Garden Update ~ July 2011

I've mentioned in a previous post that our newly-planted garden was a bit slow to get going due to the inconsistent weather we had in So Cal this spring. But the brilliant summer weather we're having has spurred the plants on to show us they can actually grow, though some have their hearts in it more than others!

The biggest change is in the vegetable plot (top) and the flower garden.

The peas have come and gone but the tomatoes are finally fruiting at the rate of more than one tomato a month, while the carrots and lettuce have finally decided to grow beyond half an inch high. Thanks you chaps.

After sowing two lots of seeds we went down to the nursery and bought some Black-eyed Susan plants and some daisy-like flowers. Well the seeds got the message and started growing. This is my English-style garden area.

Here is the tropical area of the garden after it was planted in March this year.

This is the same area today. Sorry I didn't take it at the exact angle but you can see some changes. The Plumeria (foreground) has several leaves and a flower stalk on it (though the flowers are not, at present, surviving long enough to bloom). Ironically the Hibiscus isn't blooming at the moment but has otherwise done so consistently from the first week. Comparing the two photos I can see the Bird of Paradise (behind the Hibiscus) has actually done better than we thought but not much.

The best area for growth has been this section.

The Black Taro and the inedible Banana plant with their beautiful leaves are my particular favourites. It's exciting to look back and see the changes and the progress in the last four months.

Garden Delights

On Friday, hubby and I attended a wedding reception at the LA Arboretum in Acadia. Neither of us had been there before so, in a bid to beat rush-hour traffic, and to take advantage of the location, we drove up early to have time to look around the gardens before the reception.

We both love looking around gardens particularly on a beautiful sunny afternoon as it was that day.

We saw a lot of tropical and other types of plants that we have seen before but there were also some new and unusual things to see too.

I can't remember what this is but I thought it intriguing and strange.

This is one of the more strange orchids in the tropical house.

I'm not crazy about orchids but there were some beautiful examples on display such as these delicate specimens. I also love all the different textures among the ferns and leaves.

This looks like someone took a coloured pencil and rubbed it up and down the green leaves.

The gardens were not very busy when we arrived which may explain why we also got an opportunity to see so much wildlife. We were looking at some turtles when we spotted this fella nearby. It looks like some of the small herons we see at the coast.

This duck spotted us and came over in the hope we had something to eat.

While we were talking to the duck and checking out the turtles, the heron decided he wanted to get a better look at us and walked closer to where we were standing. (You can also see one of the turtles to the right of his beak.)

Another bird we saw at one of the other ponds.

We climbed up a long flight of stairs to see this waterfall and lily pond. Everywhere we looked there were beautiful vistas and lizards. I've never seen so many lizards in one place at one time. True the gardens are spread over 127 acres but I felt was continuously almost tripping over lizards on the pathways.

One of my favourite spots was the herb garden which was laid out in a very English manner.

There were also several cottage garden flowers too such as these hollyhocks.

Another garden inhabitant enjoying the shade in the herb garden.


Throughout the garden we could hear the sound of the several peacocks and peahens strolling the grounds near the entrance.

After three hours of walking around these beautiful gardens, we still had a lovely evening celebrating the newly married life of friends ahead of us.

Art Fest

It's that time of the year - the art festivals in Laguna Beach: Festival of Arts, Art-A-Fair, and the Sawdust Festival.
This week hubby and I went to all three festivals and saw some really good art. It's always interesting to see what other artists are doing. I enjoy seeing how multiple artists interpret the same subject (such as seascapes).

For copyright reasons, I can't show you any of the art I saw but here is the sculpture at the entrance to one of the shows while below is a waterfall in the grounds inside.

But I can show you two pieces of work from a drawing class I have recently begun attending.

Place Setting

I have a wonderful little art studio in my home where I can lock myself away to paint and draw. It isn't big but it's big enough. What I don't have is a large space for setting up still life arrangements up against a plain background. So I have to improvise.

What I have is a square unit that hubby made that used to hold stereo equipment and which is now my still life table.
To block out the busyness of the studio behind, which I was finding distracting, I put a piece of white board behind the flower propped up by some aids from my pantry.


Here is the painting that resulted.

Competiton

I am happy to announce that I came second in the recent Artists and Illustrators magazine online competition with my painting 'Paradise Found'. I had a lot of friends vote for me which was wonderful but just under a third of my votes came from others.
I am also happy with the artwork I did and the pleasure people say it has given them to see it. This is one of the reason I make art. Partly because I love it and have a need to express myself this way but also to bring joy and colour into the world.
http://www.facebook.com/l/EAQC7HS5UAQDDsaiVkYOUtMwVvglwqy7tt8Pj2xBF7ukJBw/www.artistsandillustrators.co.uk/features/view/facebook-winners

I've also been working on some other paintings which I will unveil soon in between visits to the beach for sun and further inspiration.