El Nino and Dudleyas

It's 6:27pm and I see the fog rolling in over the hills again. Same time, same place, every day for the past 4 weeks. Wake up at 5:30am every weekday to fog and temps in the low 50s, arrive at work under the same gray monochromatic skies, and come home to more of the samo samo. Blues peek out, but grays predominate. Hana, I'm sure, is luxuriating in this weather. In the first place, she really belongs in Northern Japan or Alaska rather than So Cal this time of year. But as I mentioned in my last post, her winter coat is actually growing back with gusto and here we are, in mid June. Our sorta local (i.e., LA, so not exactly RivCo) comedian-cum-meteorologist, Fritz Coleman on Channel 4 News mentioned something last night about a possible EL NINO in the works. Well, that would certainly be a welcome distraction from the dog days of perennial drought we've been subjected to these last few years...if it were true. But I won't believe it until it actually happens, since I trust a weatherman about as much as I trust our Washington politburo.

On to matters more botanical in nature. I have (or rather had) 10 varieties of Dudleyas growing on a slope off of my back patio. Now I have 9. One, a UC selection, 'Son of Frank Renault', that I had

6/11/09 Bluff Lettuce

(Dudleya farinosa)

purchased from Annie's Annuals in Richmond, CA, met its sudden demise last year due to Bunny predation. After Son of Frank was so mercilessly mowed down, I came to realize that Dudleyas are apparently the 'piece de resistance' in the neverending salad bar of Peter the Rabbit. Soooooo, I had to resort to caging all the other specimens with chicken wire. Not too attractive, but at least they are alive.





















6/11/09 Ladies' Fingers (Dudleya edulis)

6/11/09 Slope of 'Caged Dudleyas

Since I usually cut back on the watering regimen for Dudleyas after May, they are not looking as hot as they were back in March-April, but a couple have sent forth their flower stalks.