Weekend review

I'm posting this after the weekend so the petition post stays at the top.

Saturday morning:
Matt and I went out to make a dent in the mulch pile. We moved a lot of it to the side beds and red bed. We also removed the past-their-prime corn marigolds from the front bed, as well as a lot of strangulating Nasturtiums. The bed is now ready for more annuals that will see us through to the end of the year, when perennials will go in their place and end this madness ;)

Also had some great help from Evelyn who weeded with us: thank you! Alison and Peekaboo came by, as did Anita and Lola (is that her name?) - two dogs vying for Happiest Canine Of The Year! Anita brought a good groundcover donation too.* Gina and Tank came for a chat too, as well as Gary, Jim (with George and Kelly), Barbara and Sage, Dan, and oh, a hummingbird was seen drinking from Annelle's feeder - at last!

Saturday night:
Came home to find that Jim had planted all the bamboo he got us! Gasp! We mulched and watered it and felt very lucky indeed to have been saved all that work.

Sunday morning:
Got up to dig 6 holes for some lavender plants that Rick bought us. Oh it's hard work digging up at the top... the Texas toothpick was invaluable as usual. We had to stop halfway due to fatigue, and filled the holes with water, then mulch, to try and soften the dirt for more digging later.

Sunday night:
Rick came by with 6 big, beautiful lavenders - English and French - for the lavender hedge. I have brought them in the house until the holes are finished. Matt, Rcik and I went down and watered the sunflowers with about 20 gallons of water. Rick has been watering them this whole time, and they are all about to bloom. Hard work - but a great payoff. I think next year we will put in some succulents and cactus, as well as bougainvillea on the fence, as the watering is heavy work.

Leah had also been by with some big, fat clumps of Agapanthus. Perfect for the front bed. She has been scouting the best deals in the area for annuals to fill that bed through the end of the year too.

Photo above shows one of the three bulbs Dino gave us suddenly flowering. What on earth is it? Sadly the monstrous Cardoon is covering it, but perhaps it prefers some shade... UPDATE: it's a Haemanthus multiflorus - who knew? (Answer: my dad!)

* Once again ol' Paw comes through - he IDed the groundcover as a variegated Glechoma hederacea, also known as Creeping Charlie, Gill-over-Ground, Ground Ivy, Hedgemaids, Alehoof, Catsfoot and Run-Away-Robin. This is alleged to be a dreadful weed in damper climates but might make a good groundcover here!