The weather has been more mixed this week with days of rain, some thunder storms alternating with warm days; ideal growing conditions. Everything is, if possible, even more lush than last week; there are new blooms to surprise me and new foliage growth all around the garden.
I took the images last evening as the sun was going down; the light had been especially beautiful all day; light is such an important element in the garden. I love the way the light changes throughout the day and even more through the year.
The usual view and yes there are just a few blooms left on the Perovskia!
Stepping back to the other side of the drive the evening sun is lighting the top of the slope
I love the effect of the different forms and heights in this view
The low light changes all the colours and creates an entirely different atmosphere
The ground is covered now, I’ve been pulling out Eschscholzia californica seedlings whenever I pass to reduce their numbers a little, you’d hardly notice they are so thick
I pulled out handfuls of the Eschscholzia seedlings around some smaller plants for example Phlomis and a Cistus I grew as a cutting. I definitely want to plant lots more Cistus on the slope; I love the changes brought about by the annuals and perennials but to make this part of the garden lower maintenance, it needs more drought tolerant shrubs.
Cistus
Phlomis in a sea of Eschscholzia
The red blooms of the salvia are illuminated by the last rays of the sun and positively glow
White and silver reflect the evening light changing the view
Creating my own garden of the Hesperides 
Seems you’re having ideal conditions. Your garden does look especially lush this week. I like the use of white and silver to catch the light and to contrast with other plants.
Thanks Susie, I can’t tell you how much I’m enjoying the weather at the moment
Hi Christina, the weather is similar here, and most of the leaves still on the trees. Not lush, but a gentle slow autumn feel and the soil is still very workable. Do you get frosts where you are?
Hi Julie, yes we do have frosts but usually not until December at the earliest. January and February are our cold months when it can snow and the temperatures can go doen to minus 10 – 12 °C.
the slope has filled out since I last saw it a month or more ago, that’s a lot of seedlings! the change from the golden light of the sun to the blue light of the moon/evening, does have an interesting effect on the garden,. white and silver make nice compliments, I can see why you want more shrubs, perennials and annuals can/do mean work, Frances
I still want perennials and annuals I just want the balance to be slightly in favour of the shrubs.
I understood that 🙂
loving your golden hues….the warmth in the distance…
Wonderful light studies. The Perovskia remains stunning even as the flowers fade, the way it catches the light and filters it. This has become my must-have plant for next year.
I hope it will do as well for you as it does for me.
It’s interesting to see the slope in the different lights. I don’t have any Cistus. It’s a shrub I really like but I haven’t got a really sunny spot that would do it justice.
Cistus does need full sun especially in your more northerly light.
I am so jealous of your California poppies and here you are ripping them out when I can’t grow them. Your garden is so lush and green.
It only takes a little rain and then it explodes with green.
It looks as though you’re going to be inundated by California poppies!
It should look amazing!
I love that last photo Christina. The light at different times of day really does change the whole atmosphere! I have lots of red valerian seedlings everywhere, but the winter will probably finish off half of them, so I’m done with weeding for this year. Glad those Californian poppies are spreading. They do look gorgeous in the spring/summer.
The Californian poppies are easier to remove than the Valerian probably is! I think I need to give some to all my friends, whether they want them or not.
You certainly do have a lot of eschscholtzia seedlings, they must really like the slope! What is the white flowered shrub to the right in the last but one photo? – it has a nice shape to it.
The white flowering shrub is Solanum jasminoides ‘Album’; it flowers for about ten months of the year. It is drought tolerant but doesn’t like cold and wet together. It actually grows so quickly you could almost treat it like an annual, I’m thinking I will take cuttings (it takes very well) and use them in pots next year. It is considered a climber but it is better if allowed to sprawl, or as here flow down a slope.
It looks lovely and verdant, the variety of different greens, textures and shapes combining to paint a lovely picture.
I can’t believe you have so many California Poppies. To me pulling them out seems an extravagance, like lighting a cigar with a hundred dollar bill. But then your climate is much more Californian than mine.
Yes our climate is very like California’s; the landscape is similar too, when I went there for the first time I felt completely at home.
Christina? Are you using the WP option when you comment on mine? I’m wondering why you have a blue head instead of your own avatar?
No, I’m using Name/Url because my first wordpress account isn’t my hesperides garden and with blogger if I use the wordpress account it goes to the other, little used, food blog. when I comment on a wordpress blog I’ve pre-selected that all comments lead back to MHG. The are even some blooger accounts that don’t have the Name/URl option that don’t allow me to comment at all. I’ve actually given up trying to comment on some including Maydreams GBBD!
oh, thanks for that. The link to your blog works which is the important bit!
Susan Troccolo and I are trying to sort out why she battles to comment on mine. And yours apparently.
That’s interesting, I thought wordpress didn’t throw up these problems but of course it’s hard to see that for me because it recognises me instantly.
Lovely contrasting forms and foliage colours on your slope now Christina, it’s hard to remember it how it was when you were first planning the planting. I love the way that the changing light adds a whole new dimension, from golden glow to the way the silvery foliage shines out in the comparative shade. So dynamic, day to day and season to season. I had to smile at your California poppy weeding, I have the same in my front garden with forget-me-nots and lychnis, a balancing act between allowing them to fill the gaps left between still-young shrubs and allowing the shrubs to prosper.
I’m glad you are enjoying the changing and developing slope, Janet. I’ve said it before, I think this is my favourite part of the garden, I love the way it changes with self-seeding and things blown in from outside (this year some wild carrot appeared). But I will have to pull out more Californian poppies, I can hardly believe just how many their are!
Your garden is glowing! And with all the little seedlings it also shows so much promise of future growth and blooms. I do love the way light illuminates a garden. Mine can look so dull, then it transforms when the light hits it.
You asked about our weather. Yes, unfortunately, our temps are predicted to drop to record low sub-freezing next week. One of the challenges in my particular part of the world is our unpredictable weather, starting about now. One day can be icy cold, the next very warm. Poor plants never know what to do!
Our winter and spring can be a bit like that but autumn is usually more kind.
wonderful you are keeping up your excellent garden blog. Great photos as usual. And in November! k
Hi Kenneth, Great to hear from you. November is being very kind at the moment, the weather is lovely for gardening.
Christina this is such an enchanting slope in the evening sun light
Thanks Donna, it does give me lots of pleasure to see how it changes.