Today is a beautiful day and things are looking up around here. The past couple of days have been really warm and rather than going outside to soak up some sun, I have remained indoors during the heat of the day. Squirrels are getting out in search for food with the Sweet Almond tree being their main target. The unwanted rodents have been digging at the base of the backyard fence to gain entry into the front yard with no success. We are looking into various fruit tree protection methods. Click here for some ideas.
The garden is lively with little surprises and beautiful blooms, amongst them the gorgeous Cytisus San Francisco below, also known as San Francisco Scotch Broom. From Spring to early Summer, the semi-evergreen shrub is covered in abundant sprays of fragrant yellow and ruby-red blooms.
The sight of this Purple Freesia and its pleasant sweet scent brightened up my day.
I have found so many tiny self-sown Gaura Lindheimeri seedlings around the gardens. I transplanted a few into pots and the rest around garden beds. It’s a great and inexpensive way to grow a garden. This drought tolerant flowering perennial will flourish in full sun and various soil types such as sandy, rocky and loamy (partial shade works too). The plant blooms profusely from Spring until frost.
To our amazement we discovered new Oleanders growth poking up through the dirt where we dug up the mother plant last Fall. In addition to being extremely poisonous, this drought, heat-tolerant and fast-growing ornamental shrub is very hard to eradicate. Last month’s three-day rainfall was enough to stimulate root growth. We dug a trench and disposed of the remaining roots. I will continue to monitor the area to ensure no shoots return.
Wishing you graceful moments in your own Garden.
By JM Perez
