A few shots from Sacramento.

My family and I recently took a vacation to California. I'm from southern California, so we visited my family there. We also stopped in the Sacramento area to see my best friend and her family. I snapped a few garden-oriented pictures while we were there.

I know Olenader grows much like a weed in most parts of California. My friend even called them "freeway trees," but for someone who's been gardening in Wisconsin for 5 years now, a shrub of that size covered in color this time of year is a treasure none-the-less. Here are two Olenader growing along the property line of my friend's home.

My nephew is growing his first garden this year, including some edibles like tomatos and squash;. I didn't get a picture of them, but his magical sunflower definately caught my eye. Believe it or not, I can't get a sunflower to grow--the birds and squirrels steal the seeds long before they germinate. LOL.

Happy gardening!