In our climate, we’re able to garden year round. Still, in December both plants and people slow down considerably. Not necessarily by choice, but when temperatures dip into the 40s and below, plant growth pretty much stops, and the gardener (me) becomes inconvenienced by the cold.
The past two weeks have been dominated by bouts of rain followed by heavy gray skies, with very little sun. In the summer, when we have months of nothing but sunshine, we wish for an overcast day. Now that we have nothing but overcast, we wish for sun. That’s how it goes.
This post is a collection of photos taken in the first half of December. There’s a little bit of this and that, just as the title of this post suggests.
Late fall to early spring is aloe season. One of the first to bloom is Aloe lukeana. The specimen below (one of two in my garden) is almost there. If only we had a bit of sun, but this dreary grayness is forecast to last through Christmas.
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| Aloe lukeana |
Quite a few aloes are pushing inflorescences, but it’ll take a while before there are flowers:
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| Aloe chabaudii photographed during a brief sunny interlude |
Other aloes are frustrating me because they don’t seem to be interested in blooming. I know, I’m too impatient. Having said that, I do appreciate their unique characteristics that make them beautiful to look at year round:
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| Aloe vaotsanda |
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| Aloe globuligemma × marlothii (and Mangave ‘Pineapple Punch’ in the front) |
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| (Agave ortholopha × spectabilis)× marlothii ‘Utrecht’, a fairly complex hybrid by Nick Deinhart |
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| Aloe ‘Swordfish’ |
Other interesting sights:
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| Meyer lemons (and cool cacti) |
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| Agave mitis ‘Chocolate Edge’; the Aloe suprafoliata flowers on the right are a bonus |
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| Tillandsia secunda and Epiphyllum ‘King Midas’ in a hanging planter in the backyard |
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| Agapanthus ‘Twister’, what’s left of a flower head |
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| Praying mantis, not usually seen this late in the year |
Of course there are leaves:
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| Oak leaves at the UC Davis Arboretum |
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| Rimed with frost on a cold morning |
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| It doesn’t look like this car has been moved in a while |
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| I have no idea what this driver was trying to do: avoid the leaves (fail!) or park on top of them? |
Did I mention we had rain? About 4" so far. Much needed, of course, even if it means confinement to the indoors.
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| Inside, looking out |
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| At least these ×Vriecantarea ‘Julietta’ provide a little bit of color |
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| Stella loves her adventure walks at the UC Davis Arboretum. All these leaves provide extra sniffing opportunities. |
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| But as much as Stella likes exploring outdoors, she’s not adverse to the comforts of a soft blanket on the couch |
© Gerhard Bock, 2024. All rights reserved. To receive all new posts by email, please subscribe here.
Is there frost this winter at UC Davis as the leaves look? It is hard to believe that here in Phoenix we are having record day highs and nights have been 40s or above! And sun, sun, sun! There is no appreciable rain here in about a year. I think you are so lucky to have had that much rain. This spring your plants will thank you, Gerhard! I just spent 4 days hauling around a hose trying to water my garden. It is water but sure not the same as rain! Ugh!
ReplyDeleteWe've had a couple of frosty mornings, around 34°F.
DeleteI can't believe how little rain you've had. The thought of having to water at this time of year breaks my heart.
I'm ready for longer daylight hours! Your aloes look great, with or without blooms. Is that a gorgeous woolly rhino in front of the lemon? Stella and the leaves, that's such a cute picture. Are you so close to UC Davis you get to walk there often?
ReplyDeleteI'm so impressed that you recognized my Woolly Rhino (Lophocereus schottii 'Woolly Rhino')! Not many would :-)
DeleteUC Davis is just a short drive. It's about 7 minutes to the west end of the Arboretum where I usually walk Stella. I feel very lucky having such a wonderful place so close.
I love all your aloe photos. I keep thinking maybe someday my Aloe marlothii will bloom, it's certainly old/big enough. The disruption of coming indoors and the lights on timers are probably what keeps it from doing so, no shortened days inside. That photo of the Prius on the leaves gave me the shivers. A few years back someone up here drove through a pile of leaves not realizing there were two young girls playing in it. They died. She went to prison. As I recall mainly because she drove away rather than stopping, even though she realized she'd hit something (someone).
ReplyDeleteOMG, that's a terrifying story! I'll never look at leaf piles the same, especially really big ones.
DeleteAloe marlothii has tried my patience more than once, but the flowers are worth the wait. If only the wait weren't so long :-)
Bouts of rain! *SIGH* Well, I'm glad parts of California are getting rain, even if SoCal isn't...Lovely shots from your garden. New-to-me Aloe 'Swordfish' is a handsome plant. The last shot of Stella is fantastic - she deserves a cover shot on a dog magazine!
ReplyDeleteRain again today...and tomorrow...and a few more days. I wish some of this rain headed your way.
Delete'Swordfish' is an Altman plant so you might find it at your local big box garden center.
Driving over leaves (or worse, parking) risks starting a fire, since parts of the undercarriage such as the exhaust system get awfully hot.
ReplyDeleteAnd driving over wet leaves can be like driving on ice.
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