January Garden Blooms in Carlsbad, California

On the 15th of each month gardeners around the country post pictures of what is blooming in their gardens, so here's what is blooming in my garden today (January 16th, 2010) - Pink Bower Vine (Pandorea pandorana), Gerbera daisy (this one is a perennial, low water variety from Proven Winners), Star Magnolia (Magnolia stellata), Alysum, Azalea, Epidendrum radicans, Carolina jasmine (Gelsemium sempervirens).

I spent a very relaxing day in my garden today. I planted some vegetable seeds - Broccoli Raab, radish and carrots, and some more sweet peas (my favorite). I also took some cuttings of a Manzanita Arctostaphylos manzanita) that had been damaged while the new pathway and steps were being installed.
This vegetable garden doesn't get much sun, so I'm a little concerned about how well things will grow. It also doesn't have any irrigation so this will all need to be water by hand until I can fix that up. Good job we have lots of rain predicted for this week.

I moved the lighthouse today and found this spot for it. My eldest son built me this in his high school metal shop. I love its rustic finish, and the contrast with the rough bark of the pepper tree suits it really well. Just need to figure out how to get some lights up there.


The new block walls at the top of the bank are something I have been thinking of doing for quite a few years. They give me a new planter bed that no longer slopes down, so hopefully it will be easier to water and keep good soil in there. They also give me a small walkway and two lots of steps up there that are much safer than the little stepping stones I installed 7 or 8 years ago. We also created a small 'pad' for the area where we hang the hammock for the kids. Last summer, our nephew and niece loved being up there but without steps the plants just got walked over and they created a dirt path that just eroded the soil.



I cleaned out the pond so now most of the string algae is gone, and I switched on the pump for the first time since the summer - water restrictions. A wonderful soothing sound. Tonight the California Tree Frogs are loving it.



My glimpse of what is to come came when I looked at my collection of cymbidium orchids that I keep under a magnolia tree in the shade of the fence. The flower spikes are forming and within a month they will be in full and glorious bloom.



The perfect end to a day in the garden!

This garden blog event is sponsored by : May Dream Gardens at http://www.maydreamsgardens.com/2010/01/garden-bloggers-bloom-day-january-2010.html

Diane E Downey is the owner of The Yard Fairy Inc, a North San Diego County based award winning landscape design and installation company creating low water, low maintenance landscapes that are as functional as they are pleasing to the eye. To arrange your consultation with The Yard Fairy, please call 760 804 1661 or email info at yardfairy.com today.