A Gardener's Notebook » Uncategorized

Photo: Daffodils still holding on

Douglas E. Welch — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 18:34:57 +0000

Daffodils, originally uploaded by dewelch.

The daffodils I planted this year (75 in all) seem to be a later blooming variety, and those in the shady parts of the garden area lasting much longer than those in full sun. These have been in bloom for nearly 2 weeks now and are still going strong.

Photo: Daffodils still holding on is a post from: A Gardener's Notebook

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OMG Strawberries!!!

Douglas E. Welch — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 00:13:31 +0000

OMG Strawberries, originally uploaded by dewelch.

These strawberries were HUGE, but still had great strawberry flavor, which is unusual. I thought this shot turned out well, too, with the excellent depth of field and lighting.

Via Flickr:
Taken at an event for Friends of the Island Fox a charity dedicated to protecting this endangered species — the Channel Island Fox. Click this link for more information or to donate to the group. Friends of the Island Fox

OMG Strawberries!!! is a post from: A Gardener's Notebook

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Photo: Pond at Japanese Garden

Douglas E. Welch — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 19:47:32 +0000

Pond, originally uploaded by dewelch.

I have been using Flickr to share my photos since 2004 and have over 5,300 photos there which have been viewed over 33,000 times. I’ll be re-visiting some of my favorite pictures and also those most popular with other Flickr users.

This is one of the most popular garden-related posts in my Flickr Photostream. It is at the Japanese garden in Glendale, California where the previous photo was taken. See that post for links to more photos and the information for the site.

Photo: Pond at Japanese Garden is a post from: A Gardener's Notebook

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Photo: Elm tree leaves turn for Fall

Douglas E. Welch — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 23:25:15 +0000

Elm tree leaves turn for Fall, originally uploaded by dewelch.

It seems like the Elm and Locust trees just discovered it was Fall. Within just a few days they have changed color and are dropping leaves at a high rate.

We don’t get a lot of Fall color here in Los Angeles, but these provide a splash of color both on the trees and on the grounds.

One more rain storm or bout of high wind and they will all be gone, I imagine.

Photo: Elm tree leaves turn for Fall is a post from: A Gardener's Notebook

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Photo: Wine bottle edging in the garden

Douglas E. Welch — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 06:35:14 +0000

Wine bottle edging in the garden, originally uploaded by dewelch.

An overview of the wine bottle edging shown in my latest video.

Photo: Wine bottle edging in the garden is a post from: A Gardener's Notebook

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Photo: Fig harvest from our large volunteer tree

Douglas E. Welch — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 18:10:18 +0000

Fig harvest from our large volunteer tree, originally uploaded by dewelch.

We are getting 10-15 figs a day from this volunteer (well, bird-seeded) fig tree in the back garden. It s behind our little garden shed. This is good because it doesn’t take up a lot of space, but bad because it wants to reach up so high that it is difficult to get to the fruit.

My wife discovered that she loved figs a few years ago when she gathered some from another neighborhood tree, so it is nice to be able to provide her fruit from her very own garden. She found this delicious recipe for fig cake that she has made on several occasions. I will get that recipe from her and post it as soon as I can.

Once the fruiting is done for the year, I will probably try and prune this fig back into some sort of manageable shape in preparation for next year.

Photo: Fig harvest from our large volunteer tree is a post from: A Gardener's Notebook

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Photo: Plums (Italian: pruna/susina) with ash from Mount Etna

Douglas E. Welch — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 19:20:24 +0000

Plums (Italian: pruna/susina), originally uploaded by dewelch.

Here are some lovely, tiny, plums that were growing in our cousins garden in Sicily. Such a nice little mouthful, although it did have some fairly large seeds inside. Juicy as all get out, too.

That “dirt” you see on the leaves is actually sabbia, or ash, from a previous eruption of Mount Etna nearby. This ash makes for some very fertile, black soil, but the ash can negatively effective leaves and can prove toxic to grazing animals. Overall, though, it tends to allow for some amazing fruits and nuts. We tasted quite a few directly from the trees on this visit and they were quite amazing.

Photo: Plums (Italian: pruna/susina) with ash from Mount Etna is a post from: A Gardener's Notebook

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Photo: Olives near Morgantina, Sicily

Douglas E. Welch — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 12:58:40 +0000

Olives, originally uploaded by dewelch.

Morgantina is an ancient Greek city her on the island of Sicily. It was taken over by the Romans in 211 BC. Substantial ruins remain and we toured them the other day. In the parking lot, the major patch of shade on this extremely hot day was provided by this olive tree.

Olives are everywhere on the island, from front yards to back gardens to large fields covering the hillsides.Our cousin, Serafino, says that even his small collection of olive trees yielded a substantial amount of olive oil for his own personal use.

There is something so appealing in growing something that you can use throughout the rest of the year and share with friends. Olives seem to grow well in Southern California, too, so perhaps this might be a tree to add to the garden when I have to remove the pine trees that are infected by beetle. Hmmm, always a possibility.

Photo: Olives near Morgantina, Sicily is a post from: A Gardener's Notebook

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Espresso Cups planted with small cacti

Douglas E. Welch — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 09:20:51 +0000

Our cousin, Vito in Regalbuto, does some wonderful plantings, including bonsai olive trees. Here, he has made great use of the traditional cups used for coffee in the ubiquitous Sicilian bars that are on nearly every corner. I love the effect gained by massing a bunch of these together on a shelf. I think it is very striking and would be a wonderful centerpiece for any succulent or bonsai garden.

Espresso Cups planted with small cacti is a post from: A Gardener's Notebook

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Photo: Grape Vines and grapes in monastary vineyard

Douglas E. Welch — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 06:35:23 +0000

Grape Vines and grapes in monastary vineyard, originally uploaded by dewelch.

I saw this amazing scene when we visited a restored monastery last night in Nicolosi. For me, this sums up the beauty of the outdoors and of Sicily itself. The sun, the vines, the grapes all together.

I have had a small dream of growing a vineyard and making my own wine. Scenes like this only reinforce that dream. I can easily imagine this in my own garden in California.

Photo: Grape Vines and grapes in monastary vineyard is a post from: A Gardener's Notebook

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