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I was reading the comments about snakes. Yikes!

I’m so glad I don’t see snakes in my back or front gardens. I see big skinks and sometimes think they’re snakes (they’re long and skinny like snakes). San Diego has lot and lots of snakes, especially rattlesnakes. They’re venemous snakes, too.

I was pretty shocked when I saw the before and after pics. It’s pretty unbelievable it’s the same place. It went from lush to desertscape.

It’s probably a combination of these factors. Water rates have skyrocketed in the last 4 to 5 years here. It’s a shame they don’t use reclaimed gray water. It’s becoming extremely common here because of continuous drought.

Yes there's lots of insects around right now - bees, wasps, butterflies, dragonflies, beetles and others. We're so fortunate to have such a variety.

Yes we've been seeing news reports on the wild fires at Los Angeles. Just terrible. Thank goodness your area is not at risk right now.

I have one in a pot that i think has rooted into the ground. It has full sized leaves. I don't even know if i can move it now. Stunting it might work. Needs plenty of water in the summer.

We had hoardes of Sparrows in our hedges in Scotland! What a racket they make! I had a battle to stop them nesting in the eaves. Poor things. They were evicted! They still nested under the garage eaves though. Oh, you’ve brought back some funny memories…Karen vs the House Sparrows! The problem was that where the Sparrows went, the field mice followed and they made a horrible mess as well. I still feel very guilty, but I am certain they found alternative nesting sites because they always came back to the hedges in the autumn.

Lovely pair. We have had a little Wren in the garden. I saw it on Jan 1st. Was so thrilled!

I was just thinking yesterday that I must get some Dianthus carthusianorum. It’s very tall, light and airy and stands up well to winds.

Thanks Linda and Janey xx

Linda, stay away from the masks. They promote mor sickness than they prevent. Keep a social distance if you are anxious. X

Thank goodness it’s all gone!

It is so cheerful greeting me when I come home. Mind you…haven’t been out much lately. I seem to have post-viral fatigue. :(

:D

Don't forget the other 4 episodes! I'm sure they will be just as good.Infact I started with episode 5 which covered the South West including St Just in Roseland and Trebah garden...not forgetting Keith Wiley's wild garden in Devon.Sad to hear his wife and co founder of the gardens had passed away in 2019.A favourite of ours when visiting a school friend nearby.Cornwall being my birthplace,Trebah was an absolute delight to visit during my youth.

Janey, I don't want to boast, but we had 5 degrees today, mind you it still didn't see off the frost in some parts of my garden.

Same here Josie ... it was a really enjoyable hour of TV for a change.

My wife talked to her cousin who lives in a town near Valencia & who had been affected by the flooding as well. She says she’s stilling waiting for her house to dry out before the work of recovery can start. She was heartbroken over the devastation caused by the flood waters but, like a great many other people who were affected in her town, she has to wait on insurance claims as well as for construction workers! They are in such great demand she will have to wait several more weeks before the work can begin!

Lovely to see this cutting flowering, Hywel!

Lovely plants, Andy!

Of all the species of Doves & Pigeons I think this is my favourite, Janey! We see them very often around here & their call is unmistakable & can be heard for many months of the year!

Many, many bird species are disappearing from our towns & cities, even one of the commonest, the Sparrow, is not seen in flocks any more. You see individuals but not many.

Sparrows come to mind particularly because we saw lots more while we were in Cuenca than we do here. One day were were having lunch sitting at an open-air cafe when they came flying around the tables & even on the tables looking for dropped bread crumbs. They were very lively birds & seemed to be much brighter than our sparrows in the UK. They may have been a different species as I'm not very informed as to the different species of sparrows in the world - or the UK!

The weather should start to get a little milder from Tuesday. I've had to bring in my Amaryllis & Clivia bulbs because we have been having 5 & 6C below freezing on at least 4 nights this last week!

Thanks for the link, Wylie. I had a look but they have very few varieties.

How are you getting on with your arm, Jane?

Thanks for the extra info, Andy! I read something about it when I looked it up. Wikipedia is such a mine of info on practically anything you can think of!

Thank you, Shirley!

I lived the better part of 30 years in Spain all told, Rose! I don't miss the terrible heat of some summers or the terrible cold of some winters! I miss most of all the deep blue transparent skies - both of summer & of winter!

They really are Rose and so gentle too..🥰

Haha Sheila, one of them could be Sweetie's offspring, if not her..I like to think that..😏 it has been hard for them all hasn't it, lovely you saw the Great Tit, they will have been desperate for water won't they?
Temps here have raised a little, it's 1° now..🥴

Yes, they're wily creatures, aren't? They most often prefer to keep out of sight even though they have become more daring now.

I enjoyed looking at these lovely gardens from my arm chair too, all different & some good ideas. I am recording the series.

:o))

Janey, just the same down here, so very cold but I believe it's set to reach 8 or 9 later in the week, woohoo!

I'm with you n that ... bitterly cold again today but the sun is shining so that's a bonus.

I love that you still call one of them 'Sweetie'! I have been keeping the water thawed for the birds and even saw a Great Tit drinking from the bowl on the grass earlier. Surprising, as they rarely stop long enough to eat from the feeders, let alone stay on the ground. Times are tough for the wildlife ... :o(

They are so pretty aren't they Janey.

There used to be 6 goldfinches in the garden every day but haven't see them in over a year now and often wonder what happened to them.

Lovely selection of flowers there. Your garden must be a magnet for the insects Bushbernie. It must look fantastic with all those colours in it.

Lovely selection there and the scent is usually amazing.

Just what we needed kG.

Yes, they flower here.

I have several pics on GoY of Delonix regia flowering in SD.

Im wondering if they flower in SD? How far north do they still bloom?

Delonix,
Ours did not have such a nice shape as the one in your picture. I posted it on this site (in previous account) and I think it was you or Stan who told me what it was .... otherwise I would not know.

The last few days here have been sunny and bright, but with the thickest frost everywhere. I can imagine Sheila, it's been -3 here. At least it's killing off all the bugs, so we should start with a nice clean spring when it's time..

Lovely photo and lovely story Janey 🙂. Can’t believe you have sunshine while we have grey skies and a fearsome frost! -4 in the greenhouse last night.

Thank you Janey, it was quite nice here until now but I am sure that a cold snap is coming. I read that "La Niña" arrived, which means coldness.

It isn't so cold here now Shirley, and it's going to improve next week. I can't wait ! lol

How lucky are we to have such beautiful gardens in the Uk a very enjoyable program too view them from our armchairs 🙂

:))

I am waiting for 3 more to bloom and then I'll do a blog on all the Amaryllis I had bloom this season.

I talk to someone in Arkansas that grows Amaryllis from seed, and he says that the doubles don't always produce pollen. I am lucky to have had one flower on 'Elvas' that did have 1 pollen to use, so I crossed it to 'Exotic Star' and it now has seeds developing.

I am more worried about getting temperatures low enough to produce flowers. It is supposed to be under 15°C for 6-8 weeks, but we have been getting lows of only 16-17°C. I have a whole bunch of pots inside to keep them dry, but the temperatures are the hardest to control.

Look at this site: https://bulbi.co.uk/ They say they can deliver to the UK "without hassle" by using DPD.

I think they look very calm Shirley. I'm sure one of them visited the garden regularly a few years ago as she or he doesn't mind me near. I still call her Sweetie haha..

Happy New Year to you Klahanie!