October in the garden

We had a most unusual summer, not many days of triple digit temperatures.   Lots of days of 95-95 degree weather.    California is in a drought period.   We have cut back watering, and no one wastes water now.     Rules about watering with shut off nozzles are in effect.   No water running down the gutter or across the sidewalks.  We can still wash cars, but not let the hose run while we scrub.     

I took out lots of plants from my overgrown back garden.    Some of the things I love, but require too much care had to be removed.    I like it this way.  Then my pal Nancy was landscaping her house in the country, the Taj Mahal of suburbia.    She had tons of rocks and paths and sod put in, and was looking for foundation plants.     I had lots to donate to the cause and her gardener was there to plant them.     the little white lilies, Japanese ones, I think - needed dividing, and some needed removing because they just overgrew the spaces I'd put them in years ago.   When I figured out I could grow them from seed, I started using them all over the place.  And they loved it here.  They require so little work or water, I thought she'd like them - and she did.  We filled up her SUV with bags and containers bursting full of them.   I can't wait til spring when I go visit to see how they fared the winter.    Nothing affects them here and their weather is almost identical to mine, so they should do famously.

It's the season for the Mexican Sage to bloom and here it is, right on schedule.    it towers over my head and spills across the pathway regardless of how many things I put in front to try to keep it back.   it wants to lean towards the afternoon sun.    

I've been making other changes in the garden.    It's getting a slightly Parisian touch once I started using stencils and paints to old windows donated by a friend.    She came and got the one with the mirror backing - it's in her living room now.   Mine are in the garden.   I'll post more pics soon.

the succulent photos are from the Lodi Grape Festival, an annual occurrence each year with loads of entries and good cash prizes.    These were among my favs.   

 One of the things I love about succulents is their versatility.  You can plant them in any old thing and they seem to thrive on neglect.  And occasionally they put forth mysteriously alienesque blooms.      

I found these really inspiring, and when I was at Home Depot last week, I found a couple tiny ones I didn't already have for my miniature gardens.

More about that later.     

enjoy the day and smell the roses.   Or the Mexican sage.