141018 - Cosmos

While the drought intensifies, I use a relay system of kitchen pots and pans to capture grey water (e.g., the water pasta was boiled in) and transfer it to the front gardens between the garage doors.

I grew these cosmos from seed and am happy they are nearly three feet by three feet as they now bloom.

121014 - Cosmos

In July, 2012, I planted cosmos seeds in nearly two dozen six-packs.

Two months later, when the seedlings were more than six inches tall, I planted them throughout the gardens. The ones at the base of the terraces have especially thrived, growing over two feet tall and producing these lovely flowers.

Beside the cosmos a delphinium has bloomed for the second time this year. Its flower stock is nearly two feet long.

A few weeks ago, Phil and I decided to grow morning glory over the front of the lower terraces. You can see the little plants coming up.

120613 - Cabbage Poppies

During our dry, warm winter and spring, cabbage poppies have thrived in the gardens, some plants reaching nearly six feet tall.

Each flower lasts only a day or so and is about the size of your hands cupped together to catch water.

1202 - Cosmos

The cosmos in the front gardens have thrived this winter, many of the plants at least three-feet tall by three-feet wide.

Some of the pink flowers are nearly as big as your hand.

110708 - Arrangement

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.

101123 - Cosmos

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.

101013 - Cosmos

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.

091231 - Cosmos

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.

091011 - Delphinium

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 - Queen Cleomes

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.

090927 Cosmos

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.