Progress and not, those early days of Fall

 The soil was still showing damp today so I didn't have to water despite it being warm. Nights are very cool, down into the high 50's now and with the additional shade/angle of the sun the soil isn't being baked for hours at a time. Tomato is hanging in there, figuratively and actually. The cilantro is still hanging around and likely struggling in the difficult soil but it isn't dead yet!

The cages worked once again to keep roaming cats from digging in soft soil. I dug a bit around the tomato and kept hearing and feeling the distinctive sign of roots under the surface. If threatening it like that does any good it should put out more leaves and flowers. It has a few on the top branches and I tucked some of the lower ones back in. Again, not expecting much this time of year but who knows.

I mentioned the cuphea and jade that were planted a few months ago. I think I even did a follow up on how it did not survive. Here are pictures just in case of the totally different plants and how they are doing.

Jade thriving, cuphea all but dead

Oh and the tiny flowered epiphyllum is blooming again in the background. It really is a cute and dainty little flower compared to some of the huge and spectacular ones I've seen. I'm not fond of pale colors but this would be a nice contrast in the right spot. Speaking of epiphyllums, the cutting I found in the parking lot, the one that had about an inch and a half growth? Yeah well despite my efforts, cat knocked the branch off and when I pulled it out there were no roots whatsoever. I watered the soil thoroughly and made a fresh cut. I likely need some rooting hormone but since that is about $6 a small bottle and I don't intend to do any other cuttings, it's going to have to try on it's own.

Went on another walk in one of the canyons and was able to get pictures of some things that are cool but nonetheless bad.

Phoenix canariensis

 

That is much bigger than it looks. Canary Island Date Palms are huge! That one may only have a trunk about five feet from the ground but the head is double that. This is in a wild canyon that is monitored and tended by not only park rangers but volunteers. This is in the Marion Bear Canyon park on the East side. These palm trees are spread by birds eating the fruit and dropping them. No way anyone would plant one of those in the canyon or even chuck one down there. Amid all the other native and semi-native plants and that one sticks out like a sore thumb.

Another oopsie is knowing what plants are what when placing a bench.
 

Don't lean back!

The low greenish looking plants directly behind the bench is actually Poison Oak (in all my years of being in horticulture I have never learned the botanical name for it).  I've seen this in the spring and it's wonderfully inviting with the shade of the sycamore but honestly, they needed to either cut that back more or move it forward. One thing I do admire about this park and others is they are a 'natural' canyon trail but have benches sporadically placed in shady spots. Just watch where you're sitting.

I took more pictures to use as painting subjects and am now trying to figure out how to market them seriously as we are in a money crunch now due to me having no more unemployment payments. Technically until June of next year. That is a personal matter and not really garden related but budgeting and necessity says I can't buy any soil or fertilizer as the garden is not crucial right now.

On and on we go as the days wind down and the calendar and leaves change.