A Wildflower Walk (somewhat)

Pink Wildflower
Originally uploaded by dewelch.

I needed to get out of the noise of the city today so I headed out to one of my favorite parks, Rocky Oaks in the Santa Monica Mountains.

I really had just planned to go for a short hike, but even though it is early in the season, I came across a few wildflowers putting on a show.

My garden is much too shaded to support wildflowers, but I often wish I could grow them. Their show is short, but they really pack a lot of bang for the buck.

More photos on Flickr.com. Click on the photo to go there.

Pam's Little Garden Space

A big thank you to Pam's Little Garden Space for the link.

I am always looking for nice gardening sites and incoming links is one of the best ways to find them.

Thanks again, Pam!

Passionflower seeds did not germinate

I didn't realize that it had been over a month until I checked the date on the original post, but my passionflower germination test has ended. Whether it was due the non-viability of the seeds or some ineptitude on my part, none of the seeds germinated.

I don't know how old the seed pod was, but it is a very good possibility that the seeds had simply dried out too much. When I checked today I noticed the beginning of fungal growth on the seeds, so I assume they were on their way to rotting instead of sprouting.

This does prove the rule, though, that you should always do a germination test on any suspect seed before you jump headlong into any planting project.

Link: Previous mentions of Passionflower
Link: Book: Passiflora by Torsten Ulme

Technorati Tags: garden, gardening, hobby, grow, DIY, howto, how-to, outdoors

Book: Firescaping by Douglas Kent

I came across this book in the March/April 2006 issue of Westways magazine, a publication of the California AAA.

As nearly everyone knows., wildfire is a significant threat here in Southern California and elsewhere. Planting the right type of vegetation in your garden not only looks great, but offers significant protection to your home.

If you garden borders on wildlands, this looks to be an interesting read.

Link: Firescaping: Creating Fire-resistant Landscapes, Gardens, And Properties In California's Diverse Environments by Douglas Kent
Link: Previous posts on wildfire

Technorati Tags: garden, gardening, hobby, california, grow, DIY, howto, how-to, outdoors, losangeles, books, trees

Journal Entry - February 28, 2006

Weather:

Rain for most of the day. More expected overnight and tomorrow (Yea!)

New leaves showing on:

Crape Myrtle
Elm
Japanese Maple

Flowering:

Azaleas
Daffodils (continuing)
Bewitched Roses - Pink

Ongoing Work:

Blocks for new back wall arrived and placed along property line ready for work.
First full-sized forms being erected for new parking garage so we can start to get some idea of how tall it will be
Rain stopped work early on construction site

Project List:

Repair Clytostoma trellis outside office
Clean up pergola construction debris
Complete raking of forest area
Build 2 new garden mirrors using old mirrors from dining room remodel
Build compost sifter
Buy new compost bins
Sift/Apply/Move compost

A Gardener's Notebook 004 - February 27, 2006

A rainy day here in the Van Nuys, California, but all the plants are loving it.

Listen to the Podcast

I'd love to hear what's going on in your garden. Post your comments here or email them to agn@welchwrite.com.

Technorati Tags: garden, gardening, hobby, california, grow, build, make, DIY, howto, how-to, outdoors, losangeles