Rain. I get it. We need rain. But still - I'm tired of rain. When the sun does finally come out it has a way of lifting my mood.
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50 shades of green |
This time of year during the rains it's easy to forget we live in an arid environment. With the right plant selection a succulent garden looks more tropical than arid.
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The family gargoyle keeping us safe |
Notice the Cotyledon orbiculatum sticking it's fattened 'chalk fingers' into the frame?
To paraphrase
Roberto Burle Marx - if you want to appreciate a plant there's no use in planting just one. In order to see it properly you have to plant lots of them.
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For a short time on sunny mornings... |
A few days ago we had hail that lasted less than a minute. It doesn't take long before soft plants suffer the consequences.
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Kalanchoe "Copper Spoons" after a brief hail storm |
I can hear you asking - "Why would you leave a Kalanchoe outdoors in the winter?" This year I'm leaving most plants outdoors the entire cold season. I want to see what happens. Call it field testing.
More rain forecast for this weekend.
You get more in the way of "weather" up your way than we do but, even as perpetually desperate for rain as I usually am, I was getting a bit tired of it too. If only Mother Nature had an on-off switch...My Kalanchoe is able to remain outside and, as the climate changes, perhaps yours can too. The LA Times reported on predictions that, by 2080, LA's climate will resemble that of Cabo San Lucas and San Francisco's climate will resemble LA's current climate. Granted, that's more than 60 years in the future but it appears the change has already begun.
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