Garden – Page 3 – No Idle hands here

Yellow

Passover starts tonight, I’m busy cooking, wishing a wonderful holiday to my friends, whether they celebrate Passover or Easter.
RoseClivia, this is unusual, this flower is most often orange.No idea what this is, seen at Farmer’s Market.

And finally, learning how to use the camera. I’d say through a lot of trial and error and simply using the camera, I’ve gotten pretty good at isolating the focal point with in a blurred setting. Next task, learning how to capture motion.These fans are up for Easter, with the slight wind blowing, I was able to capture it in motion. Full motion!Changing the settings, yes, this was just a moment after the previous picture, still spinning, but this time, I stopped the motion.

I know, time and experience and I’ll be good at this as well.

Leah

Pink

Ok, so if this post is dedicated to anyone, it’s to my granddaughter who’s favorite colors are pink and purple.It’s Azalea time in southern California.From deep fuchsia to pale pinkAll the way to white.This little purple flower is called society garlic, it is a garlic, it certainly smells very garlicky, I guess the bulb isn’t big enough to eat, so it’s a landscape flower. It may be one of the few that deer won’t eat.Roses! Mine aren’t blooming yet, but then I don’t have very good conditions for roses, so I love seeing them on my walks. What an interesting mottled rose this is.Leaning shyly over the fence.Not to be outdone by the azaleas – a deep fuchsia rose.I have no idea why this fellow ended up in the trash.

Leah

Orange

Spring has sprung, which means flowers are blooming everywhere. In honor of my friend Becky, I’m showcasing orange today.This is about as bright orange as you can get.Hardly orange at all, more like peach.The farmers market is in on the game. Btw, using blue rubber bands is brilliant. Blue and orange are opposites on the color wheel and therefor create a very dynamic image.Even mother nature knows that.Gradations, from yellow to orangeLearning from nature.SubtleAnd finally, our state flower, the CA poppy – orange as orange can be!

Leah

Echo Park Lake

From new park to old, 120 years old, which is quite old for Los Angeles.

Anyone driving north on the 101 past downtown has seen the lake with it’s massive aerating fountain whiz by. For years I never dared stop, Echo Park was a gang ridden scary area. But then gentrification arrived and the city closed the lake for a few years in order to drain it, clean it and spruce it up. One thing the lake is known for is the water lilies, there is even a festival every June, The Lotus Festival. This takes place every June, I don’t know how many flowers are blooming then, they are blooming now. Even on an overcast weekday, people come out to enjoy the park.I love how the reflections in the water make this look like a painting, hey maybe Monet was influenced in a similar manner.I can understand why Asian cultures revere the lotus, from murky origins comes such an etherial delicate flower. Similar to very different plants – cacti and succulents, that are harsh yet produce beautiful flowers.Another form of water flower, if it weren’t in the middle of the lake, I’d think this is a day lily or iris.This bridge is closed to the public, but is part of the original lake. the lake was created as a reservoir, something we really need in our arid Mediterranean climate.The Queen of Angels, or as she is better known the Lady of the Lake is back in her original location.Yup, another view of downtown with the famous aerating fountain in the foreground.

Bird life flourishes here. Of course, many ducks, like the mallard.So comfortable here that they sleep out in the open in broad daylight.A little rarer but still very comfortable and at home here is the grey heron.Yes, he was hiding, but I must have a good eye at seeing these hidden birds.Sorry, I can’t help it, I’m loving how good my pictures of flowers have gotten, I just have to share.Even if I’ve already shared this flower.

Leah

Vista Hermosa Park

During the 90s I remember hearing about the Belmont High School project near downtown that was plagued by many problems, a major one being that the building site was an old oil drilling site as well as a small earthquake fault – so there would be health issues. I really had no idea where this was, in those days, DTLA and the environs were scary and off limits.I’ve heard that an old oil field near Echo Park had been turned into a park, so on a lovely spring day I went to investigate. Only to discover that I was in the middle of the old Belmont controversy. It’s springtime, all these native (or near native, Mediterranean plants) are blooming. I love spring flowers. As the season warms up most of these flowers will die off and we’ll be left with golden brown chaparral.The park covers 10 acres, has wonderful paths around the perimeter as well as a large grassy area, picnic tables, a play ground as well as a water feature. Also, the park is designed to trap rain water as well as run off water, so apparently the irrigation is utilizing that water. We need more projects like this in the southland.The views are amazing. You should know me by now, any time I can get a view of DTLA I will.Orange and purple, what a great color combination. Yes, I’m thinking of my sewing projects here, everything is an inspiration.Like this, the whole image screams modern quilt, not just the building in the foreground. The high school was eventually built and is now the Edward R. Roybal Learning center.For all of you suffering from hay fever this time of year, this is where that yellow pine pollen comes from.

Another wonderful thing about this park is that with all the natural plantings, this has become a stop for migratory birds. Here is a beauty. This is the Western Scrub Jay. He is local and common, I’m sure he loves the new park, since these birds like trees and bushes. Apparently he has a screechy voice, I didn’t hear it, he was silent when I saw him.There is a little man made stream, to my amazement I was actually able to capture this hummingbird as he came to drink. I’m used to the non-descript brown ones, this one is a little jewel.Of course, people and dog sightings as well.A sight we probably won’t see much longer. The park is next to the famous Bob Baker Marionette theater. Bob died last year, the theater was sold and it looks like an apartment building will replace it. There may be a mention of the theater, but with progress, many old buildings go.

From here I went on to Echo Park Lake, subject of a future post.

Leah

January flowers

Spring in Southern California starts in January. Sure we are still hoping for some rain and cold, but maybe because of the lengthening days – the flowers start blooming.I think this is a gazania.This is when the irises come up. If I’m lucky I’ll get a second blooming, but that rarely happens.I don’t know this ones’ name. But without fail, it’s the first to bloom on January first.Cyclamens are native to the Middle East. As wild flowers they are small and purple, but of course they have been hybridized into many colors and large sizes. These too are winter bloomers.I had cut back my climbing rose and it rewarded me with early flowers. Which reminds me, I really need to prune the rest of the rose bushes.

Leah

Lemon Tree very pretty….

Sorry, I’m humming the tune to an oldie called Lemon Tree.“Lemon tree very pretty and the lemon flower’s sweet, but the fruit of the poor lemon is impossible to eat.” Well, my tree is OK, and I have Meyer Lemons so they are sweet.We planted the tree when we moved into this house 8 years ago, I clearly have rust and other problems. These days I sort of ignore the garden and guess what – results, after all this time, the tree is finally producing more than just one or two lemons.Pity it’s a little too chilly for lemonade, but I cook with lemons all times so these will be put to good use.

Leah

A park in Jerusalem

I grew up in Jerusalem, I lived there for 6 years as an adult – just goes to show, that cities are not like little villages – there is always something new to discover.

In my case, it is this wonderful little Park.To be fair, this park probably didn’t exist when I was a child, it was probably an empty field. Still it’s interesting to come across something new to me. The sign on the gate has nothing to do with the park. These are death announcements and one finds them plastered all over the city. They do serve an important purpose, when my father died suddenly it was notices like this that alerted acquaintances of mine to come by and offer condolences. So it’s hard for me to see this as blight, or graffiti.This is a lovely well designed park. Like most parks in Jerusalem, it was donated by wealthy individuals. In this case, Doris and Chaim Morrison – because they love flowers and the children of Jerusalem. Today it was rather empty of children, probably because they are back in school.Cats, Jerusalem is full of street cats. I think the British brought a few over to combat the rodent problem. Just like the rabbits took over Australia, the street cats have taken over Israel. At least there isn’t much of a rodent problem. I had to take a number of pictures of this large grassy area. This is a rarity in Jerusalem. First of all there aren’t enough parks, second of all, where there are parks, there often isn’t much grass. A real treat for sore eyes, since most of the city is buildings clad in Jerusalem stone – basically limestone. So green is very very welcome.A touch of color. For people in the northern climes – the Hollyhock is a lovely garden flower. In hot dry Israel this is one of those rare flowers that reseeds itself like a weed, yet is very welcome once it bloomsA family set up tables and food under the arbor. Friday is like Sunday in Israel – weekend. The difference is that although most people don’t work, the schools still are in session on Fridays. So I’m guessing these kids were pulled out for a family gathering.In the wall, this wonderful mosaic. I don’t read Greek, or is this the ancient Hebrew alphabet? Probably more likely. The images are of course the 7 branch candelabra that would have been in the Temple. The yellow fruit is probably the Etrog (citron) and the branch is the palm frond that together with the Etrog are used on the holiday of Sukkot, which is coming up very soon.The pomegranate is ripening on the tree. This is the season for the fruit. It will be displayed proudly on peoples tables (mine included) next Wednesday night when we welcome in the Jewish New Year. One of the blessing is – may your year be as full of blessings as the seeds of the pomegranate.

Leah