Friday I’m in Love: First Fruits

So exciting…! I have been so preoccupied with house and visitors that I have rather neglected my kitchen garden. But this week I got two new presents.

First is a pair of gooseberry bushes. It seems gooseberries are not popular in California but Lovely Man loves them. And so I managed to track down some plants. Here’s hoping…

And second is my first actual produce……mulberries. Not going to be making jam any time soon, but it still very rewarding to have results so quickly. Now if I can only keep the birds off until they’re properly ripe!

Signs of Spring

After the first major rainfall of the year I’m hoping the seasons will return to a bit more like normal. It has been an unusually warm winter and many things in the garden are more advanced than I expected.

Orange blossom.

Leaf shoots on the apple, aprium, grape and kiwi.

Mulberry catkins.

My first figs.

And the first shoots on the globe artichokes.

Descanso In January

I only made it to Descanso Gardens once in January, but that hour was worth it. I believe I can officially call it spring! There are shoots peeping out and blossom beginning to show, even alongside reminders of winter.

It had rained the night before so the camellias and magnolias were a little battered, but I just love their slightly artificial-looking flowers.

One of my favourite places to visit is the small kitchen garden, Nature’s Table. There is always something to spark my interest. This month I was taken by the rainbow chard whose glossy green leaves contrast beautifully with the greyish-green of the artichoke. And the coloured stems look like fireworks!

And I love the weathered forms they use to collect leaves. Look at the way the peas have been trained around this one. Pretty, AND practical…my kind of garden!

The Center [sic] Circle has recently been redone as a California meadow. Although it’s tiny, it sparked the germ of an idea for the most difficult part of our garden…of which more later…

Do you have a favourite place to take photos? Where do you go for inspiration?