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| STAR JASMINE. |
Despite all the insect infestations of spring and summer and the multiple prunings and treatments required, most of the plants have really lushed out and the terrace is becoming a bit of paradise. There's still more to be done, but we four cats (Dudo, Moose, San Geraldo, and I) love it out there. And Dudo is always on hand to offer suggestions. (Click any image to magnify the beauty. You might even get a whiff of jasmine — but probably not.)
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| ON MY WAY TO THE TERRACE... WHY DO I ALWAYS FEEL LIKE I'M BEING WATCHED? |
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| DESIGNED TO STOP THE CATS FROM GOING NEXT DOOR. IT'S WORKING. OR ARE WE SIMPLY BEING LULLED INTO A FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY? |
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| NEW TRELLISES FLANKING THE WINDOW. STAR JASMINE READY TO DO ITS THING. |
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| AROUND THE SIDE. DOUBLE-TRELLIS OF LEMON-SCENTED JASMINE. |
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| DUDO INSPECTING MY ART INSTALLATION WITH A SKEPTIC'S EYE. (NO WONDER. A MINUTE LATER, THE WIRE BROKE. I CAUGHT IT BEFORE IT HIT THE FLOOR.) |
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| LEMON-SCENTED JASMINE. |
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| DUDO CONTINUES HIS INSPECTION. |
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| ENOUGH WITH THE PLANTS. WHAT ABOUT ME?!? |
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| LATER. DUDO (LEFT), FINALLY JOINED BY MOOSE. |
WOWOWOWOWOW wow wow. Wow.
ReplyDeleteSo lovely! So inviting!
Judeet:
DeleteSo when will you be here for a drink?!?
Mitch, I can only imagine that wonderful jasmine scent.
ReplyDeleteI can see why you four cats would love that terrace! View view view and your own tropical garden.
Jim:
DeleteThe view (and the sound), just amazing. I hope I never stop appreciating it.
I never realized how big it was until these photos. It's beautiful. All your hard work has really paid off!
ReplyDeleteMs. Sparrow:
DeleteIt's a wonderful space (330 square feet). We had 7 balconies in Sevilla but they were just big enough for a few plants and leaving enough room for San Geraldo to step out and wave to the masses (kind of like Evita). And the sun exposure is perfect... from sunrise to sunset. We had no idea how lucky we were to have found this place.
Your terrace looks wonderfully cool and restful. Good photo of the two cats together.
ReplyDeleteAndrew:
DeleteAnd very little is in bloom right now. We've got a lot of color planted out there. May it all survive the bugs!
Your post is heavy with the scent of flowers and the ocean. I love jasmine.
ReplyDeleteStephen:
DeleteOn our corner in Sevilla, there was a wrought iron fence surrounding a government building and it was lined with night-blooming jasmine. Incredible.
The cats are adorable! By the way, there's a Colombian tennis player (playing in Paris today) named Santiago Giraldo. Coincidence? Hmmmm...
ReplyDeleteWalt the Fourth:
DeleteI haven't come across another Geraldo. Giraldo and Gerardo, yes. My guess is Santiago Giraldo is just a cheap imitation of THE San Geraldo (but no offense Santiago).
I know that Santiago means James, but I couldn't resist the lame try at a joke. ;)
DeleteWalt the Fourth:
DeleteIt wasn't so lame. I liked it. Well, then again, that's not a very good argument in favor...
The balcony is gorgeous, BUT we are both men living with catsa and I am surprised that you are in such denial about the ability of your pathetic human device to stop Dudo and Moose from ultimately going wherever they want. :-)
ReplyDeleteYou guys live a wonderful life and I'm very happy for you both!
Will:
DeleteI know! It's definitely denial. When I first reinforced that corner, Dudo sat on the wall and stared and tilted his head and stared... Now we find Moose there daily inspecting things. But, at least I've had a couple of months to feel smarter than my cats. Very generous of them.
I have tried many times to grow star jasmine and each time the plant contracted some sort of infestation. So...I gave up. But, wow...yours is lovely. I did rescue a plant from a conference room that was being neglected (the plant not the room!) and took it home. All Summer it grew out of pot after pot. And bloomed. Gorgeous red flowers. I snapped photos of it, took it to nurseries to find out what sort of plant it is and no can figure it out. But when we brought it in with the other plants in the Fall, it faltered all Winter, dropped leaves, drooped. We thought it might die. And then Summer came and we took it back outside and it went crazy again. Obviously it is a tropical plant, but what was it doing in a forgotten conference room in a prairie office? One for Sherlock Holmes....
ReplyDeleteMaria:
DeleteOur star jasmine is lovely in the picture because it was planted the day before. We'll see how it does. Almost everything on our terrace is constantly assaulted by bugs -- mealy bugs, aphids, and more. San Geraldo tried eco-friendly products (including hand washing each leaf with dish soap) but nothing worked. So he finally decided to cut them all back and spray each sensitive plant regularly. We lost three plants, but the rest have come back (and so have some of the bugs). It's a constant battle. The only unaffected plants: the yuccas, bougainvilleas, and cacti!