Frozen Lemonade

Last year I had a bumper crop of Meyer Lemons and naturally I had great plans for them this year. Alas, it is not to be. Mother nature decided to show me who was the boss.....Cooler temperature prevailed during flower and fruit setting season. Less fruits set on the tree.....Then in late January, a number of severe frost days made me very sympathetic to the orange farmers. It is diffucult to relate how much a hot place like Temecula could also be so cold. High 90s to 110 F degree in the summer!! Right now it is the 80s in the daytime and 40s at night.

A difference a night makes....

I remember gardening in Malaysia and worrying about too much rain or dry spells affecting my plants. Then I moved to New York and was excited to experience gardening in four distinct season. I paid heed to changing weather and excited planted season appropriate vegetables and flowers. San Diego.....now this is a Gardeners Paradise. I am spoilt - I get to grow temperate and many of the tropical fruits, vegetable and flowers I grew up with. I seem to be able to 'stretch' the growing zones of plants, finding micro-climate within my garden to make it work. Sometimes, the tropical plants I grew did not take but I would try again and again. The strange thing that I notice is, while it is often difficult to establish a tropical plant in my San Diego Zone 8 climate, once it gets establish, it generally flourishes beautifully and often multiple either by being self sowing or sprouting baby plants. Cuttings also root easily.

Jack Frost nipping at my....Pandan

My hopes of growing my Pandan outside in my Temecula courtyard garden was dashed on Friday. The lower leaves of the pandan were limp showing signs of frost damaged. Thankfully the larger upper leaves were relatively unaffected. I peeled off the damaged leaves but ultimately decided to dig up the plant and pot it up and move it inside the house. Hopefully, it will recover.


It is a bit disappointing although not totally unexpected. An experiment that ended in an unwanted possible outcome. I am chalking it up as experiment#1. Earlier in the summer, I had separated an "anak" - a plantlet from the mother plant for this experiment. It settled in very well in the Temecula courtyard garden.

Pandan "anak" separate from mother plant ready for transplant to Temecula garden.

Peter Rabbit is not playing nicely........

Each visit to Temecula lately have shown the handiwork of Peter Rabbit- he has NOT been playing nicely.

It started with my beloved Meyer Lemon tree, which was looking particularly bountiful. I was stopped dead in my track.....numerous unripe lemons was scattered on the ground all around the lemon tree. The lower branches were devoid of leaves. I guess I should be thankful that it was the rabbit gnawing at the leaves and branches rather than his co-hout the gopher eating the root of my Meyer Lemon tree. Then my tree would be dead...... That does not lessen the pain of seeing the unripe lemons on the ground and rolled down the slope.

Christmas Jewels

The Pomegranate tree is the star of my Temecula garden this month. The counterpart to the Persimmon tree in my San Diego garden. Like the Persimmon, they are larger fruit than most of their kind. Their size still astound me each year as I go to pluck them. I have to find new ways to use this fruit. My daughter made some pretty delicious chocolate covered pomegranate seeds.

Temecula Half Marathon

I walked into the garden this morning, thinking that the hot air balloons would make a nice backdrop to the tomato plants I tied up to stakes yesterday. I focus my camera to frame the picture, and heard the dogs in the neighborhood going crazy and barking none stop. I hear a low drone of something......Suddenly, into the frame of my shot comes a steady stream of runners!!! Not what I was expecting this weekend.

It is the Temecula Half Marathon & 5 K -The out-and-back course for the half marathon race starts at 7:30 AM on the grounds of Mount Palomar Winery, located just off Rancho California Road in the hills that lie just to the east of Temecula. From there, the course takes runners mostly along the dirt roads that wind through the vineyards between Mount Palomar, Baily Creek Winery and Wilson Creek Winery, and then back again through the same fields on the return route back to the race finish line. It runs through right in front of our house!!

Another new thing I am learning about this new home. Nice!

Public Enemy #1 - Tomato Horn Caterpillar

I suppose I should not be surprised that my tomato plants in Temecula would be visited by Tomato Horn Caterpillars. After all, those tomato plants were earlier attacked by tiny little green grasshoppers that de-leaf the plants.