Yes it's winter even in California!

We came from here:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1047778/

Yes, winter is here..I had to make a run up to Modesto and there's snow on the Grapevine. Of course I was gone while it rained here and snowed in Julian :( I wait all year for the first rain and snow here...sigh...

From the "Fall" thread.

WC - Your Liquid Amber look great. My neighbor has 3 or 4 planted on the fence line. His did not even change color this year.

When we lived in Sunnyvale as a kid, we had birds getting 'drunk' on red berries. Believe I heard them called podocarpus vines. Are those different than toyons?

Question: I bought a pomegranate tree this summer and moved it into a larger nursery style pot (20 gallons?) since there is as chance of moving and to give it a better chance against gophers. It has lost most of it's leaves and now what is left is turning yellow. Are they deciduous? Should dirt be drier or more moist? Saw on tv where they lopped off about 2/3 off the length of branches when they got it home.

Doss - I forgot to say what a great picture to start the thread!

Sherry, I was imagining you enjoying the rain! We had a power outage last night for a couple of hours. So much for leftovers, DH had to p/u pizza on his way home from work so he could have something hot to eat.

I agree with Kathlieen about that photo, doss---natural ornaments!
quiltygirl, your pom is deciduous, and you can hack the granches way back each year for a nice shape. Mine ("Wonderful") gets very little irrigation and does just fine. It's got a lot of fruit on it this year, which I need to get out and pick before the birds get ALL of it!!

This little male Anna's hummingbird sticks around every winter and loves to hang out in my French Prune tree because the hummingbird feeder is nearby under the eaves. His lady landed higher up in the tree and I caught him looking up at her. My camera isn't the best, so I hope you can make him out.

Opps, here he is looking up!

lovely hummer pedrick.
I cheated a little with the photo of the horse chestnut tree. The 'chestnuts' fall off in the fall but it has such a winter feel to it!

And here I am running to catch up, huff, huff, cough.
Thanks for the beautiful start on this thread.
I am sending a "Fall Photo" should be labeled Slippery when wet after the rain yesterday.
It's not really winter yet, according to my calendar, but I guess the first rain after Thanksgiving is how CA's mark the "season", (chuckle).
QG, I don't do nothing to my poms. It fruits on canes that are at least two years old if that is a concern. It was for me, when I caught DH's guy whacking it down. It looses it's leaves, and I would send you a photo, but my battery needed to be charged and then I lost the light. So pretty right now.
I give you something that Lucy Van Pelt would've loved to play in.
WIB,
SW

My pistache are still green, green... liquidambers are turning. The difference in the climate between here and Modesto allows for the wonderful colors you guys are getting up that way. My Dad's in the hospital having some surgery and the hospital is 5-6 stories with marvelous huge glass windows looking out over the area for quite a distance and the display of all the multi-colored trees is beautiful. Cold winds and the streets full of swirling, skittering leaves...just beautiful. It apparently poured here while I've been gone...blessing. I'm hoping I can manage to stop watering for the winter. It was interesting heading up 5..you can tell where the rains have been as the hills did not start looking green until just around Santa Nella.
Two observations:
1--- Old Hwy 99 now actually seems the better route than 5 since there have been a lot of road widenings heading into and out of the 'cities' and on 5 you can be stuck for aggravating hours trying to get past on a route with lots of trucks and only two lanes heading each way.
2---I'm majorly convinced that all of the great problems of the world could be solved by getting slow drivers out of the 'fast' lane......

Sherry,
I hope everything is going to be okay with your Dad. You know you all are in my prayers.

This is the fall photo I'd hoped to post yesterday.
My pom turned yellow overnight. You can still see the pomegranite over the center of the gate. Time to harvest!
WIB,
SW

Best wishes for your dad, Sherry. I'll have to remember about Hwy 99 - DSS is coming next summer and will be going north for a friend's wedding.

quiltygirl, it is pyracantha berries that the birds get drunk on. Especially Cedar Waxwings, they get so drunk you can pick them up!
Sherry, I hope your dad is doing well. I remember when my dad was in the hospital.

Thanks for thinking of my Dad...he's doing well and I'll be going back up to pick him up in several more days when they release him from the hospital.

That's good news!! Keep us posted....

Ah, I always seem out of step, but Good News about your Dad, Sherry!
I guess that somebody around here is confused. Look what I found blooming today?
For the first time all year!
WIB!
SW

LOL---mine usually start bloomin just in time to get frost-zapped, too!!

Sherry - glad to hear your Dad is better. Heard San Diego got more rain than us, so guess you did too. Everyone outside of Death Valley get more rain than us, I think.

Jules - thanks for the pom photo. Glad to hear they are near maintenance free. I remember you pointing out the volunteer near your gate. I should be so lucky.

PC - yea, pyracantha, that's it. I have an excuse as I was living there from age 10 to 12. Those birds surely did hit the slider winder hard. Dad would go out and cut off the berries for fear of having to pick up birdie bodies.

Give it time QG, the birds help spread them around, and if we get enough rain, you'll be surprised at what sprouts up here. Remember, be careful what you ask for . . . (LOL)
QG, have you ever noticed it will be raining all around us and we get none? I can't figure it out unless it's the rain shadow effect of that small range of hills to my south. (South side of Scott/Bundy Canyon Rd.)
I've never tried pyracanthas. Now I am wondering if I should.
No frost down here yet, ima, but I'm glad I'm not alone with the late blooming Brug. I still think it's confused.
The flower that KC gave me is still blooming. I moved it just inside the gh, because the ferocious winds and puppy tails.
WIB,
SW

Pyracanthas are nice if you don't have to prune them and if you get the variety that doesn't get covered with mealybugs. I had to take out three (Santa Cruz?) I planted that were constantly infected with them. I have another one that's never had a problem, and it's beautiful. But I put it in a stupid place where has to be pruned every couple of months, and the 2-inch thorns are a pain...in more ways than one. I bought a reach and hold pruner that helps, but I still have to crawl under it to prune off the suckers. Did I mention they sucker like crazy?

Or if they don't get fireblight...and when you get stuck by one of those thorns it seems to always get rather infected (maybe because our pyracantha is old and 'dirty')

Oh, yeah---I forgot about the fireblight & I figured it was just me who always got infections from the $@() thorns....gee, what's not to love about these? LOL!!

All that and drunken birds pooping everywhere. What a great plant!!!!!

We have one big, old pyracantha left and as soon as the pepper tree has grown enough to fill in that spot, the pyra's history. We may have to blast it out.

Well it looks like the weather is about to change. Forecasters are saying the storm doors are opening beginning this Sunday and it looks like there will be several systems lined up. I better get a move on planting some things and moving some of my potted succulents so they don't get too drenched.
Surfers are getting excited, we could get waves "big enough for the storied Mavericks big wave surfing contest off Half Moon Bay."
Newspaper said" Forecasters are predicting light to heavy rain beginning Sunday night, signaling a weather pattern shift, with a periodic system of storms expected for the rest of the rainy season. Whether it will be strong enough to end the drought is far too early to tell, forecasters say."

Thanks for the weather heads up Sue. It sure is good to hear that it's going to be raining here. Hope that it's enough to stop the drought! My ligularias and ferns, camellias etc. etc. will be very grateful.

OK - WC, DP and Ima, you are FIRED from the pyracantha advertising council!!

Now you Northerners, don't get greedy and keep all that rain. Take pity on us and let a few drops come south.

SW - maybe you're right. We have the Ortega foothills about 3-400 ft to our southwest, but this whole valley stays pretty dry.

I hate it when we can see snow on the mountains and don't get a drop of rain! Have to get that weed suppressant down before the rain starts.

It's always something. I hope the surfers get some good rides and no injuries. Those rocks look scary. I do hope we get some rain here too. Although it is hard on the kids working out in the fields cutting down trees for the customers. I won't do it anymore, and I have my own rainsuit and wellies.
The cold is more of a concern for me right now, if it's raining it isn't freezing. Clear nights are cold nights. Brrr!
Sounds like Pyracanthas, drunk birds and thorns and all would be good thing to have by your windows except for having to crawl under to trim off suckers. Would keep burglers out. Teens in! LOL!
I'm bad.
Look at what I found today. My yard is really confused/ I don't usually see these guys til late Jan, early Feb.
WIB!
SW

Talk about confused weather - did you hear Houston has snow?

We had frost in my garden last night. I'm walled in in the back, so the cold air comes in and sits...nowhere for it to go. My primroses are already getting buds, so that's nice. They like the cold.
The birds here really scarf the Pyracantha berries but don't seem to get drunk.
SW: Paperwhites blooming here, too.

I have some big buds on my Gardenia bushes, but I'm sure they will drop before blooming. It has been down to 34 on my sheltered porch. Should put thermometer out in the open to check out temps tonight before clouds and rain come (think positively).

I was in a nursery today and they had paperwhites blooming - gad, did they stink! Several people commented. This is a nice little nursery in Encinitas called Barrels and Branches. The have a small selection of CA natives from Native Sons. I broke down today and bought DH a live oak - I'm allergic to oaks, but he wants a shade tree somewhere on the property. Also picked up a Clevelandii sage and a Toyon for our neighbors. They had some nice herbs potted up, too, so I picked up a small one for a friend who is having us for dinner tomorrow. She and her husband are Serbian and we're having a traditional dinner. We were told to come hungry and we're looking forward to it.

The nursery had big hunks of turquoise glass everywhere - they also have fountains and driftwood, lots of succulents, etc. Fun place. It was a nice day, but tiring. After dark when I got home, and I missed our road! LOL Had to turn around and come back - if you heard something on the news about a lady laughing and pounding the steering wheel in her car, that was me!

Oh----"film at 11:00"---that was you? I saw that trailer, even up here in Gilroy.....LOL!

I still think going past your road to the traffic light and turning around is the safest way to get there. Maybe not such a bad thing. LOL

Ah - one would think so, DP, but I still make sure to slow down and flash my taillights to wake up some of the dumber drivers who tailgate!!

Ima, did you record it?

No, I was already recording 2 things, so I wasn't able to....but if I'd known it was you, I certainly would have~~~

You'll never catch me growing Pyracantha! The white flowers and red berries are pretty, but boring. I love birds and go birding allot, so attracting Cedar Waxwings could almost convince me, but since they also love the flower petals from fruit trees, I think I've got that covered.
There is a reason why the common name of Pyracantha is Firethorn!
Yes SW, it would be very useful planted under the windows of wayward teenagers ;-D

You all make me laugh. Thank goodness!
Yesterday, I went out to help at the CT farm. Santa was visiting and will be back next week. I got to post my favorite photo of the day.
It was awfully cold, but this warmed the cockles of my heart!
Sounds like you had a lot of fun at the Nursery. I got to find it one of these days. LOL!
Enjoy, today's favorite photo to follow. : - )
WIB,
SW

This message was edited Dec 6, 2009 7:00 PM

Somebody left me a beautiful little bundle under a tree.
I have little baby girl under my tree, Yippee! Just what I wanted for Christmas!
At first, I didn't see anyone, but her parents were just on the other side of the tree. Star, I thought somebody left me a baby girl! LOL!
Her folks also had another daughter, a very sweet 2 year old. The baby is named Sofia, and her sister was Bretony? Really nice folks, and a real treat. I miss working with the kids.
WIB,
SW



This message was edited Dec 6, 2009 6:59 PM