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

♥ 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 ♥

- some of the favorites in my yard with a macro perspective -

Aeonium- Black Rose Succulent

 

Sempervivum

 

Kalancho luciae, Paddle Plant Succulent

Jovibarba heuffelii, Crassulaceae

Graptopetalum Succulents

Euphorbia

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

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

Firestick

Euphorbia tirucalli is a native to South Africa and grows well in drained soil with no frost exposure. In San Diego it is the most colorful in winter months with tips of bright orange-red and a green-yellow base. I call this Euphorbia a “show stopper” because it stands out among my other plants with absolute beauty in color and form. A great container plant, but also grows well on hillsides for landscaping with a growth potential of 30 feet tall and 6 feet wide.

*NOTE * The firestick sap is hazardous and  the sap can burn skin and eyes. Use protective gloves and clothing, especially eyewear when handling this euphorbia. I have gotten it on my forearms and it burns quite aggressively and is painful.

Firestick in the landscape

The E. tirucalli is a fast grower, drought tolerant, grows well near the coast and loves full sun. I designed this meditation garden (photo below) with a Firestick which is kept pruned back to maintain the small size. The growth and pruning diversity with this Euphorbia allows for more creativity with landscaping design.

The new growth tips are where the color bursts are most prominent. Other common names for this plant are: Milk bush, Pencil bush, Pencil tree and Firestick.

* My Chihuahuas and Euphorbia tirucalli *

* Note: The Euphorbia plant contains a milky sap that can burn skin and eyes, wear protective gear when trimming or working with this plant.

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

Create- Grow – Get inspired by nature!

If you are looking for a nice upright flowering and drought tolerant plant to put into a container, this one is a gem! My pig planter pictured here is potted with a “Crown of Thorns” plant, botanical name: Euphorbia splendens. I purchased this pig planter in Old Town San Diego at a pottery shop filled with mexican pottery and ceramics.

The Euphorbia splendens plant is very low maintenance and mine flowers most of the year. The variety of colors range from coral, red, and pink to yellow and white. It’s also a great plant for propagating when it gets too large, just cut off the extended stalk and allow it to dry for a few days, then add rooting hormone to the end of the stalk and plant in cactus mix. This a good potted plant and also a great landscaping plant.

* Origin: Madagascar

* Temperatures: Ideally 62° to 85° degrees Farenheit, but tolerates cooler temperatures in the winter. It hailed three times in San Diego last week and it still looks o.k!

* Water –  Once per week and keep dry between watering.

* Negatives – This plant has a milky sap that is a skin and eye irritant. Wear Gloves!

– Follow this link to another wordpress  photography blog titled “Decent Exposure” for an amazing photo of this flowering euphorbia.

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

Create – Grow – Inspire

Quail Flower Barn

Poinsettias (Euphorbia Pulcherrima) from the Paul Ecke Ranch in Encinitas, CA supply 70% of all poinsettias in the United States and 50% world-wide. The Ecke Family started breeding poinsettias in greenhouses for wholesale over 75 years ago. This photo was taken at the Quail Flower Barn located a half mile North  of the San Diego Botanic Garden and sells Ecke poinsettias along with other flowers all year-long. Stop in to say hello to the owner Cheryl, she is a great source of information on the flower industry and its history in Encinitas. For tourists and locals alike, the Quail Flower Barn established in 1973 is an eclectic location to take photos against its backdrop of rustic brick walls, custom wood doors and antique farming equipment.

Poinsettia plants are natives of Southern Mexico where they can grow up to 12 feet tall in the wild and were used for centuries to decorate churches in December when they bloom. They come in a wide variety of colors and are distinguished with names such as “Jingle Bells” and “Candy Cane”. Poinsettias enjoy temperatures between 60-70 degrees and are part of the Euphorbia genus which is actually a tropical tree. The yellow center of the plant is actually the flower and the large red petals are the leaves.

* Poinsettia plants are not toxic. I saw the famous floral designer/consultant Rene Van Rems literally eat a leaf on stage at the San Diego Horticulture Society meeting tonight to disprove the myth. He was quite a funny speaker and it was well worth going to the meeting tonight to see his talent expressed in his floral and plant displays.  I have included a link to his web site for the floral enthusiasts.

Thank you for visiting my garden blog: www.nadiaknows.com         Create- Grow- Inspire