December in the garden has been rather quiet here in the Bay Area, Most of December we had rain and many days of cold and cloudy days, however the last week of December has been spectacular with sunny blue skies and daytime temperatures in the cool 60s.
I’ve never made a wreath before, that’s why when my friend Rose asked if I wanted to join her for a wreath-making class at the Guadalupe Park Garden Conservancy in San Jose I was excited to go. But what I had in mind is totally different than what I experienced. I assumed I would be making a typical wreath with the usual pine-tree leaves and just tie them around a pre-fabricated wire circle. Little did I know I would be in a nature-inspired wreath-making workshop like no other! Continue reading Wreath Making at Guadalupe Park Garden Conservancy. San Jose, California
Last week I went persimmon picking with my friend Basanthi and my daughter Rani to a persimmon farm right here in the middle of Silicon Valley. Seriously, when I say this farm is smack in the middle of Silicon Valley, it really is! This persimmon farm has been here long before Silicon Valley got formed and tech companies started building all around the farm. Today it is the only farm in the middle of hundreds of tech companies right off Hwy 880 and Montague Expwy – which is a funny sight to see! I only know about this farm because for years my friend Basanthi has been dropping off the most luscious, crunchy, sweet giant Fuyu persimmons from this farm. Continue reading Persimmon Picking in Silicon Valley
November in the garden was an interesting one for us here in the Bay Area. We had days of warm weather, followed by chilly temperatures in the 30s, 40, 50s and 60s, followed by ten days of the worst air quality caused by the California wildfires, followed by rain and sunny clear skies. Despite our rollercoaster of a weather ride, the garden faired really well. Continue reading November in the Garden
Fall has begun in October! Leaves, leaves and more leaves are changing color and falling in slow motion in my garden.
When I visited my sister Banu in Philadelphia a while back I saw her use this amazing selection of dried herbs for a vegetarian chili she was making. The herb bottles were beautifully labeled and the herbs dried to perfection. My other sister Shobha and I looked at these beautiful herbs in awe; they looked like Banu had bought them from a specialty food shop, only to find out that Banu dried them all herself at home. Continue reading Homegrown Dried Herbs 🌿
September has been a beautiful month here in the Bay Area. Though we had a few days of high temps in the 80s, mostly in our little town of Los Gatos it has been pleasant and very fall-like with partly cloudy skies, cool temperatures, and chilly nights. The leaves have already started falling – this is going to go on especially with my cottonwood trees for the next 3 months! Three months of non-stop falling leaves – the garden is going to look messy for a while. I’ve started sweeping the yard every day and people just look at me perplexed – “Why do you bother?” they are wondering. Well, for one I get a little arm-exercise, two – I get some fresh air, and three – I just can’t stand a messy garden. So I sweep what little areas I have control over – my front balcony, kitchen patio and my courtyard. The rest of the garden is just too big to bother. On the plus side, flowers are still blooming and looking beautiful as ever. Continue reading September in the Garden
Our summer this year has been beautiful and my garden is loving it. I’ve been enjoying gardening this summer because surprisingly the weather has been pleasant where I live in our Bay Area microclimate – with temperatures in the 70s, 80, and sometimes in the low 90s. Flowers have been blooming nonstop and I have been getting a good supply of garden herbs, tomatoes, plums, and apples. Not as many as many other superstar veggie gardeners out there, but we are happy with our modest bounty. Here is a look at what we have been harvesting this summer and enjoying in pastas, pies, and salads. Continue reading August in the Garden & Summer Harvest Pics
There is something magical when dahlias are in bloom in the summer garden. With their vibrant in-your-face colors, intricate petal formations, and stately presence it is hard to gaze away from the glamorous dahlia. It only seems fitting that these spectacular flowers should look so ethereal especially given how their origins can be the makings of a fairytale story complete with villains, heroes, espionage, and even deadly sacrifices. Continue reading Dahlia Love ❤️
July arrived with a big bang of summer heat in our area. Temperatures went up into the 80s and even in the high 90s. But surprisingly my garden held up well, I only guess it’s because of all the giant trees in our garden that provide welcome shade to plants and people alike. The summer heat enticed all my lilies and dahlias to burst into bloom. I did have lots of other perennials blooming but my eyes and camera kept gravitating towards dahlias and lilies. When lilies and dahlias are in bloom it’s hard to focus on anything else – sorry other beautiful perennials. Here is a look at how my garden did in July. Continue reading July in the garden. Lillies, dahlias and other stuff.
