Where I’m @ now
Sunny boy: Backyard mural on Paul’s writing shed door.
Don’t call it a comeback … call it gingerly dipping a toe back into the social media pond. After many months of friendly encouragement (Thanks, Jan, Kathy), I’ve decided to give Instagram a shot. I’m getting used to how it all works and feel like a total greenhorn, but I plan to address the same interests as I did here at RR, while looking into some new ones. Similarly, I’m hoping to see some RR faithful there, along with new friends. Find me at: instagram.com/reubix2x
Big Thanks!
The RR Open Garden event this weekend was a success! We had quite a group of visitors; some new, some expected and some we hadn’t seen in a good while. Because the day was very toasty at over 100°, I rented a Mexican paleta (fruit-sicle) pushcart for the occasion. How better to offer our visitors “a cold one” upon arrival! My three vendor friends who worked the event did well and it was satisfying watching their wares move off to new homes. Thanks, Vickie, Stephen and Rob for all your efforts ensuring that the day went smoothly. You guys are awesome! Near the event’s end friends from Long Beach descended and we had a great dinner at the Mission Inn. It was a delicious end to a very busy — very warm — and very long day full of conversation with friends new and old. The photo above was taken at sundown; the event’s mascot, a dessicated but complete agave I love silhouetted against the darkening sky . . . this is the best time of day at the Rancho; I love it.
Throwaways
Trimming, snipping, pruning, raking and dead-heading; all are enjoyable aspects of gardening. But all of these activities lead to piles of plant debris that must be dealt with. As a creative person — an aesthete, if you will — I love these garden byproducts, these piles of dessicated or dead plant material. If someone were watching they might see me sifting through these heaps of what most consider trash. And if they were to ask, I’d say I was in search of a particularly attractive seed pod that had caught my eye earlier; my imagination taken by a dried-yet-graceful stalk, a dead but still lovely flower, by a leaf with spots in a surprising color. These five photographs are of plant material I waylaid on the way to the green trash can. Each was shot against a neutral background of corrugated cardboard, then treated to Photoshop enhancement. Each has been titled and sourced as well.
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THE OVERSEER
(Discarded agave cores; found in neighbor’s trash area)
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The RR Open (Updated Edition!)
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On Saturday, June 20th, Rancho Reubidoux will have its first Open Garden in years! I’ve chosen this date because it’s the day before the official first day of summer, 2015. My hope is that it will be a delicious day that combines the best of spring with early summer mildness; a perfect day for hanging out in our garden and visiting. (UPDATE: IT’LL BE HOT, HOT, HOT!!) If you’ve been to the Rancho in the past I think you’ll be surprised at how much it’s changed, and if you’ve only seen it in pictures you’re in for a treat because the real thing is so much better! But that’s not all … RR readers will also have the opportunity to satisfy their garden shopping urges: Vickie Perez will be here with a selection of her best succulent planters on offer, local succulent propagator Rob MacGregor will have an array of terrific specimens for sale, and if we’re lucky Stephen Penn will show up with a truckload of one-of-a-kind rusted oddities! (UPDATE: STEPHEN PENN WILL BE AT THE SALE WITH AN OTHER-WORLDLY COLLECTION OF INDUSTRIAL PIECES!!) Click over for full info and we’ll see you then!
Furreal
Isn’t this flower gorgeous? It’s the first of several that will appear on a snakelike succulent Paul planted in our hypertufa mini-volcano. A gift from garden designer Dustin Gimbel, the handmade volcano has played host to this plant for a couple years now. It’s been well-behaved in its spot against the fence, contentedly growing and sending out ever-lengthening sinous arms dotted with small but prickly prickles. While puttering around a week ago I saw something on the plant that I could only describe as surreal. If you’re someone not fluent in artspeak, the word surreal can be attached to things that are dreamlike, bizarre or disorienting in their strangeness. So, what was this strange thing, you ask?
Succulent Show Stand-outs
My reason for attending the Gates Cactus & Succulent Society‘s show and sale this weekend was not to buy plants, I didn’t need any; rather it was to take in the juried plant show. Held in a separate tented area the show was very well-attended and there was no lack of entries. But I had notes, exacerbated by the fact that I was not feeling tip-top upon arrival. First, the show tent was very dark. Saturday was already overcast, so an opaque tent only added to an overall dim/dank feel. Second, entries were presented too closely together; making photography difficult. This caused viewers to be on top of each other as well, something I did not relish. Also pain-inducing: A winner in several categories expounding on her entries in a voice that channeled both Truman Capote and Angelica Pickles. Try though I might, I could not shake this winner and her entourage, nor could I shake the lady in a fuchsia bedazzled sweatshirt who insisted on inserting herself into my photos! As I said, I was not feeling well. So, I took a deep breath and shot when I could find an opening, moving quickly. Honestly I didn’t have much hope for the photos. But whattaya know, they weren’t bad — hooray for auto-whatever digital cameras! What didn’t work out were my efforts at shooting the entry labels next to individual plants. Hence this post will not contain plant names; rather it will feature photos of the plants I found most interesting, in categories of my own devising. Let’s get started, I’ve got a lot to show you.
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MY GATES SHOW WINNERS
At least three of the plants above were overall winners; in fact, the tallest of them (lower left) was the Oddball Plant winner. I’m not sure I would’ve picked it since there were far odd-er entries under the tent but no one asked me. Still, it’s pretty bizarro, kind of like a tall root wearing a feathered hat. Moving clockwise from it: A seeming snap-off, -on puffball cactus; what appeared to be an ancient and lovely gnarled bonsai; a perfect dome of albino rosettes; a brainy offering surpassed only by the vessel that contains it. Let’s keep it moving, there’s more . . .
Succs-travaganza!
Succs-apalooza?! Oh-kay, how about The Gates Cactus & Succulent Society’s 40th annual Show & Sale?! If that works for you you’ll want to be at Landscape Southern California Style in Riverside on Friday and Saturday, May 15 and 16. This historic two-day event will have literally thousands of succulents for sale by local growers, along with hundreds of beautifully staged exotic plants in a juried show on Saturday. It is also a great learning experience, with opportunities to meet and learn from growers of our favorite plants. Plus, it’s a terrific chance to score one-of-a-kind pottery in which to display your prized succulents. Best of all this event is free and open to the public!
You do not want to miss this event. See next page for full details …
An Exploding Blue Surprise & More
I’m often asked why I prefer hand watering to drip or some other irrigation system. The short answer is that I prefer to water everything myself because I’m afraid I might miss something. See, if I entrust the watering needs of my garden to someone — or something — else I might miss the baby’s first step, its first word, its first exploding tassel-topped purple turban. Okay, so I mixed things up there a bit but what I’m referring to is shown in the photo above. While watering I looked up at my favorite super-tall blue cactus and noticed that its fruit had somehow . . . exploded?
The Return of Vickie
Vickie’s most wanted
What can I say about Vickie Perez? Let’s see, she’s friendly, knows how to spin a good yarn, is a dog lover and a loyal friend to those lucky enough to call her one. Oh, and she’s talented, really gosh darned talented. Of course if she were here watching me type these words she’d become all shy and aw shucks-y … but that modesty is just another part of her appeal. Vicky has become something unexpected around here: She is a break-out Rancho Reubidoux star! This means that no matter what else is going on, no matter what’s being posted (or not, due to medical hiatus on my part), the post where I introduced Vickie to RR readers will have visitors (click to read it here). They come for photos of her planters for their own blogs, websites or Pinterest pages, where they are picked up again, and so on … So, while she’s had thousands of viewers here, who even knows how many other thousands have seen her projects elsewhere? Aside from driving up RR’s stats, Vickie’s also done something priceless for me: She unlocked my creativity. How? By letting me in on her artistic process, and by sharing her innovative problem solving decisions. Without Vickie I would not have come up with the palm scoop planter, the TV-front planter, even the fan screen planter!
If there’s a negative quality Vickie and I share, it’s an artistic sensitivity that keeps us from ever being referred to as prolific. We require so many variables be aligned before we embark on a project that we can be immobilized when they’re not just so. So, I’m very happy to report that the planets have aligned and all conditions are optimum because Vickie’s back! She’s been hard at work creating tons of new succulent gardens that will be for sale at this weekend’s Riverside Flower Show and Garden Tour event held at the Elks Lodge. Here’s a look at just some of the quirky-ingenious pieces Vickie will have for sale (full show information will be at end of post).
Cross-Pollination Opportunity
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Landscape designer and non-secateur blogger, Dustin Gimbel, hosted the latest version of his Cross-Pollination Garden Party in Long Beach recently. And, as usual, it was a lively event featuring delicious food and drink, stimulating conversation and the chance to catch up with talented folks from a variety of creative disciplines. This iteration I collaborated with Gimbel on the invitation for the party — his concept, my artwork — and when it was finished we agreed it was pretty awesome. So why not share? To that end I’ve applied the design to both tee-shirts (shown above on local chanteuse and model, Alexandra) and on prints (framed and unframed), both available now at my Society 6 shop. Click over to find links for both. Proceeds from all sales will go toward future Cross-Pollination events.
And you can catch Dustin at South Coast Plaza this weekend at the Arts & Leisure Show Garden, part of its Southern California Spring Garden Show. Find out more by clicking here, or by going to his Facebook page: click here.
Rancho Reubidoux 