by November 09, 2022
Before Halloween I took a few photos of everything that caught my eye, from whale tongues to tractor-rim planters. Hello, fantastic!
Someone is watching me from the far end of the Berkeley Sage Lawn.
Hello, deer. Oh, and the Wheeler’s sotle that replaced the ‘Green Goblet’ agave (killed by the snowpocalypse) is getting some shape and looking good. Another bonus: bucks don’t bother rubbing their antlers against the soft leaves of sotol. No more agave cages needed!
In the back garden, it took this potted squid agave over a year to recover from its near-death experience during the snowapocalypse. But it finally did. I’m glad I found the patience to give it time to look a little murky and sad. I waited, trimming the lower arms that had turned brown, and finally it came up. Back to full squid glory! Firecracker fern and foxtail fern add low, soft texture around it.
I acquired this replacement ‘Monterey Frost’ squid agave after losing a large one to the snowpocalypse. It is one of my favorite agaves for bright shade.
Near the Circle Garden, ‘Fireworks’ Gomphrena adds purple-pink globes.
And in the garden below, the blue-bottle “ocotillo” sways in a pair of rattles Yucca rostrata.
The rear of the house can be seen from the lower garden steps. I don’t often take pictures from this perspective.
On the sunny deck, another squid agave — an old one that barely survived the snowapocalypse — basks in the sun. Its companion is a spineless prickly pear and cascading ghost plant rich in squid shade.
Inside, a fall bouquet with a few squashes and mini pumpkins shines in rich fall colors. I’m looking forward to cooler weather soon that mirrors the season, predicted for Friday — a drop from 82F to 61F for the high. Bring it!
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dig deep
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All material © 2022 by Pam Penick for Excavation. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
