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Yippee! As promised, here are a few photos of my little native garden.

Behold! The Collinsia heterophylla and Phacelia tenacetifolia!! This garden got unexpectedly tall; the Phacelias are almost a meter and a half! The central one that I'm holding (below) has a stalk almost as thick as my wrist. I've never grown these before, so this was such a cool surprise.

In the understory of this garden bed, I've got tons of Clarkia unguiculata, a decent sprinkling of Nemophilas, some Eschscholzia caespitosa, and a population of Torilis arvensis that I can't seem to get rid of, no matter how many I uproot.

Gonna cut this entry short today 'cause I got places to be and plants to look at. I hope I can volunteer with CNPS again this autumn and snag some cool plants during the next native plant sale. There's also an event going on at the American River Conservancy so Imma see what's up there :)

Current Mood: sleepy

Wow, it's been a minute! A lot's going on in my personal life, but I've been getting out a little more since the weather's been warmer, and it's been really heartening to see all the little plants just beginning to come up. I've come across some Ribes roezlii just putting out some leaflets, some happily budding Cornus nuttallii, a really fat squirrel, and tons of gorgeous early plants in the Pinus jeffreyi complex. I'd add photos but I don't feel like transferring them LOL.

My garden's also coming along nicely! I planted a half dozen or so Aesculus californica seeds (could you really call something that large a seed? I'd qualify those as naturally-occurring tennis balls instead) and they've all popped up their first cotyledons within two weeks of each other! The two exposed to the eastern sunlight are doing better than the shady ones and the western ones, so I'm eager to see the differences between the development of all six. Something about them just brings me so much comfort.

I was also gifted a gorgeous little blue Agave species from a friend which is PERFECT for my little front yard patch. My Lonicera hispidula has also been going nuts since we moved last year, and it's climbed my porch and anchored itself around the plant rack, trapping several succulent pots that I've had to leave out in the elements. One died from the freeze, the other two are unbothered. On the bright side, this tenacious vining habit is providing some really nice shade cover for the little garden ferns my mom planted with them. Silver lining, I guess. I think that's about it. We're enjoying some nice springtime wet weather after a very dry winter right now. I haven't checked the weather to see how long it'll last, but oh well.

Next time I'll come back with photos!

Current Mood: rejuvenated
Current Music: Green Day - Suzie Chapstick

Yo! It's been a little while. Well, the winter's dragging by with barely an ounce of moisture to show for it. I'm sure you've heard about the SoCal fires, so I don't have to remind you what happens when our Mediterranean climate gets too dry. I'm doing some supplemental watering today for my spring sprouts, they're looking a little sad. I've been taking walks more frequently lately because the weather's been so mild. I have one day off per week and I like to catch as much sun as I can, being outside just seems to help everything.

Yeah I'm kind of just stream-of-conciousness posting today but there's really not much to write about. As always, awaiting spring. Maybe I'll stop by the nursery and see what goodies they have in stock. Their sad plant rack is always a goldmine for the patient gardener LOL.

In other, slightly sadder news, our neighborhood trees got cut down today because their root systems were just too enthusiastic. Poor things. I've made it my life's mission to find a suitable species to supplant them, however, and I'm gravitating towards the Quercus genus, specifically Q. lobata, but it's unlikely the landlords will approve a deciduous tree on account of the "mess" (despite the fact that they have landscapers w leaf blowers that regularly come in anyway? I don't get them.) I know Q lobata has an extensive root system but what I wouldn't do to have a big oak tree I can look at any ol' time...

Anyway I'm gonna cut it short here. Byeeeee

Current Mood: listless
Current Music: A Pale Horse Named Death - Die Alone

It finally rained! It's also been pretty cool outside so I'm using the wave of enthusiasm for the coming season to work on the garden! Prepare for a rambling and disorganized update!

What I did over the weekend (MY weekend, that is, Monday & Tuesday night lol) was grab a couple bags of in-ground mixed soil, went to my friend's house and acquired approx. 2 cubic meters of goat manure and straw, tons of fallen leaves that went through a stint in a wet barrel, and layered it all out over the untilled hard-pan out back in 2 little beds. For as creative as I wanted to get with it, I'm still broke as hell so I went out and grabbed some big rocks from a few locations around town for a rock border and some gutter filler. I've reoriented the layout to be 2 separate beds to avoid angering the propane meter guy (and my increasingly aggravated property manager? still don't know what's up with that.) This layout will also be easier on me due to my shit water pressure and dependence on watering cans.

Rock borders and mulch safely secured, I went on to plant the seeds for my nicest garden yet! I've got a good 85% of the seeds I planned for, with some of the larger keystone species' seeds (hi Aesculus californica!) currently maturing on the local trees. I admit I set this all up a little earlier than I should've but I was just so excited to have something to do :'). I also picked up a packet of shade-tolerant native wildflowers to act as filler in the spring whilst the perennials mature and fill out. I'm really banking on the Chlorogalum pomeridianum coming up. Fingers crossed!!

Also picked up several unplanned additions to the garden layout from my hikes! I grabbed some Asclepias speciosa and random wild Rosa sp. seeds from the Tahoe/Fallen Leaf area that I'm hoping will take off. Unfortunately due to my well shaded garden, I've given up trying to grow my beloved Lupinus genus, which I found in abundance around the rivers there. Still hunting for my damn Salvia spathacea in nurseries! Where are you!!

I've also been having a hell of a time with the neighborhood deer, which have resorted to eating my mom's gifted Cornus canadensis hybrid AND my dandelion stock. I could probably walk up to them and slap them and they would've move an inch, they're so used to people. The little bastards. I've also got to try and convince my brother that we don't have the sun (or the space) to grow vegetables, he keeps buying them as a well-intentioned gift and I have to watch them peter out after a few weeks, it's terrible. Like good lord man, we live under like ten trees! We get jack shit for agriculture! ....Ignore how well my Solanum americanum is growing.

I haven't documented much of the whatsits I've seen around lately because work has been sapping the life out of me, so apologies on the lack of updates. Mushroom AND rock hunting has been fruitful around the mormon immigrant trail area though!

Keep heart!! The autumn is upon us!

Perhaps one day I'll actually go on that botany tour, because HOT DAMN the woods lake area in alpine county is full of botanical sights to see. If ever I do go on the tour, I'll be sure to bring a real camera instead of my shitty phone camera too, lol. Anyway! Here's what I saw!

Veratrum californicum, many white-green flowers on a branching stem with broad, green leaves below.

A fleabane in the Erigeron genus, a light purple daisy-like flower with a yellow center.

Lupinus brewerii, a small purple lupine with fuzzy silver leaflets.

Lilium parvum, a bright orange spotted tiger lily with many flowers attached to a branching stem.

Aquilegia formosa, a red and yellow columbine flower with long spurs and dangling yellow stamens.

Lupinus meionanthus, a skinny purple lupine with thin silvery leaflets.

Lupinus latifolius, a broad leaf lupine with showy bright purple flowers

Orthilia secunda, a tiny wintergreen plant with bright green leaves and a drooping cyme of white-green bell shaped flowers.

These aren't ALL that I saw, of course, only the ones I really wanted to document. I don't get to see many alpine Lupinus species often! If you can't read the descriptive text, from left to right we have:

Viratrum californicum, an extremely toxic plant commonly known as a corn lily; it's not related to corn or lilies, but it's a fun name regardless. You can see it almost everywhere west of the Rockies in cooler areas around streams, lakes, or wet meadows.
Some fleabane flowers in the Erigeron genus. Don't ask me what species specifically, I know next to nothing about the Asteraceae family. Sorry to the guy from crime pays but botany doesn't, i've learned nothing.
What I can only assume is Lupinus brewerii, but take that with a grain of salt because I didn't have my field ID guide with me. I'm trying to hone my Lupinus identification skills here so I can live up to my namesake LOL.
Lilium parvum! The sierra tiger lily! Always lovely, always gorgeous, show-stopping, etc etc.
Aquilegia formosa! I was honestly hoping to see more of these on this little jaunt in the woods but the few that I did see looked about finished for the season. But oh how lovely this specimen was! Can't get enough of the good ol' western columbine.
Lupinus meionanthus! AKA the tahoe lupine, this one's kind of sad looking because it's so late in the season, but still gorgeous regardless. I apologize for my dirty looking hands in that photo btw, I was digging for diorite right before I took it LOL.
Lupinus latifolius, the broadleaf lupine! This one's actually native to this area but I see hybridized forms in gardens so often it's kind of lost its appeal for me. I guess I can see why it's a garden favorite, it IS beautiful.
And lastly, Orthilia secunda! This is a wintergreen species I don't think I've ever seen before, but I shouldn't be surprised cause this is a hotspot for 'em. It's a member of the blueberry family, and also the only species in its genus! That being said, however, I don't think the berries are edible or really palatable, but you can make a tea from the leaves.

Okay that's all! The little jaunt up to woods lake was a delight as always. I love seeing what grows up in those high mountain riparian areas <3

Current Mood: good
Current Music: God is an Astronaut - Suicide by Star

I've been feeling down in the dumps lately, probably for a number of reasons but also because of the weather caused by the shitshow climate change. California is notorious for its wildfires and intense heatwaves, but coming off the tails of a beautifully mild spring, this one sure stings. In addition to the blast furnace that my plants are being exposed to on the daily, my landlord has decided to rescind hose privileges for the whole apartment complex. Our indoor water pressure is shit, so it takes three minutes to fill my two gallon watering can. I have to make... So many trips. Watering my nonnatives takes almost two hours now. For this reason, I can't water as often as I used to, and my plants are paying the price for it.
Poor things, I had to bring a few of the more sensitive ones inside after days of roasting. The in-ground plants are hanging on for dear life too.

This whole situation, along with being too tired for anything after work, being constantly sweaty and unable to sleep in the heat really has me bummed. I'm trying to keep it all alive but it feels like my hopes are daily being quashed by insurmountable external forces. Maybe I tie too much of my mental health to the garden, but when it starts to die I die inside a bit too. I'm just exhausted being the only one holding everything together.

My friends have suggested a sink-mounted hose to run outdoors, and I'm starting to see the appeal. The water pressure would be abysmal but I'll take anything that makes this easier, I just don't have the spoons anymore.

Well. I can at least take solace in the fact that next year's garden will be better than any before. The one thing I have to keep reminding myself to do is mulch mulch mulch.
That's all for today. Fingers crossed the future is a little cooler.

Current Mood: depressed
Current Music: My Chemical Romance - Party Poison

Hooray for garden planning! Normally I garden as I go; sporadically and inconsistently. Not this time, motherfucker! I made a list of native plants appropriate to the levels of sunlight around the apartment, the soil quality, and the water needs. I even drew a map! Natives are notoriously awesome because you don't have to water them much, but I like to have a year-round garden so I water the plants in the summer. The stuff closest to the door will have the most water and shade, and less water and more sun closer to the end of the building.

For the sunny end, I'm going to have a few succulent species; hoping to get my hands on Sedum spathifolium, but I've got a surplus of other (sadly nonnative) ones I can clone if I end up more broke than I anticipated. Those, I think, will make a nice border. Besides them will go my five year old (!!) mini rosebush. This bastard is so hardy. I've bought some yarrow and Symphiotrichum seeds to go on the sunny end besides it. I'm really hoping to get a Lepechinia calycina plant to go there, and Salvia spathacea too. It'll be a little sage section <3.

On the less-than-sunny side, I've some Chlorogalum pomeridanium seeds I've collected, which will pair beautifully with my Solanum xanti, Aquilegia formosa, and whatever species of penstamon I can get my mitts on. We have a lot of hummingbirds in the neighborhood, so I want plants that they'll like too.

On the watery/shady side, I've got.... (drumroll)... Dicentera formosa! Sidalcea hartwegii! Aesculus californica! Some lemon thyme I found in a dumpster! And my mom's gardenia plant!

Sprinkled in throughout all of this, of course, I've also got some Tritelia laxa, various Calochorus, Gaillardia pulchella, Collinsia heterophylla, and other spring annuals for some flavor as the perennials fill out. I think there are also some lilies in the soil that I need to relocate.

Anyway, this kind of turned into a garden rant; I would apologize, but my little 3'x10' plot is kinda the only thing keeping me going at the moment. Just to help me calculate, I'm going to make a little bullet list.

~~Dicentera formosa (seed)~~
~~Symphiotrichum chilense (seed)~~
~~Aquilegia formosa (seed)~~
Nemophila menziesii (seed)
Salvia spathacea (nursery)
Sedum spathifolium (nursery)
Chlorogalum pomeridanium (collect wild)
Dichelostemma volubile (collect wild)
Erythranthe cardinalis (seed)
Lepechinia calycina (nursery)
Sidalcea hartwegii (collect wild)
Triteleia hyacinthina (seed)
Aesculus californica (collect wild)
~~Achillea millefolium (seed)~~
~~Solanum xanti (collect wild)~~

Let's hope the NPS has another plant sale soon! God I can't wait for work to begin in the fall, this is going to be my best garden yet.
Okay, rant is over! Tune in next time when I rant about how shit the soil is here after all the construction. Maybe I'll make a post about the blackberry cobbler I'll make when the berry bushes ripen :P

I went to Tahoe with a friend last week (or was it the week before? My sense of time is terrible) and I can finally say I've checked off another Calochortus species from the bucket list!

Say hello to Calochortus leichtlinii, a species native to the Sierra Nevadas! (right)
I don't really have too much to say about this Mariposa lily, it's somewhat plain as far as the Calochortus genus goes; that being said, this little guy MADE my whole trip. I never go out with the expectation to see something in particular so stumbling on a member of one of my favorite genuses really was a treat.

Since this is only my second post here on Dreamwidth, here are some of the previous species I've seen!

Calochortus albus

In order, we have C. albus, C. monophyllus, and C. superbus!
One day I want to see every California endemic species in the whole genus!!! I haven't seen that many so I've got a long way to go. Somehow the daunting list of around 95 species kind of fills me with hope. No matter how long it takes, no matter how far I have to go, I'm going to see these guys in situ, mark my words! I'm comin' for you, you beautiful bastards!!!!!!

Current Mood: excited
Current Music: Snowy White - Alone with Me

I just made this account! Mostly because of the Yuri Olympics, but I also love the old web format! I might stick around and use this to log some of my gardening progress :) Nemophila menziesii, a light blue flower with five petals, growing between blades of green grass.

Nemophila menziesii, a light blue flower with five petals, growing between blades of green grass.

As it stands, a proper introduction may be in order! I'm Loopy (or Lupinus) and I'm a bit boring! I enjoy earl grey tea and walking around pointing out every little plant. I enjoy a lot of things! Music in particular helps me connect with people a lot, so I have very broad musical tastes. You name the genre, there's probably a band in it I listen to.

I'm also a staunch anticapitalist and vague anarcho/socialist with a few different queer labels that don't really matter outside of the activist scene. I support Palestine, DRC, and Sudan during their ongoing genocides and urge you, dear reader, to do the same. You can find support links on my website.

I also like to draw a lot. Lately it's been vampire OC work but I draw other stuff too. You can also find my work on my website.

Current Mood: content
Current Music: Rammstein - Tattoo