The Cats Are All Right

One of my biggest concerns about moving to an apartment was the impact on my two cats, who from kittenhood have enjoyed the run of nice gardens. They napped under the shrubs, patrolled the perimeter, greeted guests (or hid from them); in short, they were a part of the landscape. I felt sad that they wouldn't have that any more. I might have been projecting, just a little...

Fortunately the complex I chose is pet-friendly; and after a few busy weeks, we're all settling in just fine. Haku can now be found lounging on the balcony love seat, and although Zennie still spends much of her day under my bed, she does emerge at night to claim the top of the cat tower as her own (Haku is learning that it's best not to dispute this, especially when she has "that look in her eyezzz!")

Haku and Zen are brother and sister, almost eight years old, and getting to that "sleeping most of the time" stage of their lives. I felt no need to "cat-proof" the balcony, although I probably would with a rambunctious kitten. Their requirements are met, we're all OK with the litterbox situation, and there is still plenty for them to look at...

Like our first hummingbird at the feeder!

This birdhouse has sheltered several generations of chickadees, titmice and sparrows in turn. Hopefully it will be discovered here. I love the "happy accident" of its reflection in the mirror on the storage room door, allowing me to watch from the living room.

So far I love apartment living; I miss my washer and dryer the most, but love the endless hot water, low heating bills, and the nearby grocery store, nursery, movie theater and light rail station. I've lost more than the weight of my mortgage; for once I feel as though I'm living within my means and touching the earth more lightly as a result. There is now room for new things in my life, and I'm starting to discover them.

It was less than four months ago that I began this final stage of life re-engineering, in the autumn of a tumultuous year. Now it's January,  and I'm home. There's a feeling of spring in the air and a strong sense that everything is going to be OK. Thanks for hanging in there with me!

In Which We Begin and End with Artichokes...

Stellar day in the garden; unexpectedly cool and cloudy for June and my first free Saturday for weeks. Perfect for tidying up AND taking pictures. These artichoke blooms are from some of the smaller side shoots; usually not worth the trouble to cook, but lovely to look at later!

They look especially nice with Priscilla. Loving the new brown stain on my fence and arch; an absolutely perfect color and finish.

First fruits on my young Fuyu Persimmon!

And it is now confirmed that we will have Tangerines for Christmas.

I haven't shown this much as it has been growing in, but this is my juniper 'lawn' that wraps around the outer curve of the garden. It is a Monrovia variety called 'Icee Blue' which gets no taller than four inches, and is very soft (not prickly). It also matches the Blue Senecio planted nearby. I've let some volunteers hang out between the plants for now, but will make sure to keep the way clear with a continuous blue carpet in mind. The cobble edge will give it something nice to snuggle up to.

So here's my deal with self-sowers; I let them come up wherever they want, grow for awhile, then I thin them out into a pleasing arrangement (as I've started above with the Nassella and Limonium seedlings that came up everywhere this spring). Because of the mulch, they pull out easily. Plants that choose their own spot often seem healthier and hardier than transplants, and they're free, so I don't feel at all bad tearing them out if they no longer suit.

One of my favorite grasses, Miscanthus sinensis 'Morning Light' doing its thing, what a beauty. I've just added another farther down the fence where I have a gap just this shape!

Our old friend Leucadendron 'Wilson's Wonder' doing a whole new thing for summer. There's my new Miscanthus peeking from behind, next to the Grevillea 'Coastal Gem' which has become its sedate summer self.

Here are a few new additions this spring. This is a Fig-Leaved Hollyhock (Alcea Rugosa) from Annie's Annuals, which is supposedly resistant to rust (so far, so good!) I can't wait to see its pale yellow blooms against the blue fence!

Another Annie's find is Rudbeckia triloba, a little-known heirloom. Two of his comrades succumbed to a massive snail attack, but he seems to be out of danger.

Another new Rudbeckia is 'Cherry Brandy' purchased in a jumbo sixpack from my nursery. The weakest of the herd was immediately sacrificed to the snails, but the other five are settling in.

This looks like a seedling of our native Coyote Brush (Baccharis pilularis) which I like; the scent of its leaves on a hot day is, to me, the essence of the California foothills. It can stay!

Ok, file this under 'WTF happened here?' I suspect an after-hours rolling cat tussle. Oh well, looks like I have a few more 'Plum Purdy' Aeoniums for the nursery!

I have been on the fence about Aeonium 'Ballerina' since winter (it looked dreadful, and this is a prime location). But the soft billowy mounds it's making now are quite lovely, and no trouble whatsoever. And if I ever want a green wall, all the bits are right there!

These shots are from the porch, where I retreated as the sun began to emerge (remembering when a few hours of gardening didn't leave me hobbling, what's up with that??) Love the Nigella with the Thyme path in the background and a few flower spikes of Stachys 'Primrose Heron.'

Caught in the act! Haku walks up and starts gnawing on this young Nassella; both cats love to do this and then hork it up later at some inopportune time and place. Charming...

"What? Do I have something on my face?" Look at the chomp he took. Luckily this grass won't even notice (or stay there very long for that matter, I don't let many of these guys reach maturity, and pull them out as they get too big).

Yes, my darling, I can see you over there...

There's always something going on at the water cooler, er, fountain. I love how this view aligns with my porch chair; love it even more when I have my camera in my lap when company arrives.

Here's my other artichoke plant. I bought both at the same time, with the same label, but the chokes were a slightly different shape and color, and as you can see, are even blooming differently. It's a mystery! Thanks for visiting, and sincerest Solstice greetings from my garden to yours!

California Fallishness

We had a gorgeous California fall weekend; warm and sunny, blue skies. Great gardening weather, but while I managed some drive-by weeding and tidied a bit, I was a lazy gardener (again!) I get so distracted by the colors, the shapes, and the light, the way plants change, like the Dodonea donning its glossy, maroon winter costume.

~Click any photo to enlarge~

Or how this stone plaque is now so nicely framed by the Boston Ivy; it used to just hang on a bare fence.

I notice how the plants in the courtyard are now flowing into each other, and how the Honeysuckle is on its way to being a venerable old vine, twisting around the post.

I'm still putting my new camera through its paces, and have learned a few things; I love how I can capture so much of the garden in one simple frame.

Nandina 'Firepower' is lovely in the afternoon light. The Isotoma groundcover is perking up after the recent rains.

Fuchsia thymifolia is a lovely little shrub, I've had this in a pot for several years. Yes, those flowers are extremely tiny!

I'm not a big fan of boxwood, except for this variegated variety. I love how it glows, in its tidy way, where I dot it through the garden.

Begonia richmondiensis is SUCH a sucker for a close-up; please click on this one to see the larger version, but only if you love a shot of iridescent pink on a Monday!

The only thing cooler than Manihot leaves are Manihot leaves on a bamboo-dappled October afternoon.

Moonlight Yellow Nasturtiums are one of those plants that you will always find in my garden. I give it some suggestions, but it really decides where it wants to be...

Like in the middle of the carpet roses!

Fig leaves! That's it, just Fig leaves!

Another Nandina shot; I love the subtle, curling contours of the leaves as well as the color.

The cats attended my photo shoot, so with no (sensible) hummingbirds around, they will have to do! Zen enjoys lurking in the grasses; she thinks she can't be seen.

And Haku enjoys snoozing in the grasses; he doesn't care much whether he's seen or not!

Cats In The Garden

My friend and colleague Julie Orr came to visit last week, to interview my obliging cats for her terrific blog on petscaping. Haku the extrovert was happy to demonstrate one of his favorite garden pastimes for her, rolling in the crushed-rock path (he now wants an agent!) This got me thinking about how much I love watching my cats in the garden, and how many of my design choices were made with their habits and enjoyment in mind.
Not to be outdone, Haku's sister Zen has her own favorite 'cat wallow' under the Red Umbrella (where she is always assured of an appreciative audience). Such places are just one feature of a cat- friendly garden. Others are quite simply 'things to lounge on' and 'things to lounge under'
This picture was taken several years ago, in my last garden, which was created using many large granite boulders from the Sierras, a specialty of the landscape architect we hired. They made an ordinary flat landscape a much more interesting place to look at, and, evidently, to hunt in (their sights were set on a fat squirrel in the birch tree, who was never in the slightest danger.)
The boulders were ideal for hiding behind, or lounging and looking handsome upon: cool in the summer, warm and dry in the winter.
Shy Zen has always been good at tucking herself picturesquely into the garden, preferring to observe her domain from the safety of a leafy bower. Evergreen shrubs, trimmed up and well mulched, are natural shelters year-round.
My favorite plants to use in a cat-friendly garden, however, are grasses and sedges. These tough plants are beautiful and resilient. Many, like this Carex divulsa (Berkeley Sedge) are nearly evergreen in California, only needing a good winter trim to prepare them for a burst of new growth in spring.
In my last garden I had several large clumps of this obliging sedge in front of my office window. The cats seemed to like that area better than any other. They would hide under the arching leaves, lounge atop them, even use them for wrestling practice.
Plants that take this kind of abuse with no ill affect are a wonderful foundation for a cat-friendly landscape. More than once I have encountered a pair of big green eyes observing me from under one of them as I work in the garden. Here Zen takes refuge beneath the glossy orange/green blades of Carex testacea.
And the only thing better than one kitty in the sedge is two kitties in the sedge. If I were a cat, this is where I would be on a warm summer's day.

A garden that everyone in the family can enjoy without worry and concern is a treasure, and to see my happy critters so at home in the landscape we share makes me happy too.