Saturday, January 21, 2023

The Front Garden in January


The Gravel After Drying Out

Last year, I took photos of the front garden, every month, on or around the 20th of the month and it was quite interesting to see the changes from month to month.  I've decided to do that again, this year, too, and maybe compare the photos.

Front Garden. January 2023

Here's how the garden looked in January, last year:

Front Garden - January 2022

Taken from slightly different angles, but, the lantana plants are flowering earlier, this year, with all the recent rains we've had.

Aloe Flower Stalks

The aloe flower stalks are still in bud, this year (last year, they were already in bloom).  

Yucca Plants

The yucca plants are growing well, with several plantlets growing from the main stems.

This is how they looked in July 2021, several months after the cuttings (taken from a plant in the back yard) were planted, with the new plantlets forming:

Yucca, July 2021

Then, some time in November 2021, someone cut off and apparently helped themselves to  several of the new plantlets and I was not very happy about it:

November 2021


November 2021

But, the plant seems to have recovered and is doing well, now.

The succulents bed along the side wall - not good photos as I was photographing against the sun (I know that the photographers among you are probably wincing!):

Probably a good illustration for "how NOT to photograph"!

Succulents Bed

More succulents from the cuttings my former supervisor gave me from her garden:

More Succulents

The asparagus ferns in the planting bed along the walkway to the front door:

Asparagus (Sprengeri) Ferns

I don't have many plans for the front garden once the front parkway is fully covered with gravel.  I still have two seedlings growing in pots in the back yard that should be transplanted in the front - a jacaranda seedling and a bauhinia seedling.  Need to consult with M about when and where to plant them.

I took some photos of the back garden, too; that will be another post.

How are your gardens coming along?  I know that not everyone is able to garden year round, but, perhaps you are planning your spring planting and looking at plant catalogs, etc.?

22 comments:

  1. Your parkway looks very neat and tidy and your plants are doing very well. How terrible that someone cut off parts of your yucca! I'm often amazed at what people do. No thoughts of garden here yet. Lots of snow on the ground. The semester has started and I've been very busy this first week. It will keep me busy for a while now. I'll start looking at seed catalogs soon, though, and dream of spring to come!

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    1. Thank you, Celie. Yes, people seem to think it is fine to help themselves to plants and things from my garden (someone took a succulent plant that M had given me, one time and someone helped themselves to my pomegranates, one year) because I don't have a wall or fence around my garden in the front! Of course, I don't see who is doing it, so I can't say anything.
      I hope things ease up a bit after the semester gets going although I know that teachers and professors are always busy! Enjoy looking through the seed catalogs. They are always so tempting, aren't they?

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  2. Your parkway and front garden are looking good and lovely to see your plants doing so well and being thankful for the rain. It's far too cold to do anything in the garden here. roll on Spring I say.

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    1. Thank you, Eileen. I am very thankful that we had the rain that we did, but, I'll be needing to water, again, next week as we have no more rain in the forecast until the end of the month! I don't want the osteospermum seedlings to die! Hope it warms up soon for you!

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  3. Hi Bless! You have done wonders with your garden since I last saw it several years ago. The flowers are very pretty. Here in Pennsylvania we have temps in the 30's so no flowers or grass or leaves on the trees for several months yet. No real snow so far but February usually is the worst weather wise. My brother lives in California, Santa Maria in a retirement community. I love seeing pictures of his garden also. Enjoy your week. 💖

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    1. Thank you, Susan. I've been trying to improve the front garden while being water-wise due to our droughts and water restrictions. I'm sure it is too cold for you to garden out there in the winter, but, I'm sure your garden will reward you with lots of flowers in the spring. :) Your brother lives in a beautiful part of the state. :)

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  4. It's all looking lovely and the rain has really made a difference hasn't it?
    Your photographing into the sun hasn't been a complete disaster as you have captured some pretty sun rays. The parkway is looking good to. Have you ever considered fencing the front garden to stop people helping themselves to your plants and fruit? xx

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    1. Thank you, Eileen, and you are very gracious to say I captured some pretty sun rays! :D Yes, I have considered fencing the front yard, but, considered is as far as I've got! I'll have to look into that a bit more seriously!

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  5. It is all looking so good! Many of the plants you have had for some time look well-established and healthy. Your and M's care and hard work are paying off! What a shame some people don't respect other people's property. Fancy actually cutting someone else's plants, or harvesting their crop without even asking! Shocking. Glad the yukkas bounced back. I saw yukkas in bloom here last summer - first time I had ever noticed such a thing. They were really pretty - maybe it was a good year for them with all that heat, or maybe I had never been that observant before.

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    1. Thank you, Lady Ella; as M says, "Just add water!" I don't understand people helping themselves to other people's plants and produce, but, it has happened. I must really look into putting up a fence! I've thought about it from time to time but that's as far as I've got!

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    2. Ooooh. Look who can't spell "yucca"!

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    3. Ha, ha, I thought it was an alternative British spelling! :D Like yoghurt and yogurt, colour and color, centre and center, etc. :)

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    4. With a heart full of hope, I checked: no such luck! 🤪

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    5. We'll call it creative spelling! Why not? I mean, who decided that it should be spelled with a "c" and not a "k"? :D

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  6. I'm glad your Yucca is doing well after the vandalism. Some people! Your garden looks great. There is so much pleasure to be had from plants and flowers, isn't there? My garden sleeps under the snow but my house plants give me pleasure. I'm particularly pleased with the Poinsettia that decided to put out a little red for me, and the Peace Lily which seems to thrive on being pot bound (sometimes I wonder if there is any soil left in there!). My only failure is a Cana Lily which doesn't seem to like it here!

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    1. Thank you, Bushlady. The garden is happy with the rain it received! I'm so impressed that your poinsettia put out red leaves for you! And that your Peace lily is thriving. I haven't had much luck with canna lilies, myself. I had some growing and then, I guess it got too hot and dry for them, because they all died!

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  7. I really enjoyed this garden photo look each month when you did it last year. I'm glad to see it will continue.
    It's so interesting to see the changes, isn't it?
    Those succulents from your work friend always look so healthy.

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    1. Thank you, Debra; yes, it is interesting to see how the garden changes over time. :) The succulents took a real beating in the summer, getting quite scorched, but, they have perked up considerably! I might take one or two cuttings and root them to grow in another spot. :)

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  8. I really enjoy seeing your garden photos. The flowers certainly are more ahead than last year. They look very beautiful

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    1. Thank you, Sharon; the rain did a world of good for the garden! :)

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  9. The gravel in the front looks really good. Nice and neat.

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    1. Thank you, June; hopefully, it will remain nice and neat! But, its upkeep should be relatively easy, I think, and no watering required!

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