Orange Blossom

This beauty is the climber rose Polka, blazing against the southern California sky on the last day of March.

Fence Runners

Now that the weather is warming up, these cute little guys are everywhere in the garden. Commonly called "Blue bellies" or "Fence runners," according to www.californiaherps.com, these should be Sceloporus occidentalis longipes, the Great Basin Fence Lizard.  Interestingly, if the fence lizard is bitten by a tick, their body produces a protein that makes them immune to Lyme Disease.  I think they must also be immune to "death by cat" by virtue of being an awful tasting animal, as our cat will catch these lizards, and play with them, but will not harm them and certainly never eat them.  He eats all other prey, including mice, birds and roof rats.  The one time we saw him eat a Fence runner, he promptly vomited, and has never eaten one since.

Two of the apples of our eyes.

The apple varieties Anna and Dorset Golden thrive in Zone 23.  Both require only about 150 hours of chilling a year, defined as temperature under 45 degrees, in order to bear fruit.  Most apple varieties require 1,000 hours of chilling.  Our Anna and Dorset Golden (for best results, plant one of each for cross-pollination) are true dwarves, each barely 5 feet tall after 10 years in the ground.  This is in contrast to our supposed "dwarf" Mexican Lime, which requires aggressive annual thinning and topping to keep it below 7 - 8 feet tall.  

Other than a deep soaking every week or so during the summer, the apple trees receive only surface watering from sprinklers (and of course natural rainfall).  As commented on a previous post, this winter featured weeks of unusually cold weather that I would estimate far exceeded 150 total hours below 45 degrees.  It's probably no coincidence then, that the two trees currently sport the healthiest-looking new foliage I've seen since they were planted.  Furthermore, this was probably the only winter when both trees completely lost all of their leaves.  So, although the two varieties will produce in our mild climate, they still appear to appreciate colder weather if provided.  In addition to the foliage health, the blooms were unusually showy in January, and now the small "applets" are very healthy looking as well.   In a few weeks, I'll thin the fruit so that the "chosen ones" will mature to a larger size come early summer, when they are ready to enjoy.  I highly recommend these two varieties of apple for mild climate gardening. 

Some of Spring's first roses

I pruned my canes fairly aggressively this winter, in early January, and the first big blooms are starting now, but the rose garden is probably two weeks away from its first big flush of blooms.  Here are some of the nice ones:  The peach bloom is a pretty massive David Austin Abraham Darby.  This has unbelievable scent, the only downfall is that the blooms are not long-lasting and often over-weight their support stem.  The bi-color is Betty Boop, which really grows similar to Iceberg in form.  This plant is in a pretty shady spot in the shadow of a massive climber rose on an arbor, yet it still performs well.  The red bloom is Fame, easily the longest lasting flower of the 25-odd varieties I grow, but absolutely no scent whatsoever.  Fame is also an extremely prolific bloomer with decent stems for cutting.  All of these plants are about ten years old, and I utilize a simple tube irrigation system.

Euphorbia euphoria

This spectacular plant is Euphorbia tirucalli, or pencil bush.  Poinsettias are also a member of the amazingly diverse euphorbia family, though it bears no resemblance to pencil bush whatsoever.  Right now, my pencil bushes are literally glowing with this beautiful red, coral hue.  They normally are dark green.  The Sunset Western Garden Book states pencil bush is best grown in three narrow climate zones - Zones 23, 24 and 13.  23 and 24 are frost-free coastal zones, while 13 is low desert, including Palm Springs.  This winter had brought a few very cold nights here in zone 23, where even puddles of water completely froze over.  Possibly this cold weather is the cause for this beautiful display of color?

Regardless, pencil bush is practically foolproof to grow, requires little water and propagates easily from clippings.  It achieves a unique and sculptural form up to several feet high.  It also performs well and looks great as a centerpiece specimen for a large pot. 

Not So Bad After All?

Since my garden is currently a bit ragged - but getting better due to hiring a new gardener who is a bit more than the typical "mow n' blow" guy, there are areas of the dreaded weed Yellow Oxalis. Looking at Yellow Oxalis with a glass half full viewpoint, you have to admit that it does produce a profusion of good looking blooms that would otherwise be welcome in any garden.