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Six on Saturday: First Rain! Etcetera

It feels like autumn now. The first rain of the rainy season has come and gone, and more is predicted for Thursday and Friday.

1. Rain fell from the sky last Wednesday. It was not much, but it was enough to fill a few puddles and delay irrigation. The first rain of the rainy season is major news for us here.

2. Pittosporum tobira ‘Variegata’ mock orange and Acer circinatum, vine maple needed to be removed from their two other landscapes, so live here in their new landscape now.

3. Salvia elegans, pineapple sage is from the same landscape that the mock orange came from. It is scrawny now because it had been crowded. It should be fluffier next summer.

4. Clivia miniata ‘Variegata’ Natal lily with broad creamy white variegation has the same name ‘Variegata’ as a cultivar with thin yellow variegation. One was likely misidentified.

5. Hedychium gardnerianum, kahili ginger is still blooming. It would likely be blooming more impressively if I had taken better care of it. Pradhan’s ginger is also still blooming.

6. Chrysanthemum X morifolium, chrysanthemum is a bit too refined for my taste. They obviously did not grow here but were added from four inch pots. They sure are colorful.

Anyone who would like to participate in this meme should peruse this participant guide for Six on Saturday.

Posted on by tonytomeo · 15 Comments

Six on Saturday: Six Mix

My Six again lack a common theme. These are just random pictures.

1. Coleonema pulchellum, breath of Heaven is supposed to bloom for spring but actually blooms whenever it wants to. This was supposed to be a low grower but is a large shrub.

2. Salvia greggii ‘Hot Lips’ autumn sage might actually be Salvia microphylla. I learned it as Salvia greggii. It is blooming right on time but it also blooms whenever it wants to.

3. Salvia greggii, autumn sage also might actually be Salvia microphylla. It blooms for autumn only but is more colorful than ‘Hot Lips’. Its bloom is the color of perennial pea.

4. Lathyrus latifolia, perennial pea grows and blooms through spring and early summer to then die back through late summer. A few that get water may bloom until about now.

5. Trifolium pratense, red clover happens to be a weed, but blooms with these delightful pale pink flowers. Bees are fond of them. It would be nice if more weeds were this pretty.

6. Echinops ritro, globe thistle is beginning to bloom again. It is relatively new to me, so I am unfamiliar with its bloom season or life cycle. I am pleased that it is so happy here.

Anyone who would like to participate in this meme should peruse this participant guide for Six on Saturday.

Posted on by tonytomeo · 5 Comments

Six on Saturday: October 10, 2026

After a week of summerish temperatures in the nineties, autumn is beginning to express itself, although some plants still believe that it is summer.

1. Weeds are going to seed now more than the rest of the year. While most disperse seed almost continually through their growing season, some disperse more prior to autumn.

2. Cotinus coggygria, smoke tree retains is purplish foliar color rather well until the end of summer. Pollarding enhances such foliar color, although it also compromises bloom.

3. Cornus X ‘Eddies White Wonder’ dogwood is already beginning to show a slight bit of autumn foliar color. Only a few leaves are like this while all the rest remain bright green.

4. The same dogwood is also blooming with a few flowers. I do not know if these are late from last spring or early for next spring. It does this annually and still blooms for spring.

5. Feijoa sellowiana, pineapple guava supposedly ripens about now, but actually ripens for late autumn or even early winter. These fruit are abundant but still need to plumpen.

6. Leycesteria formosa, Himalayan honeysuckle is producing its first two berries here! I realize that each of several trusses should produce several berries, but these are the first!

Anyone who would like to participate in this meme should peruse this participant guide for Six on Saturday.

Posted on by tonytomeo · 14 Comments

Six on Saturday: Bark II

Six more mostly big conifers continue from last Saturday.

1. Juglans hindsii, Northern California black walnut is one of two of these six which are not conifers. It is also one of two that are exotic, though it is native to adjacent counties.

2. Cupressus macrocarpa, Monterey cypress is the other one that is exotic, although it is native to an adjacent county. Both it and California black walnut are almost native here.

3. Pinus ponderosa, ponderosa pine does not mingle much with redwood or Douglas fir, so is the dominant big conifer within its forests. It is the Official State Tree of Montana.

4. Pseudotsuga menziesii, Douglas fir mingles mostly with redwood or oak forests. Only a few venture into nearby ponderosa pine forests. It is the Official State Tree of Oregon.

5. Sequoia sempervirens, coastal redwood is the Official State Tree of California, and the tallest tree species in the World! It really is a pleasure to work around so many of them.

6. Rhody has the nicest bark. He is the other one of two of these six that are not conifers. It is difficult to get a good picture of him. Even with a treat, this was the best I could do.

Anyone who would like to participate in this meme should peruse this participant guide for Six on Saturday.

Posted on by tonytomeo · 10 Comments

Six on Saturday: Bark

It has been quite a while since I shared pictures of the interesting bark around here.

1. Umbellularia californica, bay is known by several common names, such as California bay laurel, California bay, California laurel, Oregon myrtle, mountain laurel, spicebush, pepperwood, cinnamon bush, peppernut tree, headache tree and balm of Heaven. Wow!

2. Platanus racemosa, California sycamore is technically not a riparian species, but does prefer to be near water. They can grow a bit too well in lawns, and then become too big.

3. Arbutus mensiesii, madrone has both very smooth bark and finely checkered bark like this. The smooth bark is chestnut brown, and is about as smooth and shiny as chestnuts.

4. Quercus lobata, valley oak is still relatively young. Otherwise, its bark would be more deeply furrowed. It might be here for another six centuries, and grow impressively large.

5. Quercus agrifolia, coast live oak has variable bark. It is mostly smooth and gray while young, but can get striated at an early age. It eventually roughens and darkens with age.

6. Lithocarpus densiflorus, tanoak is technically not an oak, but creates acorns anyway. The gray portions of its bark resemble that of coast live oak, but are not quite as smooth.

Anyone who would like to participate in this meme should peruse this participant guide for Six on Saturday.