June 19, 2017
What Happens When a Garden Takes Care of Itself
The Butterfly Bush
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| Recovered Butterfly Bush Growing Upright Again, © B. Radisavljevic |
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| Butterfly Bush in Context of Rest of Herb Garden, © B. Radisavljevic |
In the left background is an Italian CyrpeCypress tree. In the foreground is a combination of black sage and rosemary. The orchard is in the background on the right. This is quite a contrast from my original herb garden when I planted it a couple of decades ago.
This is what this section looked like in April, 2007.
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| Expanding Herb Garden in April, 2007, © B. Radisavljevic |
Apples
I was happy to see our remaining apple tree is producing this year.
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| Young Apples, June 19, 2017, © B. Radisavljevic |
Walnuts on the Tree
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| Walnut Tree with Immature Nuts, © B. Radisavljevic |
June 20, 2017
Papa Quail
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| Papa Quail Watches Over Family, Which Is Hidden in Brush, © B. Radisavljevic |
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| Papa Quail in Context. Quail Family is Hidden in Brush, © B. Radisavljevic |
It was too hot to stand still and wait for the quail family to come out of hiding so I could get a photo, but I often see the mother with her chicks running for cover in the brush as I go by. They live on the section of our land that is near the entrance. That's our oak tree in the background.
The Herbs on the Slope
I planted my first herbs in Templeton on the slope close to the front door. For years they've grown wild, and I discovered when I took these photos that a coyote brush plant had sneaked in under the rosemary on the back edge and grown large enough to smoother whatever is under it. Probably my oregano and tricolor sage. Rosemary is still growing strong in back. But I'd like to concentrate on the flowers here.
The lavender was among the first plants I placed on the slope. I got it from the now gone Sycamore Farms herb farm. The sage below was planted at the same time and came from the same place. The santolina (golden) was planted later. It probably also came from there.
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| Bee Foraging on Lavender, © B. Radisavljevic |
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| Santolina and Lavender Close Up, © B. Radisavljevic |
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| Common Sage in Bloom, © B. Radisavljevic, |
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| Thyme on the Slope, © B. Radisavljevic |
This last photo shows an overview of the slope. The taller yellow flowers are volunteer dusty miller plants that reseeded from some older transplants. The santolina and lavender are on its left. You see mostly rosemary and sage on the right, with thyme in the foreground. All these plants originally came from four-inch pots around 2006, so you can see how much they have grown. For the last three years they have had little attention.
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| Overview of West Side of Slope, © B. Radisavljevic |
I hope you've enjoyed seeing what can happen to a neglected garden. It's amazing so much of it survived the drought with almost no irrigation.
Do you grow herbs? What are your most memorable experiences with them? Which are your favorites to grow?
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