Can You Find These in Your City's Downtown?

Remnants of Rural Life in Downtown Paso Robles

My hairdresser gave me a late appointment Thursday afternoon. When she finished cutting my hair she invited me to stick around for a few minutes until she closed so we could take a walk downtown together. She knows I like to walk. We're almost neighbors in Templeton, but we only see each other during my haircuts. I welcomed the chance to walk with her.

A Full Size Pomegranate Tree on Pine Street Across from the Train Depot

From Uptown Hair on 7th Street, we walked down Pine toward the City Park. I had been curious about seeing the new senior residential care center near 7th and Pine, across from the train station. Margaret knows a lot of the residents because she takes care of their hair. We didn't go in, but one of the residents thought we wanted to come in so she opened the door. Before we knew it one of the caregivers was behind her, making sure we were not up to anything nefarious.

Love to You Greeting with Pomegranate

When we got to the corner we saw the pomegranate tree. I've seen my residential neighbors plant both dwarf trees with inedible fruits and full size pomegranate trees in their yards, but I've never seen one this large around the neighborhood. This one was huge. As you can see some of the fruit is beginning to turn red, but much is still green. I wonder if the homeless folks have discovered this healthy food source yet.

Large Pomegranate Tree in Downtown Paso Robles

A Pumpkin Plant on a Commercial Lot?

Or might it be a squash plant? I couldn't get any closer to it since it was behind a fence on private property. In any case, it seemed a bit out of place so close to the center of town, but that's Paso Robles for you. There are still single family homes right downtown.

These urban gardens and fruit trees remind me that Paso Robles is still a city in the north end of an agricultural county. If I remember correctly the pomegranate tree is in front of a single family home. Now the area is mostly commercial. Still, there's an old almond orchard almost right across from the Marriott Hotel and the Gateway Center on Vine Street. And I've even seen deer use the crosswalks on 12th and Vine downtown


Grow Your Own Urban Garden!



Do you see fruits and vegetables growing in your downtown?

What Blooms in Paso Robles in Early Summer?

Early Summer In My Yard

June disappeared before I could finish showing you all of the flowers growing in my front yard. I covered the front flower bed  here. I kept taking photos, but June soon became July before I could get the rest of my photos edited to post. Most of those same flowers are still blooming, since Mother Nature uses her own calendar. To introduce this post we will start with the goldenrain tree that blooms in June. It's still in bloom in July. See why I love to hate it here.

A Look at the Side Flower Bed from the Street to the House

It's amazing to me how fast this section filled out once I started planting in 2013. Before that it was almost empty except for a few gazanias and weeds. There was also a holly bush in the middle. Here's a peak at the section closest to the street before we planted it in 2013.

Here's the tip of the triangle as it is in June 2018. The lawn is brown due to water restrictions. The very tip is fruity teucrium. It appears something is keeping the drip irrigation from getting past the front flower bed by the house, and I will need to hand water this before it dies. I will also have to find out what's happened to the system so I can get it fixed.

By now you probably recognize the yellow gazanias, since they seem to be everywhere -- even in the lawn. Behind the fading irises is a miniature rose. The deep purple iris is still in bloom as of June 11, but is starting to fade.

Below is most of the rest of that bed. Use the irises as a point of reference. Crowding the irises from the left is the Spanish (aka French) lavender. I planted it after seeing it in bloom at Trader Joe's. It reached its peak in May, but there are still a few flowers. Although it's drought resistant, I'm sure the drought hasn't helped it, nor the broken irrigation. It's another plant the bees cover when it blooms.

 Behind the lavender is the wormwood. It's not in bloom yet. Behind it is a rosemary bush that came from a root cutting from a plant in back. In fact, every rosemary plant you see in front was propagated the same way. It doesn't take long for those root cuttings to become huge shrubs.

Yellow Gazanias, Spanish Lavender, Fading Irises, Miniature Roses

Let's take a closer look at the fruity Teucrium at the tip of the triangle. It's also known as bush germander. At least that's what the label said. I'm beginning to think it is really Teucrium chamaedrys "Prostratum because it certainly never became a four-foot high bush. I'm not disappointed because I really wanted it as a ground cover and this one plant certainly covered a lot of ground. It also seems to have overcome the tansy, which will bloom later, whose bright green fern-like leaves are competing for space. Read more about my experience with these plants I intended to be garden friends that complement instead of compete with each other..

Fruity Teucrium in Bloom, © B. Radisavljevic

Normally this is covered with bees, but I didn't have the patience to catch one in this shot. They move so fast!

Moving Closer to the House along the Side Flower Bed

Most of the other flowers in the side bed are not in bloom or are also in other flower beds. Gazanias are everywhere, as is Lamb's Ears. What's different is the blooming sages. Here's an overview of the part of the bed with the most blooms.

You've already seen close-ups of gazanias, clary sage, and Lamb's Ears in previous posts here and on my Paso Robles in Photos Blog. Let's take a closer look at the black sage.

The black sage has almost finished blooming, but as of the end of June there were still a few small flowers left to attract the bees. Now all that remains are the skeletons of the flowers which held the seeds. This was taken on June 11. You can still see the tip of one small light purple flower near the center of the left edge between two stems.

Black Sage Up Close, © B. Radisavljevic

Here's how that plant looked in April when more flowers were open.

Black Sage in Bloom, © B. Radisavljevic

The dried flower whorls are quite fragrant. They might make a nice centerpiece that smells like sage.

Wild watermelon sage is still in full bloom and brightening the middle of my side flower bed.

Wild Watermelon Sage in Bloom, © B. Radisavljevic

Wild watermelon sage requires little attention or water once it's established. It's happy even after this third day of triple digit temperatures, in spite of the drip irrigation being broken.

Here's another photo showing more of the plant and the way its flowers are arranged. As you can see by its leaves, the sages are related to the mint family.

Wild Watermelon Sage in Bloom, © B. Radisavljevic

The other plant blooming in my side yard and all over my neighborhood is oleander. This attractive but poisonous plant is quite drought-resistant.

Oleander in Bloom, © B. Radisavljevic

I have a long hedge row of red oleander along my side fence. Many of my neighbors also have one or more plants. Some have pink or white oleander shrubs. Click this link to see my photos of more oleander plants and how they change during the year.

The Flower Bed Beside the Garage

This flower bed is shady during the morning hours, but it still has enough sun for flowers to bloom. I have star jasmine all along the garage wall, and it really takes off in June. The bees love it. In the photo below, you can see the butterfly bush in bloom quite close to the garage wall. There is jasmine behind and in front of it, creeping along the ground. I have a much older butterfly bush plant in Templeton that has purple flowers. It got very tall and wide, and one year the wind blew it down. I thought it was a goner. I was surprised at how it adapted and survived.

Butterfly Bush Surrounded with Jasmine, © B. Radisavljevic

Here is a close-up of the jasmine flower.

Jasmine Flower, © B. Radisavljevic

I am also growing some transplants in pots in this flower bed. One of these is lemon balm which blooms in the early summer. The mother plant is in the pot, but more is growing around the pot where it appears the mother plant reseeded.

Lemon Balm Blooming in Early Summer, © B. Radisavljevic

Here's a close-up of the lemon balm flower.

Lemon Balm Flower, © B. Radisavljevic

The pink grapefruit yarrow is also growing in a pot in this flower bed. It was red in May, but is fading in June. The color seems to change with the weather.

Pink Grapefruit Yarrow, © B. Radisavljevic

How many of these plants have you seen blooming in your area? Are you growing any of them?

What Blooms in Paso Robles in June? Part One

My Paso Robles Neighborhood is Bursting into  Color in June

A lot of flowers that were not yet blooming in May popped out as June began. I was going to squeeze everything blooming in my neighborhood in June into one post, but that post kept getting longer. So this post will show you what's happening in my front flower bed closest to the house. I hope you will meet at least one new flower or herb before you finish reading.

Clary Sage Flower Spikes Next to Gazanias, © B. Radisavljevic

Clary Sage Spikes Appear

Among these new arrivals are the flower spikes of clary sage that bring shades of lavender, orchid, and plum to the garden. Above they are pictured in my side flower bed with the almost ever present cheerful orange and yellow of my gazanias. These clary sage plants all were just seedlings last year, children of their mother in a pot in the front flower bed. Now these seedlings are popping into bloom in many places in my garden. Learn more about The Growth of Clary Sage.

Here's a clary sage bud that appeared the first week of June. Notice the ladybug on the left side of the plant.

Clary Sage Bud and Ladybug, © B. Radisavljevic

Here's a closer look at a bud. Its leaf also has a bug visitor.

Clary Sage Bud with Insect Visitor on Leaf © B. Radisavljevic

This was taken a week later. I got in closer to show you the details of its delicate colors. Clary sage is a plant I appreciate more when I'm not too close. It has a strong odor that I don't particularly like.

Clary Sage Flower in Bloom, June 2018, © B. Radisavljevic

Lily-of-the-Nile (Agapanthus) Blooms and Chard Bolts

The buds of this flower that appears each June appeared during the second  week. They pushed their way up through the Lamb's Ears, still in bloom, that surrounded them. By this time the chard was bolting. I'll give you a closer look at the seeds later.

Bolting Chard, Lamb's Ears in Bloom and Agapanthus Buds, © B. Radisavljevic

By June 21, the lily is blooming. The chard isn't as tall as it appears, since I was shooting the photo looking up at the lily. You can see more clary sage in the background.

Bolting Chard, Agapanthus Beginning to Bloom, and Clary Sage Flowers in Background, © B. Radisavljevic

Here's a closer look at the seeds of the bolting chard nuzzling up to the irises which are almost completely gone. As you see, I've trimmed a dead one off.

Bolting Chard Invading Iris Leaves,  © B. Radisavljevic

Here are some of the fading irises and the last of the pale ones to bloom.

Blooming and Fading Irises,  © B. Radisavljevic

More from the Front Flower Bed

The borage flowers are on the extreme right, slightly above their large leaves. It's probably obvious that the garden has been doing its own thing since the winter rains. I haven't had time to get rid of the grassy weeds or the burr clover (small yellow flowers) that want to smother everything else.

The catmint, which should bloom any day now, has escaped from its pot and seems to be holding its own, as is the borage which reseeded prolifically this year. A tiny scarlet pimpernel flower peeks out in the middle left between the burr clover and the borage leaves, even with the angel's wing.

On the upper left a single blue scabiosa (pincushion flower) pokes its head into the mix. I'll give you a better look at the individual plants below.

Garden Angel Dreams of Waking up to a Flower Bed without Burr Clover,  © B. Radisavljevic

Borage and Friends

Borage in Bloom,  © B. Radisavljevic

Above is a close-up of a borage flower and many buds. We are in a heat wave, and judging from the color of the leaves,  I think the borage plants are beginning to die for the year unless some more seedlings appear. That's too bad. I love throwing the flowers in my salads.

Capture June Blooms in Your Correspondence

I've put some of my borage and calendula on blank cards to share with your friends. Adorn your envelopes with roses.

Seven-Spotted Ladybug on Borage Blank CardBorage-and-Calendula, Beautiful Borage CardRose Garden Sticker: Take time. Classic Round StickerPink Rose Return Address Label

Scabiosa (Pincushion Flower)

Scabiosa at All Stages of Growth,  © B. Radisavljevic

Above is a more complete scabiosa plant than you saw above. It is a faithful bloomer during much of the year and contrasts nicely with the yellow and orange flowers like calendula and gazania which are its neighbors. In the photo you see all stages of the flower from bud to bloom to seed head. You also see a busy bee foraging on the top right.

Scarlet Pimpernel and Borage

Scarlet pimpernel can be a weed to get rid of or a flower to keep -- whichever you choose. I choose to keep it, since it's more pleasant than most weeds and helps cover the ground. I happen to like its tiny brick-red flower, though the color of those that grow in my yard seem to be more coral than red. Its leaves resemble those of chickweed. In the photo below its tiny flowers surround a borage leaf. Its own leaves are almost invisible in this photo, but you can see a flower popping out from its leaf cluster dangling over the left side of the borage leaf. It's almost the only pimpernel leaf cluster you can see not covered by the burr clover.

Scarlet Pimpernel with Borage Leaf and Burr Clover,  © B. Radisavljevic

Below, the scarlet pimpernel flowers are surrounded with budding borage and the burr clover I'm in the process of removing.

Scarlet Pimpernel with Borage Buds and Burr Clover,  © B. Radisavljevic

Have you noticed in these photos how fuzzy the borage leaves and buds are? They taste like cucumber  raw, but I only eat the flowers that aren't so fuzzy. Leaves, flowers, and stems are edible. Leaves and stems can be steamed or put into soups. Borage also has medicinal uses I haven't explored yet.

Scarlet Pimpernel with Fuzzy Borage Buds and Burr Clover,  © B. Radisavljevic

Nigella and Hyssop

Nigella is a delicate flower I discovered at Fat Cat Farm, an herb farm that later went out of business. I really miss Fat Cat Farm, since it was my go-to place to buy herbs for years. I'm glad I wrote about its history and captured its highlights with video and photos in this blog post. Read about how I discovered Nigella there in Nigella: A Wonderful Garden Surprise. The first ones I saw were blue. The ones I now grow are rose color. You will see both if you follow the link above.

My nigella is going to seed now. In the photo below you can see the large seed capsule on the left in the midst of its thread-like leaves. You can barely see its rose flower behind it. You can also see the yellow flower of the ever-present burr clover hear the top and the purple hyssop flower on the right. They are all fighting for space with the iris leaves which it's almost time to cut off. I will trim the irises when all the iris flowers finally have faded and died. I expect now that the heat of summer has arrived, the nigella will finish reseeding by popping its seed capsules and then also die.

Nigella Capsule Hiding Nigella Flower and Blooming Hyssop, © B. Radisavljevic

It was really hard to photograph the hyssop around the iris leaves. I cut it back last year so there's not as much to make the purple cluster so large this year. The flowers are very small, but the bees love them anyway. Hyssop usually blooms until August, and sometimes a few of the flowers linger longer.

Nigella Capsule and Blooming Hyssop and Burr Clover, © B. Radisavljevic

Hyssop can be used medicinally and in cooking. I have so far used it only ornamentally and to attract and provide forage for bees. As a member of the mint family, hyssop can be used to flavor salads and chicken soup, lamb stew, and poultry dressing. It can also be dried and used as a tea. I have not tried any of these uses yet.

Below you see my rose nigella, also called Love-in-a-Mist. Those thready leaves do make it seem somewhat ethereal. As you look at the top of the flower you can see the beginning of that large seed capsule that will soon form. There is one in the bottom right corner.

 Nigella seeds have traditionally been used to flavor foods, since their taste is said to resemble nutmeg. I have never tried them. Some scientists think they may be slightly toxic. According to Conrad Richter in Safety of Nigella Damascena Seeds, no one has presented conclusive evidence that it is or isn't safe, but he tends to believe that people would not have continued to keep using it through the generations if it had harmed them. He suggests you make up your own mind.

Nigella  Flower, © B. Radisavljevic

Carnations are in Bloom

I'm afraid my carnation plants have not done well for me here. Strangely enough, the one that still survives and blooms came from a  plant over fifty years old. You can read its history in "C" is for Carnations, an earlier post on this blog. This plant is in my front flower bed, but it has almost been smothered by its aggressive neighbors. Its siblings in the side flower bed have been smothered by the gazanias. So this is the only flower I can show you from it this year.

Light Pink Carnation in Bloom, © B. Radisavljevic

Calendula

I started growing calendula (pot marigold) in Templeton about twenty years ago. I've been saving seeds every year since then, and started my plants here in Paso Robles with those seeds I collected in Templeton. I now can't imagine a garden without calendula. It blooms almost all year -- even in winter when it's almost the only color in the garden. Here's why I love it so much. If you follow the link you will see lots of photos from my garden and of how I use this plant in the kitchen. I don't want to duplicate that here, so I will just leave you with this photo to show you one of the flowers. It is surrounded by Lamb's Ears.

Calendula Flower Surrounded by Lamb's Ears, © B. Radisavljevic

See the rest of what bloomed in my front yard in June and July. 

What do you have blooming in June? Do you grow anything I've shown you here? Any comments on your experiences with them?

Flowers and Vegetables Can Thrive Where God Plants Them

What Do Plants Need to Thrive?

In order to thrive, plants need just the right conditions. As gardeners, we try to provide them. We prepare the ground, add nutrients to the soil, and plant seeds or transplants, and wait for growth. Yet more and more I'm finding God is much better than I at putting plants where they will grow when he choses. Take this gazania plant, for example.

Although I have beds containing gazanias all around my lawn, none of the individual plants are as big and beautiful as this one. God planted it in my lawn. Normally the plants spread  by runners. But this plant had to have sprouted from a seed carried by the wind. This plant has been thriving in the middle of my lawn for over a year now, and two others have appeared in other parts of the lawn since then.

Gazanias are drought resistant and almost nothing kills them. When I still had a gardener, I made him mow around this plant because I thought it was beautiful. It also inspired me because it bloomed and thrived where there were no others of its kind around it. The ground had not been irrigated for over a year and depended completely on rain most of the time. I sometimes help it a bit now if it's especially hot and dry. The soil got no extra nutrients or cultivating, and there were weedy grasses all around this gazania. Yet it continued to bloom and make beautiful flowers. What God plants, he also seems to take care of.

This gazania inspires me so much I made a greeting card out of it. The inside reads "Bloom where God planted you." We don't all get planted in the best surroundings or get the nurturing we need from those who are supposed to care for or mentor us, but that doesn't mean we can't thrive if God put us there.

Flowers in Lawn: Bloom Where You Are Planted Card
by barbsbooks

g

The Kale and Lamb's Ears God Planted

God has planted a lot of kale and Lamb's Ears in my yard, but not always in my gardens. The kale plant you see above had a lot of children and grandchildren. Many turned up around the garage as second or third generation plants. They were children of the plants that landed across the driveway. This post tells the story of some of this plant's progeny.

Lamb's Ears are even more prolific than kale, if that's possible. If you have one Lamb's Ears plant, you will soon have a yard full. It multiplies faster than rabbits. You can see one clump of Lamb's Ears at the bottom of the photo above. But I didn't plant it. I only planted one of these -- in the corner by the walkway near the porch. Now the plant is everywhere. It jumped the walkway and took over in the flowerbed by the garage. It landed in this corner below. In fact I planted nothing in this section that isn't in a pot. God planted it all.

In the photo above, from left to right, you see Lamb's Ears, a pink grapefruit yarrow in the pot, lemon balm in a pot and some which escaped from the pot, two tall clary sage that God planted, some small euphorbia transplants I brought over from Templeton (in the tiny pot), some iris leaves from some rhizomes I threw in a shallow cardboard box I covered with dirt and forgot about, and more Lamb's Ears sneaking around between the pots at the right end. Those irises I forgot about and never watered or fed, bloom every year. Below, I have a photo of one  in bloom. It was taken two months earlier than the photo above.

Now Lamb's Ears occupies every flower bed.  It's now even beginning to take up residence in what used to be my lawn. 

Lamb's Ears at Other End of Flower Bed in Photo Above. Irises are to the left and you can see a few tiny red buds of newly transplanted red valerian hiding between the Lamb's Ears and the iris leaves. 

More Unexpected Garden Volunteers

In 2013 I planted one mullein I thought was a clary sage because it was mislabeled. ( Borage, mullein, and clary sage look very much alike when young. See my post with their photos.) It grew in the front flower bed. It was the only one I ever planted. I planted one clary sage in a pot not far from it. I planted borage seeds at the other end of the bed and got a plant or two.

This year I was delighted after the rains to find that I not only had numerous clary sage babies, but I also had more mullein plants. One even sprouted in an empty pot and another in front of it. I had thrown the seeds around when the original plant died a couple of years ago. I guess some things take time. I also had my largest borage plant ever spout and thrive and it now has some babies.  I love the way it reseeds. You can see part of it below, with some of its babies at the very bottom of the photo. The bees love it. If you look carefully, you will see one foraging. That pot in front of the borage contains catmint. Some of it has escaped.

The cards below show off some of the plants God has provided for me. Most cards are blank but may have a title identifying the plant inside. You can customize them any way you want and add your own text.

Borage-and-Calendula, Beautiful Borage CardSeven-Spotted Ladybug on Borage Blank CardGreeting Card: Lemon Balm CardMacro Yellow Mullein Flower Card

I Love Having God Increase my Plants

I have not been able to spend the time I wanted to in my garden this year. The abundance of Lamb's Ears helps smoother the weeds that would otherwise take their place. Although I had hoped to plant some annuals this year, it's just not going to happen. I have too many health issues to solve and my biggest job is to keep the weeds down since my gardener quit. Because God provided so many new plant babies to fill my flower beds,  I'm going to have plenty of color during the spring and summer. 

How do you feel about volunteer plants? I've been sharing my plant babies with neighbors since I have more than I can use. I can always pull the surplus plants when I have time to replace them. I still need to plant some thyme I've rooted and some root divisions from some plants in Templeton I brought to the Paso house. So my work is cut out for me. 

Do you have any garden goals for this year?