[gardeners] Spring has sprung in Los Angeles!
Ron Hay (gardeners@globalgarden.com)
Thu, 15 Mar 2001 07:30:13 -0800
Good morning, friends,
It's slightly overcast at 7:20 a.m., but it has all the earmarks of a
wonderful spring day. After what seems like half an eternity of rain
and chilly weather, the sun has once again come out, and we are in the
70s again for a few days, with a cool, gray weekend coming up, but with
much warmer weather to follow next week.
The rain and the warm weather have worked their predictable magic. The
apricot and nectarine are blossoming from the bottom up. What beautiful
flowers! I had no idea, having had so few of them last year, that
nectarine blossoms could be so wondefully fragrant.
The citrus is forming tiny buds which will burst forth in a couple of
weeks, after molting some of last year's foliage. The pomagranate is in
leaf and the artichokes are ready to pick:)
The blueberries are in flower and the boysenberries show signs of
stirring, as well.
The Fuyu persimmon is still asleep:)
The geraniums in pots along the south side of our patio are coming into
bloom. Many have grown so large...again!...that I will have to cut them
back and pot still more cuttings for friends.
But the cause of real excitement around here is the impending bloom of
our macadamia! I was looking at it just Monday and noticed some funny,
bumpy appendages growing out from near the tips of the leaf
whorls....not many, but a goodly handfull for a very young tree that is
in the ground three years, this year. I think the blossoms will be
white, but don't know, since I have never had the pleasure of seeing one
in bloom. One of our delightful Salvadoran cleaning ladies rememberd
them as being yellowish white in El Salvador.
The roses have all produced buds, and the one we transplanted in
February is growing apace.
The glads are pushing up rapidly, and the butterfly bushes and Mexican
sage will soon, in a matter of a few weeks, be a riot of color,
attracting bees and hummingbirds from all over.
And the callas! The whole north side of our garage is a panoply of white
and green, and many have brough beauty indoors to our dinning room table
and office.
I must say, after even a short period of dormancy in this part of the
world, I am excited by the prospect of spring....and daunted by how much
deferred maintenance has piled up because of our interminable rains.
But without rain, there would probably not be such a vibrant display as
we have this year:)
I will look forward to getting out in the yard and heaving to, after I
finish the dreary business of itemizing our deductions, which is nothing
short of tedious. I will also look forward to going back to Long Island
in mid April upon the occasion of my 40th high school reunion. I have
already been in touch with several from my class both by email and by
phone, and I must say, it is a real joy to be back in touch with so many
old friends, many of whom I have not been in touch with for decades.
Well, friends, work and an office meeting rear their ugly heads and I
must be on my way in a hurry. I just wanted to take a moment to share
some springtime observations.
Have a great day!
Ron
Van Nuys, CA
Sunset zone 18, USDA zone 9b.