Saturday, October 19, 2013

Balcony Garden: Late Summer-Early Fall

Here's the garden as it was in July. The red flowers died out by early August, so while the hummingbirds loved them, they won't be making a return appearance next year.


Here's the garden from last week (the glare is a little harsh). I'm not sure if the strawberry (front) will bloom and produce again, but I can't bear to get rid of it despite it not producing a single berry in months. You can't see the rosemary very well, but it is going strong. The peppers have been relatively disappointing. A mere handful  all summer compared to the endless supply I was used to getting in Texas. I don't think the peppers will be included again next spring. The basil is still going, but it has taken on a rather minty flavor.


I just ripped out the yellow flowers today and will likely yank the peppers and basil next week (there will be some spicy pesto on the menu!). The white flowers are probably going too. I'm hoping to get some native plants to see if I can attract more butterflies. I'll also be doing greens again in the big pot (the one with the saucer), but probably need to wait a couple weeks to start them.

Areas to live in LA: yes

Here is a map of Los Angeles County with categories based on whether I would recommend living there or not. This is based on my experience, talking to people, and looking at crime maps.


Because it would be a very long blog post if I described my reasoning for all of these areas in one post, I'll break it up by category. Kicking it off are the areas I wholeheartedly recommend living.

First off is Culver City (inclusive of Palms and West LA). I may be biased because I live in this particular area. What I like about the area:
  • Highway connection via the 10 and the 405
  • Transit connection via the Expo line
  • Relatively safe and quiet
  • Ethnic mix
  • Variety of local restaurants
  • Reasonably priced

The only other definite yes is Los Feliz. We looked into moving here before we knew where I would be working. What I like about the area:
  • Walking/Biking access to Griffith Park
  • Transit connection via the Red Line
  • Highway connection via the 5 and 101
  • Reasonably priced
  • Near LA River bike path