Mike and Phil on the Hill

1201 - Larkspur

2012-01-31T15:45:00.000-08:00

I cut and brought indoors this pink larkspur just before it rained hard for a few days.

1201 - Kalanchoe

2012-01-30T17:22:00.000-08:00

Kalanchoe has become one of my favorite genus of succulents, this species quite happy in our gardens, its leaves turning dark blue, then pink, as it sends up foot-long, pink flower stems.

When the bell-shaped flowers open, their interior will be bright orange.

1201 - Hyacinth

2012-01-20T14:08:00.000-08:00

Since heavy rains have failed to arrive this winter, I've been surprised by the dozens upon dozens of hyacinths now emerging in the gardens.

One cut flower on the mantel is enough to perfume the front of the house.

1201 - Tac

2012-01-13T14:28:00.000-08:00

Here are a few photographs of Tac hanging out with me in the gardens on a very windy day not too long ago.

Her winter coat gets so long, Phil takes to calling her "Badger."

1201 - Cabbage Poppy

2012-01-02T14:42:00.000-08:00

Our unusually dry and warm December encouraged this cabbage poppy to bloom, its flower half the size as ones blooming in the spring, but spectacular nonetheless.

111226 - Larkspur and Sweet Peas

2011-12-26T12:17:00.000-08:00

Today I photographed the sweet peas and larkspur in bloom at the top left of the terraces.

Despite this being the last week of December, the burgundy sweet peas show no sign of fading, their vines at least six feet long and now blocking the staircase running alongside the fountain.

The purple larkspur has just bloomed beside other larkspur and a cabbage poppy on the verge of flowering, too.

1112 - Kalanchoe

2011-12-15T08:25:00.000-08:00

Several years ago, a friend gave us a kalanchoe from Hawaii.

He suggested we put it in a pot, but we unwisely ignored his advice.

The kalanchoe quickly spread across one of the lower terraces, so we were forced to put black plastic and heavy rocks around it in an effort to slow its growth.

Every fall, it goes into bloom.

I took this photograph yesterday of its flowers, which last a few weeks, are about the size of your thumbnail and smell like honeysuckle.

1109 - Dahlias

2011-11-26T11:14:00.000-08:00

Even while much of the gardens underperformed this summer and fall, these dahlias put on quite a show.

1109 - Candy Tuft

2011-11-19T20:14:00.000-08:00

I was disappointed when only a few of the candy tufts came into bloom this summer and fall.

I took this photograph in September in the fride (FRont sIDE) garden.

1110 - Echeveria

2011-10-30T23:05:00.000-07:00

A section at the top, left of the terraced gardens was purposely left at a steep angle, and it was here that Phil planted mostly succulents, which require excellent drainage.

These echeveria have all grown from one cutting stuck into the ground near the brick used to slow down soil erosion from the terraces above.

1110 - Larkspur

2011-10-25T19:52:00.000-07:00

A few larkspurs, dwarfed by our cool, foggy spring and summer, have bloomed in the gardens.

I found this one by accident, spotting it beneath the mass of sweet peas at the top, left of the staircase, at first thinking it was a butterfly.

1109 - Sweet Peas

2011-09-30T07:49:00.000-07:00

When our summer arrived at last in mid-September, these sweet peas at the top of the terraces went into bloom.

Though I've grown used to plants flourishing out of season atop our hill, it is certainly spectacular to have bouquets of sweet peas to harvest and bring indoors as Halloween approaches.

1109 - Jasmine

2011-09-12T07:44:00.000-07:00

Last year, a winter storm tore down the trellis the jasmine was growing on.

After Phil rebuilt the trellis with metal supports, water pooled in the container, so Phil was forced to rebuild the entire pot from bottom to top.

The jasmine looked quite dead for some time, but now, several months later, it has bloomed.

1108 - Pink Lupine

2011-08-22T15:35:00.000-07:00

Under a very shady tree decorated year round with Christmas lights, this pink lupine surprised us by blooming this summer, its flower stalk over a foot tall.

I vaguely remember planting here late last summer a seed from the one lupine in the gardens not purple.

I am keeping an eye on its seed pods and will harvest as many as I can.

1108 - Shirley Poppy

2011-08-12T18:31:00.000-07:00

August has been cool and very foggy.

Though only a few shirley poppies bloomed in the fride (FRont sIDE) garden, they were quite spectacular.

This is a rare, blue variety that reseeded from last year.

1107 - Carnation

2011-07-30T08:02:00.001-07:00

Late last fall, Phil and I planted this hybrid carnation at the top, left of the terraces.

It bloomed in late June, its pink and purple swirls quite a surprise.

110708 - Arrangement

2011-07-08T10:47:00.000-07:00

After several sunny days in a row, the summer flowers are putting on a show in the gardens.

Yesterday afternoon, I made this arrangement of orange coreopsis, pink and red cosmos, and purple and pink candy tuft, which I have found do best in bouquets on the dining room table or the mantel where their unpleasant, "rotting cheese" odor is less likely to overwhelm visitors.

1106 - Terraced Gardens

2011-06-30T15:16:00.001-07:00

June, 2011 turned out to have strange weather: a few drizzly days at the start of the month followed by a week or so of record heat, which was in turn put out by a sudden drop in temperature and a full day and night of steady rain.

I took this photograph a few days before the record heat transformed the gardens. I especially like the foxgloves and bachelor's buttons in bloom.

Last year, we planted the pink-and-white penstemon near the top of the terraces, and it has grown more than ten times in size.

110516 - Vertical Garden

2011-05-16T10:18:00.000-07:00

Last week at a class at Succulence on Bernal Heights, I made this vertical garden.

Phil suspended a slate shard under the skylight in one of the bathrooms and mounted the vertical garden to its front.

As the young succulents grow into their structure, they must be thoroughly watered once a week.

110419 - Columbine

2011-05-16T08:54:00.000-07:00

This columbine bloomed in the middle of April and, almost a month later, continues to look amazing.

It is the only one of its kind in the gardens, its tightly wrapped flowers a hybrid of the dahlia-like flowers and the others with spurs.

110419 - Roses

2011-04-23T12:27:00.000-07:00

I took these images of the roses in the gardens earlier this week.

Phil and I are constantly amazed they do so well, considering we never fuss over them.

The rose with the tiny bud was planted a year or so ago and steadily grows taller every few months. A nursery's catalog promises it will be well over eight feet tall.

110419 - Aeonium in Bloom

2011-04-22T11:43:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week, after several cool, misty days in row, the sky cleared, and I took several photographs in the gardens.

This aeonium has gone into bloom for the first time since we planted it as a cutting three years ago. It is now about two feet tall by two feet wide, its flower stock nearly a foot long.

1103 - Poppy

2011-03-16T22:10:00.000-07:00

In early March, between downpours that seemed to last for days, I photographed this poppy blooming at the top of the gardens.

It is a hardy perennial that has been in the gardens since we were first able to reach this area after terracing the hillside five or so years ago.

1102 - Camellia

2011-03-03T09:42:00.000-08:00

The two camellias at the bottom, left of the gardens are going into bloom. I suspect our warm January and February have encouraged their early flowering.

1102 - Tac

2011-03-01T09:31:00.000-08:00

In late February, I was photographing the gardens when Tac insisted I pet her, instead.

Here, she waits impatiently for me to put down the camera and give her attention on "the petting wall," a section of the retaining wall they have learned I come to whenever I want to pet them.

In the early mornings and evenings, I frequently stand here, hearing them crashing through the gardens before I spot them running up to be petted.

Today is Tac and Toe's birthday.

1102 - Cala Lily

2011-02-28T18:11:00.000-08:00

At the end of January, the first cala lily bloomed at the base of the fountain, which frequently floods, as we overfill the fountain to freshen the water for the cats, raccoons and birds that drink from it.

1102 - Anemones

2011-02-28T09:18:00.000-08:00

Until last week, when the nights reached record cold in San Francisco, January and February were unusually sunny and warm.

The first anemones have come up, looking a bit anemic.

I hope the winter cold and rains encourage more anemones to come up with larger and more profuse blooms.

1012 - Amaryllis

2011-02-27T13:09:00.000-08:00

The amaryllis did not bloom as profusely in 2010 as they had over the last few years, most likely due to the unusually cool, foggy summer.

However, in December, 2010, just at the top of the staircase, these put on a spectacular show, their perfume filling the air around the steps.

1101 - Bachelor Buttons

2011-02-27T08:50:00.000-08:00

Most of the bachelor buttons I seeded throughout the gardens late last summer were eaten by birds, snails and slugs.

However, the few survivors overwintered nicely, growing to almost one-and-a-half feet tall and producing spectacular flowers in shades of blue, pink and purple as January warmed up.

1102 - Nasturtiums

2011-02-24T19:25:00.000-08:00

Earlier this month, I took this photograph of nasturtiums already in bloom at the base of the fountain.

Phil loves any nasturtium in bloom, but I like best these dark red flowers.

110214 - Heart of Hearts

2011-02-14T23:22:00.000-08:00

On Valentine's Day, Phil arrived home from work after the sun had set, so I gave him a flashlight when I led him into the backyard.

I also gave him a little heart on a stick, telling him it was a clue. He was confused in the dark for a moment or two, then shined the flashlight around and spotted the trail of hearts leading up the terraces.

At the top, he found a little box inside the heart of hearts.

In the box was the hanging vase that we've since put up in the kitchen window.

Phil says he likes the hanging vase and was surprised by the treasure hunt.

On the other hand, as you can see in one of the photographs, Tac was clearly underwhelmed.

110131 - Flower Arrangement

2011-01-30T23:54:00.000-08:00

The mud season is ending in San Francisco, as the rains give way to several warm, sunny days in a row.

The giant hyacinths are now charging out of the ground, while bachelor buttons and love-in-the-mist that overwintered in our mild climate come into bloom. The roses that Phil and I routinely ignore have paid us back with fantastic blooms.

Today, I cut and brought indoors these flowers to create an arrangement for Phil's sister, who lives in a state buried in snow for much of the winter.

1011 - Nasturtiums

2011-01-30T18:37:00.001-08:00

This photograph is of the nasturtiums in November, 2010, when they were blooming at the top of the staircase running up the center of the terraces.

Phil grew up where summer heat kills off nasturtiums before they have a chance to bloom, so he thinks our gardens are heaven, nasturtiums not only blooming profusely but volunteering themselves everywhere like weeds.

I purchased from an online nursery seed packs that promised blooms the palest of yellows and the darkest of reds. They did not disappoint. As you can see, their descendants came up a bright orange before I could pluck them.

1011 - Delphiniums

2010-12-30T17:00:00.000-08:00

Delphiniums remain one of my favorite flowers.

If you are a regular reader of this blog, then you know by the preponderance of their images that I favor the deep purple ones.

The one featured in these photographs is the Pacific giant that has done very well at the base of the terraces in the backyard. This year, it was in bloom in mid-October, when I took these images; and, again, in late December, while we had a warm and sunny late fall.

I cut and brought indoors a few days before Christmas a flower stock from this plant almost three feet long.

In one of these photographs, you can see California primroses and the chimney bell flower fading as the nights grew longer and colder.

1011 - Coreopsis

2010-12-16T04:50:00.000-08:00

A nursery off Ocean Beach in San Francisco offered this new coreopsis earlier this fall, and it has done very well at the top of the terraces.

I took this photograph in the middle of November. The plant is now covered in blooms and seems to enjoy our long, cool nights.

The flowers are about two inches across.

101123 - Cosmos

2010-11-25T17:32:00.000-08:00

Between two days of winter rains and before a sudden drop in temperature more typical of our winter, I took these images of the cosmos I'd planted in one of the front gardens late last spring.

Three feet and taller, they have exceeded my expectations. I have cut and brought indoors dozens of flowers over the last several weeks.

I hope to have this sort of success next year, when I plan on seeding much of the front gardens with cosmos for an even greater display next fall.

1011 - Hollyhocks

2010-11-18T21:30:00.000-08:00

As I'd hoped, the hollyhocks went into bloom throughout the gardens only a few weeks before Thanksgiving.

These photos show just a few of the plants in bloom in the fride (FRont sIDE), side and upper terrace gardens.

Last weekend, I harvested seeds from many of the plants and hope to have several more hollyhocks in the gardens in 2011.

101013 - Hollyhocks

2010-11-05T07:49:00.000-07:00

The hollyhocks did rather well this summer, though there have certainly been more blooms in prior years.

As our fall warmed up, the plants sent up new growth, especially at the top of the terraces. I hope they bloom again before the winter rains come.

101013 - Lemon Blossoms

2010-11-04T23:14:00.000-07:00

The lemon tree was covered in blossoms mid-October. It hasn't put out much fruit during our cool, foggy summer, but on warm, still nights, the blossoms smelled spectacular.

101013 - Chimney Bell Flower

2010-11-03T06:00:00.000-07:00

This chimney bell flower was seeded by the spectacular one we planted two years ago. That one grew to twelve feet tall before it lay down over the garden.

This one reached about eight feet tall before the wind and rain sent it drooping over cacti and delphiniums in the nearby gardens.

It is now covered in blooms.

101013 - Hybrid Asiatic Poppy

2010-11-02T15:00:00.000-07:00

About six inches across on a two-foot stem, this hybrid Asiatic poppy was the largest and most long lasting in the gardens this year.

The dismal summer stifled the others before they could bloom, though two managed to send up smaller flowers on delicate stems and looked very nice for several days.

101013 - Amaranth

2010-10-30T18:45:00.000-07:00

Because the amaranth in past years grew quite massive, I only seeded one six pack this summer and transplanted the seedlings while it was still quite cool and foggy.

Despite the miserable summer, all did quite well.

I like this one because its flowers drape over a board like a crab's claws.

101013 - California Primrose

2010-10-30T14:08:00.000-07:00

The California or desert evening primrose was a surprise.

It has thrived everywhere I transplanted it into the gardens, though it seems to prefer the base of the fountain, which overflows when we want to freshen its water.

101013 - Clarkia

2010-10-30T13:52:00.000-07:00

A native to the West Coast and all of its varying climates, the clarkia was outstanding this year.

Over the last year or so, I managed to isolate a pale white with pink stripes and had these growing en masse at the base of the terraces to the right of the staircase.

101013 - Sweet Peas

2010-10-14T15:15:00.000-07:00

The definite upside to such a dismal summer was the perpetual spring-like conditions the spring flowers thrive in. These sweet peas were planted in December, 2009 or so and are still in bloom in the fride (FRont sIDE) garden.

101013 - Cosmos

2010-10-13T19:53:00.000-07:00

I know it's been three months since my last post.

The gardens were more than a little depressing from the middle of July or so until mid-September, while we experienced an especially cold, foggy and windy summer. It was like living a block off the Pacific Ocean, an area known in San Francisco for its brisk, foggy summers.

Then, starting in the second half of September, we suddenly had heat wave after heat wave, which brought very sunny days to our hill.

As I'd hoped would happen, the cosmos I planted in May or so to replace the cabbage poppies in the front garden suddenly grew three feet and went into bloom.

I think they will grow even taller and put on a great show all the way through New Year's Day.

100711 - Yellow Dahlia

2010-07-17T11:42:00.001-07:00

I think it's because the buddleia has done so well beside the red dahlia this summer that that dahlia is not already six feet tall and covered in flowers.

The yellow dahlia is the first to bloom, its flowers as large as dinner plates.

100711 - Bachelor Button

2010-07-12T18:37:00.000-07:00

In sunny spots throughout the gardens, I seeded bachelor buttons several times during late winter and spring.

Only one came up.

It is the first non-blue one Phil and I have seen in the gardens, so we're not completely disappointed.

A few weeks ago, I seeded one six pack with blue and another with non-blue. The seedlings are about an inch tall now. I hope to have better luck with these as we head into late summer and fall, typically the sunniest, hottest time in San Francisco.

100711 - Buddleia

2010-07-12T18:25:00.000-07:00

The buddleia - or butterfly bush - is now about four years old. We're not sure if it's due to its maturity in the garden or to the heavy rains we had last winter, but the buddleia is the largest it has every been - about eight feet by eight feet - and is covered in flowers this summer.

In January or early February, I cut it down to four feet by four feet, as the experts recommend, since flowers only appear on new growth. Within a few weeks, I was surprised to see it already growing very quickly.

100711 - Terraces

2010-07-11T08:13:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I took a few hundred photographs of the terraces before cleaning up the beds and seeding cosmos for late summer through winter.

10 Spring - Mullien

2010-06-13T11:53:00.000-07:00

We bought this mullien late last fall or winter. Its twin flower stocks have reached over five feet tall. The other mulliens we have grown over the years have been pink or red. This yellow one is spectacular, its color nearly unique in the gardens. We hope to harvest its seeds later this summer and replant it along the top of the terraces for another show next spring.

10 Spring - California Primrose

2010-06-13T10:50:00.000-07:00

Our friend Richard Knight had accumulated a great selection of books, and his widow, Judith, recently gave us several from their library.

I looked through one on flowers and was happy it confirmed the flower I had been calling a California primrose is indeed an evening primrose that thrives in Northern California.

Over the last few weeks, I took several photographs of it in bloom with canterbury bells, delphiniums and love-in-the-mist.

2010 Spring - Canterbury Bells

2010-06-04T10:29:00.000-07:00

15 months or so after I started them from seed, the canterbury bells are blooming. The ones in the garden between the garage doors have received the most sun, so they are the largest - about three feet tall by three feet wide - and are more fully in bloom. I especially like the flowers viewed in close up.

Tic died May 11, 2010

2010-05-30T14:12:00.000-07:00

Tic died May 11, 2010.

The night before, he wouldn't eat dinner when I brought it out to him and his sisters. He didn't look like he was feeling well, so I brought him inside and slept downstairs with him.

In the middle of the night, he started having labored breathing.

Before we could take him to the vet, he came into the garage, panted into my face, lay down between me and Toe sleeping on a cushion, and died.

Phil and I looked online, and it appears he had some sort of lung or heart problem.

I'd noticed a week before he died that he was losing weight, but he didn't mind when I poked and pawed at his body, so I didn't think he'd eaten poison - I once saw a rat running around our backyard, screaming, before it dropped dead. According to the literature online, Tic didn't seem to have a hairball problem, either, as he wasn't dry heaving.

We're going to miss him. He was only about fourteen months old.

These photographs are of him at happier times. One is of him when he was still a feral kitten, doing his best impersonation of Bigfoot caught on camera striding through the woods. Another is of him and Toe during one of the first times they came to me to eat. Another is of him trying to take a nap when Tac lay practically on top of him and decided it was time to take a bath. Another is of him rolling around one winter day when his winter coat was very full. And the last is of him a few weeks before he died. I thought he was posing for the camera. A moment later, he leapt at a hummingbird flitting around the lemon tree.

I took the below video only a few days after I'd discovered him and his sisters living with their mom, Bert, in a neighbor's yard. He is the kitten who collapses while playing with his feet, runs away, then struts back into frame like he's the king of the world.

1005 - Sweet Peas and Cabbage Poppies

2010-05-29T08:41:00.000-07:00

I can never decide which flowers are my favorites. It seems it is usually whatever I am looking at, but I have recently decided once and for all sweet peas are my favorite.

Here you can see I succeeded in growing the sweet peas up the side of the house and nearly into the windows of the front room.

It has been an especially rainy, cool and sunny spring, and I think this is exactly what the flowers needed to thrive.

The cabbage poppies are about five feet tall, their flowers a little smaller than your hands cupped together to catch water.

100518 - Cactus in Bloom

2010-05-18T16:00:00.001-07:00

Almost overnight, this cactus went into bloom.

At about fourteen inches tall, it doesn't seem to have grown much in the year or so that we've owned it, but now there are many more flowers than the two or three that typically bloomed at any one time.

The flowers last only a few days and are somewhat larger than teacups.

100427 - Tac

2010-04-27T19:12:00.001-07:00

I fed the cats this evening after the rain stopped.

Tac sat on the feral villa (cat house) and lazily kept an eye on me photographing the gardens. You can see she has lost most of her winter coat.

Toe took one look at the clicking camera pointed at her and fled into a neighbor's yard. Tic doesn't mind the camera, but wouldn't sit still long enough for a photograph: he was busy trying to capture a hummingbird, a recent interest for which he has an alarming aptitude.

100427 - Rhododendron

2010-04-27T18:59:00.000-07:00

When we moved into this house four years ago, we found a tree severely hacked to the ground. Neither of us could guess what it was for the first couple of years.

Then, as it steadily grew taller, Phil became convinced it was a rhododendron, though it never bloomed.

This winter, it finally grew taller than the fence it sits against and now receives sunlight for most of the day. Almost over night, it went into bloom.

100427 - Love-in-the-Mist and Ranunculus

2010-04-27T18:54:00.001-07:00

I took these photographs today after the rain suddenly stopped.

I like how pretty the red ranunculus looks next to the love-in-the-mist.

And I was surprised how large this particular love-in-the-mist has become. Most are only an inch or so wide.

100427 - Columbine

2010-04-27T18:51:00.000-07:00

Among cabbage poppies and hollyhocks, several columbines have gone into bloom.

100427 - Canterbury Bell

2010-04-27T18:03:00.001-07:00

Last night and for much of today, we had high winds and lots of rain. Then, as evening began, the clouds suddenly moved on, and I took this photograph.

This flower is the first to open on the seven canterbury bells I started from seed in February, 2009. You can see the seedlings in their six pack, when you jump to this post in the blog: 09 Winter - Canterbury Bells.

This particular plant is in the garden between the garage doors and has steadily grown over the winter and spring to three feet by three feet. It is the largest of the seven, with dozens upon dozens of blooms covering its thirty or so flower stocks.

I can hardly wait to photograph the other plants as they bloom over the spring and summer.

10 March - Anemone

2010-04-04T10:13:00.000-07:00

This is one of the first anemones to bloom this year.

Late last fall, I planted over 200 anemones, but most show no signs of coming up. I do not know if it is because pocket gophers or something else ate them or because I purchased duds from an online nursery.

In March, I bought another 160 or so from another online nursery and planted these for next year's blooming cycle.

The anemones that have come up are quite beautiful like this one.

10 Winter - Tidy Tips

2010-03-24T13:35:00.000-07:00

This is a photograph of a tidy tips (layia platyglossa) that has gone into bloom at the front of one of the terraces. It is an annual herb native to California.

We bought it late last winter and are happy the plant is already about eighteen inches by eighteen inches and covered in flowers two inches across.

10 Winter - Hyacinths and Tac

2010-03-24T11:27:00.000-07:00

The rains returned this winter, and talk of an extended drought in Northern California has subsided.

The gardens are more spectacular than they were last spring, which was very dry.

Here are several photographs I took of the hyacinths at the end of winter. I wrote in another post that I planted over a hundred in late 2009. All of them came up.

My favorites are the thirty or so that bloomed in the garden we named "stump." Because this bed is in partial shade year round, I have had trouble until now finding something besides weeds that can thrive here.

In the last photograph of this series, you can see Tac coming toward me. She rolled around on the hyacinths until I put down the camera and gave her the attention she was demanding.

100226 - Winter Sweet Pea

2010-02-26T09:17:00.000-08:00

Our first sweet pea bloomed yesterday afternoon. The flower is quite large and smells amazing. I took this photo today as soon as the light was right.

I hope to train these sweet peas up the trellis alongside the garage and into the front room's windows, as they did a few years ago. The plants in this garden are already three feet tall.

091231 - Aloe

2010-01-01T10:02:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year!

This is one of a few aloes Phil and I planted at the very top right of the gardens. In this very dry area under a shady tree, these have grown larger every year and continue to produce amazing flowers.

091231 - Anemones

2009-12-31T21:38:00.000-08:00

I planted two-hundred anemones in the gardens this fall and look forward to this winter and spring when they are in bloom.

I am always excited at the first signs of their coming up.

091231 - Cabbage Poppies

2009-12-31T21:36:00.000-08:00

Here's a photograph of cabbage poppies coming up in the front garden near the garage doors.

It is hard to imagine right now that these poppies will reach five feet in height and have flowers the size of your hands cupped together to catch water.

091231 - Cactus

2009-12-31T21:30:00.001-08:00

Here are three photographs of the cactus that finally kept the raccoons from trudging through this level of the terraced gardens to bathe in the fountain running along the staircase.

This cactus easily weighed thirty pounds last year when we bought it from a nursery. It has grown several young plants up its center, and I look forward to seeing how large it becomes in 2010.

091231 - Clarkia and Cala Lilies

2009-12-31T21:26:00.000-08:00

There are two cement retaining walls separating the terraced gardens from the lower gardens against the house. When Phil and I moved into this house, there was a row of cala lilies along the lip of the upper most retaining wall.

You can see in this photograph cala lilies coming up to bloom, with clarkia and candytufts sprouting between them.

091231 - California Primrose

2009-12-31T21:22:00.000-08:00

California primrose was introduced into our gardens by a mixed-seed pack promising several shorter plants with spectacular flowers.

They weren't kidding about the primrose, which blooms for several months at the end of summer through the fall.

Phil and I usually cut the plants down to the ground in winter, but this year I transplanted several into higher gardens. This one is in the highest bed and only days away from blooming.

091231 - Candytuft

2009-12-31T21:20:00.000-08:00

Candytuft is a summer plant, but this photograph I took today shows one in bloom in "Big," which is the very big garden just to the bottom, right of the staircase.

These beautiful flowers are the size of quarters.

091231 - Canterbury Bell

2009-12-31T21:16:00.000-08:00

This photograph was taken in the new garden just to the top, left of the staircase.

Here you can see a canterbury bell I started from seed in March, 2009. It is surrounded by love-in-the-mist and a mullien promised by the nursery where we bought it to grow to five feet and be covered in yellow flowers.

091231 - Columbines

2009-12-31T21:12:00.001-08:00

Last spring and summer, the sweet peas and candytufts were spectacular in the fride (FRont sIDE) garden, but clearly stifled the other flowers there.

Only weeks after I pulled out of this garden the last of the sweet peas and candytufts, the columbines went into bloom. Over the last three years, I have repeatedly reseeded this garden with columbines, and the results are even better than you can see here against the pink background of the house.

091231 - Cosmos

2009-12-31T21:09:00.000-08:00

Here is a photograph of the one cosmos still in bloom in the gardens. About two feet tall, it is in the front yard, which gets lots of sun most of the day, even in winter.

091231 - Hollyhocks

2009-12-31T21:04:00.000-08:00

The photograph of the hollyhock in bloom was taken at the top, left of the staircase. It and four or five other plants continue to grow and bloom as we head into 2010.

The second photograph shows seedlings just now germinating in the side garden in the backyard. A month or so ago, I threw several dozen seeds down against the garden's back wall, hoping to create a living wall of hollyhocks there next summer.

091231 - Nicotiana

2009-12-31T20:59:00.000-08:00

In the side garden in the backyard, nicotiana was one of the first flowers we seeded. They now come up every year, changing color from white to pink to dark red as each plant matures.

This plant is scrawny right now but, as spring approaches, will grow so bushy that it will try to take over the small lawn we installed between the side garden and the lemon tree garden.

091231 - Succulents and Carnations

2009-12-31T20:56:00.000-08:00

This is one of two gardens I officially handed over to Phil, who wanted to grow things besides flowers.

This garden is to the left of the staircase and at the very far end of our gardens. It is amazing how well these succulents have done over the last year or so. Most were very small when we transplanted them from other gardens.

The pink carnation was one of the first plants we installed in the gardens. It is great to see it so healthy and already in bloom.

091231 - Sweet Peas

2009-12-31T20:51:00.000-08:00

This is the little garden next to the garage doors in which the sweet peas do the best. Here, in prior years, salmon sweet peas climbed up their trellis into the second-floor window.

This year, these sweet peas started sooner than those of previous years, so I expect great things from them. I'm not sure which color they will be, though some of the vines show red at their joints, which usually means purple or red blooms.

Growing with these are stock and a single pepper plant trying its best to make hot peppers on the last day of 2009.

091231 - Tac

2009-12-31T20:45:00.001-08:00

I took lots of photographs today to chronicle the gardens at the end of 2009. Of course, the cats wanted to help. At one point, Tac decided I was done photographing flowers and needed to pay attention to her, instead.

09 November - Love-in-the-Mist

2009-12-20T17:53:00.000-08:00

I took this photograph in late November, when this love-in-the-mist first bloomed. It is now covered with flowers, and a second plant a few feet away has also bloomed. They add some nice color to the gardens, as we head into winter.

Today, just before it started to rain, I weeded much of the gardens and planted 100 giant hyacinths, 200 anemones and 60 ranunculus. Last year, the candy tufts were certainly spectacular, but I suspect they killed off most of the anemones and ranunculus, which didn't get enough sunlight under the larger plants.

Last weekend, I seeded cabbage poppies at the top of the hill to the left of the staircase. I hope they do well this coming year - I think our past summer was too cool and foggy for them.

09 November - Aster

2009-12-20T17:45:00.000-08:00

Here is an aster that bloomed in the front yard. It was almost a foot tall and had a dozen or so flowers, which were the size of silver dollars. It bloomed from mid-November until a week or so ago, when it went to seed.

Mirror, Mirror, On the Wall....

2009-12-06T21:09:00.000-08:00

This is one of my favorite pieces by Richard Knight, a great friend of Phil's, who passed away December 16, 2008.

This hung in the dining room of his house in the East Bay. It is chrome and 48 inches high by 48 inches wide by 5 feet deep. It is wall mounted.

To discover much, much more about Richard, who was like no one else I know, please click on this blog, http://richardgambleknight.blogspot.com/, which Phil and I are maintaining with the tireless assistance of Judith Lynch, who spent the last 22 years as Richard's companion, champion and wife.

09 November - Delphinium and Chimney Bell Flower

2009-11-27T16:12:00.001-08:00

Here are three photographs I took earlier this month, as the chimney bell flower went into bloom soon after the pale purple and dark purple delphiniums had began their second spectacular bloom cycle.

Phil and I purchased this chimney bell flower from a florist in the Castro and had just planted it where the huge one was last year, when Phil spotted next to the new plant a seedling from the old one.

The new chimney bell flower has bloomed its first year and is about six feet tall. The seedling is now probably a foot tall and wide, and I suspect it will act like last year's plant, taking two years to mature, reaching twelve feet before blooming for months.

The flowers on the one now in bloom are a stunning purplish blue.

09 November - Tic

2009-11-15T18:05:00.000-08:00

The cats always follow me around the gardens, interested in everything I do. One afternoon, while I was trying to photograph flowers, Tic decided it was time I pet him.

09 November - Hollyhocks

2009-11-15T18:01:00.000-08:00

For the last month or so, the shortening days have been sunny and warm. I think this is why these two hollyhocks went into the bloom. The dark red one is where the echium used to be at the top, right of the staircase. It came up and bloomed as fast as it could. The lighter red one is one of the oldest plants in the gardens and has always bloomed in the spring and again in the fall.

091011 - Delphinium

2009-11-08T16:32:00.000-08:00

The purple delphinium started blooming in the middle of October, its flower stocks nearly three feet long. This color of purple make this delphinium my favorite of the year.

The cosmos to the right of the delphinium was the first to bloom, putting on a spectacular show, and has now almost completely faded. I am going to gather its seeds for next summer.

09 Summer - Anemone

2009-11-08T10:15:00.000-08:00

The perennial anemone went into bloom during late summer and continues to produce white, three-inch flowers on eighteen-inch stocks. The plant itself is about a foot tall and eighteen inches wide.

It has been difficult finding something that can live in the shadow of the hot tub fence at the bottom, left of the staircase. This anemone has thrived there, and Phil and I even think it began blooming this summer sooner than it did last year.

09 Summer - Canterbury Bell

2009-10-13T22:40:00.001-07:00

Earlier this year, Phil and I bought a rare, perennial canterbury bell and planted it in the garden bed, where we had recently pulled up an echium that had taken over the trail at the top, left of the staircase up the hillside.

I must admit this canterbury bell has exceeded all of my expectations. It grows and grows and weekly sends up gorgeous whitish purple flowers faster than I can count them.

091010 - Tic, Tac and Toe

2009-10-12T19:56:00.001-07:00

I was asleep in the chair next to this one when Phil came home Saturday afternoon. Tic, Tac and Toe did their best "to stay up with me" while I gardened earlier that day in the backyard, but they apparently had had a busy night and were ready for a nap at the same time as me.

09 Summer - Queen Cleomes

2009-10-12T15:00:00.001-07:00

Here are photos of the two queen cleomes we planted late last year. They are likely four feet by four feet and are clearly covered in blooms. Phil and I were surprised that they not only over-wintered so well, but have bloomed for months now.

09 Summer - Jasmine

2009-10-12T07:13:00.001-07:00

We bought a small jasmine vine three or so years ago and installed it in full shade in a large pot against the fence separating our backyard from the fride (FRont sIDE) garden. It is now over six feet tall and about half as wide, growing faster every summer now that it has made it over the fence into sunlight.

091011 - Aster

2009-10-11T19:04:00.001-07:00

This is the first and maybe only aster to bloom this year.

To read how difficult it was this late summer to grow these as well as the amaranth and cosmos, jump to this post on the blog:

090927-Cosmos

09 Summer - White Love-in-the-Mist

2009-10-02T06:37:00.001-07:00

The love-in-the-mist were spectacular this year. Just one plant from last year provided enough seeds to scatter several dozen love-in-the-mists across the backyard. Most of the larger plants came up as seedlings in November and December, 2008, and bloomed in early summer.

I found only two with white flowers, both plants smaller than the others and blooming several weeks after most had started to go to seed.

09 Summer - Tic, Tac and Toe

2009-09-27T21:47:00.001-07:00

In February or March, 2009, Bert had three kittens. When they were about four weeks old, she brought them to our neighbor's yard, where they lived most of the time. When they were big enough to climb down the fence separating our yards, she regularly brought them to our house to eat.

One of the first times I saw them in the neighbor's yard, I watched the boy, whom we named "Tic," eating dirt, and I knew I had to make sure they were fed.

Long story short, they soon ate daily in our backyard, but Bert always reminded them that Phil and I were dangerous - hissing and fleeing from us the moment we walked into the backyard - so the kittens were very wary of us. When they were between eight and twelve weeks old, we trapped them and their mother and took them to the SPCA in San Francisco to have them fixed. The SPCA also gave them all their shots. A few days later, when they had recovered, we released them.

Bert promptly abandoned her kittens and has since rarely stopped by. The kittens, though, have taken up permanent residence in our gardens. In fact, we recently purchased a "feral villa" (as the website calls it) - or a cat house - for them to stay in during the rainy season.

Three or so months after their mother left them, they are finally trusting me, often letting me pet them, purring, and actually following me around the gardens...at a safe distance. I suppose they are now partially socialized, though they only tolerate me on their terms - usually when they are being fed or in the early evening when they are the most playful - and they seldom let Phil pet them.

We've named them "Tic," "Tac" and "Toe," darkest to lightest, the boy the darkest and wanting attention the most, Tac the fluffiest and often knocking my hand around with her head like a dog to show me where she wants to be petted, and Toe generally lying near me, but not too close for too long.

090927 Cosmos

2009-09-27T14:01:00.000-07:00

Just before the candy tufts went to seed in June and July, I started cosmos, amaranth and asters in six packs. When the seedlings were about two to four inches tall, I pulled up all the candy tufts and most of the poppies and replaced them with the seedlings. Our typically cold, calendar summer wiped out most of these new plants, so I tried one more time with six packs and even planted several directly into the gardens, something I don't like to do because of the proven appetites of our slugs, snails and birds.

In the end, a dozen or so cosmos came up to put on a spectacular show. I've never before planted these, so I was surprised when they reached two to three feet tall and some produced flowers nearly four inches across.

They are an ideal plant in San Francisco for late summer and early fall, which is our hottest time of the year. They don't seem to mind the cool, long nights as long as the days are sunny and warm.

My favorite this year is the whitish pink one with the double petals almost shaped like trumpets.

09 Summer - Poppies

2009-07-05T12:52:00.000-07:00

Here are several photographs of poppies. The pink ones are Shirley poppies, which are about two-feet tall with flowers the size of your palm. The others are cabbage poppies and grew to three feet or more, with flowers the size of your hands cupped together to catch water.

I think they have done very well this year, because it has been sunny and warm much of this spring and summer.

090622 - Candy Tuft

2009-06-24T05:42:00.001-07:00

Here are several more photographs of the candy tufts in bloom in the backyard.

The flowers get as large as a silver dollar, while the plant can reach almost two feet tall.

090622 - Love in the Mist

2009-06-23T05:37:00.001-07:00

Here are three photographs from yesterday of one of my new favorite flowers. I purchased one plant from a nursery last year, and it readily reseeded all over the backyard.

090622 - Backyard

2009-06-23T05:25:00.000-07:00

Here is a photograph I took yesterday of the backyard. I was standing near the gate looking up the hillside.

You can see the bald spot near the top right, where we pulled out the echium, which had grown much too large, expanding across the trail and making it dangerous to pass by.

In its place, I've planted three canterbury bells, one of which is an unusual perennial and a pale whitish purple. I plan on growing amaranths and asters there, as our summer takes hold.