The Garden in February Continued

Little Peach Tree

Today, I took a stroll around the back garden.  The little peach tree we planted last year is having blooms and buds!  The promise of good things to come, if all goes well.  This little tree is all of 3-feet high, so I will be happy to get even 3 or 4 peaches from it, this year (we had a crop of 2 fruits, last year!)  

Peach Blossoms

But while I wait for the peaches, there are oranges to be enjoyed now!

Oranges on the Tree

Not as many or as big as one would like, due to the drought, but still, some of the sweetest oranges I've ever eaten.  I picked some and sent with daughter when she went back to Berkeley. And I juiced one to have with my sandwich for lunch.

Oranges, close up

More African daisies; these are known as Gazanias. I have both orange/yellow and cream colored flowers:

Gazanias

Orange/Yellow Gazania (and Bug!)

Cream-colored Gazania

The gazania's  are self seeded - they are wind-dispersed and tend to grow where ever they land and find a hospitable spot.  I used to have the gazania's growing in a flower bed, at one time, but they died out in the planting bed.  I now have some other gazania's springing up in spots in the non-existant lawn areas.  Since I no longer have a lawn, I am just going to allow the gazania to grow where ever they want - or maybe relocate them to other areas of the garden where I would like to encourage them to grow.


The camellia bush was one of the few plants I found growing in the garden when I bought the house:

Camellia Bush

My gardener, who is a prize-winning grower of camellias, calls it the Grande Dame of Camellias!  It, too, has suffered from the drought, but, year after year, rewards me with double colored flowers.

Camellia Up Close

By the back wall, we planted a small cutting of a succulent known as Euphorbia tirucalli; there's a species of this known as "Sticks-on-fire" because the growing ends are reddish.  This is the all-green version, also known as "pencil tree".  It is on a mission to take over my backyard!

The Euphorbia that's Taking Over the Backyard!

However, it's getting a little competition from the rosemary bush in taking over the backyard!  It, too, was grown from a small cutting taken from a friend's garden.  This is after it was cut way back in the fall!  It stands about 4 feet high and about as much wide.

The Rosemary Bush

And finally, the 5-foot wide strip between the house and the sidewall, which is my side yard.  Overgrown with grass and weeds after the rain!  The nearby trunk is one of the feijoa (pineapple guava) trees; the tree at the far end is the cherry guava tree.

The Over-Grown Side Yard

Hope you enjoyed the visit to my back yard!

In other areas of my life, I went to the clinic for my immunity booster injection in the morning.  I am so happy to be well enough to drive myself there and back.  I clarified something about the endoscopy - apparently, they are just going to do a blood test, at this point to determine if I need the endoscopy at all.  I am glad to have that cleared.

I also sent back the first half of the new batch I work I received yesterday.  I've promised the second half tomorrow or by the end of the week. 

Today, I am grateful for:

- Phone calls from cousins
- Being well enough to drive myself to and from the clinic
- Having a safe night, last night
- Waking up well and alive this morning
- A walk in the garden

How has your day been?  What are you grateful for, today?