Happy New Year!

Matt and I went to Southern California on a road trip over the holidays and saw many great cacti and succulents. It was heaven! Needless to say we brought a few home too.

Today we went out and planted some of our haul: an Agave attenuata, an unidentified Aloe, an Agave that might be A. gentryi, and my prize plant from So Cal: a Baja Ocotillo (Fouquieria peninsularis)! I put the latter in a hot, dry place on the cactus wall, left, (relegated a Crassula tetragona  and a C. ovata to the back slope) and will keep my fingers and toes crossed that it is happy there.

While we were away, I was thrilled to get an email from lovely John, who had found some free edging pavers on craigslist. And not only that, but just to prove how lovely he is, he went and got the (rather heavy)  pavers and stacked them up in the garden. He even made a smiley face on top!

Getting the pavers fulfills a desire for neat edging I've had for a while - I think the next volunteer day we can all put them in together. Which leads me to ponder other New Year's resolutions and plans. Here's my list so far:

1. Get a community challenge grant from SFPT. Use that money to pay for materials for...
2. A handrail for the steps, and
3. Shoring up the base of the steps area and storm drain, and
4. An information kiosk for the front of the garden,  and
5. Some more solid edging/fencing/large end rocks for some of the beds that are prone to a lot of wear and tear from hoses, passers by and dogs.
6. Reorganize the back slope so that it has real terraces and you can walk on them, adding extra mileage to the pathways.
7. Make real steps in the back area so access to the compost heaps is better.
8. Set up the Pacific tree frog habitat with Gary and Jack's help.
9.  Secure the tool cabinet better.
10. Swap out some of the more common species of plants for more unusual ones, where appropriate.
11. Encourage more people, pets and wildlife to visit the garden, join in, and feel they are a part of it all!

OK,  better stop before the list gets to be too big for 2010!

What are your garden plans for the year?