Late Summer afternoons are some of the best times to capture those magical shots. Here in Northern CA there's a time in December and January where the sky is clear, the air is still and the sun is just strong enough that if you can find the right spot it's still t-shirt weather for maybe an hour or so. Because the sun is so low in the sky the light feels unique. Within a few months we'll get maddening, daily winds that blow through the Summer months so I'm enjoying this season.
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Early December
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Late December
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Aloe cameronii
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Aloe cameronii
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Aloe ferox about to burst
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My wife mentioned the other day that she likes single stem Aloes - and not the multi-branching aloes (like A. cameronii above). The latter are too messy and chaotic.
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Aloe vanbalenii
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"Cat's Tail" Aloe
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This is only the second year that the Aloe castanea above has bloomed so I'm happy to see this year it's putting up four stalks.
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| Aloe mutabilis |
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Kalanchoe sexangularis bloom early December
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Hodge-Podge Jungle
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The backyard is feeling more and more like a jungle (but made of plants that would never actually live together.) This is going to sound odd but during those later summer days, after work, I'll hide a blue-tooth speaker in the garden, play some ambient jungle noise, crack open a beer and watch the sun set. Instant micro-vacation. :)
Happy Holidays
Micro or not, anything you do that makes you feel like you're on vacation is something to preserve, especially given present circumstances. You've got some great aloe blooms to celebrate with the new year. I've only got a handful of aloes with bloom spikes but that's still better than last year. When you start with small plants, you have to be patient.
ReplyDeleteThanks Kris - I will take your words to heart.
DeleteSounds like the perfect COVID era vacation! Lovely shots.
ReplyDeleteThanks Loree. btw I will definitely keep an eye for your new book. To be 'dangerous' here I'd need to grow something like Hydrangea - and maybe bring it indoors for the summer :)
DeleteExcellent Aloe collection. Good year for blooms here also. 4 stems on castanea! Mine has only one.
ReplyDeleteI'm with Mrs. Hans, far prefer solitary Aloes. The clumpers look chaotic, and more than looks, reducing a clump size is a fair bit of heavy work. I'm removing most of the clumps and going as all-solitary as possible. Aculeata, reitzii, peglarae, tomentosa...so many beauties.
Sounds like a good plan. I don't mind branching Aloes but I definitely see the appeal of an elegant, single stem specimen. Maybe the 'chaotic clumpers' are best saved for the background or along property lines etc.
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