It's A Garden Party - Welcome!

This feature, originally known as Saturday Farmer's Market, was created by Heather at Capricious Reader, and then hosted by Chris at Stuff as Dreams are Made on.
 

Today is a rechristening of sorts.

 

I decided that since I seem to have killed the original Saturday Farmer's Market feature, it was only fair that I finally relinquish their title and graphics. The new masthead is a photo taken in my own garden last summer, and I have rechristened the feature on my blog It's A Garden Party!

I plan to continue posting about my own gardening ups and downs and sharing my photographs. If anyone would like to share their own gardening adventures - large or small, inside or out - I would love to see them. You can tell me what's happening in the comments, or just leave a link to your own post.

Most of all, I would just love to have you stop by, relax a few moments, and enjoy my garden - smell the flowers, as it were - and go back to your own life renewed.

My Roses are starting to fill in. 

I expect a relatively sparse bloom this year because of last year's irrigation mishap, but when you are talking Floribundas and Grandifloras, that is still considerable!

The three Rose pictures are, in order: Yellow Floribunda, White and Yellow Grandifloras. 

The latter two were birthday presents from my Sweety, and are starting their second summer.

This tiny Johnny-Jump-Up was a total surprise. 

It came up between the Roses and the front walk. 

I had planted some ages ago, but the California summers are brutal on them so I never replanted.

 

This is White Rock Rose, a ground cover, and yes, I badly need to weed.

Just a few weeks ago I would have bet money that my Coopertina Ninebark was dead. 

The winter frost was hard on it and it was fried black and crumbly. I only waited to pull it out because I was deciding what to replace it with. 

It's a good thing I waited. 

Because of the sun the photo doesn't do it justice, but it has what I call Fall colors, shades of brown and copper mixed in with the green. 

 

And . . .

Although there are not many flowers, it is also getting ready to bloom. 

This little cluster is about the size of a nickle.

Remember the California Poppies in the middle of the patio? 

They get no direct water and have been trampled a number of times, but they're still going strong and blooming away. . 

What a persistent plant!

 Ugh!

I went out to water the revamped Herb bed the other day and this is what I found. 

A quick internet search told me it was harmless to both plant and animals, but ...

It looks disgusting. In fact, it lives up to its name - Dog Vomit Fungus. 

It is actually a slime mold found growing in mulched areas, not a fungus, and it disappears in a few days (only to show up in greater mass next year no doubt).

Here are some large California Poppies against the silver grey backdrop of the Lavender bed. Once the Lavender blooms this makes for a stunning display.

I thought this was an apt poem for my garden in California, at the end of the driest winter in over sixty years. We are facing the worst drought in our recorded history, and since the bulk of our economy is agriculture based, the future is uncertain.


The water is deep
In the ocean;
Drought in the land

- Takahama Kyoshi