2nd Dahlia

Pruning + New Vase

.    Yesterday I read that you should prune Hydrangeas right after they bloom. So, today I chopped back all five of our plants. My goal was to get these three to be about the same height. Below are the three big ones that bloomed really well this year. Now they look so sad. Here's hoping they come back in full glory next spring

Hydrangea in bloom

 

After Pruning

     This weekend's garage sale finds included this short green vase. It's quirky and seemed right to put a sunflower in it. Not sure the "arrangement" works- but my goal was to get some of what is blooming outside inside the house. I think it's cute and really does liven up the kitchen.

  

In the Garden of Filoli

  

     Back in March I went to Filoli for the first time for my friend Katie's birthday. It was such a magical experience. It was so magical because it was the height of daffodil season and we walked around the grounds while listening to the sound track to Pride and Prejudice. (Listen here Pride&Prejudice- Dawn)
 
     Filoli is a property of The National Trust for Historic Preservation consisting of a Georgian style house and sixteen acres of formal gardens. It is beautiful, always inspiring to me, a great place to take botanical pictures, and I absolutely love sharing the beauty of it with friends. I've been able to enjoy all these things and see the garden change from the spring, through summer, and now in the fall. But nothing compares to spring and daffodil season.

     Take a look for yourself. http://www.filoli.org/

     Then let me know when I can take you! (Unfortunately they are closed from October 23rd through early February.)

Here are some highlights from summer and some of my favorite trees/ places. 

     Since that first magical trip, when I decided to become a member for the year, I have enjoyed the gardens at least once a month.  Often I will go by myself. But, I've been able to bring a few friends and even my husband once! I know gasp. He actually really enjoyed it since they were serving snacks and refreshments throughout the grounds that day.

     The name Filoli come from one of the former owners who named the property by combining the first two letters of his credo: "Fight for a just cause; Love you fellow man; Live a good life."

Garage Sale Finds

     My garage sale finds this morning made me really excited. I snatched up a huge canning pot with the rack inside. These pots go for maybe $30 at hardware stores. Mine was $2! Now I am ready for next year's marmalade adventure.
     Also of excitement is the Sunset Western Garden Book. I am glad this fell into my lap because I have been struggling to determine just what climate zone I live in. The bay area has so many little niches being close to the bay, ocean, and the Santa Cruz Mountains. This Sunset book is specific, or exclusive, to "'westerners." Which is great because most information online is too broad for me. People are talking about snow on the way and how they are already getting their bulbs in the ground. Where as I have only just begun looking at the bulb catalogs. Anyhow, it was a good find.
      The last two items are a tall glass bottle and a fun mirror with window panes. It's a super heavy mirror but has some fun potential. The great thing about garage sale finds is that I don't feel like I must commit to the item for the rest of my life. So, if we don't like this funny mirror in a few years I can pass it on.

Sneaky Chrysanthemums

All the Chrysanthemum leaves- Roses blooming in the back

  

Mess at the top of White City

     This year I am training three pots of Chrysanthemums to produce big beautiful blooms. To do so you must stake the plants and continually pinch away all the would be buds and stalks. There are numerous other things I could be doing to ensure I get the big blooms like lighting, rotating the pots, and special fertilizing.
      But, right now I can't seem to pinch before they send out second buds. Hence my sneaky chrysanthemums. If they are not pinched at the nodes soon enough a big scar will be left on the stem and the main bloom will loose energy and so be smaller. Here are some pictures of nodes to be pinched and my bad pinch.

Bad Pinch on Lili Gallon

     There is much to say about Chrysanthemums. So, I'll leave that for another time. For now, I seek to tame these three little kittens. Can you imagine having 300?

My End of Summer Flower

My first Dahlia bloomed and this encouraged me to begin my garden journal. 

Motto

So far I found gardening to be a humbling experience. I may know the names of plants but it does not mean I know how to care for them. Half a year ago we moved into a regular plot of Suburban land in the Silicon Valley. Many plants have not flourished as I just expected they naturally would. The ones that do well are the plants that were previously well established when we moved in or those given to me by my dad. I am now convinced my dad is a super garden genius. If only he could breathe on all the plants then they would all be happy and producing their respective fruits and flowers.

My friend Ellen encouraged me to kick off my online garden journal by advising me to simply post pictures. So, I may do just that from time to time.

My hopes for this blog 

1. Provide a good forum for me to ask questions about what is going on with the plants
2. Encourage myself and others to care for our "bits of earth" to make them a place we love to be in
3. Keep track of things for planning next year
4. Record inspiring flora and fauna
5. Finally, I wish to learn

Please join me in this little adventure. I welcome all advice and insight as I learn.