6/29/10

Full sun in the small city garden

And it's nice. We spend half the summer under thick fog.

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Besides, it's about 70 deg F.

I trust you're familiar with the general state of chaos...

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Let's focus on close-ups.

Here are three of the six anise swallowtail caterpillars (Papilio zelicaon) whose progress I monitor daily.

I've started to move these guys on to other plants.

I don't know how much longer it will be before they pupate, but I moved a few of them on to other fennel plants today.

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They've almost eaten this one down to the nubbins. I hope spreading them out a little bit will help increase their chances of survival too.

Catepillars absorb chemicals through their skin so I never touch them. I snipped off the leaves each was on and set the whole thing in another plant.

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Fennel is nice in the garden, but it only exacerbates my fine texture problem.

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In my next garden, I'll plant fennel en masse instead of here-and-there. I thought adding a dozen or so dill plants would help tie everything together, but the dill isn't growing very well this year. (I don't know if that would have worked anyway, but I like the wild vigor of dill and fennel.)

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Pale pink Clarkia bottae.

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Leaning leeks

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Verbena bonariensis and Psoralea pinnata.

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As far as I know, this has nothing to do with the garden, I just feel like mentioning it: I've been sneezing and congested almost continuously since March! I've gone through crates of Kleenex and Claritin. I thought perhaps I had a sinus infection. My doctor agreed and put me a course of antibiotics (moxifloxacin) but nothing has changed. She also directed me to irrigate my sinuses, and that hasn't changed anything either. I'm not sure whether I should follow up with her again, or continue live with it for awhile longer. Mostly I was concerned about what might happen with an uncontrolled sinus infection, but after 10 days on antibiotics, I doubt I have an infection. I don't especially want to take a steroid (e.g., fluticasone, Flonase). I doubt there's anything else she can do.

So, yeah.

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Gilia caitata

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It occurred to me today this very pale sage-green Lepechinia could be used in a white garden, and there are quite a few California native plants you could do that with.

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I grew this plant from seed, but I don't remember the species. I had seed of two species. One grew a plant and the other did not, but I didn't keep records. Tsk, tsk.

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Oookaaay. I've got other stuff I should be doing today, as always. The blog post comes up an abrupt stop under the back steps.

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6/23/10

Sculpture In The Garden at Ruth Bancroft

I wasn't expecting an art exhibit when I dropped by the Ruth Bancroft Garden today.

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Heads by Clayton Thiel.

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That was just a sample. The works are for sale, and sales help to support the Garden.

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The Garden's other sculptures are not for sale:

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J'adore this pairing of pale agave and purple Alternanthera.

I love this.

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Romneya

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