Wind damage in my area

These pictures are a good reminder that if you don't prune the dead wood out of your trees, a good wind is liable to do it for you.

We had a strong, cold Santa Ana Wind this week and any tree that had a bit of deadwood, or weak limbs, quickly shed them into streets, yards and even on top of a couple of houses. Sometimes you can't really tell if you have dead limbs higher up in the tree, but if you see them, it is best to remove them on your terms, and not the weather's.

Here in Los Angeles, we have the additional issues of dead palm fronds. These can look light, but they can come down with surprising force on unsuspecting cars and pedestrians. I wasn't able to grab a picture, but one street I passed was almost entirely buried in palm fronds, making it difficult for cars to even get down the street.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Garden Cleanup - "Up on the roof" (welchwrite.com)
• What I'm eReading...Down on the Allotment (welchwrite.com)
• What I'm eReading...My Tiny Plot (welchwrite.com)

Garden Cleanup - "Up on the roof"

Over the last week or so the temperatures have been cooling down and the mornings are grey and sometimes foggy. It is heard to believe after so many dry months, but the rains are coming. According to my records, the earliest rain I have recorded here in my garden was October 23, 2004. Typically we get one rain in October, but then we might have a dry spell until late November.

That said, it is important each year we clear all the leaves from the roof before the first rain arrives. The many trees on the property can create quite a pile and these leaves can cause the rainwater to back up under the shingles and damage the roof. We don't always make the first rain, but last night I decided that today would be the day to get things done. Then we will be prepared for whatever comes. There has been some talk of this year being an El Niņo. This is a cyclical weather pattern that brings extreme amounts of rain to the Southern California area. We have experienced one of these in the past and it indeed was very, very wet compared to a typical year. The Garden looked great, but many people suffered damage from mudslides through the surrounding mountains.

Here is what the roof looked like before and after our morning's work. Most of the leaves went into the compost bins, but we also had to start a separate leaf mold pile to hold the extra.

Related articles by Zemanta

• FREE CLASS! TPF Kids: Art & Science of Native Plants, with Pamela Burgess and Lisa Novick (welchwrite.com)
• Another Drought Year? El Nino Not the 'Great Wet Hope' (laist.com)

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.