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Ringing in the New
Arctostaphylos pajaroensis, just starting to bloom.Today is the lunar New Year, and, after a long time away from the garden, I was so happy to step out and see my different manzanitas (Arctostaphylos)...
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Weeding the teeny weeny weeds
Blue witch - Solanum umbelliferumYes, I'll start with a pretty picture - Solanum umbelliferum, which I'm happy to see a lot more of sprouting on the chaparral hillside below our house.Blue witch...
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Late bloomer
I had a different post planned for today - but then I went out in the garden and was quite stunned by the profusion of blooms everywhere. On top of that, it was quite warm, and bees and bumble bees...
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February Blooms on the Country Mouse Ridge
Well, it's the late late bloom show here on our wild ridge-top, six miles inland from the wonderful Monterey Bay!This is one of a pair of posts - Please also check out Town Mouse's suburban garden...
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Dad's Garden Bed Makeover: Smaller, with New Retaining Walls
So - this is the story of the great cottage garden makeover. It illustrates the fun of doing your own stonework! It also illustrates a paradox confronting the native plant gardener who lives in a wild...
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More Green Wall Goodness
It all started with the view from the kitchen window, which showed nothing but a fence. So, in January last year, I set to work with my Christmas present from Mr. Mouse and created my first mini green...
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First Views - March at the "Country Mouse Estate"
Here's how things were looking here on March 1, 2013, for our First Views meme in which we step back and take a look at garden spaces rather than focusing on flowers or small groups of plants. It's now...
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Beautiful Ceanothus
Last Sunday, I had the great pleasure of seeing a garden in San Jose that showcases one of the greatest number of different species of Ceanothus (California wild lilac) in the world, around 60. I've...
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The Joys of Early Spring
Most California annuals don't start blooming until March or even April, so it's easy to forget how much there is to see even in February. I was surprised when I went on a hike a few weeks ago and found...
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Where Can I Get Native Plants?
Now that it's starting to get sunny, all gardeners are itching to get some plants, and get them in the ground fast. Regrettably, it's not always easy to find native plants, so this post gives some tips...
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Late Bloom Day for March!
I can't help but give pride of place to the photo above because it caught such a tender moment of unfolding and emergence -- though of course agapanthus is not a native. This plant is one of a few that...
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We mice volunteer, explore - the SF Flower and Garden Show
So - here is our report from the SF Flower and Garden Show. The 2013 theme is "Gardens make the world go round." We volunteered in the CNPS booth (see end of post) and visited the gardens and vendors...
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Oh, I didn't know that!
Friday last week, I had the great pleasure to attend a talk about butterflies and California native plants, sponsored by the Santa Clara Valley chapter of CNPS. The presentation was by Liam O'Brien,...
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Rain, Glorious Rain!
Rain on Festuca California. Ever since I started gardening, I've been addicted to the text discussion of the National Weather Service (for my region, the forecast is here). And, after a very promising...
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Reseeds!
It might seem as if all my post titles of late end with an exclamation mark - but Reseeds! is actually a quote from the Annie's Annuals catalogue. And it's true - while there's a lot of to do about...
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Mystery Bulb Identified! - Fritillaria affinis
In August 8 2012, I harvested the bulb boxes I sowed two years prior with seeds of local wild flowers. I wrote about the initial sowing here, the harvesting here, and the subsequent planting out here.I...
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Going Native Garden Tour Next Weekend!
Yes, the time has come again you can visit over 60 gardens with at least 50% natives.Here's how to do it:Register at gngt.org. Registration is free. Use the garden pages to plan your visit - You can...
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California Natives for Irrigated Shade or Part Shade
Hummingbird sage, Salvia spathacea, can take water and partial shadeI write occasional articles about native plants and related topics for our local paper, the Santa Cruz Sentinel -- and certainly...
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Best traffic circle ever
During a recent walk at Steven's Creek Trail, I couldn't quite believe my eyes when I saw the amazing plantings that the City of Mountain View had put in at a traffic circle near the Rengstorff House....
View ArticleSeeing the Garden Through Someone Else's Eyes
I so enjoy seeing my garden through the lens of someone else's photos and writing. Imagine my delight when I found that Ryan of Dry Stone Garden did a post about his visit to the garden on garden tour...
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