Fabulous Saucer Magnolias

Besides the ocean of unwanted oxalis blooming in my yard, there are plenty of signs around town that winter is ending.  On a short bike ride around the neighborhood I discovered these beautiful magnolia trees.  I figured I better capture them today before the rains move in on Friday and beat the blossoms down.

Keeping San Jose Beautiful

As part of the "Keep San Jose Beautiful" program, the city of San Jose has been distributing bulbs to community groups to plant every fall for the last fourteen years. Our neighborhood association requested and received bulbs this fall and they are beginning to bloom.  Here are are some my neighbor planted.

Here are some daffodils  in another neighbors yard.

And here are some paperwhites that have been blooming for weeks now.

Even with all the gloomy gray skies and rain, I can't help but feel lucky when I see my neighborhood blooming like this and read about the mid-Atlantic being pounded by snow storms.

Tomato Time in San Jose

Most of the gardeners I know here in San Jose are enjoying bumper crops of tomatoes this year. I certainly am. I planted mostly heirloom tomatoes this year and was worried that I might be plagued with all kinds of tomato diseases but my tomatoes thrived and they couldn't be tastier. My two favorites have been Gold Medal and Japanese Black Trifele. The Japanese Black Trifele has its shortcomings (uneven ripening, tough core) but the flavor is spectacular. With my abundance of tomatoes I give them to anyone who comes near me and I've made 6 quarts of spaghetti sauce and of course Caprese Salad, pictured above.

Yes We have Some Bananas!

Now that school is out I have plenty of time for long walks and exploring different neighborhoods.  My walking buddy spotted this banana bearing banana tree!  I had never seen an actual fruit-bearing banana tree in San Jose.  Has anyone else seen bananas growing here?

Low Effort, High Impact Plants

Just a few of the many plants that have died in my garden.

Orange symphony Osteospermum

Oenothera Speciosa - Pink Evening Primrose (blooms are open all day)

Mesem-Bryanthemum - purple ice plant

I have been gardening since I was 7 when I talked my dad into letting me plant one of his flower beds with one row of corn, one row of green beans and one row of zinnias. The bed was about 2 1/2 feet by 3 feet so you can imagine how well the corn did but from that garden on I was hooked for life on gardening. At the moment I am in love with my garden but over the years there have been many heartbreaks and failures. I kept a (poor) record of what I planted by saving the little plastic tags that come in the pot. I was appalled recently when I looked through the collection of tags and realized just how many plants have died in my care (see the tiny "plant tag graveyard" pictured). Fortunately for me, most of the garden centers in San Jose have a very generous return policy. Here is how it works: you take the remains of the plant (along with your receipt) into the garden center and they let you take home a new victim - for free. There were certain plants I was so determined to have in my garden (hibiscus for instance) that I repeated this process at least three times before I gave up. On my many walks around downtown San Jose I have identified some very spectacular, low effort, high impact plants that seem to thrive here with very little work. The pictures here are of 3 plants that just keep coming back year after year with an abundance of blooms. Any nominees of your own?

San Jose, an All-American Rose Selections Winner

The weather was gray, rainy and gloomy yesterday but in San Jose's Rose Garden on Dana Avenue, things could not have been brighter or happier.  Yesterday was a celebration of the announcement that our municipal rose garden will be an official test site for AARS, in fact the only one in northern California.  Hundreds of dedicated volunteers have resurrected this once weedy and neglected rose garden to its current state of grandeur.  The mayor was on hand for the official ribbon cutting as was Tom Carruth, the president of AARS.  Sadly, there were so few people on hand to celebrate, that when the organizers divided us in to two groups, people officially connected with the event on one side of the test rose bed and the mere spectators on the other side, our side had barely enough people to fit around an average size dining room table. Still, the event, with 4,000 rose bushes as a backdrop, was glorious.

Wisteria!

The neighborhood I live in must have the perfect growing conditions for wisteria because it is spectacular here.  Every spring from bare, dry, twisted and tangled branches, come huge, billowy sprays of wisteria blossoms.  The wisteria vine outside my window (see above) is so aggressive that it manages to pry open the screens and twist its way into my dining room.  By summer I will have about 3 feet of wisteria growing inside the house.  But the wisteria plant pictured at the Friends house takes the prize for the most spectacular one I've ever seen.  Note that in addition to engulfing the house with blossoms it continues up the power wires.  Wow.

All's right with the world

After a very long day of rainy day recesses, a difficult and depressing faculty meeting wherein we discussed the ramifications of the state budget cuts and then a ride home in the rain, I walked through my gate and I see that my roses have started to bloom, suddenly since just this morning and again all is right with the world.  So this post isn't so much about San Jose (except that aren't we lucky that the temperatures have been in the high 70's and even low 80's) as it is about my front yard, but hey, my front yard is in downtown San Jose.

Surrounded by Citrus

One of the great things about downtown San Jose is the abundance of citrus trees. They are everywhere and at this time of year they are dripping with fruit. I am lucky to have a view of this gorgeous orange tree out my window. Anywhere you walk you'll see citrus trees of every variety and most people are more than happy to share their crop with you. Just knock on the door and ask (bring your own bag). My oranges make delicious juice. The longer you leave them on the tree the sweeter the juice. Look around, in these difficult economic times let's not let this abundance go to waste!

Pretty in Pink

I know that Sacramento is known more as the camellia capital of California but San Jose's camellias aren't too shabby either. You will see quite a magnificent display of camellias if you walk or drive through San Jose's Northside (which is approximately the area between Julian and Hedding and N. 6th and N. 17th). Do it now, in January and February, for the best show.