Garden page
Click on the following links to see flowers from various parts of the world that have grown in our garden. There are also links to a general overview of the garden, and to some of the animals that share our garden.
| An overview of the garden | Flowers of North America | |
| Flowers of Australia | Flowers of Southern Aftica | Animals in the garden |
Our garden contains primarily native plants of Mediterranean regions, which are well suited to the climate here in Pasadena, southern California. Our plants are mainly from California, Australia, and Southern Africa. There are flowers of some kind all year round, but the majority bloom in late winter through spring, approximately January through May.
In this region, winter is the rainy season, and is also the best season for working in the garden. We typically receive little or no rain during the summer months, say from May through October, and many plants become dormant in the hot weather. The average rainfall since we started collecting records in 1987 is 500 mm (20 inches), and it varies greatly from year to year, from 300 mm (12 inches) to 1,060 mm (42 inches).
We have a pleasant location on the slopes of the San Rafael Hills in western Pasadena. One drawback is that the ground contains a lot of clay, whereas most native plants prefer soils that drain more readily. Nevertheless, we have had reasonable success in many instances. We are also fortunate to have a watercourse that flows across the back area in the wet season. A good deal of sandy soil surrounds this creek.
We purchased many plants from native plant sources in southern California. In addition, we have grown a considerable number from seed, especially Australian natives. The main places where we have purchased native plants are: (1) Theodore Payne Foundation, Sunland. which specializes in California plants. (2) Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, at Claremont, has an annual plant sale in November. While the plants are primarily California natives, there is also a selection of natives and hybrids from other parts of the world. They also have a sale in April, though a smaller one. (3) An excellent source of Australian plants is the Australian Native Plants Nursery in Ventura.
Until May 2002, the pictures were taken using Kodachrome 200 film with an Olympus OM-3 camera and an Olympus 90 mm macro lens. After that date, the pictures are from digital cameras, initially a Sony DSC-F707 and later a Canon D40.
We hope you will enjoy the pictures that illustrate what's in our garden.