LA Arboretum: Trees

I love the strength and stature of a tree.  They are the old and wise beings of the plant world. As they grow older their beauty shines in a new way. Some of the Arboretum trees had this sort of beauty.

Pink or Silk Floss Tree

Underneath this tree you can see young peacock fowl. This Ceiba speciosa belongs to the same family as the baobob and is originally from South America.  Being drought resistant it does particularly well in Southern California.  The bark is very unusual with very large and stout thorns adorning it.

 

Right now it has pink flowers.  Later in the year these flowers will become large pods from which silk floss will fall. This is how it gets its name. Now for the flowers, which shed such a beautiful shadow of pink on the ground.

 

 

Ginkgo biloba tree

This tree's leaves are beginning to turn in autumn's coolness.  This tree is unusual, as it has no living relatives, all others being extinct.   It's extinct relatives can still be found as fossils. It originated in China. It leaves bear a resemblance to the leaflets of the maidenhair fern, giving it the common name, Maidenhair Tree.

 

The leaves look beautiful in the early stages of gaining their autumn color on the outer edge of each leaf. Perfect symmetry!!

There were other trees showing signs of autumn in the Arboretum, mostly maples.

 

A glorious abundance of gold against the blue sky. Such colors fill our souls in autumn.

I couldn't leave out my favorite tree, the paper-white birch.  This far south they are small, but treasured sights.

The silver glow of the bark never fails to inspire me. When I lived in Russia, I was able to see many large specimens of this tree in the forest.  Russians love this tree and write many folk songs about it.

LA Arboretum: Desert

Madagascar Spiny Forest

Pachypodium (thank you JJ Glade)

This area of the Arboretum features some of the strange plants from this area of Madagascar.  Please pardon my lack of knowledge of the names. If anyone does know, please let me know so that I can post them.

The region of Madagascar where the spiny deserts are receives little rain and has no shade. Some of these plants have an other-worldly look, as they have evolved over centuries to be able to survive the harsh conditions of this desert. Many of the plants are endemic to Madagascar and have strange and amazing shapes in their efforts to live in this region. The plant above has a swollen trunk to preserve water.

This was one of the few flowering plants in this section.

A type of Euphorbia (thank you JJ Glade)

This is one of the stranger plants in the collection. This specimen is large and arches over the path. The spines are hidden in the plump leaves on the stems. The leaves and the trunk store water for the plant.

 

Here are some other plants that caught the eye of my camera.

 

a type of Crown of Thorns

Pachypodium

Cactus Garden

The Arboretum has some beautiful specimens of cacti and succulents.

 

 

The fruit of the cactus

Just behind this cactus garden was the red fairy duster (thank you Noelle for the name of this plant), where I found the bees.

There are some wonderful succulents close by, some blooming, some just glowing with color.

A type of Aloe in bloom

Another type of Aloe in bloom

Euphorbia tirucalli "Sticks on Fire" (Thank you, Noelle

One of my favorites of the day with its bright orange and red succulent branches.

LA Arboretum: Wildlife

We often go walking at the Arboretum.  It's long name is the Los Angeles Arboretum and Botanical Garden. It occupies 127 acres of the old Rancho Santa Anita, purchased as an Arboretum in 1947.  Located in Arcadia, it lies just below the San Gabriel Mountains.  I hope to acquaint you with some aspects of it over a number of posts.When we last visited on Sunday, it was a bright sunny day with temperatures in the 70s.  I took along the camera to share some of it with you.

The bees were so active on this bush, nestling themselves deep within each flower.

A monarch butterfly was still fluttering around the butterfly bush in the herb garden.

The ducks and geese were on the pond as usual, with the black-crowned night heron a-perch on a dried branch in the water.  They are all year-round residents.

Wood Duck

Canadian Geese

Black-crowned Night Heron

This heron usually fishes at dusk and night, but does rest near this pond in the late afternoon.  They do not look like their relatives in the heron family, with a stocky body and shorter bills, legs and neck than other herons. But they are excellent fishers. When after prey, they dive into the water with their necks extended. I love the unusual shape and silhouette of this heron.

One other bird was found singing high up in the trees.

Red-whiskered Bulbul

His red markings are not visible in this photo, but there are some other photos of him at this link.  His red marking and the tall black crest on his head make this bird distinctive in the wild.  This bird is originally from Asia, but has established a local population in Southern California.  It feeds on berries and insects, but is taking his leisure in this photo, perhaps waiting for some dinner to fly by.

This is only a small look at the Arboretum.   In the coming weeks I'll post more.

Perfume Plant

Osmanthus fragrans-- my perfume plant

But before sharing this plant with you, I have some other thank yous to make.  Jo at The Good Life has given me the Best Blog Award.  I am honored. I just couldn't choose 15 of my favorite blogs as I have so many, so I won't be tagging anyone. But Jo is just great to have passed this award on. Kudos, Jo.

Also, I never thanked those who gave me the Honest Scrap Award. They were James at Garden Chronicles and Rosey at Dung Hoe.  I already answered this award here.  A big thank you to both of you.

Garden blogging is such a community affair, as you see from the awards we pass on to each other. That's one of the things that keeps us connected and having fun at blogging.

A question to my readers. I have changed the color of my font to make it easier to read against the black background. Especially those of you who have trouble with font on black, please let me know if this is easier on your eyes. This blog is for you to enjoy and I want to make it that way.

Now back to my perfume plant, Osmanthus fragans.

Blossoms of Osmanthus fragrans

It is such an understated plant to look at. Waxy leaves with slightly serrated edges.  An unformed bushy appearance.  But when it blooms noses turn toward it. Mine loves the cooler weather of autumn, winter and spring and is starting its blooming cycle. Just to walk past it is an mesmerizing experience. It smells like apricots and peaches, but more delicate and warm.

Can you call a fragrance warm? This one is. It envelopes me each time I come near. Evening is the best time to smell it at its height, as the cool air lets the perfume expand into the air. That part of my garden smells like osmanthus in the cool of the dusk.

 

Osmanthus blooms on the old part of the plant, often the woody part, as you can see in the photo above.  In researching this plant for this post, I just discovered this fact. I had pruned my Osmanthus late. Thus I'm getting lots of new green foliage, but no blossoms on this part. But this plant is so forgiving.  It is giving me lots of blooms on the unpruned branches.

I grow mine in a pot, as it can get large, up to 6 feet high! But this plant is so easy, it doesn't mind the pot. It just needs a little morning light and no direct afternoon light and it will give and give.

Osmanthus is from China, where it is beloved. It is also known as Sweet Olive or Fragrant Olive.  There this plant is used in teas, perfumes, cooking. There are even festivals held in China just for this plant in flower.  I received it from a Taiwanese neighbor as a gift. He told me it is used in more expensive perfumes. Perhaps some of our own favorite perfumes use Osmanthus as an ingredient.

A gentle spirit

An unassuming spirit

Speaking only with its scent

Caressing me with a soft embrace of

warm sweetness

You speak in dulcet tones

To those that will notice

Humbled in your presence

Watchful of your quiet voice

I receive from this sweet olive

The selfless gift of sensuality and love

It teaches me about the quiet gifts of life

Those that make no show

But offer me the sweet pleasure

of heavenly fragrance

Asking almost nothing in return

So few gifts come this way

How many plants do you have that are so easy, yet give so much?

I Blog Because...

There have been a number of posts revealing the basic truth about the blogger, blogging, and other aspects of gardening that I have been inspired to join the ranks.

I blog because I came to a point in my life where that was what I needed and didn't even know it for quite some time.  This has been a year of big transitions for me. I have been a dancer most of life, but thought I might need a better way to make an income as I grew older, so I went back to graduate school.  I came to Los Angeles for the graduate program in Russian at USC.  I loved all things Russian after living there and wanted to share it with others. It was that simple to me. But not that straightforward in a graduate program.

Salvia chiapensis

As I grow older I realize how little I really know myself. I had been doing artistic work for over 25 years and chose to go to graduate school. I had forgotten why I decided not to do just that after I completed undergraduate school in my twenties.  I decided then that I wanted do all things artistic.

From the start graduate school did not agree with me, even though I did well in classes and papers.  I love writing and researching. I thought I could manage on that.  But I longed always for something more expanding.  I gardened then out of survival. My garden was my piece of art. And I naively thought that could be enough.

By the time I had worked on the dissertation for some years, I had to admit that this was not what I should be doing. It was all so intellectual and theoretical. My real joy was the garden, as I had no other outlet for my creativity.  So I stopped working for my PhD, short of finishing, because I could feel my real self melting away. I was getting sick more often and my physical endurance was fading.  I read the signs and quit.

 

Ornamental cabbage with Bellis daisy

I didn't know what to do with myself after that.  My health was shot. I had to sleep for hours during the day.  I read, worked in my garden when I could and played internet solitaire.  I did this for months, berating myself for not finishing the dissertation, while, on the other hand, realizing I should never have started it.

I finally started a journal about my garden.  What was lacking was someone to share it with.  I didn't really know what a blog was then. I'd heard of it, but didn't know what was in one.  I began to search the internet for things to read about gardens. Newspaper articles, how-to sites, finally coming upon some blogs, still not knowing that they were blogs.  Every so often the fleeting thought crossed my mind of sharing on the internet also, but just as quickly the though passed.  I didn't think I could.

In one of my searches I found blotanical.  It was a gullly-washer.  I read so many sites about gardening. And they were called blogs. So that was what a blog was about. I could do that--- or could I? I thought blogging was something teenagers did.  Dare I share so much with so many strangers?  Publish on the web?  The questions swirled.

Gulf Fritillary

Then it came upon me one day. I could try a blog and if it didn't work for me I could delete the whole thing.

From the start, choosing the blogspot, deciding how it would look, I became obsessed. I wanted it all done yesterday.  Finally I was ready to start writing.  I'm still not sure how to write for a blog.  I love writing, so I write what comes to me.  After all, there is not competition here.  I push a button and what I wrote appears on the web instantaneously.  The publisher won't send me back a refusal letter.  And I became so attached to writing on this blog that I wrote every day for one week. I'd write about anything garden. Since I couldn't get out much, I focused on what was before me. The small area I garden. And as I read other blogs, I saw that one could garden on a balcony and still have enough to share with others. Blogging fed something in me that had hungered for some time.

I've been tempted to copy some of the style of others, since I didn't really think I knew how to make a winning blog. There I go again. Winning!! That is not the point of it all for me. Writing, having a passion to share, finding readers.  I'm still finding my blog voice, but I think this will be here for the time being. It has given me a new direction while the rest of my life sorts itself out. I think everyone has their own story to tell about the blog they write.

Why do I blog? I don't really know. The descriptions I give to my blog change daily.  I just know that each time I write and then push that button, I know I have done the right thing. 

I have started. And I am still here.  Why do things happen to us in life? How are we led from one stage to another?  The love for my garden just bubbles up in me and now I can share it with other bubblers.

Passiflora 'Lady Margaret'

November Light

I walk through the garden now and notice the changing light of November.  The sun shines lower in the sky.  And with this change comes the glow of November.  Even here, where the leaves are not changing, but the temperatures are now in the 50s at night, the quality of the light changes. It is like transparent honey which is spread over the objects it finds.  Sitting in the garden this afternoon as the sun moved toward sunset, I could see the shadows offset the golden yellow light streaming through the leaves and my bamboo fence.

The chrysanthemums changed color as the fading sunlight fell on their blooms.

I remember many Novembers for this kind of light. One in particular, I was recovering from a serious illness and had time to look at the November light. The light became the focus of my days, as I would wait for it to fall upon plants, corn stalks, red tractors, fallen leaves. It changed the objects it met, leaving them with the same glow.

Here the fronds of an Australian tree fern change color in the rays of this afternoon's sun. And I begin to notice a rose's glow, bedding plants set apart by the light and pansies' bright faces.

 

 

 

English Daisy 'Bellis'

 

Some of the new plants in the garden take on this light and look renewed and transformed.

 

Echeveria

 Sedum 'Golden Carpet'

Such looking brings me a great sense of peace and tranquility.  Does the light enter me?  Or does the concentration bring me to this state?  I think both. Observing the garden rather than working in it can bring some new revelations.  So I found myself sitting and letting the light move and change about me. And the mood followed me inside.  Gifts of the garden and the gardener who observes.

I have trouble sitting and observing the garden without wanting to do something to improve the plants-- pruning, sweeping, picking up debris. There are always so many tasks that ask to be done. But to learn to sit in the garden and observe is a fruit of taking more and more photographs for my blog.  I cannot be so busy when I take a picture. I must move slowly and observe more closely. Then I see the subtle changes that can fill my spirit.

I remembered today how much I love November light.  Nature offers such simple gifts. I must just pause to notice them.

"And to see takes time. Like to have a friend takes time."  Georgia O'Keefe

Honestly, Scrap Me, If You Must

I usually hide behind a few layers, so today I'll peel away a few and tell you some of the things about myself that I save in bottles on shelves in the many caves of me. Wander in with me and see what's there.

1.  I lived in Moscow, Russia, for 4 years in the 1990s teaching a form of dance. I loved it, traveling as much as I could. I knew Russian from university and had always dreamed of living there. So this time was outside of time and in my dreams.

 

2.  I love ice cream, but can't really have it anymore. But since I had dental surgery last week, my fiancee found some sugarless ice cream for me. After I let it melt a little, it fits perfectly into my happy mouth. Ahh, bliss.

3. I spent ten years raising small exotic finches. Seeing the little babies emerge from the eggs and grow up was my favorite part. I have one hand-tamed finch from that time, as well as a number of adults living out their years with me, now that I don't breed any more.

 

Pippa, hand-tamed finch who died at two years old

4.  I have always been a vagabond about the world until quite recently. I have lived in this cottage since 2001. The longest I have lived in the same place as an adult.  I've rather enjoyed this being in one place and now don't want to move when my fiancee talks about it. I've gone from vagabond to putting down roots that don't want disturbing.

5. I love detective and science fiction movies the best. The mystery and unexpected are terribly exciting to me. But I will watch almost anything, except some of the animated films and TV shows.

6.  As a teacher of dance, I also danced on the stage. I loved it at the time, but am glad to dance about my garden now.

7.  I see and hear nature spirits. Actually, all spirits that I direct my attention to. I've not always been able to do this, at least not consciously. The past ten years or so this ability has developed. 

8.  I will marry in the spring to this wonderful man.  Tall, light and handsome. I never thought I'd do this a second time, that is, get married.

9.  I love dogs and would love to have one. But the landlord doesn't allow them here. So I look at doggie pictures and doggies on the street and dream of the day I'll have a dog again.

10.  I've always wanted to have a larger garden with secret parts to it, hidden by shrubs or trees. Then in part of the garden I want a sleeping room, where I can rest or work outside and hear the birds and the wind. Part of the garden would be just for tea, part of it just for dinner. The other parts of this dream garden are for walking with different attractions, like a fountain, certain kinds of plants, an arbor, a pergola and lots of flowers.  But the sleeping room is the one I dream of the most. I love falling asleep to the sounds of nature.

Now for the envelope-- of those who will get the Honest Scrap Award after me.

The Rusty Hoe for all the unusual things she posts. She keeps me up-to-date on the world's unsusual.

Moj Vrt and all the fun posts she makes about her Croatian garden.

Dirt Simple for the really informative and artistic posts.

Nature Nerd  and all the things she posts about her students.

Las Frutas de Paraiso for all things Nicuarguan and farming.

Le Jardin sous le Tillleul for the honesty and beauty on her blog.

The Cottage on the Corner for some beautiful photos.

The Violet Fern for the joy in sharing her lovely garden.

Singapore Plants Lover for all those Singapore plants.

Don't feel compelled to respond to the award, but it can be fun.  To respond, copy the Honest Scrap award to your site and tell ten things about yourself. Don't forget to pass the award on to nine (or is it ten) other people. Let's get to know each other a little better.