Volunteer Day work

Our August Volunteer Day was attended by a small but devoted bunch. Sadly I didn't get photos of people but I did get some pics of the work done.

Kai and his dad Kresh weeded the entrance pathway with Kai's special tiny trowel that I keep ready for him, and while they did that, I deadheaded a lot of Lamb's Ears (Stachys byzantina), cut the cardoon (Cynara carduncuulus) down to the ground, trimmed the palm by the bench and weeded too.

Matt went to the hardware store to get better stakes for the new big cactus. Some helpful (!) person had taken the guy line and all the padding off the cactus so we had to replace it all. I think the new work looks much better anyway, and as a bonus Chris found the rope and padding that had been removed, left elsewhere in the garden. Matt and I also staked up the Dodonaea viscosa (Purple Hopseed) on the lower path that was leaning over.

While all that was going on, Chris moved the cardoon. We cut this back every year but this year it never really got very big as we were so short on rain. Generally when it gets big though it's too close to the path. So, Chris dug it up and moved it about 2' back in the bed, and also gave it a huge amount of fresh compost from the compost bins so it can bounce back. Matt watered it too.

Josh planted some cactus I had brought from home on the back slope, and both he and Chris weeded a lot too.

Agaves being smothered

Our workday last weekend was lovely - the sun was out, and Matt and I were joined by Aditi, Kresh and Kai.

Since it has rained so much, weeds have been growing a lot. And when they grow up around Agaves they can make a very damp, fungus-prone environment. Absolutely not something your average Agave likes at all. So, we spent a lot of time weeding around Agaves to make them happy.

We also planted a lot of plants!

6 Agave celsii "Multicolor" 

3 Agave macroacantha

3 Agave "Sharkskin"

1 Tanacetum haradjanii (Silver Tansy)

1 Cynara cardunculus (cardoon) 

1 Erythrina crista-galli (Cockspur Coral Tree)

Some of these went up at the top of the garden, some went by the bench. They're all plants that Matt and I have been growing for PG for years now, waiting until they were big enough to be planted out. Please keep your dogs out of the beds so they don't damage the new plants, or worse, poop on them.

Our littlest weeder Kai was very successful in filling a huge tub trug of weeds for us, wielding a little trowel and just getting stuck in. Yes, it's possible that at 18 months old he didn't do that ALL himself. Yes, it's possible his dad Kresh pulled some weeds too. But, who cares ;)

It's a great time to plant agaves

Summer has given way to fall, but if you've lived in the Bay area for long you'll know now is the driest time of year. The gardens are parched and the ground is dusty dry, and we have watered a few plants (new tree Aloes, and a palm we planted) but some plants love the heat. Agave is one genus that thinks the hotter the better!

We did have some weird weather recently that some agaves didn't love though. A hot dry spell, followed by foggy, smoke-laden air, leads to some agaves ending up with edema scarring. 

These mottled marks on some leaves are caused by water being pulled up to the leaves during hot weather, but stopping in its tracks when cool, humid weather hits. The cells loaded with water then burst and scar the leaves. Unfortunate, but the plants will eventually grow new leaves.

We had a lovely September volunteer day, with Chris, Josh, Matt, Hilary, John and Andrea generating 18 bags of green waste for recycling! We got lots of plants cut back (the cardoon, salvias, euphorbias and so on) and turned and watered the compost.

We also planted some great agaves that Matt and I have been growing. Josh put in three Agave maximiliana... or they might be Agave zebra. Except both of these species are supposed to be solitary and this one pups like mad...We will just have to wait and see what they turn into.

Josh also planted a group of seven Agave desmettiana variegates behind the wrong way sign. That area has become a huge farm for baby agaves but we hope to reorganize the plants, put them in groups, and make something pretty out of it all soon.

Matt and I visited with the famous Brian Kemble of the Ruth Bancroft Gardens the following week, and had a blast weeding his pots of hybrid Agaves, Aloes and Gasterias while talking about all the cool plants he has grown and known. 

 In exchange he gave us some lovely plants for the garden, including three Aloe polyphylla hybrids which we planted right away on the lower pathway where they will hopefully thrive. Matt added five more Agave desmettiana variegates in that area too, as well as a few on the way to the tool trunk.

A week later Matt and I were back at the garden, planting yet more Agaves we have been growing on at home. We did two groups of Agave gypsophylla up in the top area of PG, and a group of three Yucca aloifolia "Magenta Magic" down at PRG.

It's great to get some plants out of our home garden and into the public gardens - it can take years to grow something big enough to plant out in a street park (small plants tend to get stolen, or crushed) and I feel now that 3-5 gallons is the minimum if possible.

Another productive volunteer day!

Awesome team!

Our August workday was productive as ever. The garden is in the dog days of summer, and as dry as can be. We're taking a long hard look at plants that don't look happy now, and considering removing them so we can replace them with plants that LOVE hot, dry sites.

What helped was that Matt and I were recently down at Huntington Gardens in Los Angeles, and saw how they grow their drought tolerant and xeric plants: they don't water them! All their Aloes are looking dry right now, for example - just as they would in the wild - but they'll become succulent again when we get rain, just as nature intended. But they DO water plants that were never meant to suffer through drought, wich just get weaker and weaker each year until they die. So, those are the ones we need to remove.

Agaves on the move

With that in mind, our team spread out and got to work at PG and started the summer tasks of cutting back spent flowers and planting Agaves and other succulents, that can be transplanted in summer with no ill effects.

First up for removal was the Fuchsia boliviana alba in the left bed. It's been limping along but had been reduced to sticks. Chris removed it and Matt replaced it with some Yucca branches which will root in place in the coming months.

Matt actually took a lot of Yucca branches from the cactus wall. When rooted, they'll be planted down at PRG and help protect the fences from graffiti and other damage.

Chris also cut down the cardoon (Cynara cardunculus) which we do every year (it'll pop back soon)  and I removed a very leggy Phlomis fruticosa behind it, taking some good stems home to root up and make new plants. In the same area, Matt and I rearranged some Agave parryi and pulled out a lot of scraggly Aeoniums of various kinds - that's a plant that does best with a refresh every couple years: cut all the leafy heads off and re-root them, throwing away the leggy stem.

Gina's signs

Aditi and Gina have been working on a signage project, and had laminated our official No Trespassing signs from the police to post everywhere. This allows the PD to enforce asking people not to camp at PG and PRG. I gave them a number of metal signs asking people to pick up dogs poop too, and Gina added signs about security cameras and others asking Uber and Lyft drivers not to use the garden as a bathroom... Kunaal took the picture of Gina posting signs too.

Gina cut back almost all the Salvia leucantha (Mexican Sage) and a number of Stachys byzantina (Lamb's Ears) too.

Josh and Hilary

Josh and Hilary set to work planting Agave americana pups I received from Marianne in Pacifica last week. They put half a dozen along the top border after weeding the area, and then more in the Triangle Garden across the off-ramp. While at the Triangle Garden they removed a handsome pup from the big Agave "Green Giant" on the corner, and placed it in the Brights Bed. We've got lots more of those growing so they'll be spread around soon: what an epic plant!

Volunteer day action!

Yesterday's volunteer day was super busy and super effective. We had a great gang, and everyone made a big impact on our rather dry, August garden.

Emily weeded the top area and moved lots of mulch around to uncover some buried Santolinas.

Matt took on the task of hacking fennel. Some of the ones on the back slope had gotten out of control and needed a chop so badly. They really need to be dug out completely to do the job right, btu when you're pressed for time cutting them to the ground is almost as good.

Marcus took a crash course in pruning from me, and proceeded to cut back the Fuchsia boliviana var. alba by 1/2. That ought to slow it's heat stress a bit, or kill it - either way I'm happy! Then he went on to cut back the Brugmansia just as severely, and the same results there will make me equally delighted. Either it dies and we will replace it with something that LOVES a hot dry garden, or it springs back looking good. Lastly Marcus deadheaded the Aloe striatula, then cut back some branches overhanging a nice Agave angustifolia.

I gave the branches to Hilary who came to help again this month, and she set about cutting back Chasmanthe, weeding and replanting a couple of tired looking Agaves that got moved for the last mulch dump. They should pick up again soon - they are such tough plants!

Chris loves to cut down plants, so I think I made him happy by asking him to cut down the cardoon (Cynara cardunculus) - it is finished flowering and will be back in about a month with some lovely new growth. He then moved on to the Phormium on the lower path which has never had a real trim. It lost every leaf that looked dry, so quite a severe haircut!

Next to that is a Coprosma australis (variegated) that's had some ill-considered trims over the years. Really it needs to be cut to the ground and started afresh, but he took out quite a lot as an interim measure, and we'll see how it responds by next month.

I weeded the front sidewalk, and showed Aditi how to cut back Euphorbia characias correctly, She went on the clean out the whole front border and donated an unknown Agave to us, which she planted in the front bed.

Weed'n'feed

Things that are flowering, clockwise from the top left: Cardoon (Cynara cardunculus) Blanket Flower (Gallardia aristata), Dyckia rariflora, Limonium perezii (Sea Lavender, Statice), unnamed pink geranium (Pelargonium)

Today Matt and I weeded a lot. pruned a lot, and enjoyed the hot weather.

Before and after

Here's a good "before, after, and today" evolution of the left bed as you walk into the garden.

L-R: February 2009, February 2010 and February 2016

In 2009 we had a Leucadendron at the front - that was killed by dog pee. You can also see lots of small clumps of Dietes that did really well in the end.

By 2010 the Leucadendron at the front was killed by dog pee. I replaced it with a very successful Cortaderia selloana "Silver Comet" and our Cardoon (Cynara cardunculus) is to the right, behind it. I'd put a small Agave americana variegata at the front, and some yellow Osteospermum are flowering away merrily to the right of that. The Brugmansia was the biggest plant in the bed, and a small Phormium tenax "Rubrum" and a clump of orange flowering Chasmanthe are poking up at the back. A small Coprosma australis (variegated) and a Euonymus japonica "Microphylla Variegata" (Variegated Boxleaf Euonymus) can be seen as smallish, yellowish blobs on the left side too/ We'd made a nice twig border around the bed front to define it too.

And today in 2016 the Cortaderia selloana "Silver Comet" did so well that we've divided it and retained a clump at the front, with a nice Phlomis fruticosa (Jerusalem sage) to its left. The Cardoon (Cynara cardunculus) is still going strong, too. The Agave americana variegata at the front got too big and moved elsewhere, and the yellow Osteospermum didn't last: I replaced them with Cotyledon orbiculata var. oblonga clumps.

The Brugmansia is still there, but dwarfed by the big Hakea suaveolens, and the small Phormium tenax "Rubrum" is now huge though you can't see it since the Dodonaea viscosa (Purple Hopseed Bush) planted in 2009 is bigger. I moved a red Cordyline nearby, and the clump of orange flowering Chasmanthe got swapped for a yellow clump you can see flowering. The Coprosma australis (variegated) got huge and was very successful, and the Euonymus japonica "Microphylla Variegata" (Variegated Boxleaf Euonymus) struggled a bit but lives on, seeming to do better this last year. The twig border composted away, and was replaced by stones again.

Good to look back now and again to see what plants do best, and remember which ones not to buy again ;)

A little bit of work goes a long way

Santolina going for broke in yellow
and the dry grass Nasella winding down 

Both gardens are looking great, with some plants like the Santolina Annie just profiled going like crazy for Summer, while other plants like the Nassella tenuissima, a grass, going into the dormant part of its cycle. It's a beautiful mix, exactly how we like it!

Annie is away on vacation so I watered the trees, and overall had a lovely time talking with neighbors and doing chores around both gardens. Right as I was getting started with the trees, two of my neighbors came by that were using the route down along PRG to get a coffee from Front and walk their dog - one of my favorite activities (!) - and we chatted while I setup everything.

Nate powering the sound system by bike

On Thursday we were invited to the SF Parks Alliance Love Your Parks Party, where Ryan and I met up with Nate. Nate agreed to take a turn on the bicycle powering the speakers, and garden on Saturday (Ryan agreed to neither). So while waiting for Nate I updated our kiosk with new flyers and doggie bags, weeded the beds by the benches, cut back Centranthus by the arch and transplanted a Knautia macedonia out from under a Ceanothus to the middle back bed by the Plectranthus. I've had the Knautia in other gardens and it goes like crazy with flowers for most of the year, but we haven't quite found a place it enjoys at PSG yet. This new spot was still very wet from the brief run of automatic sprinklers on Friday night, so I know it will get more water in the new location and by not being buried under a Ceanothus more sunlight, so maybe third times the charm?

Hard to imagine this was full of weeds!

Meanwhile Debbie and Nels were taking a walk throughout the garden checking out plants that may work well in their garden and we chatted about a few lovely candidates, including the Agave attenuata, they are posing with in their photo. I made sure to point them to the great plant profiles that Annie writes for information, and they were glad to have the garden and our website as a resource. Yay!

Savvy gardeners Nels & Debbie

Once Nate arrived at the garden we started by cleaning up the cardoon, Cynara cardunculus, removing all the dead leaves still attached to the plant and the large dead ones that had already fallen. We did crinkle the leaves to make a 'mulch' of sorts, which looks more like 'mulch' then dead branches fortunately -  so we'll see how that works out in a few weeks! After some more weeding it was time to stop the water at PRG, so we went down to weed a bit more and pickup all the trash... there is always so much trash! I hand watered a few plants that are having a hard time making it (a few Stachys and Convulvus) which out of 700 plants is only a small handful, so I'm grateful, and we packed up the hose and headed out to a late lunch.

Preparation for a special event

Alstroemeerias in the front bed

We are planning for a special event next weekend. On Sunday April 21st we invite all our volunteers to join us at PRG (Pennsylvania Railroad Garden at 100 Pennsylvania) and see what happens. We can't yet release the details but we think you'll enjoy it :)

With all that in mind, yesterday Matt and I weeded at PRG. Not too many weeds on the fence side, quite a few on the street side. Next weekend on Saturday the 20th we're having a special weeding party to get the block cleaned up for Sunday, so come on down!

Today Matt and I went out to tackle some of the weeds at PG. We did about 2.5 hours of weeding and I worked my way down one side of the left bed, removing a ton of weeds. I also noticed that the lavender Watsonias we transplanted there last year are flowering at last! There's a clump of white ones nearby that are getting ready to flower too.

Cardoon haircut

As I was cutting back the cardoon that's always flopping into the pathway (not to self: move it when it does back) I discovered the old leaves lying under it are a very effective weed barrier mulch. I added a few of the newly-cut leaves under the plant to suppress more weeds. The rest will make great compost.

A tale of two Cordylines

"I'll be back..."

Timber! The annual chopping down of the cardoon (Cynara cardunculus) is a ritual where one's manly prowess can be displayed and the results are dramatic. I was not feeling manly so Matt wielded the saw and the cardoon was down in no time flat - I barely had time to get a picture and my finger was in the way, but I had no time to retake it.

In the meantime, I watered everything that needed it deeply. A 10 second spray right in the dirt at the base of a plant that fills up it's water basin is better for the plant than an hour of overhead sprinkling in my experience.

I also planted some things we picked up yesterday.

We popped over to Flora Grubb Gardens and I am always on the lookout for a great Cordyline for the garden. They do really well and come in awesome colors. Or rather, they usually do really well, but the Cordyline "Sundance" I planted in the middle front bed back around Thanksgiving last year failed to thrive and is now officially dead. Hmph! What went wrong? I don't know, but it was a cheapo from Lowes and had a wobbly trunk - something  Cordyline are a bit prone to.

Renegade looking demure.

Anyway, back to FG. They had some really nice ones of course but the one that caught my eye was Cordyline "Renegade (Tana)" which has very dark, almost black leaves. Madame Grubb carries it in a 2 gallon and a 5 gallon size, both with the same label, both proclaiming it to be the grassy type of Cordyline. Cordylines come in two basic types: your tall, narrow palm-like one with a trunk, and your 3-4' high mound of grassy leaves. This is based on what hybrid of various Cordyline species went into it's makeup. C. australis hybrids are palm-like. C. banksii ones are grassy.

So, I wanted a palm-like type to go with my other two in the grouping I'd made. However Cordyline "Renegade (Tana)" is a cross between C. australis and C. banksii and wouldn't you know it, the larger size pots had a 1' tall trunk on 'em. So what's it gonna be? Trunk, or no trunk per the label? I called in  a salesperson and she noted why I was confused. She called another salesperson and he said "short trunk" so I bought it. Short trunk better than no trunk, as they say.

Kiwi Dazzler (L) not
dazzling yet

While I had the local Cordyline expert in my grasp, I asked him if he could get what I really wanted - Cordyline "Kiwi Dazzler." It's green and pink striped, and palm-like. He said no, they're really hard to find... you never see them... too bad, so sad... so I wrinkled my nose, made my way to the register and paid $40 for my short trunked plant. Feh.

Next we went by Lowes to pick up some lumber for a non-garden related project. What is the first thing that catches my eye? A 1 gallon Cordyline "Kiwi Dazzler" for $6. Well butter my butt and call me a biscuit. As they say. That went in the cart along with a Kniphofia "Popsicle" - the Popsicle line of Kniphs is all about the creamy shades, and I think there are about 6-8 colors. Since this was Lowes it was incorrectly labelled as an annual, and no specific hybrid given but a leftover yellow to cream flower tells me it's probably "Pineapple Popsicle."

Pineapple Popsicle? Maybe.

So to bring this saga to a close, I planted the Kniphofia in the left bed, the Cordyline "Renegade (Tana)" in the middle back bed, and the Cordyline "Kiwi Dazzler"where the "Sundance" used to be, very well staked as unfortunately it's another wobbly specimen.

Matt potted up some grasses, I weeded, all sorts of things got trimmed and pruned and a good time was had by all.

The end.

Overcast day

Weeping Yucca
(Yucca recurvifolia)

Today is a bit overcast and a good one to water the new plants. I spent about two hours with various sprinklers on various areas of the garden.

While they did their work I trimmed, deadheaded and weeded. The cardoon (Cynara cardunculus) is blooming, which means the leaves are going to die off shortly after and then it'll be cut back. That always leaves a big hole in the left bed for a month or two but it's worth it for the spectacular foliage the rest of the year.

The Weeping Yucca (Yucca recurvifolia) by the steps is flowering nicely for the first time - a very healthy plant. Another plant that's about to flower is the Agave parryi by the arch that I posted a photo of last week. Sadly this spells doom for that Agave - they die after flowering.  However, the flower spike is about 12' tall and very impressive, and should be there for many months. It's certainly going out with a bang!

Matilija poppy
(Romneya coulteri)

The fourth plant I noticed in bloom is the California native Matilija poppy (Romneya coulteri) in the left bed, with it's fried egg style flowers on very tall stalks. It's a bit of a rascal in that it likes to spread and pop up in odd places, but it hasn't been too annoying yet.

20 hours of work

Green Santolina flowering

20 hours of work – that’s how much 10 people accomplish on a volunteer day, and it showed.

Alison and her dog Peeka sheared (and at points pruned stems individually) the lavender hedge. I weeded it a bit too, and on the whole it’s looking great. I noticed lots of baby lavender plants that appear to have seeded themselves as well. I forgot to water the hedge but will get out and do that next weekend.

Emily worked on battling the weeds in the brights bed at the top of the garden, and laid down some double-thickness weed barrier there. What with all the water that area gets from the one sprinkler head and hand watering the dahlias though, I think it’ll always be weedy. Oh well!

Bill and his sons Julian and Lucas came to help out, and Bill spent aged weeding in the garden pulling bindweed and other nasties very thoroughly. His kids helped weeding, pulling nasturtiums, cleaning up and trimming Watsonia bulbs too – they were very helpful.

John cut the cardoon (Cynara cardunculus) down – it was done for the year, and the space is now cleared and ready for it to sprout anew. If for some reason it doesn’t come back to life I have 4 babies waiting in the wings to take over. Never fear – we will always have cardoons! John also cut back some old Chasmanthe leaves and Achillea flowers, among other things.

Aeonium arboreum
"Atropurpureum"

Angelique who is fresh off the boat from Canada (specifically a place known as Winterpeg in Man-It’s-Cold-Here) came by with her little baby June strapped on to do some watering: she hand watered the beds that don’t get any sprinkler action. I find this display of energy in a young mother astonishing, and her baby was just the perfect papoose – quietly loving every minute, then falling asleep. June wins the award for youngest volunteer – she must be all of just a month or two old? Rock on Angelique and June.

Carlin weeded skillfully behind the wrong way sign (thanks to Matt’s mulching that problem is less and less a problem) and then went down to the Mariposa Center Garden with Emily to cut back the Chasmanthe and remove the old sweet peas from that spot. Some of the lupines there have gone deciduous (as they do in very dry spots) so Emily decided to water them. New volunteer Jeanne helped fill the milk jugs and John wheeled them down the street in the wheelbarrow. We finished up shortly after Jeanne arrived but hopefully we’ll see her again at another volunteer day if it coincides with her time off!

Nate and his sister Beth came by and weeded the last of the corn marigolds out of the back border. Our compost heap has risen to ridiculous proportions and it’s Time To Build The New Compost Bins. Matt, are you reading this? ;)

I ran around as usual like a headless chicken, trying to make sure everyone was supplied with tools and drinks and fun things to do, but I also managed to water the Brugmansia and tree dahlia via the soaker hose. Poor Brugmansia is not enjoying the xeric lifestyle… should I water it monthly in the summer? Will that be enough? Or should I just cut it down and find something more drought tolerant for that full sun, sloping, dry dry dry spot? (And how come Bruggies just 2 blocks away look great year round?) I would certainly miss the lovely scent and flowers of this plant if we cut it down… something to ponder.

Sorry I didn't get any people picture this time - too busy!

Warm and sunny

Achillea "Cassis"

Yesterday Matt and I went out to weed and prune a bit, and today I did another few hours of tidying up.

The front border had all the corn marigolds removed and the Artemisias and Achilleas deadheaded. The middle back bed and brights bed got some weeding. I chatted with Dee and pulled more corn marigolds out of the back border too.

I think the cardoon (Cynara cardunculus) is almost done for the year - going to have to cut that down soon. We'll save that for the volunteer day - that's a fun project. I found four little baby cardoons down in the back of the garden too - must have seeded itself over there. I potted them up - perhaps we can find a spot for more of these crazy plants?

Bindweed is the antichrist

Francisca

Saturday's volunteer day was great as always. We had a dozen people show up and work away for 2 hours, putting in a total of 24 person-hours of work which had an astonishing effect on the garden. We got so much done and several people asked if there were additional work days planned before the next official one. Well if they're THAT keen,who am I to stand in the way?

I sprinkled some multicolored California poppy seeds and yellow Calendula seeds along the lavender hedge as I pondered project number one for the day: to remove bindweed from the dog area and lay down weed barrier cloth. After covering this with mulch it should prevent bindweed from flourishing there. No, it won't stop it altogether, but it will put a severe dent in the party scene that the bindweed has been enjoying. Fingers crossed!

Uzuri and David

I'd estimated we'd get one 6' x 100' long strip done, but we got two strips done. Emily led the enthusiastic group comprised of Elliot, Paloma, David, Uzuri, Donna, Francisca and Leslie, who systematically rid the area of weeds. Leslie also pruned the Salvia "Anthony Parker" which was a bit overdue for a haircut.

In the meantime, I worked in the left bed alongside Carlin, who managed to prune back several unruly plants in no time at all. The cardoon, Cortaderia, Euphorbia "Blackbird", Purple Fountain Grass (Pennisetum setaceum), Watsonia and Artemisia "Powis Castle" all got a trim.

Donna and Emily

I cut back the red Canna, a rosemary and a lavender, and together we worked on the Helichrysum petiolare and Coprosma that were threatening to take over the Phormium back there.

Emily moved the two Aquilegias from the left bed up by the bench - it was just too hot and dry for them. Janet moved a Banksia spinulosa over to a spot behind the wrong way sign too - that one wasn't getting enough sun. Dee cut back the Watsonias in the brights bed among other tasks, and Debbie cleaned up a great deal of weeds from the steps area.

Paloma and Elliot

While all this was going on, Matt was busy in the back slope. At the end of the day I was astonished to see how much work he'd done in cutting out terraces, securely marking the area for the new steps, and moving the compost bin up slope to the base of the compost heap.

Go team!

We skipped spring...

Blue Eyed Grass
(Sisyrinchium bellum)

... and went straight to summer! It's hot out in the garden this weekend, so Matt and I went out and did a few jobs, but didn't broil in the sun too much (reapply - reapply!)

On Saturday Matt turned the compost bin, taking out a few bucketfuls of good compost and spreading it around various plants. I did the same with the worm bin's contents, giving the Cordylines in the wine barrels at the front of the garden a hefty dose of goodness. They will either take off like rockets, or die smiling...

I noted that the lovely pink Dipogon lignosus (Australian Pea Vine) creeping around the wine barrels has been tidied up too - I think we have Dee to thank for that work, which appears to have been very carefully done. That vine is enthusiastic about covering anything within reach - great for the arch, not so great for the surrounding plants.

Back slope prep

Next Matt cut back the floppy leaves on the cardoon (Cynara cardunculus) which is as usual going berserk and leaning on everything around it in a desperate bid to take over the universe.

Emily had bought another fabulous Cussonia for the garden recently, C. paniculata, and I planted that in the middle back bed after weeding out some non-performing daylilies and trimming back some lavenders and rosemary to make room. This brings our Cussonia species count to three, which I think is excellent as they are such a cool and unusual small tree.

Today we marked off and weeded the currently inaccessible back slope so that Ron from Iron Maverick could get in and create the terraces.

Hope he can start that soon: the area is treacherous, and I have a lot of nice cacti and agaves that would love to grow in that spot, where it's seriously hot and dry most of the year.

Tidy Tips in action

After that, we planted three lavanders in the lavender hedge and watered them in. The Tidy Tips (Layia platyglossa) seeds we planted way back in December 2009 are flowering now - very cute little native annual daisy. Another lovely native currently in flower in the middle back bed is the Blue Eyed Grass

(Sisyrinchium bellum) - what a charmer.

Lastly I watered the newly planted plants and fed the worms in the worm bin some fennel - hope they like that, because that's one weed I'd love to see go extinct in the garden!

Demolition derby

Yesterday Matt and I went t the garden and found Emily and Ryan there, with their pup Bentley! Emily was trimming the Dahlias, and planting sweet pea seeds for the sale, and Ryan was disparaging the weeds.

Matt set to work rearranging the storage area, throwing out lots of trash and tidying the plant pots for the sale. Then he demolished the cardoon (Cynara cardunculus)!  You can see the before and after pics at left.

This perennial was done flowering and looking really ratty. It'll come back, but in the meantime, he took it down tot he ground and chopped all the parts to go int he compost bin. There's a massive hole in the bed now - eeek!

Meanwhile I set up the horses to water the beds that needed it, deadheaded some roses, weeded the pathways, removed some baby Maxican feather grass that were growing in the paths to pot up for the sale, and deadheaded some Scabiosas and Coreopsis.

I also went down the storm drain with pruners in hand and removed all the spend Aloe nobilis flowers. Much neater now (see before and after pics at left)! The entire cactus was is extremely dry, having had practically no water in about 8 months now from any source. One Agave is even looking... shriveled! I plan to water them today.

Also go to get those redwood boards into position down on the Mariposa Center Garden - they are cluttering up the pathway! I'll need some help with that.

Hot, in fact

Yes, today was, in fact, hot. Which was nice consider the last week has been uncharacteristically chilly even for San Francisco. So out I went and did about 4 hours of work:

• Watered front bed, steps area, bamboo/back fence area and left beds with the new sprinkler.
• Trimmed the Cordylines that live in the wine barrels at the front, and watered them (needs to be done more often!)
• Filled water jugs so that midweek Center Hardware strip garden watering will be easy.
• Removed 4 wheelbarrows of corn marigolds and poppies from the front bed - they are done, and the rest need to be pulled out.
• Chatted with David G, and Gary 
• Cut back the Kangaroo Paw that is looking pretty dead....
• Deadheaded roses, Kniphofias, Bird of Paradise (Strelitzia)
• Potted 12 Mexican feather grass babies up for the fall plant sale.
• Removed all the floppy leaves from the cardoon - it's going into flower mode - and put them in the compost bin.
• Noticed that the Cannas had been deadheaded too - must have been Miyuki! 

Whew - I am beat. And there is SO much more to do right now - I started making a list and it got so long I began to wonder if it was all possible! One thing that takes too much time is watering. I spend a lot of time moving the hose and adjusting the sprinkler, which I could be doing more important things.

This is the year we find out if once weekly watering is enough though. And some plants are not going to like it - mostly ones donated by neighbors with wetter gardens. This means I'm going to be digging up some plants and preparing them for the fall sale...

Photo shows the lupine planted yesterday. One thing that really helps plants at P. Garden get a good start in life is a well made basin around the base: the plant ends up at the bottom of a bowl with sides about 6" high, which helps funnel water into the root area. It's very important that our plant get set up like this, since the sun is so fierce, and slope so quick to drain.

Weekend Work Extravaganza

So much happened at the garden over the weekend, it is hard to be coherent about the whole thing! First, I want to thank everyone who stopped by to help. Shen and Felix watered and weeded, Miyuki weeded, and planted the Verbena donated the previous week by Shen along with some Echiums that are now the start of a beautiful new planting by the dog area (see photo). Kay donated Geranium maderense, Silene coronaria, and Parahebe perfoliata all exciting editions to the garden! Among the many many things Annie did for the garden over the weekend, the most visible is a giant Yucca that is now planted next to the cardoon (Cynara cardunculus). Which the cardoon by the way, is about to flower in full purple glory any time now!

The garden also had many visitors who made us volunteers feel extra special about the garden - everyone had lots of good things to say about our work! Eva and Gene stopped by with their parrot (if you're reading this send please send us an email so we can be in contact!), as did neighbors Will and Claudia. Many other folks stopped by with their dogs, all of which were cute temporary additions to the garden.

Weeds: 0. Dog peeps: 1,000,000

Today was the first Dog Owner's Invitational event at P. Garden. In other words, I leaned on a few regulars to come help me weed the dog area ;) And I have to say, it was a massive success! Pic below shows (from left) Rick and Alison (with Peekaboo, who didn't stay for the pics sadly), Matt, Maile and Eddy, and Gina (with Tank) who all cheerfully joined me in completely obliterating the weeds up in the dog area.

You can see from the pics that the area looks completely different now - and much larger! Many piles of poop were picked up, and probably 10 wheelbarrow loads of weeds, including the impressive pile of weeds Ron made in the last couple weeks (thanks Ron!) went onto the compost heap. Amazing job everyone!

We also discussed plans for that spot, including:

a) Fresh woodchips (I'll look into getting them delivered)
b) Additional biodegradable dog bags and signage.
c) A bench (to be built by Gary with funds raised by us all)
d) A fence for the dog area to allow off-leash playtime (paid with funds from a grant probably)

Everyone seemed into those things. Got comments? Send 'em in!

Also happening in the garden today included Emily's work on the area behind the bench: planting many Florist's Cineraria (Pericallis cruenta), a donation from Leah. She also planted a Trachelium caeruleum (Perennial Blue Lace Flower) "Hamer Pandora" and moved a Mexican Sage (Salvia leucantha) into a sunnier spot.


Matt also did a number of jobs today:

1. Smelled the Bladderpod (Isomeris arborea) - apparently it's pungent!
2. Moved an Aeonium "Sunburst" from the cactus wall to the Moby bed.
3. Pruned the outrageous cardoon
4. Moved a Mexican Feather Grass
5. Moved an Agave parryi out from under the Bladderpod

6. Pruned the Matilija Poppy (Romneya coulteri)
7. Corralled some naughty Vinca major into submission
8. Pruned a Euphorbia rigida


All this in only 2 hours. As Eddy pointed out, the weeding alone would have taken me 8 hours to complete on my own. This is quite possibly the exact reason why it hasn't been done til today! ;)