Saguaros and California Poppies. I knew then that I wanted it in my garden.

Last fall I planted purple sage, also a California native. During those few months it has already more than doubled in size - it is supposed to be fast growing. The bees love it and so do I.

And of course at this time of year there are poppies. Lots of poppies. These poppies are the result of seeds I put on the ground in 2012, and they have re-seeded ever since. When they're done, I take a good amount out of the ground, but let "islands" stand and go to seed. So far it has always worked.

They ceate a wonderful display with Verbena bonariensis. Purple and red is a favorite color combination of mine, especially in the garden.

Sometimes the deer come and nibble on the poppies. Happy deer...

The snails are more interested in the Woolly Sunflower (another California native).

And this little guy? Well, Kibeau is only interested in finding a cozy spot to "supervise".

All these animal and plant faces are for Nicole's Friday Face Off.