Since gardening is considered essential, a trip to the nursery was a treat in 2020 here in Los Angeles County. I was astounded the first time we visited because there was not a single seed packet available. I inquired if they were about to restock and was told everyone on earth had taken up gardening during the pandemic. They wouldn’t get any seeds in until spring 2021. And here we are!
Although interest in gardening might be at an all-time high, I have been a reluctant gardener of late. Then we had a huge plumbing problem in the fall and a good portion of the front part of our yard became an excavation pit. No plants in that area survived. Did I spring into action then? Naw, not much.
Here is a picture of what the hill in the front yard used to look like in spring.
The sweet peas ran wild, filling the air with their intoxicating scent – my favorite flower. I haven’t planted any in many years; we just let them go to seed at the end of spring and they come up like clockwork. This year, because of the pit, we did not have nearly as many.
Since we had a huge area with no plants, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to make some improvements. We went out to Otto’s in Fillmore several times and found new rosebushes. There were so many beauties.
Although Otto’s carries a ton of roses, get a load of that purple butterfly bush. Their growing grounds are truly astounding.
Originally, I planned to stick to a garden color scheme—my favorite flower combination of red, yellow, orange and purple. Unfortunately, I am so often tempted by pink flowers and other plants that I abandoned my plan—for example, see the drift of white irises in the sweet pea picture.
Mostly, we try things. If they live, they stay. If they don’t, we try something else. There is just a mess of color everywhere. The insanity of it seems to suit me. But now, I have a title for this madness.
I used to think of our front yard as a sort of English garden. We don’t have a lawn. I love flowers so there really isn’t much greenery except for bushes along the property line. But then I was reading about cottage gardens. In times gone by, people gardened in their front yards, enthusiastically sharing hardy plants. They were happy with anything that grew, regardless of color or even size. This is what we have—a cottage garden. It makes me feel so historic (and somewhat less insane)! So I’ll share some pictures of gardening success while I work on correcting recent gardening failure.
See that dark orange California poppy? I loved it the moment I found the seed packet. I scattered the entire thing and so far, this is the only one that came up—besides that sneaky golden poppy in the corner of the picture. I’m hoping they proliferate in coming years like the sweet peas do.
This is a corner of our backyard where nothing ever seemed to grow. It’s finally flourishing—and according to color scheme, I might add.
I can always count on our artichokes to fill the veggie bin with green.
Here is an unusual addition to our rose collection. It’s called Ink Blot and wow, you should see in person just how dark it is. Not much scent but so much drama.
When I found this tiny standing planter at the nursery fairy garden display, I knew I had to have one. I cut some garden fabric to size and filled it with a minuscule amount of succulent mix, then went on an expedition to locate the tiniest of succulents.
Unfortunately, my fairy garden is currently in disarray. Some things did not do well while others did much too well. Major renovation needed there but the little succulent addition will make my work a joy.
One last picture. Just to add to the color chaos, I made some new pillows for the settee in our front yard patio. I like the country look of those fabrics – hard to find in outdoor fabric. Plays right into our newly titled cottage garden!
Hope you’re finding some gardening therapy. Next up will be a blog about recent antiquing finds. See you soon!