The Dry Garden

Thrift

With longer days and warm temperatures, plants are growing fast in the dry garden.  Thrift, so called because of its ability to grow in poor soil and with little water, has lovely deep pink flowers.

 
 

Busy, Busy, Busy

The bees are busy in the flowering cherry tree

 
 

And Then There Were Five

A donkey and a horse lived in a field in the outskirts of Santa Rosa.  The horse died and the donkey became depressed so the owner of the field brought in two llamas.  As is the way of things, a baby llama came along a little later.

  

Some time after this another donkey joined the menagerie

 

 So now the bereaved donkey has lots of company.

Elfin Thyme

 
The Gardener plants small-leaved Elfin Thyme between the stepping stones in the path across the dry garden.

 
 We hope it will spread well and smell delightful to anyone walking by. 

The Gardener Goes Camping

The Gardener and I took a two night camping trip to the coast.  We headed for Van Damme State Park which is about two miles south of the pretty little town of Mendocino.

  

We enjoyed warm sunshine and cold starry nights.  We drove up to Point Cabrillo, visited the lighthouse, picnicked on the cliffs and spotted a Northern Harrier and bright and beautiful Western Meadowlarks.
 

Unruly Trees

The Gardener struggles with plum trees.  They're in full flower now but we're having a cold spring and the bees are all still tucked safely in their hives and not pollinating the blossom.  Other years we have a frost which is hard enough to spoil the flowers.

 
 Weeping Santa Rosa Plum

Santa Rosa plums were developed here in Santa Rosa (Are you surprised?) by the horticulturalist, Luther Burbank.  This weeping plum is very vigorous and rather untidy looking.  The Gardener has strapped the branches down to try and mould it into a neat form.

 
 Wickson Plum

This tree produces really lovely fruit but it tries to be tall and thin, which makes picking difficult so the Gardener has tied the branches down to spread them.

A Bright Blue Bird

Scrub Jays are frequent visitors to our yard. 

A Scrub Jay Sitting on the Wisteria Frame

Deer Are Contrary Creatures

 
 Deer and Wild Turkeys in the Field Across the Road

Deer in Sonoma County are of a contrary nature and commonly eat things gardening books say they avoid. The Gardener has to take this into consideration when choosing plants for the dry garden.  

 
Wild Turkeys 

Wild turkeys come to our yard for pyracantha berries but they don't seem interested in anything else.  We saw a bobcat facing off with turkeys in Annadel State Park.  The bobcat was trying to snatch a chick for lunch but the adult birds protected the flock, and when we left, the cat had not succeeded.