GardenBook

  My first post written about my April visit to the Taft Garden focused primarily on the Aloes which were abundant and happily for me, blooming . But Aloes , though they felt to me like the signature plant of that garden, were certainly not all there was to see. There was plenty of breadth to the plant inventory.    There  was no shortage of Agaves  Rock walls and the natural arrangement of rocks themselves within the loosely defined planted areas, along with the bright green of our winter grasses looked very fine with the backdrop of the surrounding landscape.It was as though the plants just belonged there.  This has to be  the largest planting of Xanthorrhoea I've ever encountered in one garden -it was essentially a grove.  A Grevillea I presume , but my research failed to confirm it's specific ID. I'm going with G. 'Frosty Pink' as my best guess.   There were Acacias , all beyond my Acacia nami...

  The possibility of rain is on the agenda  in the next few days , so it was good to get some photos of the roses while they still look good. I welcome the rain  even if it turns some roses into  blobs. Hopefully it's enough precip to allow  me to skip watering chores on the upcoming weekend, and the forecast is promising in that regard. Whatever the rainfall numbers this could easily be the end of it until fall. Of course it means more weeds-always a trade-off.  Bloomday is hosted by Carol over yonder at May Dreams Gardens ; be sure to visit to seek out more floral action .  Passiflora 'Blue Horizon' has exceeded expectations after failing to die back over winter. It's moving steadily into this NOID bush Fuchsia (that also stayed green all winter) and might be headed for the Birch adjacent to my front porch. Diligent observation and and possible intervention is called for.   This has been the very best year ever for Madame Isaac Pei...

 The Taft Garden has been on the punch list since our friend Denise posted about her visit in 2014 . It took me just about 5 years to make this happen even though I have been to that area almost every year since then. I think the relative low profile of the garden just caused it to drop off my radar. The intrigue surrounding getting in back in those days made me feel as though I needed to either 'know someone' or be a member of one of the horticultural  societys that were occasionally invited to tour . Apparently the Taft  Foundation has made peace with the neighbors , for now there is a website where one can request an appointment. Visit was duly scheduled and the map charting the non-GPS supported route arrived in my in-box. The road in is a bit sketchy the first time, partially from loosing the skill of reading a map and safely driving at the same time. Fortunately the map was excellent and there is little to no traffic - if you have to stop in the middle of the road...