A buzzing in the garden

Taking a few moments in the garden this morning, I heard a gentle and general buzzing throughout. It seems the large ash tree in the back garden is flowering and the bees are taking great advantage of this bright sunny day after all our rain. More rain is expect tomorrow, so it is good they are so industrious. They may be stuck in their hives for a few more days.

I have been following a lot of beekeeping info these days and seriously thinking of getting a hive of my own. I think it would be simpler than trying to keep chickens, the other big backyard farm animal, and fit better in my smallish garden.

What do you think? Are you interested in keeping bees? Let me know in the comments!

Do It Right! LA City Christmas Tree Pickup and Recycling

My friend, Keri Dearborn, over at Animalbytes has pointed out this great information for City of LA residents about Christmas tree pickup, dropoff and recycling.

In the past, many Christmas trees were simply dumped curbside, on lawns or in empty lots. They would often site there for a month or more until someone decided to clean them up.

The best action to take, of course, is to cut up, or chip/shred your tree for use as mulch in your garden or compost pile. While I have the ability to do that here, I realize some other city dwellers might not be equipped for such things.

If you can't mulch or compost your tree, the City of LA has 3 different ways to dispose of your Christmas Tree.

1. Cut it up and place it in your standard green garden bin
   
   
2. Leave it curbside, if it is too big to fit in the bin (or you are unable to dismantle it)
   
   
3. Take your tree to a long list of drop-off sites around the city incuding various Parks and Recreation and Fire Station locations. This is a limited time option, though. You will only be able to do this on Saturday, January 2, 2010 and Sunday, January 3, 2010.

Here is complete information on City of Los Angeles Christmas Tree Recycling Program. Dispose of your Christmas tree properly!

Photo Credit: Flickr picture by Shira Golding

What's happening in my garden?

Image via Wikipedia

It has been a rainy week here in Los Angeles. Thank goodness, as even with substantial rain in the last 2 days, we are still running behind our yearly average. This is always a big deal here in LA as it effects everything from our gardens to overall water rationing.

Checking out the garden during a break in the rain, I notice that there is a lot going on. Some of the azaleas in the front garden are blooming and this is beginning of an overall bloom throughout that area. All the azaleas and 2 planting of raheolepsis are all pink and bring a cheerful note to the garden.

The paperwhites are almost finished at this point, with the snowbells blooming in different areas. The showiest display right now are the large daffodils I planted a few years ago. It is always great to see them return year after year. A few pop up among the purple lantana and lavender plants giving a boost to the local UCLA fans. The purple and gold theme is one of the few planned effects I created. Nearly everything else is haphazard or the produce the previous owner's hard work.

The wisteria went from buds to leaves in about one day, as the rains arrived. I would have liked to neaten it up a bit before it left dormancy, but I guess I will have to make do with with a mid-season pruning after it blooms.

The mature elm tree in the front garden is also showing signs of life again. While it does enter a dormant period, it doesn't seem to last that long. The ash trees go dormant for an even shorter period, though. They often don't lose every last leaf before budding and sprouting new foliage.

Every rain may be our last for the season and it is always surprising when we look back and remember that the last rain occurred 6, 7, 8 months ago. Growing up in Ohio, rain was a year-round occurence, so even after 23 years, I am still amazed at the near-desert conditions in my adopted home.