After the hottest year on record, we’ve had another unusually wet winter. Our garden turned a luxurious green with joy. Red camellias, in the captioned photo, blushed as we passed by on the way to and from the parking area. With a few exceptions, the succulent plants have also responded well to the soaking.
The growth of the potted Aeonium Mint, shown below, was impressive. Just two plants! Compare its growth since October 2023.
Other large potted plants in this open area, shown below, have also responded well to the drenching.
The Aeonium Kiwi, one of my favorite succulents, is also happy. Thankfully, the open area did not flood and drained well.
Neighbor’s Garden – Summer 2023 – Los Angeles – Southern California
Gone are the days when I could spend hours soaking up the summer heat at the beach. Nowadays, I risk suffering from heat stress, as occurred on two occasions during a heatwave in July. To get out for my weekly chores meant leaving home after 4 p.m. when temperatures became bearable. Mind you, even then, I couldn’t forget my hat and a bottle of lifesaving ice-cold water. Worse still, I had to reduce my weekend gardening hours to just two hours from 5 to 7 p.m.
Thanks to an unusually wet winter, after several years of drought, our plants responded well to the excessive heat. In August, Tropical Storm Hilary also drenched us with two days of steady rainfall and cooled us down, if just for a while. The Propeller or Crassula Falcata succulent plant stole the show with its spectacular red blooms. A gift from a former neighbor who moved out last year, the plant (shown on the left) produced five blooms this year, compared to two last year. The Propeller plant, shown on the right in its early stage, is a young plant I bought last year that has flowered for the first time.
A new neighbor, who moved in last year, transformed his plot with a metal bench and added several potted plants. The flowers he planted for summer added joyful color to our garden. (See captioned photo.) How wonderful to have another garden enthusiast among us!
The garden featured below belongs to another neighbor and friend, a working mother of a seven-year-old daughter, who caught the gardening bug some years ago. In a once-neglected area of our courtyard, she has created a garden that changes colors with the seasons.
Located near the rear entrance/exit, her apartment is unique in having a two-panel glass wall, instead of a window, in her dining room area. As shown in the photo on the right below, she has taken advantage of the afternoon sunlight to set up an indoor garden. With its wide variety of plants, her garden is a delight to explore.
African ‘Lily of the Nile’ – Rosaliene’s Garden – Los Angeles – California – June 17, 2023
After an unusually wet and frigid winter, I was relieved that most of my plants had survived the deluge. A few, like the potted lime tree and croton bush, gained new life. Spring struggled to come into its own, remaining cooler than normal. The plants that flower in the spring are featured below. The captioned photo of the purple African ‘Lily of the Nile’ was the last plant to flower and is still in bloom.
The drought took a toll on the Amaryllis lilies, as shown in the photos below. This is the first spring that the stems only produced two flowers instead of four.
Amaryllis – Spring 2014Amaryllis – Spring 2023
The yellow Calandivia succulent plant added much needed color to the garden plot in front of my apartment. I’ve had this plant for several years now and, despite the drought, it continues to bless my spring days with much needed joy. The adjacent plant pot with purple Graptoveria Debbie also added a touch of color with their star-shaped yellow mini-flowers.
Yellow Calandivia Succulent Plant – Spring 2023Purple Graptoveria Debbie – Spring 2023
My favorite succulent rosettes, like the two plants below, all flowered this year. They have a strong not-so-pleasant scent that attracts the stray bees that visit my corner of the garden.
Aeonium ‘Kiwi’ – Spring 2023Aeonium ‘Kiwi’ – Spring 2023
My indoor garden got a great boost this Mother’s Day with five new plants from my sons. So far, none of them have died. I keep them on top of the sideboard cupboard below my living room window where they enjoy the morning sunlight. As you will note in the photo, three of them are on the window ledge.
Temperatures are expected to rise this weekend. I’m brazing myself for the summer heat ahead. To my American readers, a Happy Independence Day!
Rosaliene’s Indoor Garden – Los Angeles – California – Spring 2023
Map of the United States showing intensity of drought
California, on the west coast, shows intensities D3 & D4
According to data released on September 4, 2014, by the U.S. Drought Monitor, California, with an estimated population of over 38.3 million, leads the nation with 82 percent of the state facing extreme to exceptional drought. Water scarcity is dire in the Central Valley where half of America’s fruits and vegetables are grown.