Chris:

In April 2013, I added several new plantings to our front garden, including the two-feet high fan palm in the foreground of the photo below. The fan palm had been for the previous two years (2011-12) in a large pot on the back veranda.  The photo above is of that fan palm today, taken as I look up through the canopy of fans along the thick red-brown trunk covered in the sharp-toothed stems of the many fans I’ve trimmed off regularly over the last three years.

The photo below is also of that fan palm today, now well over twenty feet tall and growing upward about three feet per year.

Hazards of Untrimmed Fan Palms

Notice how the fans toward the top are lush, firm, and deep green, while the lower fans are just beginning to dry out. If left untrimmed once these fans turn grey and hug the trunk, these dried fans will dry further–and will eventually fall to the ground, posing a hazard to any creature unlucky enough to be standing beneath. Communities across California, but mainly in Southern California, where the weather is most conducive to these trees, must keep their many palms trimmed to eliminate this danger.

But in Northern California, where palm trees are common but much less frequent, the same hazard exists, but we’ve noticed so often that property owners neglect the care of the trees–which often grow to 50 feet or more in height— and years of dried out fans hug the trunks and pose this silent threat.

An even greater threat from untrimmed, dried-out palm fans is that of fire. See this graphic 2008 brochure (and attached video) from the Escondido Fire Department in Southern California that describes the hazards–and offers advice that can help gardeners keep their palms healthy, safe, and looking beautiful.

SummerFall, 2019

In 2018, I drew a clear distinction between summer and fall in our post “Between the Seasons: September 20, 2018.” By October of last year, I had removed the summer veggies and was waiting to plant the fall veg. This October, the distinction is less clear: hence the term “SummerFall.” The back garden panorama just below shows what I mean:

(Click on the garden infographic oct 19  to see the plants labelled.)

Still thriving from the summer are the three pepper plants in the foreground and the arugula just beyond the petunias in the small raised bed. Brand new for October are

• the three leaf lettuce plants hugging the ground and protected by screens
• six stir fry broccoli plants in the small raised bed and just beyond (next to the arugula)
• and four Swiss chard plants in pots (beyond the arugula)

As long as the daytime temps stay in the mid 70s to mid 80s, all these plants should continue to do well. Once the daytime temps fall below 70, the peppers will be done, but all the rest of the veggies will thrive through the winter. In the next few months, I hope to add several more winter veggies that I’ve had success with, such as radishes and onions.

Here are a couple of closer looks at the amazing pepper plants and a video of the thriving arugula with its bright yellow flowers and their attendant bees:

Notice the petunias and the newly planted stir fry broccoli plants beside the arugula.

Bees and Birds in the October Garden

Not only is the arugula attracting a small swarm of bees, but so are the Mexican sage and the blooming rosemary (below).

Among the birds that make music in our October garden are these two that I photographed this week:

The Last of the Eggplants

Finally, the stalwart eggplants stopped producing in early October, but left behind some beautiful Black Beauty fruit that Jean continues to turn into luscious dishes, such as the crispy, rich tomato eggplant and cheese tart below:

Here is my still life to honor these beauties, surrounded by some of the Cajun red  and mild red peppers and a pot of newly-planted leaf lettuce:

The eggplants will keep fresh for still a couple of weeks more, so we’ll be enjoying home-grown summer eggplant into November.

Some More October Garden Views

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

…which it loves as much as I do, and for the same reasons.

On to November, and with hopes for rain to forestall another terrible fire season.