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My Garden Diary

July and August 2021

Copyright © 2021 by David E. Ross

Many years ago, when I first started my Web site, I created an online diary of my gardening activities and observations. However, with work and the commute from Hell, I was often so tired I had to choose between maintaining my garden and maintaining my diary. Sometimes, I did neither. In 1998, I stopped my diary and removed the pages from my Web site.

Now I am retired. I am well-rested and have plenty of time to both garden and maintain a diary. This diary is primarily for my own benefit, so that I can look back upon what I did and when. But I thought others might also be interested, so here it is.

Also see What's Blooming in My Garden Now?

Diary entries for 2004 through 2014

Entries below are in reverse order (latest at the top). Daily, I might stoop to pull a weed or use a hose to water some potted plants; however, I don't consider those significant gardening activities. Thus, you will not see daily entries. Also, I might accumulate a few entries before updating this page on the Web.

When plants have well-known common names, their scientific names are given only the first time they appear on this page (entry closest to the bottom). There, the common name is in bold or appears as a link to another Web page.

Unless a different year is given, dates refer to other entries in the same year as the entry in which they appear, including entries on prior pages for the same year.

Date and Weather	Observations and Activities
30 Aug Clear, sunny, and hot Temp: 64-93 Humidity: 32% Wind: 1-11 Rain — This rain-year: 3.53 Days since last: 12	I have avoided doing much gardening lately because it is just too hot. This is the seventh consecutive day during which the temperature reached or exceeded 90°F. Because of the continuing heat, I further increased the timing of the sprinklers in back (but not in front) to 18 minutes per valve, still only once every third day. The pink clover (Persicaria capitata) in front seems to be surviving on 15 minutes per valve. I did spend a little time in back today, removing the CDs and blood-meal socks from the peach tree. They did not protect my fruit from whatever animal stole them. Last week, I replaced all the hardware for the hanging flower pot (13 Jun) in the blue bathroom after discarding the pothos growing there. I then planted the rooted pothos cuttings (30 Jul) in that pot. The Artemisia cuttings (18 Aug) have not wilted and still look fresh despite the fact they have no coverings.
18 Aug Overcast, gray, and mild Temp: 62-72 Humidity: 90% Wind: 3-9 Rain — This rain-year: 3.53 The past week: 0.03	Finally, we got a break from the heat. For the first time in 45 days, the temperature did not reach 90°F. In the middle of a drought, we even got a trace (0.03 inches) of rain this morning. Fed the dwarf citrus with a commercial 10-4-10 citrus food and a pinch of zinc sulfate. I also gave the gardenia a more generous feeding of the same. Put up fresh Artemisia cuttings (16 Aug), this time without using miniature greenhouses (bottoms of plastic liter soda bottles).
16 Aug Thin overcast, hazy sun, and hot Temp: 66-98 Humidity: 23% Wind: 1-11 Rain — This rain-year: 3.50 Days since last: 70	The red fescue lawn in back took a major hit from the extremely hot weather we have been having. A few days ago, I slightly increased the amount of irrigation from my garden sprinklers. Previously, each valve ran very early in the morning a total of 14 minutes every third day. I changed that to running 15 minutes. If I do not see an improvement in my back lawn, I plan to increase it further to 18 minutes. The Artemisia cuttings failed, but the foxglove cuttings still seem to be okay (both 30 Jul). The potted English thyme (Thymus vulgaris) has been doing poorly. When I decided to repot it, I discovered that its pot had a large crack on one side, which allowed water to drain away instead of moistening the potting mix. Today, I went out and bought a new flower pot. The existing potting mix seemed quite good, but the bottom half contained no roots. I added some nutrients — blood meal; bone meal; and iron, zinc, and magnesium sulfates — to the loose mix. I placed the pot in a shady location next to my house and watered it thoroughly. If the plant survives, I will then return it to be with the rest of the potted herbs.
6 Aug Clear, sunny, and hot Temp: 63-94 Humidity: 31% Wind: 1-12	Fed the roses with a commercial 4-9-4 fertilizer that also contains a systemic insecticide. The label clains the phosphorous is available. Whether or not it really is, my main concern is to get nitrogen and the insecticide into the plants. Rain — This rain-year: 3.50 Days since last: 60
30 Jul Clear, sunny, and hot Temp: 64-99 Humidity: 20% Wind: 4-16 Rain — This rain-year: 3.50 Days since last: 53	Checked the cuttings of variegated pothos (Epipremnum pinnatum 'Aureum', 13 Jun) and dwarf Burford holly (Ilex cornuta 'Burfordii Nana', 16 May). The pothos cuttings both have the start of roots but not enough to replace their parent plant in the hanging pot in the blue bathroom. However, they no longer need the protection of a miniature greenhouse (the bottom of a liter plastic bottle). One holly cutting still survives and even has new shoots. However, when I removed the pot, I saw no roots in the potting mix; so I restored its miniature greenhouse. Put up cuttings of 'Illumination Flame' foxglove (Digitalis purpurea × canariensis) and Artemisia 'Powis Castle' (A. arborescens × absinthium).
28 Jul Clear, sunny, and hot Temp: 68-96 Humidity: 24% Wind: 2-13	Fed the dwarf citrus and gardenia with ammonium, iron, and zinc sulfates. While feeding the lemon, I noticed that there were two very long branches. Concerned that the tree would outgrow the ability of the roots constrained in its flower pot, I cut away half the length of those branches. Rain — This rain-year: 3.50 Days since last: 51
23 Jul Clear, sunny, and hot Temp: 63-95 Humidity: 34% Wind: 4-10 Rain — This rain-year: 3.50 Days since last: 46	Some of the leaves on my dwarf lemon tree (Citrus limon 'Eureka') have a strange appearance. I photographed them, uploaded the photos to my Web site, and sent an E-mail to the Ventura County Master Gardener program with the link to the photos. The reply indicated that the potting mix has accumulated too much boron. I am not sure about this since the citrus fertilizer I use contains only 0.05% boron. However, I spread a generous amount of gypsum on top of the pot and watered it into the potting mix. Gypsum is supposed to help leach away excessive minerals in the soil. For all my dwarf citrus, I used a metal spike to poke holes in the soil — four in the raised bed of the tangelo (Citrus reticulata × paradisi) and two in each of the potted citrus — and filled the holes with bone meal. It has been many years since I gave this source of phosphorus to my citrus. This should promote better fruiting in the future. Picked several pounds of 'Perlette' grapes. To make sure they were ripe, I tasted one grape from each bunch before cutting it from the vine. A few bunches were still too sour, indicating they were not yet ripe. The 'Black Monukka' grapes do not yet have enough color to indicate they are ripe. Examining my peach tree, I could find only one peach. It was still hard and green. If squirrels or other varmints got the other peaches, I am surprised since they normally only take ripe fruit.
18 Jul Partially cloudy, mostly sunny (sometimes hazy), and hot Temp: 68-97 Humidity: 19% Wind: 2-15 Rain — This rain-year: 3.50 Days since last: 41	One of the CDs for the 'Black Monukka' grape vine (16 Jul) was tangled in a bunch of grapes, which made it ineffective. I rehung it a few inches away and with a longer length of twine. The artichoke (Cynara scoymus) in the back lawn is going dormant because of the heat. I cut it down. While working on the artichoke, I ran the lower sprinklers on My Hill to rewet the socks containing bloodmeal that I hung on the grape vines. I will be doing this weekly until I have picked all the grapes. This is not necessary for the peach tree since the socks will be wet every third day, when the garden sprinklers run.
16 Jul Clear, sunny, and hot Temp: 60-94 Humidity: 30% Wind: 2-11 Rain — This rain-year: 3.50 Days since last: 39	The 'Black Monukka' grapes and 'Santa Barbara' peaches are starting to color, and the 'Perlette' grapes are already mature in size. Today, I hung compact discs and wet socks containing bloodmeal on the grape vines (Vitis vinifera) and peach tree (Prunus persica). While doing this, I noticed two bunches of 'Perlette' grapes that had been partially eaten. I picked both bunches. Some the grapes were delicious, but some were still unripe and sour. Obviously, whatever varmint sampled those bunches while still on the vine could tell the difference between ripe and unripe grapes.
12 Jul Clear, sunny, and warm Temp: 65-87 Humidity: 22% Wind: 1-9 Rain — This rain-year: 3.50 Days since last: 35	Broadcast blood meal over the entire perimeter of the back lawn and at the edge of the rose bed along the adjacent path. I also put some in the lower-left corner of My Hill, where I saw rabbits leaving my garden. Because of the state-wide drought, I did not wet the blood meal. It will be wet when the sprinklers run this coming Wednesday. I just hope this deters the rabbits from feeding in my garden (9 Jul). Trimmed the pink-flowering orchid cactus (Hylocereeae). Some of the older growths were losing chlorophyll and turning white.
9 Jul Clear, sunny, and hot Temp: 68-99 Humidity: 27% Wind: 0-15 Rain — This rain-year: 3.50 Days since last: 32	Raked the paths in back. They were so cluttered with leaves — either recent leaf fall or displaced leaf mulch from the adjacent beds — that it was hard to distinguish the paths from the beds. A pair of rabbits are destroying the red fescue (Festuca rubra) lawn in back. Earlier in the year, I think they munched on the Fresia foliage. I will put down some blood meal, hoping the smell of blood will discourage them. At the least, the blood meal will promote new growth of the lawn.
7 Jul Clear, sunny, and hot Temp: 63-93 Humidity: 28% Wind: 1-13	Fed the dwarf citrus with a commercial 10-4-10 citrus food and a pinch of zinc sulfate. I also gave the gardenia (G. jasminoides 'Veitchii') a more generous feeding of the same. Fed the roses with ammonium sulfate (21-0-0). Rain — This rain-year: 3.50 Days since last: 30
4 Jul Clear, sunny, and hot Temp: 59-89 Humidity: 32% Wind: 1-12 Rain — This rain-year: 3.50 Days since last: 27	Climbed My Hill with three tasks in mind: First, I adjusted the angle of one of the sprinklers half-way up the slope. The riser should be perpendicular to the slope, but this one was leaning too far towards the bottom. Then, I trimmed one of the Raphiolepis 'Majestic Beauty' that was blocking a sprinkler at the top of My Hill. By that time, I was exhausted and did not even start the third task, which was to groom the 'Flame' grape vine growing at the top of My Hill. On the way down My Hill, I ajusted the angle of another sprinkler. Having rested some, I pinched back the potted spoon-flowered chrisanthemum (C. morifolium) on the main patio in back. This will promote more shoots. In the fall, each shoot might have a flower. Trimmed the potted lavender that is on the brick path to the front door, removing dead flowers and reducing the demand on the constrained roots for moisture. Noticed that the 'Perlette' grapes are almost mature in size, but they have not yet started to get the color of ripe fruit. Next week or so, I will hang compact discs and socks containing blood meal to discourage birds and squirrels from stealing grapes. Because of the effort to climb to the 'Flame' grape vine, I decided not to discourage birds and squirrel from it. I hope those "varments" will sufficiently enjoy 'Flame' grapes at the top of My Hill that they will ignore the 'Perlette' and 'Black Monukka' grapes that are near the bottom.
2 Jul Clear, sunny, and hot Temp: 64-93 Humidity: 17% Wind: 0-12	Trimmed the 'Goodwin Creek Grey' lavender (Lavandula lanata × dentata) in the brick panel in front where utility boxes are in the ground. I mostly removed dead flowers. Pruned the loquat tree in back, thinning it out and removing branches that interfered with the adjacent paths. Rain — This rain-year: 3.50 Days since last: 35

Date and Weather

Observations and Activities

30 Aug

Clear, sunny, and hot

Temp: 64-93
Humidity: 32%
Wind: 1-11

Rain —
This rain-year: 3.53
Days since last: 12

I have avoided doing much gardening lately because it is just too hot. This is the seventh consecutive day during which the temperature reached or exceeded 90°F. Because of the continuing heat, I further increased the timing of the sprinklers in back (but not in front) to 18 minutes per valve, still only once every third day. The pink clover (Persicaria capitata) in front seems to be surviving on 15 minutes per valve.

I did spend a little time in back today, removing the CDs and blood-meal socks from the peach tree. They did not protect my fruit from whatever animal stole them.

Last week, I replaced all the hardware for the hanging flower pot (13 Jun) in the blue bathroom after discarding the pothos growing there. I then planted the rooted pothos cuttings (30 Jul) in that pot.

The Artemisia cuttings (18 Aug) have not wilted and still look fresh despite the fact they have no coverings.

18 Aug

Overcast, gray, and mild

Temp: 62-72
Humidity: 90%
Wind: 3-9

Rain —
This rain-year: 3.53
The past week: 0.03

Finally, we got a break from the heat. For the first time in 45 days, the temperature did not reach 90°F. In the middle of a drought, we even got a trace (0.03 inches) of rain this morning.

Fed the dwarf citrus with a commercial 10-4-10 citrus food and a pinch of zinc sulfate. I also gave the gardenia a more generous feeding of the same.

Put up fresh Artemisia cuttings (16 Aug), this time without using miniature greenhouses (bottoms of plastic liter soda bottles).

16 Aug

Thin overcast, hazy sun, and hot

Temp: 66-98
Humidity: 23%
Wind: 1-11

Rain —
This rain-year: 3.50
Days since last: 70

The red fescue lawn in back took a major hit from the extremely hot weather we have been having. A few days ago, I slightly increased the amount of irrigation from my garden sprinklers. Previously, each valve ran very early in the morning a total of 14 minutes every third day. I changed that to running 15 minutes. If I do not see an improvement in my back lawn, I plan to increase it further to 18 minutes.

The Artemisia cuttings failed, but the foxglove cuttings still seem to be okay (both 30 Jul).

The potted English thyme (Thymus vulgaris) has been doing poorly. When I decided to repot it, I discovered that its pot had a large crack on one side, which allowed water to drain away instead of moistening the potting mix. Today, I went out and bought a new flower pot. The existing potting mix seemed quite good, but the bottom half contained no roots. I added some nutrients — blood meal; bone meal; and iron, zinc, and magnesium sulfates — to the loose mix. I placed the pot in a shady location next to my house and watered it thoroughly. If the plant survives, I will then return it to be with the rest of the potted herbs.

6 Aug

Clear, sunny, and hot

Temp: 63-94
Humidity: 31%
Wind: 1-12

Fed the roses with a commercial 4-9-4 fertilizer that also contains a systemic insecticide. The label clains the phosphorous is available. Whether or not it really is, my main concern is to get nitrogen and the insecticide into the plants.

Rain —
This rain-year: 3.50
Days since last: 60

30 Jul

Clear, sunny, and hot

Temp: 64-99
Humidity: 20%
Wind: 4-16

Rain —
This rain-year: 3.50
Days since last: 53

Checked the cuttings of variegated pothos (Epipremnum pinnatum 'Aureum', 13 Jun) and dwarf Burford holly (Ilex cornuta 'Burfordii Nana', 16 May). The pothos cuttings both have the start of roots but not enough to replace their parent plant in the hanging pot in the blue bathroom. However, they no longer need the protection of a miniature greenhouse (the bottom of a liter plastic bottle). One holly cutting still survives and even has new shoots. However, when I removed the pot, I saw no roots in the potting mix; so I restored its miniature greenhouse.

Put up cuttings of 'Illumination Flame' foxglove (Digitalis purpurea × canariensis) and Artemisia 'Powis Castle' (A. arborescens × absinthium).

28 Jul

Clear, sunny, and hot

Temp: 68-96
Humidity: 24%
Wind: 2-13

Fed the dwarf citrus and gardenia with ammonium, iron, and zinc sulfates. While feeding the lemon, I noticed that there were two very long branches. Concerned that the tree would outgrow the ability of the roots constrained in its flower pot, I cut away half the length of those branches.

Rain —
This rain-year: 3.50
Days since last: 51

23 Jul

Clear, sunny, and hot

Temp: 63-95
Humidity: 34%
Wind: 4-10

Rain —
This rain-year: 3.50
Days since last: 46

Some of the leaves on my dwarf lemon tree (Citrus limon 'Eureka') have a strange appearance. I photographed them, uploaded the photos to my Web site, and sent an E-mail to the Ventura County Master Gardener program with the link to the photos. The reply indicated that the potting mix has accumulated too much boron. I am not sure about this since the citrus fertilizer I use contains only 0.05% boron. However, I spread a generous amount of gypsum on top of the pot and watered it into the potting mix. Gypsum is supposed to help leach away excessive minerals in the soil.

For all my dwarf citrus, I used a metal spike to poke holes in the soil — four in the raised bed of the tangelo (Citrus reticulata × paradisi) and two in each of the potted citrus — and filled the holes with bone meal. It has been many years since I gave this source of phosphorus to my citrus. This should promote better fruiting in the future.

Picked several pounds of 'Perlette' grapes. To make sure they were ripe, I tasted one grape from each bunch before cutting it from the vine. A few bunches were still too sour, indicating they were not yet ripe. The 'Black Monukka' grapes do not yet have enough color to indicate they are ripe.

Examining my peach tree, I could find only one peach. It was still hard and green. If squirrels or other varmints got the other peaches, I am surprised since they normally only take ripe fruit.

18 Jul

Partially cloudy, mostly sunny (sometimes hazy), and hot

Temp: 68-97
Humidity: 19%
Wind: 2-15

Rain —
This rain-year: 3.50
Days since last: 41

One of the CDs for the 'Black Monukka' grape vine (16 Jul) was tangled in a bunch of grapes, which made it ineffective. I rehung it a few inches away and with a longer length of twine.

The artichoke (Cynara scoymus) in the back lawn is going dormant because of the heat. I cut it down.

While working on the artichoke, I ran the lower sprinklers on My Hill to rewet the socks containing bloodmeal that I hung on the grape vines. I will be doing this weekly until I have picked all the grapes. This is not necessary for the peach tree since the socks will be wet every third day, when the garden sprinklers run.

16 Jul

Clear, sunny, and hot

Temp: 60-94
Humidity: 30%
Wind: 2-11

Rain —
This rain-year: 3.50
Days since last: 39

The 'Black Monukka' grapes and 'Santa Barbara' peaches are starting to color, and the 'Perlette' grapes are already mature in size. Today, I hung compact discs and wet socks containing bloodmeal on the grape vines (Vitis vinifera) and peach tree (Prunus persica). While doing this, I noticed two bunches of 'Perlette' grapes that had been partially eaten. I picked both bunches. Some the grapes were delicious, but some were still unripe and sour. Obviously, whatever varmint sampled those bunches while still on the vine could tell the difference between ripe and unripe grapes.

12 Jul

Clear, sunny, and warm

Temp: 65-87
Humidity: 22%
Wind: 1-9

Rain —
This rain-year: 3.50
Days since last: 35

Broadcast blood meal over the entire perimeter of the back lawn and at the edge of the rose bed along the adjacent path. I also put some in the lower-left corner of My Hill, where I saw rabbits leaving my garden. Because of the state-wide drought, I did not wet the blood meal. It will be wet when the sprinklers run this coming Wednesday. I just hope this deters the rabbits from feeding in my garden (9 Jul).

Trimmed the pink-flowering orchid cactus (Hylocereeae). Some of the older growths were losing chlorophyll and turning white.

9 Jul

Clear, sunny, and hot

Temp: 68-99
Humidity: 27%
Wind: 0-15

Rain —
This rain-year: 3.50
Days since last: 32

Raked the paths in back. They were so cluttered with leaves — either recent leaf fall or displaced leaf mulch from the adjacent beds — that it was hard to distinguish the paths from the beds.

A pair of rabbits are destroying the red fescue (Festuca rubra) lawn in back. Earlier in the year, I think they munched on the Fresia foliage. I will put down some blood meal, hoping the smell of blood will discourage them. At the least, the blood meal will promote new growth of the lawn.

7 Jul

Clear, sunny, and hot

Temp: 63-93
Humidity: 28%
Wind: 1-13

Fed the dwarf citrus with a commercial 10-4-10 citrus food and a pinch of zinc sulfate. I also gave the gardenia (G. jasminoides 'Veitchii') a more generous feeding of the same.

Fed the roses with ammonium sulfate (21-0-0).

Rain —
This rain-year: 3.50
Days since last: 30

4 Jul

Clear, sunny, and hot

Temp: 59-89
Humidity: 32%
Wind: 1-12

Rain —
This rain-year: 3.50
Days since last: 27

Climbed My Hill with three tasks in mind:

First, I adjusted the angle of one of the sprinklers half-way up the slope. The riser should be perpendicular to the slope, but this one was leaning too far towards the bottom.

Then, I trimmed one of the Raphiolepis 'Majestic Beauty' that was blocking a sprinkler at the top of My Hill.

By that time, I was exhausted and did not even start the third task, which was to groom the 'Flame' grape vine growing at the top of My Hill.

On the way down My Hill, I ajusted the angle of another sprinkler.

Having rested some, I pinched back the potted spoon-flowered chrisanthemum (C. morifolium) on the main patio in back. This will promote more shoots. In the fall, each shoot might have a flower.

Trimmed the potted lavender that is on the brick path to the front door, removing dead flowers and reducing the demand on the constrained roots for moisture.

Noticed that the 'Perlette' grapes are almost mature in size, but they have not yet started to get the color of ripe fruit. Next week or so, I will hang compact discs and socks containing blood meal to discourage birds and squirrels from stealing grapes. Because of the effort to climb to the 'Flame' grape vine, I decided not to discourage birds and squirrel from it. I hope those "varments" will sufficiently enjoy 'Flame' grapes at the top of My Hill that they will ignore the 'Perlette' and 'Black Monukka' grapes that are near the bottom.

2 Jul

Clear, sunny, and hot

Temp: 64-93
Humidity: 17%
Wind: 0-12

Trimmed the 'Goodwin Creek Grey' lavender (Lavandula lanata × dentata) in the brick panel in front where utility boxes are in the ground. I mostly removed dead flowers.

Pruned the loquat tree in back, thinning it out and removing branches that interfered with the adjacent paths.

Rain —
This rain-year: 3.50
Days since last: 35

Weather data are from the Cheeseboro (CHE) weather station, about 2 miles ENE of my house.

The high temperature (°F) is daytime for the indicated date; the low temperature (°F) is for the previous night.

Winter chill is the cumulative hours of temperatures at or below 45°F from 1 November through 31 March. It is reported during that period and through April.

The relative humidity is at noon. (In my garden, it is likely higher than reported, a result of regular irrigation.)

Wind speeds (mph) are average (not peak) low and high, midnight to midnight (subject to later correction for diary entries posted before the end of the day). I also indicate peak wind gusts parenthetically when they are significantly high.

Rain is in inches. Rain-year is the cumulative amount of rainfall from 1 October until 30 September of the following year (our "rain-year"). Week is the cumulative amount of measurable rainfall from noon seven days ago until noon of the indicated date. If no measurable rain fell in that period, Days since last is reported.

Characterization of the weather (e.g., Clear, sunny, and warm) is purely subjective; for example, "warm" might occur with higher temperatures than "hot" if the former occurs with lower humidity and more breezes than the latter. Also, a day that would normally be characterized as "mild" might instead be "warm" if the immediately previous days were quite cold. Finally, such characterization reflects when I was actually outside and gardening and ignores changes that occur while I am inside.

The signature line I use when writing messages about my garden includes the following:

Climate:  California Mediterranean

Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)