Monday, December 24, 2012

Christmas Wreath


Decorating for the holidays does not have to be expensive. This year I have not bought any decorations; including the Christmas wreath. I created a wreath out of existing Christmas decors and evergreens from my garden.

These are what I needed for the wreath:
1)      Metal wire, I saved the wire from last year’s wreath that I bought at a garden center
2)      Metal wire or raffia for attaching the evergreens and décor into the loop of wire
3)     Evergreens






 4) Decors, I used several Christmas balls and pine cones





  This is how to assemble the wreath:
1)      Make a loop out of the metal wire, make 2 or more loops for a sturdier base
2)      Attach the evergreens to the loop of wire, use a metal wire or raffia for this. Attach the evergreens  on 2 or more spots to make it more secure





 
3)      Attach the decorations


4)      Hang the wreath on the door using a ribbon. I used a red ribbon for this


With a few items and a little bit of imagination, the holidays doesn't have to be expensive.

Monday, December 17, 2012

Banana 1


The banana finally matured and ripened. It took almost 7 months from the time the flower emerged for the fruits to ripen and mature. The fruits are initially green in color and turned yellow.




The ripened banana fingers are golden yellow which is the typical color of most ripe bananas. The sizes of the bananas are relatively tiny, around 3 inches long. 



Although the size is not big, the taste is sweet but not overly sweet. The texture is a little bit firm and not mushy.

I am not sure the variety of this banana (for future, I will keep track of the variety) but I am not overly happy with it; I bought this at one of the big box home centers. The size and appearance looks like a “lady finger” variety but it does not taste like a lady finger.

I will try to plant something that bears bigger fruit although I will keep this plant. 


Saturday, November 24, 2012

Fall Gardening

Fall in sunny Southern California is the time to plant flowers and vegetables for their fall enjoyment. Mums and bulbs can be planted now. The mums are planted mainly for fall color. The bulbs are planted now so they can be established in the ground and start growing in spring.

Sometimes fall gardening in Southern California can be pretty tricky. My roses are still blooming but most plants are starting to lose their color and vividness. Last weekend we had rains for 2 days and this gave a spring look at the roses.



This is one of the English roses. It is drooping with the weight of rain droplets.




Rain drops on a red rose, not sure what kind of rose is this.

Roses in Southern California can still bloom in the fall.





The orange fruits are now starting to turn their color into orange.



Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Apples


There are thousands of varieties of apples most of which are cultivated for colder climates. But there are varieties suitable for Southern California, these are “low chill” varieties that do not require winter cold in order to bear fruit.

Most varieties require 500 to 100 hours of winter cold in but low chill varieties require less than 500 hours. Winter cold is 40 degrees Fahrenheit and below.

I planted a Gala apple 4 years ago and it is thriving well. I have not used chemicals to ward off bugs. Gala apples thrive very well in the Southern California climate which is similar to the Mediterranean climate. 


The fruits are not very big and have some imperfections which are typical for organically grown apples. What it lacks in size and appearance is compensated by its juiciness and sweetness. It is sweet with a hint of tartness and also crispy. Gala apples have at least 14% to 16% sugar making it very sweet. It also has a strong apple aroma.

It is early November and ready for the second crop. I harvested a bunch early summer while the tree is also in bloom. This is possible in the Southern California weather; the season is really long. 

Sunday, October 7, 2012

End of Summer Blooms


End of summer in the Southern California garden doesn’t mean everything is brown and tired. Some flowering plants continue to bloom. Roses are one of them. If roses are  deadheaded properly and watered enough they will continue to give out blooms although not as big as blooms in the spring.


I pruned my Bonica rose middle of summer and it is full of blooms although not as many and big as the blooms in the spring. The number of petals are also not as many as the spring bloom.


The Mexican sage is also in full bloom a few weeks after I cut it down in early summer. I cut it back to at least a foot and it came back beautifully.


End of summer is also the time to plant mums, asters pansy and petunia. I bought these flowering annuals at the local big box home center as they are all discounted. This is the best time to buy bargain perennials. They may not be looking at their best but that's because they are getting ready for fall and winter. They would come back beautifully in spring.


Sunday, September 30, 2012

End of Summer


When we get to the end of summer everything looks tired and old but there are things to be done in the Southern California garden. Plants need to be continued to be watered, it is essential that plants needs abundant water in order to extend the gardening season. Keeping plants watered helps them keep growing and looking good. Plants need deep watering, sprinkling should be avoided.

Some plants need rejuvenation by cutting them back. Many plants will respond and grow back if they are cut back. They don’t only grow back but will bloom some more. Again, watering is needed in order for plants to grow back.

Deadheading also will help prolong the gardening season. Deadheading will also help keep the garden tidy and neat.

The basil I planted early spring has produced flowers. This is my first time to plant a basil and I am not sure if cutting it back would produce more basil leaves.


Thanks to the mild climate gardening in Southern California is a whole year; plants can be planted year round.

End of summer is also the time to harvest what you have planted. A month after I harvested the first bunch of grapes, I continue to harvest more grapes. More grapes need to be harvested in the coming weeks.