12/11/08

Thursday morning garden

Thursday morning kitten.

Miss Patty

I cut all the dead parts off the Scarlet Runner Bean vines, and then they made new growth. This is the peachy-flowering cv. 'Sunset'.

Phaseolus

The beans didn't taste as good as the red-flowering 'Scarlet Emperor' that I grew last year. In her book Golden Gate Gardening, Pam Peirce says beans from the ornamental cultivars don't taste as good as those from cvs bred for food. I'm kind of torn about whether to take these out and put the 'Scarlet Emperor' back in. 'Scarlet Emperor' flowered more than this one did, too.

Cobaea

The cold winter rains forecast for the weekend and next week should put an end to the lingering grape leaves.

Vitis californica

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It's finally time to take out the tomatoes. I'm just going to grow herbs where the remaining two tomato plants are. I bought a little Salvia officinalis and a lemony Aloysia sp. (not really an herb but good for tea and baths). The oregano and perennial basil hybrid Ocimum 'African Blue' are ready to welcome the new arrivals.

Artichoke is perennial.

'choke

There's bulb foliage coming up everywhere. This is Arum dioscoridis, from Telos. Should be interesting.

Arum dioscoridis

This Dracaena marginata used to be a houseplant, but the kittens would knock it over when they tried to climb it to play with those pointy leaves. That was annoying, so I carried it down to the garden several months ago. Not sure what to do with it. Not sure how hardy it is.

Dracaena marginata

Also in that family, this Beschorneria would look awesome with Flickr contact Cazadero Garden's beet red cordylline 'Festival Grass' if I can find it.

Beschorneria, Fuchsia, Senecio

It won't catch a frost here, under the deck, but it will get cold. Kind of tempted to top it and see if it will grow multiple trunks.

Several days ago, before my camera came, the passionflower 'Victoria' had several flowers on it all at the same time. That almost never happens. Of course, now that the camera is here, we're back to one flower at a time.

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This is one of my favorite views in the garden. As you can see, I still have the compost bin. Guy hated the use-it-to-grow-potatoes idea. I didn't really like that idea either.

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Instead, I'm trying potatoes in a contraption I rigged together from two wire baskets, one inverted inside another. I plan to mount compost on top of it all winter long as the vines grow and make more potatoes. When I'm ready to harvest, I'll just rake away the compost and lift the basket. Or something like that.

Potatoes

The cuphea under the tree fern is a real trooper.

Cuphea

Frances, your abutilon gifts are doing well.

Frances' abutilon

Two of them have new growth.

Frances' abutilon

The third one that I cut back to the crown hasn't re-sprouted yet, but I think it will.

Some years ago I bought a hellebore. It was a real mistake and I haven't been able to get rid of it since. Every year, I try to reach in to the ground and rip it out, but it's an awkard angle and I can never get all of it.

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The garden is a montonous green right now, besides the grape leaves and the silvery wood of the buckeye. This Calif. native drops leaves in the summer to avoid our long drought.

Aesculus californica

I pass one on the way to work that's already leafing out.

The three buckwheat seedlings I planted out recently are doing well. Good to have them installed before the winter rains. They any resent any summer water so they have to get established now.

Eriogonum grande

I will be beside myself if the chapparal currant (Ribes malvaceum) doesn't flower this year.

Ribes malvaceum

Seems like I should see flower buds forming by now, but I see none. I will be hard pressed to keep this plant if it doesn't flower. Maybe I added too much soil amendment here once upon a time. How long do I have pay for that?

The garden is ridiculously monochrome green right now, but even more so in these pictures than in real life. This Cantua buxifolia tho'... totally green. Green, green.

Cantua

I'll wipe clean the witch ball in April or May when the rains are done, done.

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5 comments:

Annie in Austin said...

You're having fun with the new camera!
The SF strolling post was lovely, Chuck and so is this more intimate look at your garden. My cuphea pink & lavender looked kind of like yours a few days ago, but we've frosted a couple of times so the foliage is dark and some parts blasted by cold.

Annie at the Transplantable Rose

Christopher C. NC said...

I keep thinking it is time for a Spot report. They are doing quite well.

I saw an Arum italicum most likely coming up on the ridge top garden which surprised me. France's are coming up to. I didn't know they were a winter foliage plant. Good to know for mwa.

Green green is good good.

Laurene said...

Beautiful kitten! Is that Ms. Penny? If so, she's looking really good for all she went through this past year. Also, your garden always looks so interesting. Like a huge biology/botany experiment!

lisa said...

Heh, care to trade your green landscape for my white? :) I think I'd rip out the Scarlet Runner for the Scarlet Emperor since it's a better performer all the way around. (Unless you're thinking of trialing another variety entirely.) The passionflower is gorgeous, I can only imagine how cool it looked with multiple blooms! Heck, the buds are pretty, IMO.

Anonymous said...

Hi Chuck, oh good, for new leaves on the abutilon. I forgot to tell you that I ordered cobaea seeds because I love yours so much, I got white and red, looks more like purple, any pointers? That is my favorite color of kitty, after my long hair black Hazel, or course.

Frances