Sunday 8/30/2020

Nature is amazing

spotted on my morning walk

August flowers

Have you noticed the days getting shorter?  I notice it in the morning since I'm an early riser.  Well, it is the middle of August after all.

I have a bouquet of "Naked Lady" lilies on the dining table.  They grow pretty much everywhere in our neighborhood.  Sometimes I think they grow best where neglected.  We have a patch of them along the back fence.  A nice bit of color.

How is your garden this August?

Volunteer Cosmos

Planting a garden this year was not possible due to the construction work we were having done on the house.  It was pretty hard for DH to let that activity go but at least some of the yard has more or less permanent landscaping so it doesn't look too bad.

And then there are volunteers.  Cosmos shows up every year much to our delight.

Only one packet of seeds was ever planted and that was years ago.  In the beginning there was more variety in the colors that bloomed, now the majority of blossoms are this lovely fuchsia.  

Do you have volunteers in your garden?

Wisteria

It is "on again, off again" with blog posts as I travel back and forth between the Bay (internet access) and the River (no access).

Our wisteria is blossoming, the vine goes over our front gate.  It was a wonderful greeting as we returned home.

Here is a closer look.  This plant always amazes me because DH grew it from a seed pod he found years ago when we were on vacation.  It grew is a pot for quite awhile and then became part of the permanent garden.  It delights me every time it blooms.

I'm off to catch up with my blogger friends.

Neighborhood Walk - 7/14/16

Window shopping makes my walk more enjoyable.  One of the shops I make a point of passing by is called The Gardener.  They have large windows and always something interesting to see.

Right now they are featuring orchids in their windows.

I think orchids make lovely houseplants but admit I don't have a lot of luck with them.  I did have one that lived long enough to bloom again but it sat around with nothing but green leaves for quite some time.

Have you ever grown orchids with success?

Pindo Palm or Jelly Palm Tree

We are learning our way around the the landscaping at the River House.  There are lots of trees, most of which we have little experience with in growing.

Here you see a pretty palm tree behind the garage, right at the corner of the property.  Ok, I think I can identify a palm tree.

Then we walk around the side of the garage to get a good look and see these very large bunches of fruit hanging from the tree.  Are they dates?  Dates grow on palm trees don't they?

Looking closer at the fruit that has fallen to the ground I'm pretty sure they are not dates.  They are small and round. About the size of a quarter.

My internet research (not always accurate) leads me to believe it is a Pindo Palm also known as a Jelly Palm.  Here's a description I found of the fruit.  Fruit: The one-inch, yellow to orange-colored fruits are round to oval-shaped, and hang in large sprays from the tree. Each fruit contains a single seed. The sweet-tart flavor is reminiscent of both apricots and a pineapple-banana mixture.

I did taste a couple and they kind of reminded me of mango.  I also found some instructions for making jelly from the fruit but it is a lot of work as they are mostly "pit".  The jelly would probably be tasty though.

Have you ever seen this palm tree growing?  

A Wet Monday

Here by the Bay we have been getting some much needed rain. Drenching downpours at times.  

I managed to rescue some Calla Lilies from the garden.  The heavy rains were making most of them flop over.

Some parts of the U.S. are flooding, other parts are still struggling to catch up to normal rainfall.  We are in the struggle but already ahead of last year.

Precipitation Data for Select Bay Area Cities

Precipitation data for the last 24 hours will appear daily beginning at 1:00pm.

• City
• July 1st to   Date
• Percent of Norm
• July 1st to date last year
• Percent of Norm
• July 1st to date norm
• Total Season Norm

• Berkeley
• 16.53
• 72
• 12.54
• 55
• 22.94
• 27.62

Calla Lilies are quite common in older gardens here.  I like them, I think they have an Art Deco feeling and look rather elegant.

Wishing you a Happy Monday and just the kind of weather you want wherever you are.