A little slice of our backyard from June 11, 2005. On the right are some onions, garlic and swiss chard.
On the left is an archway further into the backyard. There were two passion flower vines, and one got inhaled by the caterpillars of the gulf fritillary butterfly. So now I pick them off and set them on their way.
Logging into this site reminded me that I have been slow-watering the newly planted bamboo for about two hours.
Today I weeded. The soil is loose from relatively recent rains. I put down a few wheelbarrows of chipped mulch, on the path and around some plants. I finished the rockwork on the center circle and firepit area, but will probably create some plant spaces around the outside, which I continued today, putting in some bamboo that will grow to 7 or 8 feet.
I watered only a few plants that were a bit dry, including the saj sage, which is a transplant from beyond the horse pasture above Thacher school. One of the three plants has some new growth, and an older leaf perked up. It's bloom is a beautiful purple blue spiky flower, I think in the fall.
More weeding to do - crabgrass on the west side of the backyard. Have to create the rock island near the house, with the ferns and grasses which won't get much sun. More mulching. More clearing sycamore leaves. Start a new compost pile and filter the finished pile. Plenty more beyond that...
The Ojai Garden's name is derived from not only the numerous private gardens found throughout Ojai but also a metaphor of the greater Ojai Valley as a garden to explore, cultivate and learn from. Many gardens throughout the valley blend almost seamlessly into orchards and meadows, and beyond into the millions of acres of national forest bordering Ojai.
Ojai is also home to many businesses and other destinations that maintain stunning gardens that heighten the Ojai experience. From hotels such as the venerable yet newly-remodeled Ojai Valley Inn & Spa and The Lavender Inn, a downtown Ojai bed and breakfast, to healing centers such as the Krotona School of Theosophy and Meditation Mount, Ojai offers endless local outdoor adventures.
This site is a community blog, featuring authors who maintain home gardens to adventurous hikers seeking out flora and fauna to local businesses that take pride in contributing to the beauty of the town. Enjoy your visit and check back in. If you use an RSS reader [?], please add our feed.