Wordless Wednesday - Woodstock, N.Y.

all photos by Sukey Pett


Clematis


Peony

All photos courtesy of Sukey Pett - Post Photos to my Facebook Fan Page - Please visit & "Like" the page. If you post photos & allow me to - I will showcase them here.

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July 2010 Gardening Events & More

There is always a lot to do in the Los Angeles area during the summertime. This July there is no shortage of fun garden and family events to attend both in LA and in Santa Clarita.



Don't forget that there are Farmer’s Markets in Santa Clarita! This is a great way to get fresh fruits and vegetables plus a whole lot more while supporting your local farmers and business owners.





Sundays in the College of The Canyons Parking Lot from 8:30am – noon
Thursdays in Old Town Newhall from 3-7pm.










Santa Clarita is also host to Concerts and other events, put them in your calendar.

Friday Night Jazz & Blues Concert Series – Fridays 7 – 9:30 pm
Check valenciajazzandblues for the schedule of performers.
Lexus of Valencia sponsors this weekly event on Town Center Drive at McBean. The concerts end August 27, 2010.

7/4/10 – Santa Clarita Fourth of July Parade
For information check out their site: parade
The Parade begins at 9am but there are other events that start earlier like a 5K at 8am and the equestrian set up and judging – the theme for the parade is “Movietown USA”. Today is the last day for entries into the parade, but… the fourth is just around the corner and you can join in and watch the festivities!

Don’t forget to attend one of the evening Fireworks shows. The City’s show starts at about 9:20 at Westfield Valencia Town Center and there are shows in Stevenson Ranch and at Castaic Lake. Also… plenty of block parties and barbecues will be happening around town. Enjoy your holiday safely!

7/6/10 1 – 2:30 pm
Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden
Plant Information
A free class on a variety of plant-related topics, with botanist Frank McDonough
301 North Baldwin Ave.
Arcadia, CA 91007
(626) 821-4623
LA Arboretum

The City of Santa Clarita’s Concerts in the Park start on Saturday July 10, 2010 and continue on through August 28, 2010. They are all at Central Park and begin at 7pm.
You can find a list of concerts at: SCVConcerts
Check the schedule for your favorites and spend Saturdays in the Park!

7/16/10 – 7pm
Night Walk at Descanso Gardens
An Evening walk through the gardens led by docents Jim & Joanne Jackson
1418 Descanso Dr.
La Canada Flintridge, CA 91011
(818) 949-7980
Fee $15.00; reservations are required
Descanso Gardens


7/17/10 - 9am-4pm
51st Annual Begonia Show & Sale
featuring displays and sales of begonias,ferns, orchids,bromeliads,& other shade-loving plants
Westchester Begonia Society
Covenant Presbyterian Church
6323 W 80th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90045
310-670-4471
to get detailed information email - begoniabrown@yahoo.com

7/17/10 – 10 – 11:30
Companion Planting at Descanso Gardens
A lecture on balancing your garden's ecosystem
1418 Descanso Dr.
La Canada Flintridge, CA 91011
(818) 949-7980
Fee $15.00; pre-registration required
Descanso Gardens



7/18/10 – 9am -12noon
Square Foot Gardening at Los Angeles Arboretum & Botanic Garden
A class on growing food efficiently in small spaces, with Jo Ann Carey
301 North Baldwin Ave.
Arcadia, CA 91007
(626) 821-4623
Fee $25.00; pre-registration required
LA Arboretum



7/31/10 – 9-11:30am
The History of the Rose at Descanso Gardens
A lecture with horticulturist Amanda Everett
1418 Descanso Dr.
La Ca?ada Flintridge, CA 91011
(818) 949-7980
Fee $12.00; pre-registration required
Descanso Gardens

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Wordless Wednesdays - Blooming in Santa Clarita

Orange Harvest Bearded Iris


Echeveria & Euphorbia


Lotus

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How To Plant A Salsa Garden

Schools out, the weather is warm so it’s time to create some fun for everyone. How about a fun, family friendly activity that you can do as well? Try planting a Salsa Garden!

Planting a Salsa Garden is easy, fun, and great for the Santa Clarita Valley. Hot peppers love our climate, as do tomatoes. Add some cilantro, and onions and you’ve got all the fixin’s you’ll need for excellent Salsa through out the year. Make sure to select an area of your yard that will get 6 – 8 hours of sunlight. Much more than that and you might bake your plants in SCV, so find a spot that gets a little shade in the late afternoon. If you live in a home or condo with little or no soil available, you can easily plant all of these in pots.

Here are a few varieties of peppers you might like to try:



Pepper Choices:
Habaneros
Jalapenos
Mexibell
Poblano

Your choices should be made based on your family’s preferences; you might want to plant more than one type of Pepper based on the different tastes in your circle. Select from the above and you will be sure to make everyone happy.

Tomatoes that are meaty with great flavor and not too juicy are the best for salsa. Which means that paste tomatoes are often a good choice. Try these tomato varieties for great results:



Roma
San Marzano
Black Krim
Brandywine
Beefsteak

I have found that Roma tomatoes can be a little bit inconsistent so trying one of the other plum varieties might be a best choice.

You can also add a little extra to your salsa garden, try some tomatillos! They need the about same conditions as tomatoes so popping a few into your garden will be both enjoyable and stretch you culinary talents!

I can make this even easier for you, how about a plan? This plan is based on a 3’x6’ planter bed. Make sure to support your tomatoes, and stake your peppers. I’m going to throw in a few extra herbs for you since you have enough space, and fresh herbs make everything better!

If your bed is up against a wall, put the tomatoes at the back and wire up the wall as a trellis, if you can walk around the bed, put the tomatoes in the middle. This plan shows the tomato plants in the middle. The onions are green onions (scallions)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
| 3 Basil | 9 Onions | 1 Pepper | 9 Onions | 1 Pepper | 3 Basil | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
| 3 Parsley | 1 Tomato | 1 Tomato | 1 Tomatillo | 1 Tomato | 1 Tomato |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
| 9 Cilantro| 1 Pepper | 9 Onions | 1 Pepper | 9 Onions | 9 Cilantro |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Make sure to fertilize and water regularly, the only other thing you will need is a great salsa recipe, here is one from my good friend, Julie O!

The Salsa I make is very simple:
jalapeno peppers about 4(you can add more if you want it spicy) chopped up
tomatoes..around 5-6 chopped up
cilantro..i always use i bunch chopped up
green onion..around 4 chopped up
1 can hunt tomato sauce
salt
avocado..cubed
mix all together..& enjoy with chips



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Wordless Wednesdays - June in SoCal

Spuria Iris


Hydrangeas


Incendio Mini Rose

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Garden Joke

Hi All!

I am on my way back to sunny Southern California from my wonderful trip to NY for my niece's wedding so... since I don't have a lot of time today I decided to post a garden joke for you.

My wife is a water sign; I’m an earth sign. Together we make mud.
-Rodney Dangerfield

I'll be back on track next week and sharing some of my fun times on the east coast.

Happy Gardening (or mud making),

Julie

Wordless Wednesday - Becca's Flowers

Flowers in honor of (my niece) Becca's Wedding to Shimmy last Sunday 6/6/10


Becca loves orchids


The Centerpieces had lovely hydrangeas


More Orchids for Becca

What To Do In Your Southern California Garden In June

To keep your Coleus and Caladium plants in top form, be sure to pinch off the faded leaves and flowers, water consistently and make sure to use an all purpose fertilizer.

If you want continuous blooms from you gladiolas plant some bulbs every few weeks and you will have blooms throughout the summer.



Feed your roses!

As it gets hot, check that the water in your container and potted designs are adequate. If you have your drippers turned down, you might need to turn them up a little.

If you trim the old bloom ends from you Crape Myrtle trees you will encourage lots of new flower formation.

Fertilizing your summer annuals will encourage blooms.

Beneficials: Nematodes applied now can destroy Japanese beetle grubs that live in the ground. You can also control budworm with Bt. (budworm love petunias & geranium so keep your eyes open for holes)

Diatomaceous earth can be used to control earwigs. You need to spread it around where they live.



Be sure to keep an eye on your vegetable crops and harvest them as they reach optimum size.

Trim off old bloomed out spikes of Salvia, Pentas, and Penstemons. This type of trimming (deadheading) will encourage new blooms and extend the bloom time of the plants.



It is time to prune the spring blooming Ceanothus. Make sure that they are finished blooming and give them a nice haircut.

Palm Fertilizer Notes:
Apply slow-release fertilizers to your palms. They provide nutrients over a long period of time. The main advantage to slow release fertilizers is they are convenient. The best fertilizer regimen for palms is three applications per year: once in early spring, once in early summer (now), and once in late fall. Use a balanced fertilizer (equal numbers) with micro-nutrients.

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Wordless Wednesday - Olvera St

Agave & Bougainvillea at Union Station (or is it Yucca & Azaleas?...only kidding private joke)


Classic LA - Olive, Palm & Bougainvillea


Grapes & Bougainvillea deck Olvera Street

For more about my designs: thegrassisalwaysgreener.net