GardenBook

 My collection of Mangaves' tolerance for my zone 9 winters here in Northern California fluctuates. I've lost a couple over the years but disfigurement is more common and they tend to grow out of it over the course of summer and fall. For the first couple of years I grew them they all lived in containers -I really didn't know what to expect and at least I was able to move them around easily to audition a variety of locations without commitment. I could also move them to protected areas in winter and learn which were the most frost and/or rain averse. Eventually I started planting those that endured winter with little or no damage  into the ground.   My first frost this year was in early November and  it kicked off a lengthy string of freezing temps overnight, the lowest of which was 25. It was a relief when the clouds rolled in and brought along mornings in the 40's. Unless you are one who eschews news media you probably know what happened next. My rainfall totals for t

 The January deluges here in California have finally subsided with only one day forecast to bring more rain in the next week or so. Last night the frost made a comeback but the sun is shining and the standing water in my garden has soaked in. Professional landscape photographers love to shoot in bad weather but they have weather sealed cameras and appropriate garb which I do not. I do have a couple pairs of waterproof boots and a raincoat , used primarily to get from the parking lot into the grocery store. The photos this Bloomday are consequently rain-delayed and a little rough since I didn't want to step into my water-logged garden during a rain break yesterday and could not get as close to the few plants that actually have flowers as I would have liked. Much cropping was involved.   The combination of either late nights and mornings in the 20's or dark soggy days have produced an almost flower-free January this year-I predict a glorious spring provided there is actual sun. S

  Except for a brief interlude at the beginning of the month when we were served up a half inch of rain , the low overnight temperatures here have been consistently in the low 30's with a few mornings dipping into the high 20's. Still, the afternoons climb into the mid-60's making for very pleasant gardening weather and I'm taking full advantage. The blooms this month are not abundant, but there are a few that are inexplicably still pumping out flowers with no sign of  damage from frost. It's interesting to observe the diversity of micro climates within my own small garden. I look forward to the blooms and the fall color on the Hakone grass. Finding a spot where this grass would do well for me involved a couple of fails-eventually I succeeded. All three are watered almost exclusively with gray water.   New to me this year , Jamesbritennia -I believe the cultivar is 'Goldstar'. Supposedly an annual  but so far shows no sign of biting the dust.   'Brass Ba