Cactus Hill

This slope has started to erode and before it fully disappears and part of our patio cracks off and slides down the hill we thought we'd better put in some plants. The dogs use this hill as a main highway to get up and down the yard quickly. (Those steps are just too burdensome!) So we felt we needed to get some hearty, drought-tolerant vegetation to help hold the hillside together. Here's what we chose:

We decided on a variety of colors and textures. The flats on the right break up into lots of small-rooted plants. This is a succulent ground cover that will eventually fill in and produce a blanket of shimmering pale green foliage with little purple flowers. Then we chose different, fun looking succulents to scatter around the hill. Some have yellowish undertones and some have redish-brown, some are smooth and some are furry. Oh, and the giant one on the left, his name is Big Spikey. He's the favorite. We also got a pink and white bougainvillea to climb along the fence edge to give pretty backdrop.

It doesn't look like much right now, but I can't wait for it to fill in with growth. In the meantime, we are attempting to keep Henry and Lola off the hill so everything can establish without trampling.

A Day in the Life of Lola

Lola's day begins with a long, leisurely stretch that moves into a howling yawn. She then does a lap around the living room looking for warm sunshine. Today, it was a little cloudy, so a belly rub from Thomas is the way to go.

After the sun comes out, what is more fun than hunting for lizards in the garden with my brother?

Then Lola needs a little down time so she decides to chew a stick inside meticulously spitting out every little piece of wood onto my carpet. But wait! She needs to figure out what Henry is chewing just in case she needs to get up and steal it.

After a long day Lola settles in on the sofa for a little tv and another belly rub.

Soaking up some warmth

Millions of Peaches

February showers bring Spring flowers, or at least that's how it goes in Southern California.

Meet Peachy. He's so adorable. This is his third year in my yard and every time I look at him I swoon with adoration. He has been through some of the toughest times in my garden. Like when I didn't think I had to water more than once every two weeks because I grew up on the East Coast and you didn't really have to water except in the brutal August heat. It wasn't August, so why water? It's only 18% humidity and we get a maximum of 9 inches of rain per year? Why would I water?

Then he survived my oldest sister trying to kill him. (That's right, Jen, I went right for the jugular with that one. Oldest sister.) Peachy was weak and frail but I insisted he would be great if we could just get him in the ground. Reluctantly Jen planted him but then as soon as I turned my back she kicked him! With a full-force karate-style kickboxing move unleashed from the depths of the earth she spun around and HI-YA!

Peachy held strong unlike so many before him and today he is a beautiful young lad and I hope lots of honeybees come smooch his flowers for Valentine's Day.

Daily photo

Like a deer foraging for food, Henry stands on his hind legs to reach the fruit on our persimmon tree. He carries his pickings to a safe location -- usually that location is under my dining table on my cream carpet -- and chows down. I know it's not a great shot but I had to show you his huge fuzzy paws stretched up on a tree branch.