The list goes on (and on)

My parents are coming to visit, so with such tasks as cleaning the fridge for the first time since the Jurassic era, and returning the car to car status, instead of mud-filled gardening-shed-on-wheels, I have been a bit, shall we say, frenzied.

Despite all that (or because of it? Procrastination anyone?) we spent quite some time gardening today. Ticked off the list:

- Finish bottom front bed and next-to-arbor twig weaving with Leah's branches.
- Plant two large Cordyline australis "Red Sensation" in the wine barrels, and a little orangey one (no name, thanks Lowes, but it was just $3.33...) in the top bed.
- Plant four clumps of Crocosmias, three of Hemerocallis (Day Lily), one of Zantedeschia (calla lillies,) and one of Equisetum (horsetails) from Joan. Oh, and a HUGE, and I mean VENTI sized Buddleja, up by the soon-to-be-bench.
- Plant Anigozanthos rufus (red Kangaroo Paw) (have been wanting one for ages - finally succumbed to cheap Lowes garden center price, no doubt it will die tomorrow) and Phormium tenax "Rubrum"
- Plant big flat of red-flowered Trailing Ice Plants (Lampranthus spectabilis) all around the big Agaves at the front. No Matt, they won't choke us all in the night. They're cute!
- Move some Crocuses, Tulbaghia (Society Garlic) and other stuff around.
- Put axle grease on the top of the chainlink fence at the back. Just in case cacti aren't enough. Hah!
- Empty muck bucket of horse poo and coffee grounds into the "good" composter, and 2 wheelbarrow loads of weeds onto the heap.
- Hellos to Ron-and-Tank, Jim-and-George-and-Kelly, and John-and-Riley.
- Water, until 9pm...

So that was from about 8am-noon. Then Matt came back from his softball game and we had lunch, then popped over to Joan's. I have only spoken to Joan on the phone or via email before, and she has been dropping off all sorts of plants for the garden recently. Finally I get to meet her and she's just cool. Let us crash around in her garden and dig up stuff until the car was stuffed. Told us all about the neighborhood and the wildlife and, well, it was just neat. Thanks Joan - I hope I can keep these plants as wel as you have. I did the Martha/string trick on the Crocosmias ;)

Of course due to ponies needing to be fed, we scrambled directly down to Pacifica next (with Joan's plants) and offered buckets of $20 bills to our little darlings to eat (might as well, damn expensive beasts) then zipped home to plant. I feel like a lunatic stabbing away, trying to dig a hole in the hateful, rocky dirt in the dark. And no doubt the neighbors think so too. Oh well. C'est la poo-poo. ;)

Photos, from top:
Agave garden
Cordyline entranceway
Echium, aka bumble-bee central
Kangaroo Paw
Phormium