California Backyards

I thought we should have a new thread for discussing whatever is going on in our backyards. For instance, my DH is busy making flagstones for our 'terrace' - or whatever you want to call it. He started behind the garage so he can work out the technique. We found someone on Craig's List selling those concrete stamps for a low price. He worked up a pattern similar to what he remembers from England, lays out the frame, fills with concrete, then applies color and stamp release, stamps, and voila! - there's a flagstone.

Here's a photo that shows a little of the process and how it looks. I'll take an update and post it so you can see how it's growing. We figure it will take about three years to do the whole job! LOL. That's OK - he enjoys the work because he can do it one or two at a time and it's not too onerous, but looks great - instant gratification! We're still experimenting with color, since we don't want it to clash with the stucco on the house or the stamped concrete floor of our screened room. Some of the squares will be left empty so I can plant creeping thyme or other plants that can be stepped on.

What's going on in your backyard? Seen any new animals, birds, plants you didn't plant? Building anything? I'd like one of those mailboxes in the garden for storing things in that I've seen around DG - painted a bright, bright color, of course!

LOL...funny you should ask! Jer's latest project this last week was a roof over the DS's bedroom patio. We've discovered that we like the look of galvanized metal for this..changes the feel of my white cottage, makes it more 'yang', but that's okay, we're incorporating metal into other things also. This is the first roof over the workshop doors:

This is the roof outside the DS's bedroom doors:

Seen from beneath:

View through the breezeway between studio and house looking to small patio:

This reminds me to take 'before' pics of the next project. Jer's currently painting the south front of the studio that's currently shaded by a bamboo blind and a market umbrella....then it will get a trellis/arbor above the French doors for my corkscrew vine....

Boy, that guy does the neatest work! Don't tell him I said so, his head will swell. :-) I really like the look.

Yeah, we should think up more projects for them to work on, huh? Oh, and,uh, don't say anything about the new trellis, he hasn't heard about it yet...lol...I could use some paving of some sort also....

This is the spot (now being painted) where the new trellis / arbor will go. I hope it's not too long before I can post the 'after' shot..lol.

I think we're going to have to get a longer thistlefeeder for the finches. When it's full there are birds all over it, when half empty,only about 5 finches can get on there. Of course, they all scattered when they heard the camera 'click'. Do you suppose the finches see that feeder as 'half empty', or 'half full'?

I look at the photo of the south side of the studio where the trellis will go and it is absolutely abhorrent to me...it's stripped bare of vegetation. Gone are the large tubbed trees and other large plants. It's worse than bare, the sun, the exposure, the newness of it.....I need green..sheltering, calming, soothing, shading, keeping me aloft, feeding me spiritually. The DH is a builder...not a gardener...and walks through this area and spreads his arms wide and with a smile on his face says "I like being able to walk through here.".... and my lip curls with contempt for all non-gardeners and in protecting my plants. I thought I could make a gardener of him....sigh...

Have you tried sock feeders? You'll get the smaller birds and I think it's more fun to watch them. They do empty it quickly, though. I used to have a plastic tube feeder that could be added on to in sections.

Typical male being! LOL

Those fake flagstones are gorgeous, as is the new roof! We put a metal roof on our patio in 1994, and love it. "Maintenance-free" is one of my favorite phrases. "All you can eat" is DH's....I can sympathize with others' similar plights in the garden!!

My sock feeder fell in the pond the other day. I've officially given up on thistle feeders. The previous one just sat there full 'till the seeds had to be tossed, and I never saw a finch near it. I think the finches get so many fresh seeds from my crape myrtles and liquidambars that they aren't interested in feeders. They're all over my yard.

But in the interest of staying on the "backyard" topic (rather than discussing birds ;-}) I posted this in another thread but I can't resist throwing a photo in here on the off chance someone in CA hasn't already seen it...LOL! Just finished this mosaic ball, and I'm disgustingly pleased with how it turned out. I just grin every time I walk by it.





This message was edited Aug 2, 2009 10:24 AM

We gave up on feeders long ago. Don't like the mess, and the squirrels are bad enough as it is. Here, we get more birds by providing water. We have the big pond, a tiny bathing fountain, a bigger fountain with a shallow bowl on top that they bathe in, and a water feature in our drive with just a trickle of water and a small shallow depression.Our water usage is still under the norm for our household. Unfortunately, the water dept based our allotment on a time period when we didn't have plants and water features! I'm wondering if we can get re-assessed. Ticks us off that we've been trying to save water ever since we moved in, and now we're being penalized in a way.

I love that mosaic ball, Imapigeon, and I think you're right to feel disgustingly pleased with it.

And you should be "disgustingly pleased"!, I love it and am disgustingly jealous! (LOL, Zuzu had the same idea as I was typing!) And envious of the great flagstones too, so many creative ideas! Ahhh and I swear, Sherry and I are sounding more and more alike, nursery pots galore, contempt for non gardeners, hubby STILL not showing any gardening interest, yep, that's me!

Well, I have nothing new in my gardens lately as I was away in Europe for 3 weeks (photo threads in the Photo Forum if anyone is interested) but I hung out with my birder brother on the trip (and my Mom, just the 3 of us) and enjoyed his enthusiasm for several birds we encountered in Germany and Iceland. But, they were not in Calif. so I want to be careful here ;-0 . I don't have hummer feeders but have many hummer lovin' plants so now I will have to get my fast lens on my camera and see if I can capture some in flight moves.
I did come home in time to see a new to me co-op lily blooming. This is Salmon Star. It cheered me up enough to not focus on the heat stressed plants that were left in charge of my non gardening DH.

This message was edited Aug 2, 2009 4:04 PM

Well, that's something nice to come home to! Got to go check out those pics.

Thanks (grin!)

That lily is a beaut, Sue.

So, lilies....they only bloom once a season? I'm asking because I suddenly had one appear this year, and now it's done. Do I cut the stalk? 'Scuse my ignorance, but this was either a freebie or an eBay impulsive purchase, and inquiring minds want to know....

Europe,Iceland? speaking of being disgustingly jealous....I have at least converted the DH to liking nursery runs, though. We stop for lunch and he gets pizza for dinner...it works. We get lots of the small finches at the thistle feeder and they have liquidambers here also and other seeds they like,lemon balm,etc. but they're still at that feeder all day. The hummers have beaucoup salvias and other goodies they love and they're still at their feeder off and on all day also. The regular feeding station draws the larger finches, a mulitude of birds, plus the Gray Thrashers and jays who are really too large to sit on the levered ledge,so they're funny to watch and there was a new bird yesterday that I'm unfamiliar with. I'll have to keep watching for him and get a better look.
I'm going to go see if I can find Sue's pics of Europe....Long day up coast hwy and I'm craving iced coffee....

Ooooh, you get thrashers?Love their song. We had a flicker a week or so ago. Ours are probably in the trees on the back 40, as I call it. How come you get to see all of them and you're so close to us?

Iceland was especially terrific! Thanks, Sue, for posting all those photos.

Who knows? You get killdeer and we don't. We've been here 26 years and the thrashers have just shown up in the last year. I keep planting more and more types of trees and a lot of other vegetation, plus the feeders and new and different birds are arriving. I had to look up the thrashers, I'd never seen them before. Yes, I love their song too. We've had bluebirds infrequently. I need to see what I can do to entice them and I'd love to get the quail back. They used to be here a lot and now only occasionally. We do get one roadrunner who comes up and down the drive each day with a lizard in his beak and seems to stop and show us what he's got.

The photos are wonderful, sue...I see...Ireland, not Iceland....I would love to go to either one.

There's one of each, Sherry. I want to go back to Ireland so much -- we missed a lot, especially the northeast coast. I'd like to get a few of my cousins together there.

The first thread was Ireland, then Germany, then Colmar, France, then Copenhagen, Denmark and then Iceland. Best way to find them, click on my name and then View threads I have started. It was such a wonderful trip but I missed my DH, pups and garden.

Aha! I thought I must have been in a hurry when reading the post where I thought Iceland was mentioned, so you did go to Iceland....I've only looked at the photos from Ireland so far. What wonderful trip you had! I can't get away from here for more than two days even.....

Sue, beatiful photos. Thanks for sharing. I really enjoyed them.
Linda

Thanks for starting this thread, (I had the same idea, but you beat me to it! :- ) ). I have got to get up earlier and get my chores done sooner. I'm so glad, because sometimes I just don't know where to share photos, or weird things that show up around here. Especially when it is a one of a kind thing.
KC, I love that flagstone idea. Plan on covering part of my backyard with concrete. I remember a real flagstone patio from my childhood and the countless hours we spent playing on it. You can also dye and paint concrete.
wcgypsy, your DS is going to love that breeze way, and so will you! I know I love mine. Great photos too.
Here is a canna lily that someone (imapigeon, I believe), sent to me earlier this year. Isn't that a happy grouping! They are taller than the five foot fence, and taking advantage of a leak problem. Don't care, because they really brighten up that corner of the yard. Silly things keep blooming like crazy too!
Most of the birds around here are used to foraging on their own. I have only this year put up feeders again. I have my h.bird feeders in the gh, because the wind blows all the nectar out if I don't. Thank goodness that the seed feeders are heavier and are in a more sheltered part of the yard. Even still if it is windy enough the bowl feeder looses it's seed.
I'm kinda of disappointed in that feeder. It was beautiful when I first bought it, but it isn't real stained glass but painted glass, and the paint is peeling. I guess I will scrape the rest of it off this winter and repaint it. The cage feeder is really great, and my house finches love it. I should probably go refill it before I go to the store and see if I need more food for them. They really love that black nyger(sp?) seed. Even though I don't have my bench where I can sit yet and take their photos, I will. Just have to get them used to it.
It would also help if my constant companions, one dog, and at least two cats wouldn't keep joining me when I try to get the bird photos. I've been working with Spirit pup, and he is getting really good about laying down next to me while I take photos. The cats are cats and are looking for their chance to pounce.
My yard is never boring. Frustrating, a lot of work, definitely, but it repays all that work. Right now everything that we don't water has already turned brown, with the exception of the Oaks, the buckwheat, some sage, and that native walnut. Everything is stressed out. Including Gma Oak. Some of that wild tobacco bush has survived, but I don't know how. Most of their leaves are gone.
On our recent visit to OK, I was amazed at how green it was for this time of the year in TX, and OK, and some parts of New Mexico. We just live in a strange place, and people who have never lived here don't realize that we have our own unique problems to cope with.
Hope you enjoy the cannas, to their right is a hedge of honeysuckle which covers a really ugly chain link fence. It has been there so long that my critters have made shade caves under it and regularly keep an eye out while resting undetected in their honeysuckle shade caves. If it keeps them from digging in my garden I'm good with it! LOL!
Hey you all,
WIB,
SW

Wow, that's a beautiful Canna, SW! We have a bright red one next to the pond that is blooming now, but it's nowhere near that big and I'm too hot to go take a picture of it! Just put one plant in the ground and when I stood up all the blood rushed from my head. Good thing we have lots of grabbing spots out there! LOL Not my preferred time for planting, but when plants come from heaven, you better make the effort to get 'em in the ground! My weekday schedule in the a.m. does not accommodate early morning gardening.

The orioles are still here! I heard one in the neighbor's palm tree the other day, filled their feeder, and they were back this morning.

SW, I'm delighted that your cannas are doing so well! That one is, I'm almost positive, Crimson Beauty originally from my first order with Horn Canna Farm (when I didn't have sense enough to keep a record of what I was buying). https://www.cannas.net/catalog/crimson-beauty
Mine are doing well this year, too. In fact, they're doing SO well, that I will undoubtedly have more to share next spring!

wcgypsy, I want that tree trunk under your feeder. That is exquisite. I am really into tree trunks. Imapiegon, love your gazing ball. How did you do that? Singing wolf and everyone else. Go to Australian Thread and look at their Tea room thread. Of course, here in the west we would have to call it Bourbon room martini or maybe margarita room. LOL. Singingwolf I read your last thread regarding the rant. I did not respond, I actually turned off my computer. If I had answered, I would have probably gotten kicked off DG. I kept go HUH, HUH, I do not get it. Still do not. Someone in the East that have all those beautiful birds just do not understand when we get so excited seeing a little color to the breast of our finches. They should come sit in our back gardens and they would realize they do not want our beautiful light brown, dark brown, multi colored brown birds on their threads. I am actually going to go over and look around. See how long it takes them to ask me to go back to where I came from. Your neighbor in Las Vegas. Sharon Moon Flower feels turbulence in the air. Attached is one of my favorite trunks. City Hall, Santa Barbara.

Another one same area different spot in landscape. Young ladies are grand daughters.

SK, the tree is schinus molle, California Pepper tree..it does have nice shaggy bark, doesn't it? Pretty girls, lucky you!

Very pretty young ladies! We have something in common, I love tree trunks, too. And rocks - looooove rocks.

That is so crazy KaperC. I could not tell you what I love most but they are both tree trunks and rocks. The blond on the left is our oldest grandchild Hannah and starts college next year. She is going to be a Doctor but going on a violin scholarship to BYU in Provo, Utah.

This tree was so large and all the branches overhung and you had to crawl under the branches. It was dark and scary under there. I just aimed the camera and took a photo. I had no idea I had such a great shot until I got back to the hotel. Now I wish I had taken a photo of the total tree but it was enormous. What was really funny was watching my grandchildren watching me in all my excitement of the tree trunks. They finally joined in and said, "Grandma, Look". That made me smile. Had the same result when I taught them to find people, animals, or whatever in the clouds. At first, I can guarantee you, they thought I had totally lost it. Isn't life just wonderful when you enjoy the simple things that God gives us on a daily basis.

sk, I love the way the sun's rays are peeking through the branches at your beautiful GDDs---what a great photo!
Tomorrow I'll post my own resident tree trunk, which I am still working on turning into "gaaaden aaat". I've made some progress since I decided to have the landscapers leave in the ground it last fall.
The ball was a lotta work, but fun too. I couldn't help myself. In fact, today we were buying some fancy quartz gravel (to go under the tree trunk) and I told DH I was picturing a pebble mosaic ball with some of of it. I'm a sick puppy....

Oh, that reminds me of my sister, her boys and me going to the Hollywood Bowl (how I miss that!). It was after Star Wars came out and I had taken the sound track to their house and played it, getting them to guess which music was which character. Isn't it great when their eyes light up? We went to the concert and one of them was naming the theme being played and a lady in front said to her child, "That boy knows the music." I punched nephew, gave him a grin, and we were pleased as punch the rest of the night. ^_^

sk, sometimes life is a beach and we got to learn how to surf. Glad you are hanging ten, babe.
I love tree trunks, and branches and seedlings. DH and I have a tree farm, what is not to love! What lovely girls you have! Yes I know, they are only loaners (LOL), but still very beautiful.
Someone, prolly me, started a rumor the other day. DH had told me that he'd seen burrowing owls at dusk. Well tonight I was able to get photos of them. Unfortunately you'll have to take my word for it because you can only see them in silhuette. There is a pair of them. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get them both in the same frame at the same time. Need to build me a critter cam. LOL!
Am sending a series of three photos taken at dusk.
Burrowing owl sitting on a rock after emerging from nest inside a bunch of boulders.

Caught some reflection in his/her eye.
DH heard what he believes to be babies chirping inside the boulders where they nested in an old squirrel hole.

Got lucky and caught her/him in flight. Like WOW!
I am so jazzed! : D
Made my day!
WIB!
SW