Thursday, January 5, 2017

The Garden in January

We've had quite a bit of rain this week.  Yesterday, for example, it rained all evening, all night, and, well into the morning today.  It cleared in the afternoon and I took some pictures of the garden after the rain and went for a walk around the block.  Another storm front is expected over the weekend - what is being called a "pineapple express" (an "atmospheric river" of moisture laden air from over the Pacific Ocean).  The garden, of course, is doing well with all the rain!

The back yard:


Looking Straight Down from the Back Door

The grass hasn't been mowed since sometime in November - it and weeds have grown with all the rain we've received.



Looking Slightly to the Left, Showing the Garage

 There are three lemon trees growing along the garage:



Lemon Tree #1


The first tree is to the left of the side door to the garage.  The second tree is to the right of the side door to the garage.



Tree #2

 The third tree is a volunteer that grew from a root of the second tree:


Tree #3


Paperwhites Growing Under the Lemon Trees


A couple of the rose bushes still have flowers:


Iceberg Rose

 Only one stem of this yellow rose bush is still alive, but that one stem is flowering away:




Yellow Rose


 The oranges are ripening:


Oranges


 And the rosemary bush is flowering too:



Rosemary


 The front yard:





Lawn-less Front Yard

The rose bushes in the bed in the foreground will be transplanted in the back, after pruning, this winter.  I will plant succulents in this bed, instead.




The African Daisies are Thriving

 The bare tree in front of the mail box is the pomegranate tree; it loses its leaves in the winter.

 Further along this front flower bed, the dusty miller plants are doing well:


African Daisies, Dusty Miller, and the lone Geranium


In the next flower bed, under the living room window, the monstera plant is showing signs of new growth; it needs to be transplanted to a more sheltered spot, though, as the summer sun heats up the window and burns the leaves:


Reviving Monstera


 The succulents along the wall are all doing well:



Two Varieties of Aeonium

 And Aloes:

 
Aloes

 Looking up the wall where the succulents are planted:



Jade Plant (one of three) and Aloe

 Looking towards the driveway, from the sidewall:


 
The Row of Lantana

 My eucalyptus tree:


Eucalyptus

 It is increasing its girth after the rain, and shedding its bark as it expands!




Shedding Eucalyptus Bark


 While new flowers are forming, much to the delight of the bees:


Eucalyptus Flower Buds

Later this month, the gardener will prune the roses and we'll do some transplanting.

Hope you enjoyed the tour of my garden in January.  

14 comments:

  1. Your garden looks so much greener! I can't imagine a tree shedding it's bark and keeping it's leaves, but that's Australia for you! Do you get the scent from it? It looks amazing! x

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    1. Yes, the garden is looking a bit greener, isn't it? I've all kinds of weeds growing like crazy! :D The weather forecasters are saying we are at or above normal rainfall for this time of the year! Maybe, just maybe, we have ended our 6 years of drought!

      The eucalyptus sheds a lot of leaves in the summer (when there's less rain), although it doesn't lose all of it. There is a bit of scent, but not too strong unless you crush the leaves. I originally planted two, one on each end of the front yard, but the other one died.

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  2. Btw, while I utterly adore people reading my stuff, it's okay if you want to skip my fiction. It's not everyone's taste, and I don't want you to be bogged down, especially as you are still on the foothills of that mountain x

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    1. I appreciate you saying that. I will give it a try and then see if I want to continue reading or not. :)

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  3. What a change a bit of regular rain brought to your garden, especially your backyard! You're going to have to mow now! It's nice to see everything doing so well and being so healthy. It's like your garden was waiting for you to be better to reward you with an explosion of colors :)

    I love the Eucalyptus tree, it's huge! It must smell so nice.

    Thanks for sharing!

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    1. It looks so green, doesn't it? My gardener friend will mow the back yard for me. I need to do some weeding. The eucalyptus tree needs to be trimmed! It's growing too big!

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  4. Your garden is beautiful.. All the flowering is gorgeous, as is the oranges and lemons..How nice.. I am looking out my front door to a snow covered yard. Cold for sure.. And not a live thing is sight.ha
    Proud your getting the rain,so all those lovely things can grow, and you don't have to water.. hugs.

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    1. Thank you, Judy. I am looking forward to the oranges and lemons. Go thankful for the rain!

      Brr! You got snow! Good thing you went to the store when you did! Stay warm!

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  5. Delighted to see all that green in your garden and the lovely plants and fruits! It's a treat for me to see, while like Judy we have snow to look at! We have had two days of sunshine (after many gloomy overcast days) and I promise you our snow is spectacular, but not the most convenient stuff to live with! So thankful for a warm home and someone who does a good job clearing the driveway so that we can get out.

    Bushlady

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    1. Nothing as lovely as snow glittering in the sunshine while you look at it from inside your warm home, preferably while sipping a nice hot drink, is there? :D

      Today, we are having some lovely sunshine, giving the garden to dry up a bit, before the next rain comes, this weekend.

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  6. The tall grass and weeds are nice problems to have after your years of drought, aren't they? So refreshing to see all the green. Your gardener will be busy. Everything looks lovely!

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    1. Thanks, Carolyn. He mowed the back yard, today. :)

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  7. Thank you for the tour of your garden. I loved the lemons and oranges but the eucalyptus tree took my breath away. I have such strong connections to eucalyptus trees and their fragrance. I so wish they would grow here. Do you use you aloe plant for medicinal purposes?

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    1. My pleasure, Debbie. So far, I haven't used the aloe plants I have in my garden for medicinal purposes, as I am not sure if these are aloe vera plants or some other plants of the aloe genus and if they can be used for the same purposes such as on burns.

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