Where are you? Part 2

Geraniums (Pelargonium) should be used more often along the coast>

There are 100's of Pelargonium species and hybrids

When at the public gardens I try and get the ID tag into the photo for future reference

I have many files on the computer. One is called Compositions.

I should sub-title it 'Nice plant combos'

I have another file called 'Plants' for ID purposes, they I give the file (photo) the name of the plant that caught my eye. The file name of this one is 'Pelargonium reniforme'.

This plant would make a very nice edging plant in a garden with low water needs.

When I see a nice combo of plants.....

...I try and shoot the combo low, gives it a little 'drama".

I am not very good at framing large landscape shots, but, I try a few to give my 'collection' a sense of place.

Well I will be passing through UK next month on my way east, I shall stay 2 days to break journey both ways - but it will be October and unless it's an Indian Summer I expect it to be cold - and worse coming back in November - BUT I am heading to a hot spot - Karachi! where the garden is much the same as here - same stuff grows only it's desert not swamp.

Get some photos....

I will do that, and post them when I get back - November 11th

Dale, these are wonderful pics. Awesome! Thanks for sharing them with us. The "garden with a view" in The City is very pretty. I especially liked the pink and violet flowers in the foreground; they are lovely. And the garden with the stone path is gorgeous. Is that a photo from when you lived there?

The pics of the geraniums are lovely. I have a difficult time keeping them moist enuf here in Fresno. Orange isn't one of your favorite colors, huh? The remaining photos following the orange beds display a mixture of colors which are certainly eye-catching, aren't they?

Your photos sure illustrate a vacation visit which was an eye candy adventure. So, if I'd known you were in SF I'd have understood your temps. I used to drive from Fresno to San Francisco every two weeks for violin lessons. Made that trip over nearly three years and never really adjusted to how the seasons always seemed to be reversed from our inland seasons. Winters in SF were bright and sunny, warmer; summers were overcast, foggy, cooler. Very odd juxtaposition. But I never have lost my love of The City since childhood and living in Walnut Creek, with my father's office in Oakland. We visited SF often. When I had an opportunity to attend The University of San Francisco "up on the hill," in my late 30's, I jumped at the chance. If I were to move out of Fresno with a choice to go wherever I wanted, my first choice would be The Cotswolds in England, my second, San Francisco, an international city in its own right.

Thanks for uploading the photos of your vacation. And, BTW, if you mean that the topiary garden is a "work in progress" because it will grow up, change, I've bad news for you. It's looked like this for a number of years. But, if you mean that the "work in progress" is continually working on it, I'd guess you are right. Imagine keeping all those topiaries under control.

Linda

Here's a path I poured several years ago to maneuver between a bed next to the house foundation and a 10X10 foot concrete patio pad, speaking of paths.

103 degrees (39C) Sunday, 73 degrees (23C) Wednesday!!! Wahoo! Finally. Life is good!

Linda

73 degrees oh blimey -that's freezin!

I like daytime highs in the 60's.

18 here today, pleasant. But forecast to get colder tonight, dropping to 5 or 6 behind a cold front.

Resin

Our high for today was 29C...cool by our standards.

Yes, but I like the upper 20's, I am hoping it's going to warm up over there with an Indian Summer when I stop over later this month! Otherwise it's a quick trip over the road to Tesco and back to bed till the next flight onwards.

Dear Resin, my mother and her family came from Consett County Durham and it could get a bit cold up there. My father and his family came from Nothallerton in north Yorkshire and then moved to a cottage near Blubberhouse moor, I lived there till I was eight.
It could get very cold on the moor! We all moved down to London due to my fathers work, it was quite hot here to what I was used to living on the side of the moor. Now I live on the London, Kent border, so it was quite amusing to see my six year old in February of this year amazed with snow.
We do get the odd sprinkle, but for where we live we did get quite a bit this year, and the temperature dropped to -12.2℉, which is cold for us.
I go every year to see the family up north and to see my aunt in Fraserburgh, which is in Aberdeenshire and it is bad in the winter up there.
It is quite pleasant at the moment as it is 53.6℉ which I believe is 12℃, although they say in the centre of London it could go up to 64.4℉ or 18℃.
Regards form London/Kent.
Neil.
p.s. I was most worried about my Dicksonia antarctica (s), they did have some straw on them but they did come through that cold snap fine.
I enclose a picture I took this morning.

We are still waiting for temps to drop below 20C here in Florida

hi,
i am new to this site and am looking for people who live in france, preferably the southwest to share gardening woes and joys with. this is my first garden - now in its sixth year, and i am learning all the time. is there anyone out there with experience of this climate, the soils and the availability of trades for this area? i am dutch, retired seem to have inherited my mother's green thumb.

I am off to even warmer climate next Monday, but stopping off in Windsor for 2 days break journey, that's the cold bit then off to Karachi, I will take pictures of the Garden and also try to capture the eagles that are always flying overhead and the green parakeets, lots of crows, but not much else on the bird seen. I have a better camera this time so I will see what I can do, but I am no David Bailey!

Marijcke, you should probably start your own thread here about gardening in the south of France, to smoke out people who would be interested in your topic. I started a thread on growing melons the French way, and others have posted about typically French crops in the Rocket, Radicchio, Frisée and Mâche thread. I'm not in France but I really admire French gardens so I grow a lot of French varieties here and often have questions. I'd be interested in hearing about your experiences.

Welcome to Dave's Garden!

Hi Dale,
I am not sure what is the basic idea of this site but I enjoyed the photos of plant combinations. It would be nice to know what the plants used are called. ( I am a bit of a plant I.d. freak.)
Cheers.

As:
Combination of plants in shade: Primula helodoxa, ferns, Variegated Hosta, Astilbe foliage and backed by Iris. (I know this is a bit vague, but it was the first one I came across)

Lortay,

Almost all my photos are taken in public places. I don't know the names of most plants - I just like their looks.

Nice one Dale. These are Digitalis purpurea, all the colours harmonise really well.
This is Allium 'Purple Sensation' with Cynara (background) and Astrantia 'Sunningdale Variegated' in front.
Enjoy

One of my favorite places to photograph flowers is in front of the Conservatory in San Francisco.


Ageratum, Wax leaved Begonia and some Marigolds that really need deadheading......

This one is just foliage in May, Stachys lanata, Hosta fortunei and Astelia chatamica. Maybe there is a plant combination thread??

Lortay,

Nice combo.

You might want to visit the Cottage Gardening or Perennial forums....I don't know of any particular threads dealing with composition, but, this is a big site with hundreds of threads.

Astelia>

Nice one, Dale, I will check out the cottage gardening. I had a look at perennials already but they don't seem to have anything on this.

The search continues....

Pelargonium display>

I will lob this one back. Abutilon x suntense 'Jermyns' with Rosa glauca, Belvedere gardens, Mullingar, Ireland. (I'm upping the stakes!)

Hmmmm....

Agave and Gaillardia>

Nice combination of form (if this is Yucca gloriosa 'Variegata', I have it coming into flower now (4 spikes) just in time for the frosts to get it probably ( oh, well, I got one good one already).
This is herbaceous foliage, mostly, in Glenarm, Co. Antrim. Euphorbia palustris with Rodgersia and other stuff, in May.

Adonidia palm, variegated Schefflera, Ti plants (hybrid Cordyline)>

Thanks for your answer, greenhouse-gal!
I have no idea how to start a thread, am not experienced in this on-line interacting.
I have just packed my banana and orange trees in bags and sheets of special wintering foils - it'll be the first time the orange is staying outside. It is getting too big to move.
I still need to do some pruning of some rose bushes, but I think it may be too late now, for minus 6 C temperatures are expected early next week.
I had a spry 81 year old genteleman visiting me this week - he prunes fruit trees for a friend of mine, and agreed that mine needed a lot of work. He seems willing to teach my garden help how to do it. That too will have to wait a bit now till after the frosts.
If there is anyone who has experience with roses in southwest France - tell me what you do. My roses seem to have a will of their own, Some are fine and others terrible.
We don't seem to have a lot of biological gardening stuff around here and I hate to use the poisons...
The rose in the picture is one I am growing from a cutting taken from a friend's garden. I have no idea what it is, but I love it. I have two plants growing about 3 feet apart. One looks fine the other has yellow leaves and is scrawny. Why?

Marijcke, here's a new thread that I set up for you with the subject "Gardening in Southwest France." To start a new topic, go to the main forum that you're posting in (here, European Gardening), and at the bottom you'll see in bold words "Starting a new topic:" You just have to type in a subject and then below it your first message.

I think if we have a specific thread for your questions about French gardening you'll be more likely to attract people who might have answers for you, or at least want to discuss the topic with you. And then I can read them too!

Check it out -

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1061522/

Leslie