May 2020 - Taking Refuge

I woke up this morning thinking about refuge. Witnessing the suffering in our country from the relative safety of our mountaintop is quite the privilege. Every instinct we have has been telling us to become as food and energy independent as possible, and to create a place that offers comfort and diversion in uncertain times. 

This is now our whole life in one picture; the modest rented home from which we work, and the bit of land we are trying to fill with as much life as possible. It's a story of our times that feels right to tell. 

So thank you for reading, and here's what we've been up to in May...

May is one of my favorite months, the perfection of spring, the welcoming of the sun while everything is still green and before the hot, dry summer begins. It certainly is my favorite garden building time. It feels good to be back in the saddle, working in such a peaceful setting on a garden that will feed our family.

We don't have a lot of flowers around the place now; but what we do have we have a lot of! This huge clump of Salvia leucantha is tucked in a deep corner between the driveway and the front walk. It just needs to be cleaned up a bit in late winter and it blooms year-round. Same with the massive banks of lavender and lantana in the back - they must all have been here for years. I tucked praying mantis egg cases in several likely places earlier this spring - hopefully my favorite insect will be making an appearance later in the season!

So here is where May began - still in that frustrating "it looks great in my head" place where everything is just a mess. First priority was to get the poor strawberry starts planted (they've been waiting more than a week for us to get the bed gopher-proofed). Half the bed is "Quinalt" ever-bearing and half is "Evie-2" day-neutral. Next tasks: set up the second raised bed and fill the grow bags for the warm season vegetables. We'll have no shortage of sun, that's for sure. 

Speaking of sun, here's a sunset! It's interesting to watch its daily progress north; there's a different view every evening.

A week later and things are looking much better! I scored these beautiful chunky bamboo poles from a kind neighbor, and have been pondering what to do with them in the garden. The shortest one was used to span the gate, which was an immediate improvement! A second one will be suspended from the two tomato cages in the back, and will hold the cucumber netting. And the last four really wanted to be a bean teepee, so I said fine. 

I like adding height in the middle of a garden; it keeps things interesting and makes good use of your space. The metal raised bed gives the poles nice corners to lock into, and the whole arrangement is pretty darn sturdy.

I was going to have all my shelling beans grow up some sort of trellis along the south-facing side of the garden, but changed my mind for a couple of reasons. First, only one of the beans was actually a climber (oops!) Second, I now have a bean teepee! So I'll grow the one climber (Hidatsa Red Indian) on it, along with some heirloom Cannelini beans. The bush beans are neatly lined up behind, as they should be.

Flower break! This is the first bloom on my new Thunbergia "Rose Sensation" from Annie's Annuals. It is one of the most cheerful plants ever. I'm tucking vigorous vines in two opposite corners of the garden, hoping to enclose it a bit and provide shelter from wind. I have also popped a couple of moonflower seeds into the pot, I would love to get them growing on the fence as well. You can see little Rose peeping out in the lower left corner of the next photo.

I asked my generous neighbor if he had any more bamboo laying around, looking for something to do, and he did! I had been toying with the idea of reinforcing the top of the fence with bamboo, and the new pieces were perfect for that. Have I mentioned that zip-ties are the best invention ever? 

It's details like this that make the garden feel settled, complete and personal, no matter what you are working with. My design/build mantra is: finish your edges, hide your wires, mind your transitions and be generous with your materials. 

Remember when I said I'd figure something out for the gates in the deer fencing? Here's one solution. Another kind neighbor gave me some smaller bamboo poles, with top-knots still attached. I slit the deer fence right up the middle of the gate opening, and then wove a pole in and out along each edge and secured with zip ties.

At the top I trimmed the leaves to just above the edge of the fencing. Makes it look rather jaunty!

At the bottom I pounded a chunky piece of PVC into the ground. The bamboo ends drop in, bringing the fencing snug to the ground, and then I just secure the two poles together with a strong clamp to close up the garden at night. I like how the two sides gracefully fall open when I unclip them in the morning; I can also fold them back completely out of the way. 

Someday I'll have a nice gate here, but for now, this works fine. We really don't have deer nosing around this area of the property; it's off their normal browsing path, and there is SO MUCH else for them to eat that we haven't seem them expend extra effort for food. We close it up at night anyway (we've recently spotted chipmunks, rabbits and a sunflower-seed loving skunk, all of whom could cause mischief in a garden.) Time will tell what visitors we'll have, and how resourceful they will be - we really have no idea!

I've been flirting with this chair for ages, and decided I now have somewhere to put it. My daughter and I were talking recently about our mutual love of chairs. I think it's because I need to sit to really think and focus. When I'm planning a garden, I can sit motionless for an hour, just looking and thinking and planning and imagining. And once the garden is done, I like to sit and look at it! EVERY garden must have a chair or two, otherwise it's just a place to stand around in.

And who has time to stand around anyway, because the chicken coop has arrived! Bang on time as promised from Urban Northern Coops in Washington. It was beautifully made, reasonably priced and easy to put together. This is just part of our chicken housing arrangement though; with wild animals about we want to make sure the girls are safe, so we're designing a solid setting for it. 

Flower break! Hector is due to mow the meadow today (it has to be done for fire safety, and to prevent us from misplacing Milo). Viewed up close it's a very sweet collection of sturdy small field flowers (the yellow dandelion is about the size of a dime, for reference). It's been interesting to watch the succession of blooms.

But who has time for blooms when there is planting to be done? I will spare you the complete inventory; you'll no doubt meet the rest of the cast at some point. I will share a couple of highlights though; these exquisite pale-green zucchini come from Lebanon, and are very sweet and tender. 

Shelling beans are so cool looking! This mix includes several varieties, including these called Jacob's Cattle. I'm doing individual pots of each variety (don't YOU sort all your seed mixes?) These are beans that you leave on the plant all season until the pods turn leathery. Then you shell all of the beans at once, dry them a bit and then store them for the winter!

Another benefit to grow bags? They are a nice height for working at from a chair. Remember what I said about sitting? When I was a younger woman I thought nothing of plopping right on the ground (and I scratched my head at the "garden kneelers" I'd see in the gardening catalogs). Now I understand. My trusty camp chair has been great for this; I can prep soil, plant, thin, harvest and inspect for pests. And it will hold my beverage.

Carrots, beets and spinach are coming right along! We've been harvesting spinach leaves and beet greens for salads already. I don't harvest the whole spinach plant, by just removing the outer leaves you can keep it going a lot longer. This variety is called Bloomsdale and is so tender and tasty.

By Memorial Day weekend the sun has come out and night temperatures have topped 50 degrees, so you know what that means? We can plant all the tomato, pepper and cannabis seedlings and get our windowsills back!  

John's in his happy place in the back 420!

More fun with bamboo - now that the tomatoes are planted I can finish building the cucumber trellis. Kind of hard to see, isn't it? This is black vegetable netting suspended from the large bamboo pole, and anchored at the bottom with another piece of the slender bamboo. All firmly zip-tied to the tomato cages - this makes everything more stable. We have one grow-bag of pickling cucumbers (smaller and bumpy) and one of slicing cucumbers (smoother skin). 

As May draws to a close, my heart aches for the world. The solace of familiar garden rhythms has been comforting. Everything is in the ground and something new is sprouting every day. I even found the perfect spot for my small strand of prayer flags; you'd be surprised how much their gentle fluttering adds to the peaceful feel of the place. With bees settling in and the garden planted, our next project is to get our greenhouse and chicken area figured out. 

So now we're up to date, except for one more sunset! This is our view on a hot evening, with the high pressure holding all the fog down, and a knife-sharp horizon line.

From Anagallis to Zaluzianskya at Annie's Annuals

Boy did I see some beautiful things at the annual 'Art in the Garden' party at Annie's Annuals & Perennials in Richmond, CA this weekend. Sunny skies, temps in the 70s after a foggy morning, and a light breeze made for a delightful couple of hours. Any of their weekend parties is a fun outing; if you live in the Bay Area a visit is definitely worth the drive. Go with a group so you can 'ooh' and 'ahh' together. Call ahead to see when Annie Hayes herself is there; a romp through the gardens and nursery with this flower child is not to be missed.

Many of their flowers are rarities I had never seen before, and yet could take home in a frugal little 4" pot if I liked. So feast your eyes; a full description of every one of these plants can be found on Annie's excellent website. I particularly appreciate their 'Totally Useful Plant Lists' because, let's face it, they have a shitload of plants, and you've got to narrow things down somehow! Here's what caught my eye yesterday...

This charming, long-blooming ball of blue is Blue Pimpernel (Anagallis monellii) a tender perennial in Zones 9-11. I would love to use this in containers, true blue is hard to find!

In fact, it would look lovely with Ruffled Snapdragon, (Antirrhinum 'Double Azalea Apricot') what a looker!

It's July and warmer colors seem to dominate, like this Calceolaria integrifolia 'Kentish Hero.' A favorite of the staff at Annie's because it has not been "bred into weak, boinky oblivion!"

But the sweet pastels of spring can still be found, perhaps with a bit more attitude, like this Corydalis sempervirens.

LOVED Crassula erosula 'Campfire' what a perfect name!

Cuphea 'Strybing Sunset' is a surprisingly low-key little plant, given the  hot colors of the flowers; their small scale and the freshness of the foliage give it lightness.

I like how you'll never find two blooms exactly alike on the statuesque Dahlia coccinea; each has their own personality.

Uruguayan Firecracker Plant (Dicliptera suberecta) lives up to its, um, perky name! This one likes heat and humidity and is hardy to Zone 7.

I loved this perennial foxglove from Spain (who just won the World Cup! Well done!) Digitalis obscura is hardy to Zone 4; loves sun, sips water! And is now on my wish-list.

Ahh, I'm so glad I added this lovely native to my garden this year, Erigeron glaucus 'Wayne Roderick' named for a legendary California plantsman who died in 2003.

Here's another native for my list. Red Buckwheat (Eriogonum grande rubescens) likes dry clay soil and not much summer water once established. AND it has a long bloom period, summer to fall. Want.

Given that my Ghost Fuchsia (Fuchsia magellanica 'Sharpitor') is less than a foot tall, I was pleased to find this strapping six-foot specimen living happily in full sun. It looks so delicate!

A perky red perennial for dry shade? Yes please! Island Bush Snapdragon (Galvezia speciosa) is another lovely native from the Channel Islands that likes poor soil and little water.

There's a large specimen of Coastal Gum Plant (Grindelia arenicola) near the front gate at Annie's; little native bees practically bathe in the pollen (as you can see!) With a May-October bloom period this native would be a great addition to a habitat garden.

Another kicky red native hummingbird magnet for dry shade? Heartleaf Penstemon (Keckiella cordifolia) is going on my list too.

Whew, thank goodness we've reached the letter 'L' so we can cool down with a shot of Lobelia valida, a Zone 5 Hardy perennial that likes good drainage; it would be perfect in a container.

Marigold 'Harlequin' is an antique from 1870 enjoying a revival; makes a big rounded bush with these great stripey flowers!

Another cool breath of blue, this time from Monardella undulata, a rare native bee-balm. This will grow in almost pure sand near the coast; grows more lush in garden soil.

Cheerful nasturtiums, one of my favorite flowers.

This is the only plant I purchased this visit (several from my over-ambitious LAST purchase did not survive my neglect, so one was my limit this time). Nicotiana mutabilis is a tall, free-branching flowering tobacco with flowers that age from white to dark pink. I'm planting it near my porch to lure hummingbirds into close camera range!

Large containers of Red Chief and Apricot Chiffon California Poppies (Escholtzia sp.) just show you what our state flower can do, given some encouragement!

I liked this interesting Tibetan Primrose (Primula capitata), which is best in rich soil and part shade, perfect to tuck in up-close places like a shady patio with ferns. Hardy to Zone 5.

I was just thinking about Salpiglossis recently, remembering that it was one of the annuals I used to grow from seed, because I could never find nice ones in the nursery.  Annie's had several lovelies, including this wild collected strain of Salpiglossis sinuata from Chile. It will bloom all summer IF it's happy!

I enjoy the pungence of Salvia clevelandii in verrry small doses; it is a quintessential California scent. Was interested to see this variety, Salvia leucophylla x clevelandii 'Pozo Blue' which is more tolerant of summer water than the species, and has a softer scent.

The only plant I couldn't identify, it looks like a lovely yellow Salvia.

Probably a good contender for most intense flower of the day, this Butterfly Flower (Schizanthus grahamii), an annual for dappled shade, really has to be experienced in person to believe. Makes me think of cartoon clowns!

Certainly the winner for most bizarre plant in the place, Porcupine Tomato (Solanum pyracanthum) is a tender perennial with the craziest orange spines along the veins of its blue-green leaves. Click the photo to enlarge, see link for a picture in bloom.

Whew! Safely back to the soft yellow flowers of Verbascum 'Cotswald King.' At first I thought it was a Hollyhock! This species Verbascum is a biennial that comes true from seed, and is snail resistant (sold!)

Winding down for a cool, blue finish with Corsican Violet (Viola corsica) a shade perennial that reseeds nicely.

And a drumroll please for our final plant, with the unfortunate common name of 'Southern Lilac Drumsticks' (Zaluzianskya villosa) a perky annual from South Africa with flowers that look like they should be sprinkled on a cake.

Please enjoy your own visit to Annie's via these links; they'll be happy to ship plants to you with great care. And California gardeners, start planning your pilgrimage!