Garden Update: Sunday morning walk with Millie

11 comments:

My favorite time to walk my garden in Ojai, is the first thing in the morning...usually around 6:30-7:00 with Millie, my little lab and a cup of coffee. 
I actually should call it my cup of cream with a little splash of coffee.....so bad! 

Millie likes to walk/sniff  the property to let every creature know... she owns the place.  
I think it  works, if you know what I mean


We planted all of the beds along the front drive with things that would spread and spill out over the  gravel and soften the edges of the curves

We are at peak summer bloom in the perennial beds and each little niche and nook has brought some interesting things.  

This garden is just a year old yet it looks like it has been here much longer than that. Just what we were striving for.  I think having these 100 year old oaks helps too.
It is a little bit on the messy side with less structure than most gardens.
Many of the plants we chose are traditional  coastal California plants, used over and over...we just put them together in a very non-traditional way.  
Roses with cacti and succulents.  
Spiky  with soft and fluffy, light with dark .... and so on..
This is florabunda rose:  Tuscan Sun.  We used lots of roses in this yard and they pop up here and there with a shot of color.
Pink, orange and blues are the palette in this garden and the plants are really showing their stuff.
We have so many hummingbirds right now,  they could care less about the feeder we have on the front porch.





Along the ranch fencing we used blue Agapantha and white Ice Berg roses with yellow Daylillies
The bed above is the home to a huge Sycamore which is a protected tree species, here in Ojai, along with the coastal Oaks



I really like this little  little water feature adjacent to the front rock wall.  
I put some ice bergs around it  too and may add a trailing "something"...can't decide  yet... to soften the edges
Every one love this swing on the big oak in the front yard, right next to the orange orchard

Millie decides how much energy she will spend on each morning walk and as the temperature gets higher she has less interest  to be out in the yard with me, unless we get out the  frisbee!
I actually like these simple wine barrels in this yard and they don't really require too much water once planted with drought tolerant perennials, some sand and cactus mix.
Here is an example of using purple with orange
Spiky with soft  
More dark with light, lime, purple and orange


It was about 105 degrees up here this week end...not fun for too much gardening but it won't last...

My neighbor across the road, Mary, just had her 99th Birthday.  WOW
Things seem to live along time here....even people!

Here's to the start of a great week
~kelley~
11 comments:
  1. Your garden is breath taking.... thanks for letting me stroll thru it with you. I love the old trees, like sculptures and such a wonderful mix of colors and textures. Millie is just as beautiful!

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  2. Hi Mimi, thank you so much. The garden looked really pretty on Sunday morning. And I agree the trees are very sculptural. Some people here tell me they are like grandparents only you have alot of them when you live here! : )

    PS Millie has so much "dog" fun but she has terrible allergies. It's so weird but she's allergic to everything and we have to give her injections or she wouldn't even be able to play in the grass! Thanks for stopping by ~k

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  3. How lucky you are to won 100 year old oak trees. I have lots of humming birds too. I love to sit at my kitchen table and watch humming birds dancing around flowers for nector. Your yard look like it's been there forever. I love to live in Ojai some day. You have a beautiful property.

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  4. Kelley,
    thanks always for brightening my day...i appreciate your sweet comments on my "olive with a twist" blog!
    i just found your new website and now i'm GREEN with tremendous envy!! even your blog is vunderful darling! excellente job.....
    i was having a pity party awhile ago on personal stuff, so getting your comment cheered me up....then i saw your recent blog post with the heavenly garden & it made it even sweeter.
    xoxo

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  5. Hello Kelly;; OH your garden is just so amazingly beautiful... every single inch of it...all those gorgeous plants... your morning walk much be so lovely.... enjoy your week

    Hugs;
    Alaura

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  6. Hi Kelley,

    I just happen to have a nice cold glass of chardonnay so visiting your garden now was perfect. I love that you kept those oaks and your sweet doggie looks like she loves it too! I also like that you have included succulents.
    I propagate graptoverias,aeoniums and many other succulents...as one gardener to another, I'm happy to share any time you like!
    Thanks For The Lovely Tour,
    Grace

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  7. Hi Kelley,
    Thanks for taking us on a tour of your garden. Everything looks so beautiful. I couldn't help noticing how green the grass is around the stone wall water feature. The grass looks so thick and nice and I was wondering if you planted that yourself or was it already there? Anyway, better go as I'm the taxi to take the kids to hockey!! Will call in again soon.
    Take care
    Janine
    XXOO
    Tasmania, Australia

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  8. Shangri-La for sure! Just gorgeous!
    Sindy

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  9. Really nice gardens and tour!! I agree and I love how it has a lived in, mature look - even though it is a young garden.
    Hi to Millie!

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  10. Hi to Komali, thanks for stopping by! I know you love Ojai too...

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  11. What a magical garden! I love the oaks, the messiness, the gravel drive. It is so lush...you must work on it all of the time.

    side note: I swear I don't watch a lot of t.v. but I am slightly addicted to Brothers and Sisters...I find Sally Field irresistably cute. Did you know? The name of their family company is Ojai Foods.

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