Garden Feature Today:

→    Liventhingsup.blogspot.com

Sharing another blog link that featured my succulent gardening and landscaping.

This blogger’s mission is about ” Sharing her passion for design, interiors, art, travel and photography.” 

Thank you for the “shout out” and for sharing the beauty of drought tolerant landscaping

www.nadiaknows.com

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I found this blooming outside my kitchen window today.

What a real beauty!

It has a very faint sweet scent and the petals are like silk.

White Cactus Bloom

♥ Start out your trip on foot by parking near the Lofty Bean Coffee Bar on Hwy 101 and Encinitas Blvd where organic coffee is their specialty. Pleasant employees and pastries (hey that rhymes) welcome you in this beach side retreat. Sit outside with your cup of joe and enjoy the ocean air and people watch as beach-goers head for the sand. Ask the barista for a bag of used coffee grounds (completely organic) to take home and blend into your garden soil. This is a great way to start composting and bring life to your azaleas and acid loving plants. Check out the positive reviews for The Lofty Bean on Yelp.

Park on Hwy 101 or on side streets

Recycle and Composting used coffee beans

♥ Walk only 1/2 a block South to the corner of Hwy 101 and Encinitas Blvd. and cross the street going East another short 1/2 block to check out the Surfing Madonna underneath the train overpass. This mosaic was placed by an un-kown artist in April with the purpose of bringing awareness to “Save the Ocean”. See related links for full story and controversies surrounding this art piece. Surfing Madonna.

Mosaic on Encinitas Blvd and Hwy 101

♥  After checking out “Our Lady of Encinitas” head directly West on foot to Moonlight Beach, one of Encinitas’ finest that offers a snack bar, volleyball courts, showers, children’s play area, bathrooms and benches under palm trees. Rent beach chairs, umbrellas and anything else you may need for the day available next to the snack stand. Directly North of the Volleyball courts is a flourishing water wise landscaping in a unique santa fe style home. This is a beautiful example of using cactus, aloes, euphorbia and succulents all blended together in various sizes and shapes. There are different flowers blooming all year-long here and I have enjoyed the beauty of this home for years!

Home has a view of volleyball courts at Moonlight Beach

Years of planting and grooming creates beautiful curb appeal

Blooming Aloe in sand

♥ Head back over to the Lofty Bean Coffee Bar to get your car and drive North of Hwy 101 to about a mile. Take a Left on Marchetta street at the Stop Sign. Try a California Burrito at Juanita’s Taco Shop. Don’t let the decor scare you, locals know this taco shop has a reputation for great tasting burritos after a day of sun and surf. Great tacos and breakfast burritos too.

On the Corner of Hwy 101 and Marchetta Street

Happy Travels! Enjoy.

www.nadiaknows.com

♥ organic gardening and healthy living ♥

‘Twas Easter-Sunday. The full-blossomed trees
Filled all the air with fragrance and with joy.
~Henry W. Longfellow

Saguaro Cactus

Opuntia microdasys 'Albata', or Bunny Ears

Barrel Cactus

Succulents have evolved out of harsh growing conditions and although they require little water, they are quite lush and exotic looking. Other than needing a good draining soil, the overall care is minimal. Succulents are fire-resistant and, unlike their thorny cousin the cactus, they offer smooth foliage and blooms all year-long. Succulent garden-scapes are no longer limited to hillside landscaping with mundane single ice-plant selection, but can be used to create borders for walkways, dramatic potted container designs and specialty theme gardens.

Succulent border on steps and surrounding gazebo.

According to California’s water conservation resource at www.bewaterwise.com, by planting drought-resistant plants a homeowner can save 30-60 gallons of water each time they water. That seems significant in a time when living greener, smarter and healthier is at the forefront of the American agenda. It just makes sense to plant wisely and save money at the same time.

Inspired by the San Diego Botanic Garden’s Under the Sea exhibit, created by Jeff Moore and Bill Teague, the photos below show a smaller recreation of the same idea. The illusion of a coral reef can be achieved in your own backyard- so mask and snorkel are not needed for this ocean dive! Succulents that mimic the shape of anemones, coral an urchins with vibrant orange and blue colors make this themed garden a showstopper. Taking photos of landscaping ideas and keeping those photos in hand while shopping for plants make it surprisingly easy to recreate.

Ocean Theme succulent garden

Materials used for this project include landscaping fabric to eliminate weeds, cactus mix, seashells, lava rocks, boulders, pebbles, succulents, euphorbia, aloe and cacti. Flowing between the rocks and plants are treasures of the sea with Japanese glass floats, heavy rope and ocean figurines. Mixing in other drought tolerant plants that require the same watering needs add diversity and contrast to the succulent-scape design. Building up rocks in mounds not only adds more vertical planting space, but also creates fast drainage, essential for healthy succulents.

Rope, Seashells, Fish and Glass Floats added to garden

No room for a large garden? This can all be achieve in a container pot using the same concepts of design. Only have a small yard space? Create a small Zen garden with smooth round pebbles and succulents planted in a uniform pattern. Hand-painted rocks and stepping-stones can add a personal touch and whimsy to your special garden.

The availability and variety of succulents has increased dramatically over the past 10 years as nurseries try to keep up with the demand for these water wise wonders. Here is a list of popular succulents: Aeonium, Aloe, Euphorbia, Sedum, Sempervivum, Kalanchoe, Haworthia, Graptopetalum and Caralluma for coral-type growth style. I encourage you to experiment with succulents and enjoy the rewards of simple plant care and beautiful surroundings. Happy Gardening!

** Article reprinted from The Beach Break News: Volume 5, Issue 5. Water-Wise Landscaping: Ocean Theme Succulent Garden by Nadia.

* Ocean-Theme online shopping at: Completely Coastal

Thank you for visiting my garden blog: www.nadiaknows.com

Create – Inspire – Grow

After eight years this columnar cactus in my yard expressed its first bloom with a very light fragrance and lasting only 24 hours. A little internet research helped me find the botanical name: Trichocereus brevispinulosis a native to South America also known as part of the Echinopsis spp. family of cactus.

Check out these resources for drought tolerant landscape information: Ocean Friendly Gardens, Be Water Wise.com, Xeriscape website.

Thank you for visiting my garden blog: www.nadiaknows.com

Plant-Grow-Enjoy