Dust Bath

The California quail have discovered my bird feeders and today a group of about ten of them were happily running around the yard.  They seem to have grown fairly used to me as they no longer flee the scene when I go out and quietly walk around the front yard.

As much as they love the seed from the feeder they really love taking dust baths in my new beds.  Particularly under my new Cotinus ‘Golden Spirit’.

The female looks like she is trying to hide behind the trunk.  They are super adorable while taking their baths.  They often snuggle up together and just sit there for a while once they have dug themselves a little indentation in the soil.

Ignore the sorry unfinished state of this part of the garden and click on the picture and see if you can find all seven of the quail that are scampering about.

Right after I started planting the shrubs the kikuyu grass started growing back so I’ve sprayed it and am going to wait for it to die back a bit before I finish planting.  In the meantime the quail are pretty happy back here.  I just discovered that I have electricity outside so I would eventually like to get some sort of bubbling fountain so I have running water for the birds.

If only quail ate kikuyu grass.

Clematis Combinations

When I see Clematis in gardens I’m surprised at how often they are just planted on their own on a wall or a pillar.  When I plant them in my garden I always try to put them in combination either with other Clematis or growing through or up other plants.  I do this for two reasons. First of all my garden was small so I was looking to use up every inch of vertical growing space possible.  I couldn’t afford to grow just one Clematis on a pillar when I could fit six in that spot.  Second I think all plants just look more interesting when they are playing off other plants whether it is complimentary or contrasting colors or different shapes and forms.  A well grown plant in full bloom is exciting to me but two or more plants together can be a work of art.

Click images to enlarge.

Clematis 'Rooguchi' with its succulent purple bell flowers looks great against the pale blooms of 'Emilia Plater'. I think in combination both plants stand out more than if they were just planted on their own.