Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Garden Blooming Blog Day. March 2011

Welcome to my monthly open garden day, cyber-style.


An ancient Spanish lavender sprawls a bit over the sidewalk.  The succulent Aemonium 'Sunburst' is the mother ship to cuttings passed along. In its maturity, the colorful leaf clusters diffuse the sun's rays, moderating the temperature of the soil of the rose it is companion to.


One of the best recent moves was simple. Tattered used-to-be white baskets at the mailbox were replaced with terra cotta azalea pots.  Not only are the pots more spruced in appearance;: the ivy geraniums responded immediately with a flush of healthy growth.


After a fresh weeding, redwood compost was generously spread over this dry and sun baked strip where only the most defiant plants flourish. First to bloom is the French lavender.


Look closely. Reno is inspecting the path just below the arch. Purple bracts of sea lavender (limonium) and the common freeway daisy are in a race to take over .  At 8 lbs, my forever-1- puppy isn't allowed to wander the garden unescorted. However, once she crossed 6 lbs., I worried less about the surveying daytime hawks or evening owls swooping her away.


To put my garden in the context of where it is situated, in the hillside community of Diamond Bar, where I now write about local history for DiamondBar.Patch.com


If you're in town this time of year in daylight hours, turn off Grand Avenue  onto  Lavender Drive. It's a little cut through right behind our local Target, near Calvary Chapel Golden Springs.  This seasonal display really shows off how lovely water -wise planting can be

Pride of Madeira (Echium candicans)- looks like something blooming out of a Disney dinosaur movie.



A sometimes painfully short-lived perennial, Pride of Madeira is a bit gargantuan for most private suburban gardens. The freely seeding spears are however, perfect for large expanses of public plantings. My mother loved springtime drives back here from her home in Whittier. There is a mass planting just this side of  Harbor Blvd on Pathfinder Road in Rowland Heights by the tennis courts.




Flourishing on Lavender Dr. in Diamond Bar, this is the type of landscaping makes me glad to have voted to become a city.



Along the same drive, a stretch of prostrate Rosemary finishes the setting with the fragrance of  inconspicuous blue blossoms and pine like needles.

One thing you have to know about heaven and  Diamond Bar. Both have no shortage of  bees.

Godspeed and Good Fortune.

11 comments:

  1. I grow sea lavender, but it doesn't look like that. Very nice post!

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  2. Very nice! Wish I could grow lavender here. Looks like you live in a lovely community!

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  3. Bonnie and Garden Girl- Thank YOU for being my early birds. I really enjoyed dropping by your gardens,also.

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  4. Oh my, your Lavender is spectacular!

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  5. Spring is definitely here. Your garden looks so fresh and pretty!

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  6. Hello Lydia,
    I love the association on the first photo !
    Greetings from Belgium !

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  7. Lydia,

    It goes without saying that your garden is ALWAYS spectacular! Love the pics of other site in Diamond Bar too. Yes, we are fortunate to have picked such a wonderful and beautiful community to call home.
    Really enjoyed yours and E's visit yesterday. We always have such a good time together.

    Hugs, Trisha

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  8. Thank you to all my visitors. I just spent the last half hour visiting the wonderful gardeners in cold climes, Belgium and South Africa.

    I don't know that a garden makes everything all right in the world- but it certainly help.

    Godspeed and Good Fortune

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  9. Every time I see a picture of Pride of Madiera, I lust after it! Just beautiful!

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    ReplyDelete

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