Some Images of Spring

As I have been out and about working this past week, I have managed to take a few photos of sure signs of spring. With all of the rain we have been having, everything is popping to life. I know that the onset of spring is more subtle here than in areas which have snow, but it does happen. New leaves are coming out on the deciduous trees:

Persimmon

 

 

 

 

 

Japanese Maple

The trees are flowering:

Ash

The spring flowers are coming up:

Calla Lily

Cymbidium

Wisteria

Azaleas

 

 

 The vegetables are blooming as well:

Fava Beans

And the wind and rain blows away the smog:

Downtown LA as seen from one of my client's house

What a great season

violet seedlings

Violets are a beautiful and subtle addition to the garden, but they are quite prolific! I like to keep the seedlings down to a minimum and also in certain areas. Once the violets get full grown, they are quite hard to get out. I love the plants that self-seed because each year your yard looks a bit different!
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planting tomatoes

The highest garden I have - you get a work out just going to pick your vegetables. And the fence is to keep out the deer. I was planting the tomatoes and sunflowers when it started to rain on me. That is what happens in spring!
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picking Oranges!

The Valencias are finally ready. Navels ripen earlier but the Valencias make wonderful juice.
All in a days work
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the beautiful Sunset Nursey

This is a wonderful nursery on Sunset and Fountain in Silver Lake.
http://www.sunsetblvdnursery.com/about.html
They have a great selection of vegetable starts and seeds, plus a really nice selection of natives and xeric plants.
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purple smokebush

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grrrr

I just drove north on Western Ave from Jefferson to Sunset. Big mistake! Terrible traffic.

planting begonias

planting begonias
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planting 40 flats of myoporum

planting 40 flats of myoporum parvifolium. It is a good ground cover and I am hoping that it will cover this whole side up to the front gate. I forgot to take a picture of when it was done - I will try and remember tomorrow as I need to go back and plant some sunflowers.
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Home Depot

As a gardener, I find myself at Home Depot quite a bit. There are around 10 in the Los Angeles area, and quite a few more in the Greater Los Angeles area. I have been to 7 locations. The one I most frequent is the Hollywood location:

From the roof parking lot - can you read the white sign in the hills?

This location is completely insane always! I have heard that it is the busiest store they have and I believe it. Just getting into the parking lot is a nightmare, and then trying to walk down the aisles and purchase items can be daunting. The amount of people and cars and carts and large items, you feel as though you take your life into your hands. And forget about finding someone to help you.

I have learned to check over every item that I purchase, especially if it is in a bag or a box. For me this is usually irrigation items: timers and emitters and connectors. Once I bought a timer and when I went to install it, several parts were missing (small but vital parts). Oftentimes the bags have small holes in them and half of the contents are gone. You can only make that mistake once. It is worth the extra minutes I spend at the store checking over every item that I am to purchase. I wonder how much shop lifting costs the store every year.

The craziest part of the Hollywood store are the day laborers who stand on the outskirts of the parking lot looking for work. I have been told because of the crash of the construction industry, the amount of laborers has increased and the desperation has also. For those who do not know about this, these are men who are available to work that day for cash. Many homeowners will go and get a few guys for all kinds of jobs (painting, landscaping, moving, etc) Several times I have witnessed a naive homeowner who drives up to a group of guys for this purpose. All of a sudden the vehicle is MOBBED and, if the driver was truly a novice and did not lock the car doors, then guys are shoving themselves into the car! Upon seeing this, other guys from across the parking lot will start running over to the vehicle and soon there are 50 guys all looking to get hired and the car is lost to sight. Generally a security guard will come over and disperse everyone but it is quite a sight to see! I always lock my car when I drive into the lot. I have even had guys try and grab stuff out of my arms when I am loading my car so they can do it for me and then ask for money. No way! Though, to be fair, I have had a few of them insist on loading my car for free just because I am a woman. Chivalry is not dead.

Contractors use these laborers too, not just homeowners. It is illegal. Most of the day laborers are from south of the border (and not just from Mexico. That always bothers me, I have met many who are from Peru or el Salvador, etc.) Just think, if this was Arizona, every single one of these men would be rounded up by the police and arrested. I wonder if Immigration ever comes to the Home Depot parking lot. And I wonder what Home Depot thinks about this. Do they have a policy?

Here is an image to leave you with:

I dont know what they are but for $6.99 you could buy one!

The vegetable update

Has anyone noticed how popular (aka trendy) growing your own produce has become? I have to admit that it is VERY AWESOME! I am trying to become an urban gardener aficionado but fear I have much to learn. My profession is one shared by millions of, well, amateurs. People who love gardening LOVE GARDENING. It is a huge industry, I just happen to do it for a living. However, there are many non-professionals who know oodles more about growing vegetables than I. So I learn, and try not to get my ego in the way of learning. And I think it is fun to be able to buy lots of plants and seeds without, one, having to actually fork over my money, and two, that I do not personally have to have space for all the fabulous plants as I have many yards in which to plant them!HaHaaa

I checked out my seed supply the other day:

and I made a list of what I need. I think I will try zucchini and summer squash from seeds. At the nursery I was told to wait for a bit because it is still chilly out (grrrr). At my house I will plant tomatoes from seed and see how that goes.

I went to the garden in Bel Aire and here is what it looks like after several months:

That is dinsoaur kale and celery. The kale is great, and it is perennial. At the nursery they have some plants that are four feet tall! And very tasty. Just pull the leaves off the main stalk and leave the rest. Unfortunately the celery is very bitter. I may have to remove it.

I thought this was red leaf lettuce but NO. It is the spiciest mustard greens I have ever tried. Very tasty but quite a shock. In the front is a bit of broccoli, slow growing but quite delicious, and lots of parsley. Not bad for winter. Her father actually planted blueberries which you can see by the blue/white tags. I thought they were dead but upon further inspection, they are just fine. Her yard is cold so they are a bit behind other plants I know.
But it is spring! For sure! The trees are budding out and the stone fruit trees are blooming (apricots, pears, nectarines, etc) Here is a sure harbinger of spring:

The wonderful fig. Look at those little fruits already growing. So wonderful!