Summer has come in with a roar and it is only May 25. Temperatures are reaching 100 degrees in my garden. Out come the tropical and sub-tropical trees. Today I visit several old friends and some of my favorite trees in the collection. Olives have brought me joy for over 15 years of collection work. My favorite composition contains two different olive varieties, it breaks some rules, but I enjoy to the setting greatly. It employees as California Lace Rock at the center which give the illusion of a massive trunk. The two olives move up behind the stone to form a single mass of foliage.

To day I started cleaning it up, removing old leathery leaves, crotch leaves. and cutting back supper strong top growth. I am working to create a fuller lower branch structure so I cannot let the top take the energy away.

As the hot days move on I will work some more on this one and move on to the other olives and tropical trees.