There is nothing that seems more alive than a summery blooming California Poppy, the state flower of California. It’s the best orange EVER!
Photo by Enchanted Seashells
California poppies (Eschscholzia californica) are tough, low-maintenance wildflowers that thrive on neglect. They need at least six hours of direct sun daily, poor-to-average sandy soil that drains very well, and only occasional, sparing water once established. Avoid using any fertilizer, as rich soil or nutrients reduce flower production. It’s the perfect summer flower for a drought landscape!
I’m not referring to myself, haha, not this time, anyway… but I’m so proud that I propagated this rose and cared for it so lovingly until it produced a first bloom!
I feel like I just gave birth to a beautiful rose baby.
Lack of rain and fruit rats are the reason I have had a very sad harvest this year. First of all, they (or squirrels) ate all the baby apples before I could cover the tree in netting, then they ate tomatoes and peas and plums.
I have a little fig tree that produced a few figs and I did use the little mesh bags to encase the fruit to try and save them, but rats ate through the mesh!
THIS was the lone survivor…and it’s a BIG one.
I need to savor every bite because that’s IT until next season. I just don’t understand. Everyone around here suffers from the same rodent issues in their gardens, but I seem to bear the brunt of the destruction, maybe because I adamantly refuse to use poison to get rid of them, mainly because of the secondary damage to other creatures.
At least we’re forecasted to have an El Nino winter which means lots of rain, so I’ll probably plant more veggies (especially lettuce that won’t cause explosive diarrhea) and try, try again, but it’s becoming so frustrating, I’m almost ready to give up.
More pics sent from the Pacific Northwest, which I especially appreciate since I’m allergic to most flowers in real life. These don’t cause sneezing and watery eyes; no antihistamine needed!
Thimbleberry flowers…this big flower will eventually produce a small, sweet, heavenly berry.
The thimbleberry gets its name from the shape of its fruit. When picked carefully, the cluster of tiny drupelets is removed from its central core, leaving a hollow, bowl-like shape that fits perfectly on the tip of a finger, much like a sewing thimble.
Lilac…one of my absolute favorites.
Azalea…something that would never grow in droughty SoCal.
Wisteria…I tried to grow one here and watched it as it sadly shriveled up and died, but I’m happy to see how it thrives in the proper climate.
Think about it: a plant with polka dots, how could you NOT love it?
Here’s my prettypretty Polka Dot Begonia in her prettypretty seashell pot! Simple pleasures bring joy for this simple girl, I confess.
Photo by Enchanted Seashells
I’ve been lusting for this Polka Dot Angel Wing Begonia (Maculata ‘Wightii’) for a long time and finally found one in the clearance section at the nursery.
The check out employee told me there was literally nothing wrong with the plant but it was stressed out and should be repotted which was pretty awesome. (I can relate as I’m a little stressed out and wish all it took was to be repotted in new soil to fix me, too…)
When young, the Polka Dot Begonia is a beautiful tabletop houseplant. As it gets older, with good care, it becomes a beautiful floor plant, reaching four feet tall or more.
Photo by Enchanted Seashells
While its variegated leaves are the main reason to grow it, polka dot begonia can also show off clusters of small white flowers on and off throughout the year if it gets enough light.
Propagating Polka Dot Begonias (Begonia maculata) is best achieved via stem cuttings placed in water. Cut a healthy stem just below a node (leaf joint), remove lower leaves, and place it in water for four to six weeks until roots reach about 2 inches, then pot in airy, fast-draining soil.
Photo by Enchanted Seashells
Fingers crossed that I won’t love this one to death like I’ve done to other specimen plants.
With news of ships blown up during an illegal faux war to manipulate financial markets, a deranged fraud of a prez, skyrocketing prices, future uncertainty, there’s sanity in the simplicity of a flower that persists against all odds.
When I first noticed it, I tried to gently pry up this volunteer zinnia from between the crack in my driveway to plant in a better location, but I would have destroyed it, so there was nothing else to do but leave it where it grew. The roots are strong, much more so than I thought.
Photo by Enchanted Seashells
I’ve watered it, watching and waiting, and it just bloomed, one single, brave flower.
My plan is to wait until the flower dies and forms seeds so I’ll continue to plant resilience, grit, tenacity, and determination.
A while back a neighbor was tossing out a few orchid plants that she thought were dead or dying. I rescued them, gave them love, and patiently waited.
I’ve been rewarded with not one, but two of them throwing spikes and blooming at the same time!
Photo by Enchanted Seashells
Best of all, they’re one of the few flowers that don’t trigger my allergies!
Photo by Enchanted Seashells
Slightly different shades of fuchsia bring joy.
Photo by Enchanted Seashells
I don’t know why anyone would discard an orchid; they’re not that difficult to maintain and there’s immense satisfaction when they rebloom.
I found an obscure poem about orchids by José Santos Chocano, written in the 1920s:
The Orchids
Freaks of bright crystal, airy beauties fair, Whose enigmatic forms amaze the eye— Crowns fit to deck Apollo’s brows on high, Adornments meet for halls of splendor rare! They spring from knots in tree-trunks, rising there In sweet gradation; winding wondrously, They twist their serpent stems, and far and nigh Hang overhead like wingless birds in air.
Lonely, like pensive heads, all fetterless. Lofty and free they bloom; by no dull chain Their flowers to any tyrant root are bound; Because they too, at war with pettiness, Desire to live, like souls that know no stain, Without one touch of contact with the ground.
I really wish you could close your eyes and inhale the fragrance of these freesias. Our weather’s been hot here in SoCal and all the flowers bloomed at the same time.
Photo by Enchanted Seashells
Isn’t that vase adorable? I found it at a thrift shop and it’s one of my favorite things.
This is another post in my continual quest to NOT allow current events to cause mental and emotional distress. I don’t actively ignore the news; instead, I’m trying to manage my visceral reactivity, if that makes sense.
I didn’t get good pics of March’s full blood moon, but look who I discovered on the deck this morning! He didn’t look too perky so I put him near a flower and hope he rallies…
The White-lined Sphinx Moth, Hyles lineata, is a common “hawk moth” (Family Sphingidae) and gigantic at almost four inches! I’ve seen them around here on very rare occasions but have mistaken them for hummingbirds because they’re so big.
Hummingbird moths are excellent, beneficial pollinators, especially for night-blooming flowers, helping gardens and ecosystems thrive, though their caterpillar stage might munch on host plants like tomatoes, a minor trade-off for their adult benefits. They are harmless to humans, mimic hummingbirds, and are crucial for plant reproduction, making them a positive addition to any pollinator-friendly yard.
Hummingbird moth symbolism often centers on luck, transformation, peace, prosperity, and longevity, appearing as a messenger for change or a sign to look closer at life’s illusions, blending butterfly themes (change) with hummingbird traits (joy, flexibility) as they are mimics of hummingbirds and symbolize a spiritual connection to nature’s deeper messages and joyful living.
“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” Lao Tzu
Leaf Loss / Bare Bones / Blue Sky
This ash tree started out forty years ago in a five-gallon pot as a housewarming gift. As soon as the leaves begin to drop–in just a day or two– the branches will become bare and I’ll have a LOT of raking to do.
“Simplicity is the final achievement. Simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance.” Coco Chanel
Abscission is the reason why leaves fall. Scientists believe that a reduction in sunlight leads to the reduction of chlorophyll in the leaf due to a reduction in photosynthesis and this may trigger the abscission of leaves. The actual process occurs when the weaker cells near the petiole are pushed off by the stronger cells beneath them.
That’s a lot for my brain to process and right now all I want to do is quietly savor the stark, elegantly naked branches.
Enchanted Seashells | Princess Rosebud 