Ugly Larva flies away a Lady!

Baby Ladybugs crawling around in the container

Since I was not going to be in Temecula again until this weekend, I took my container of Ladybug pupas down to San Diego with me. Yesterday, April 4, 2013 - I looked into the container housing the Ladybug larvae and noticed that there were a number of baby Ladybugs crawling around!! I panicked as did not check on them yesterday. The poor babies must be so hungry.  I hoped that they had only recently metamorphosed into baby Ladybugs and were still full from consuming their pupa casing. I noticed a number of them were crawling on the underside of the lid. Six Ladybugs were crawling around happily so I reckon I got to them in time. It has been about 1 week since I collected the pupas for observation, so it is about right. They were not freshly" emerge" as they already look like adult Ladybugs. Newly emerged Ladybugs are more pinkish in color.

What a friend looks like....

To my delight, I discover a "settlement" of Ladybug larvaes on my Broccoli Raab plants that I was letting go to seed for next season's crop. Marvelling at how different they look from their parents, I wondered how many people actually know what a Ladybug larva looks like? How many have killed there wondrous larvaes thinking they were another garden pest? That's what lead to this post. Don't want senseless killing of a friend because of ignorance!!

What an ugly mess

How much reality is too much reality.....I guess if I am to remain true to this blog being my virtual `diary' of my gardening adventure, the "whole" reality it is.

It pains and embarasses me to display photos of the ugly mess my garden is right now. Being a part time occupant of our Temecula property, a very very part time occupant has meant many a time our garden is an ugly mess as it is right now. The winter rain sprouted lush green weeds and grasses that have over taken the property. Right now the weeds are feeding the aphids and major weeding is needed. The grass seed plumes are almost pretty as they sway in the breeze. Except then I remember that it means a million new grass seedlings will sprout and the cycle will begin again......

Horrors! Is it a wheat field I have grown in my courtyard garden?

Winter surpise harvest

I am sorry if I have been a downer about winter's kiss on my Temecula garden. I made a day trip to my Temecula home today. Winter rains always brings an onslaught of weeds so I was not too surprised or upset. I did lose more of my succulent plants to frost- again, not upset as they extra plants that I was planting to test their suitability to Temecula climate.

It was raining so I was not able to garden. The garden looked lush, although mainly with weeds. BUT, not all were weeds, there were some tasty delights that flourish in the cold and rain. I did some harvesting when the rain stopped.

Chioggai Beets lush green tops covered half of this planter bed! NO, those greens on the ground are not beets but weeds. Lots and lots of healthy weeds which I have to remove as aphids are started to feast on them. Chioggai Beets are those beets which look like a bull-eye. It has light red skin and when cut reveal pink and white rings. Will post pictures of them when I harvest them.

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.