I am ALIVE!

March 6, 2015

Really??? My last blog post was July 2014!!! Year after year resolutions to blog more has not happen. I was going to post a flurry of mini blog posts as 2014 drew to a close. That did not happen. Even thoughts of just posting pictures with captions did not happen. Then 2015 started and I was going to.... yes....

Renovation to the house is finally done and we will be spending more time in Temecula. I love my beautiful new kitchen, family room and the gorgeous new travertine floor throughout the main house. The kitchen is a dream to cook in, all the more inspiring me to have a bountiful kitchen garden and orchard.

Today, I will post disjointed snippets from my garden in Temecula. I wore a face mask to rip out last season plants. Past seasons spring clean up have subjected me to allergies that do not make me sneeze but instead clog up my ears. All the fluid just fill my years. Hence I look like somebody in a Helix episode combatting a deadly disease!!

A strange cold winter that subjected our Southern California garden with a freak snow storm dealt a blow to a number of my tropical fruit trees. My Jamby Air, Wax Guava Syzygium Samaranengse shows no sign of life. I am heart broken but I will leave the plant in the ground until mid spring to give it a chance. Maybe, it needs to be at a specific temperature for a prolong period to leaf out? I am hoping so.

Haircut for Lemongrass bush

March 6, 2015

Time to cut my lemongrass bushes again. They grow very quickly during the hot months in Temecula. I normally cut it 2-3 times a year. I grow more than I could use but I just love the rounded shape of the lemongrass bush. The blades of the lemongrass turns red during cold spells. As you can see, this is a monster of a bush. I have two lemongrass bushes.

I have to wear long sleeve shirt to do the trimming or I would be covered with numerous cuts from the sharp blades of the lemongrass. I use a large clipper to cut the bush. What do you think? I think I did a decent job of being a hairdresser to the lemongrass bush.

Artichokes

June 7, 2014

Artichoke season is almost ending. I though I would share some pictures of how the season progress. Artichokes are bi-annuals plants. However, baby plants easily sprout from the base of a healthy mother plant, making it seem as if the plant never dies. 

Bare Root Trees

May 30, 2014

Taking advantage of jet leg to catch up with my blog posting! Even so this week two of vacation....

Recently, in April I purchased a number of bare root fruit trees and shrubs from Starkbros for our Temecula Orchard. Very exciting. I had previously purchased fruit trees from them when I lived in New York. This was my first time purchasing for California and also first time purchasing currants, elderberry, jostaberry and gooseberry plants. I have dreamed about planting these fruit trees for many years. Not that I have seen these trees in person or tasted the fruits. I have just spend so many years reading about them in gardening books, that they have been part of my "dream" orchard. 

For those of you who have never bought bare root trees, I strongly encourage you to. You get a better variety of fruits trees which cannot be found in local nurseries. They are often cheaper than potted trees. The trees undergo less transplanting shock and establish quicker and better. The only caveat is you must plant them as soon as possible after they arrive. If you cannot plant them immediately, you must take them out of the carton and wrapping, keep them moist in the shade until you can do so.

The Little Meyer Lemon Tree that could.....

May 8, 2014

I let my lemon remain on the tree until I need them. Generally, this works out well but sometimes there are so many fruits, that I am forced to harvest them and find ways to use them. The Meyer Lemons are so juicy thatyou can easily squeeze the fruits with your hands, and the fruits literally flows out. The juice is fragrant, sweet and citrusy.

 The tree is full of lemons from 3 season; ripe lemon, maturing lemons and green lemons. You can also see flower buds for yet another season of lemons.

Blood Orange Harvest

May 8, 2014

It is hard for me not to blog in chronological order!! Everytime I think ablout blogging, I think about events that have passed that I had not blogged.That sentiment however, just makes me lag further and further behind in blogging. I miss sharing the little bits of gardening I have done this spring. So today, I will share photos of this afternoon's Blood Orange harvesting.

Goji Berry

In November last year we purchased a couple pots of Goji berry Lycium Barbarum plants. Due to problems with the irrigation system and our work and travel schedule, we left them in pots.

The plants gave us teaser quantities of Goji berries while they were in the pots as seen the pictures above. Finally, we got around to transplanting the Goji Berry plants into the ground about a month ago.