Flowers

I believe these are chrysanthemums, but I am not sure. They are very light yellow. 

Just beautiful! They flower during winter in my backyard. Love them!!

Thanks for dropping by,
Luiza

Orchid Catleya, I think

Another beautiful orchid blooming outside of my house.

Also given by my friend Virginia (I mentioned her in a previous post)

Thanks for dropping by,

Luiza

African Daisies

These African Daisies can handle almost anything! These are in a pot in my backyard.

They can handle poor soil, good soil, lots of water, lack of water. You get the idea :)

Thanks for dropping by,

Luiza

Note to self - Flowers

Just some notes to remind me of possible plants for spring/summer.

1. Marigolds
• Intermediate-height plant, with lots of blooms
• Lady series
• Perfection
• Discovery
• Antigua
• Inca II
• Moonstruck
2. Nasturtium
• Climbing Mixed Colors
• Whirlybird (bushy)
3. Salvia
• Salsa has the widest color range
4. Snapdragons
• Sonnet
• tall
• good flowers
5. Zinnias
• Profusion
• daisy flowered zinnias
6. Clematis
• Jackmanii
• bloom in new wood
• early summer
• Nelly Moser
• bloom in new wood
• spring
• Montana

Poppies

I love Poppies during this time of the year. They do better in my yard than the some of the flowers that bloom at this time of the year in California.

For instance, I also love Primulas, but it turns out that the slugs/snails also love them... so it is a fight between the slug/snails and me.

I bought these plants, and they were very small. I believe I planted them around December.

My Garden - Snapdragon

This is another flower that i never succeed to grow from seeds. This year... they made it!!!! Yay!!!!

I like them. They were a little taller than I imagined. However, they still look fine in the spot that I planted in my front yard.

My Garden - White Marigold

I finally have white marigold. I tried several times before, and they never made it.

I like them. They are very "bushy". The flowers are nice, but I expected more for some reason. I am still happy that they made it.

My Garden - Day Lily

I love Day Lilies. I also get amazed to think that it is a flower that will only last one day! So beautiful, and only one day. I try to start different varieties every year. Below is one that I started last year. Very Pretty.

 The orange one is a very tough plant. It is flowering a little late this year. It may be because there is more shade from the neighbor's  trees. I planted several years ago.

My Garden - Cosmos

I plant cosmos every year. I love to see them kind of flying with the wind. I added the white cosmos this year. They look so beautiful.

My Garden - Impatiens

I love impatiens. I grow them in the places where they do not get much sun. They are growing very slowly.

My Garden - Gazania

This is the first time that I have Gazania. I love it. The flower is nice in all its stages of growth: from forming to get to be a seed pod.

Flower being formed

 I planted the seeds last year. However, it flowered only this year. I will definitely plant this flower again.

Seed pod forming

Spring preparation

Around October, I planted some California Poppies. I want to have them ready to be planted in the yard in early spring. In the beginning of December they were doing quite well in my mini-greenhouse.

When I look at them, I decided not to procrastinate any longer. It is definitely time to plant in individual containers.

They sure look much happier. I use a good soil mix (Miracle Grow mix), and they are doing great. Can't wait to move them to the yard. In the meantime, I am keeping them safe in the mini-greenhouse.

I also started some herb "babies". A friend asked me for some thyme and rosemary. Here they are. I hope that at least one of each will make it.

If none makes it... well, nothing to be sad: I will start them again!!! Very simple to start: I just grab some pieces from the "mother" plants, and stick to the dirt. I do not use the powder that most books recommend.

Thanks for looking,

Luiza

December Northern California - Things To Do #5 - It is never too late...

We just talked about the fall vegetable garden. There is also flowers that can be planted during the fall in this area for next spring. I am trying for several years  to grow Sweet peas. I love the flowers and their fragrance.

I forgot to plant earlier... So, I hope it is not too late to do it. I also decided to plant them in a container and transplant them. I know... I know... I read it too: Sweet peas do not like to be transplanted. I decided to try that because my rate of success with growing on site was not good. Actually, for the last three years, it was zero :-) So, what do I have to loose?

I planted the way I usually do. I take a little "bite" from the seed. The books recommend to file with paper file. I tried to file with a nail filer before, but I thought I was spending too much time doing it. So, I decided to try to take a little nip with a cuticle scissor, being careful not to damage the "green" part of the seed. After doing that, I soak the seed overnight in warm water.

I planted in one of the grape containers that I get from Costco. Here is a picture:

And here is a picture of one already showing some sign of life:

I just love to see my seedlings coming out...

Thanks for looking,
Luiza

a compass was there to get you thinking

What is in my garden now - Azalea

This is my first post in this new blog. Some of you might already know: I love to garden! I love flowers, fruits, vegetables, etc... In summary, I like pretty much any vegetation that has either a flower or something that I can eat LOL.

While going around my garden today, I noticed some azalea flowers! My azaleas already flowered in early spring. I have no clue why they are flowering again. It might be because of the mild summer that we had, and a hot beginning of fall.

There are not as many flowers as I had during spring. In Spring, you cannot see the green from the leaves. However, trust me: I am not complaining... I tried to propagate this particular azalea several times, but I did not succeed. I read again some propagation techniques, and I will try one of them again this year. I will let you know what happen in the future, as I try to show my garden and some of the things I've tried.

Thanks for stopping by,

Luiza