Aloe pluridens with kangaroo paws — photos by MB Maher
I got an unexpected peek at my Long Beach, Calif. garden courtesy of the watering crew. It does my heart good to see it in fair shape for July, even if a little on the wild side. So many kangaroo paws!
Lots of talismans for me in this little garden — Euphorbia canariensis bought at the 2014 closing sale of downtown Hotel Figueroa which opened as a women-only hostel in 1926, now run by the Hyatt
yellow blooms way in the back, could that be Aloe lukeana? If so, wow! I didn’t think it was mature enough for so many blooms. Marty rebuilt that garden shed for me, originally from Smith & Hawken which closed in 2009
a lily making a surprise appearanceAgave ‘Cornelius’ was close to death in the ground, still in recovery mode in a pot (on the stool) but looking OK (or is that ‘Frostbite’?!)
The little ceramic Buddha mask was found nailed to a telephone pole in San Francisco decades ago. For whatever reason, the masks mysteriously appeared all over town.
while I’m away the creeping fig is making a resurgence on the back wall, overrunning the bromeliads — admittedly the juvenile growth is very cool but it doesn’t get to stay.hard to tell but I truly have been thinning out all the accumulated stuff. We’re talking going back to 1989!
The LA County glass light shades began to be phased out in the 1950s
It’s amazing you can leave your garden for an extended period and it still looks fantastic. Love the grouping of various agaves and kangaroo paws. I have tried the paws here a couple of times but we just get too cool for them to really do well. Wonderful to see how they are thriving at your place. Happy 4th of July!
@Elaine, unlike a lot of the country, LA is having very mild weather for June/July, so that really helps. I don’t remember the paws ever dominating the garden like this in summer, but maybe it’s a function of thinning other things out, letting in more light, especially when the big Grevillea ‘Moonlight’ lost substantial branches. That may have tipped the scales in the paws favor!
Kudos to the watering crew!!
There is a certain ‘moodiness’ to the photos, added by the rusty hues of the blooming paws, but not just them. To my eyes, everything looks excellent. Whichever is the Agave in ‘recovery’ mode – it looks like a beacon of light in that agave grouping.
I love your accumulated stuff! From one accumulator to another, I know how challenging it is to thin out ones treasures. I tend to move items around or find new use for something in order to justify keeping it around 😀
Hot damn, Denise L.A. garden is looking good! Your water guy/gal takes great photos. Were these taken at sunset? What a thrill it must be to see your garden after being away. I can’t pic a favorite here, but I really like the photo with agaves/mangave . The kangaroo paws have gone crazy, in the best way.
@Chavli, I’ve winnowed down my stuff to the basics that I move around all the time too, at least the lightweight stuff 😉 Marty did rig a mister on the pergola for tillandsias but we’re still not sure if it’s going off in the early morning like we planned.
@Tracy, I think these were taken towards end of the day, and it’s been overcast which brings that moodiness. The photographer knows what he’s doing alright and finds the best views. I’m sure there’s some mayhem at ground level that we’re not seeing in the photos.
If MB and crew water as well as they photograph then your garden is in very good hands. Such gorgeous takes on the fabulous space you created there. Thinning out accumulated stuff!? I wish I were nearby to go through the cast offs, your style has always been an inspiration.
When I saw your post, my first thought was “what’s she doing in SoCal just as the heat’s begun to climb?!” I’m glad you have a team helping you out with the watering. The LB garden looks great.
@Loree, I’ve taken the easy way out with the camera phone, so a real photographer with a good camera really stands out on this blog. And that inspiration goes both ways!
@Kris, for LA I’m seeing temps into the 80s, so warming up but not too bad yet.
Looks so good. Do you miss your LB garden in the summer?
@Gerhard, wherever I am, I miss the other home!
It’s amazing you can leave your garden for an extended period and it still looks fantastic. Love the grouping of various agaves and kangaroo paws. I have tried the paws here a couple of times but we just get too cool for them to really do well. Wonderful to see how they are thriving at your place. Happy 4th of July!
@Elaine, unlike a lot of the country, LA is having very mild weather for June/July, so that really helps. I don’t remember the paws ever dominating the garden like this in summer, but maybe it’s a function of thinning other things out, letting in more light, especially when the big Grevillea ‘Moonlight’ lost substantial branches. That may have tipped the scales in the paws favor!
Kudos to the watering crew!!
There is a certain ‘moodiness’ to the photos, added by the rusty hues of the blooming paws, but not just them. To my eyes, everything looks excellent. Whichever is the Agave in ‘recovery’ mode – it looks like a beacon of light in that agave grouping.
I love your accumulated stuff! From one accumulator to another, I know how challenging it is to thin out ones treasures. I tend to move items around or find new use for something in order to justify keeping it around 😀
Hot damn, Denise L.A. garden is looking good! Your water guy/gal takes great photos. Were these taken at sunset? What a thrill it must be to see your garden after being away. I can’t pic a favorite here, but I really like the photo with agaves/mangave . The kangaroo paws have gone crazy, in the best way.
@Chavli, I’ve winnowed down my stuff to the basics that I move around all the time too, at least the lightweight stuff 😉 Marty did rig a mister on the pergola for tillandsias but we’re still not sure if it’s going off in the early morning like we planned.
@Tracy, I think these were taken towards end of the day, and it’s been overcast which brings that moodiness. The photographer knows what he’s doing alright and finds the best views. I’m sure there’s some mayhem at ground level that we’re not seeing in the photos.
If MB and crew water as well as they photograph then your garden is in very good hands. Such gorgeous takes on the fabulous space you created there. Thinning out accumulated stuff!? I wish I were nearby to go through the cast offs, your style has always been an inspiration.
When I saw your post, my first thought was “what’s she doing in SoCal just as the heat’s begun to climb?!” I’m glad you have a team helping you out with the watering. The LB garden looks great.
@Loree, I’ve taken the easy way out with the camera phone, so a real photographer with a good camera really stands out on this blog. And that inspiration goes both ways!
@Kris, for LA I’m seeing temps into the 80s, so warming up but not too bad yet.