It's the first week of the month again, and I'm hoping some other blogger's will join me showing off the views of their garden. I started this project because I found many close-ups of flowers on my blogs, and I couldn't share the actual views of my garden with friends far away.
Now that it's October, I can really see some changes. Above, the Eriogonum arborescens (native buckwheat) is fading to a beautiful reddish brown, and the coyote brush, so brilliant green, is looking more dried out but starting to bloom.
The side view of the front garden shows even more noticeable changes, though not imposed by nature. Last weekend I removed the two Salvia mellifera (black sage) and the monkey flowers, which had annoyed me for most of the summer by having the nerve to go summer dormant. I replaced them with Lessingia filaginifolia 'Silver Carpet', a low-growing plant with greyish leaves that I hope will have pretty purple flowers for most of the year. I also put in two Arctostaphylos 'Emerald Carpet'. This manzanita cultivar has a reputation for needing quite a bit of water, but I have it in the side strip and it seems to cope with a hosing off once or twice a month.
So far, the new plants have settled in well, and I hope the winter rain will make them healthy and strong. For spring, I will interplant them with annuals.
In the side strip, you can see Salvia leucophyllia (purple sage), Mulenbergia rigens (deer grass) and A. 'Emerald Carpet' - an also the first of many leaves from the Liquidambar tree.
When I look toward the hammock, the brightly blooming Epilobium 'UC hybrid' California fuchsia more than makes up for the lost poppies.
Looking toward the house, in the other direction, the non-native sage delights with another flush of purple blooms, and the native buckwheat adds a splash of brightness between the Ceanothus (native wild lilac).
The side strip in the back is truly ready for a makeover. I have to prune the seedheads of Eriogonum grande rubescens (rosy buckwheat) and I've decided to transplant or compost the two chaparral currents. I don't even mind that they go more or less summer dormant, but their location fairly close to a fence gives them too little sun in winter so they didn't bloom last spring. I'm trying a small manzanita (A. densiflora 'Sentinel') instead.
Here's a side view of the same area. I do plan on leaving the scattered seeds of the Eriogonum for the birds, but it really is time for some clean-up.
Meanwhile, I'm enjoying the feeling of fall, seeds and hungry migrating birds, and the first of the changing colors.
If you like to show off some views of your garden, just add yourself to the Mr. Linky widget below. I'll enjoy visiting you!
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