Volunteer day - last week!

I didn't get around to posting about last week's volunteer day, nor did I take any photos, so boo on me! However, lots of jobs were completed from Leslie and her man turning compost, to Matt and co removing dead Salvia and Buddleja from the brights bed and Emily, Debbie and Bill weeding and trash picking at PRG.

This week though, we got pics. Matt and I moved an Agave americana variegata from the front of the left bed to the back of the same bed. It was right in front of the pampas grass by the arch, and in danger of poking folks passing by. Now it's brightening up a spot back between the (revived!) Fuchsia boliviana "alba" and the (currently flowering) Dahlia imperialis. Boom!

Matt also removed the Leucadendron "Safari Goldstrike" which has sadly died in the middle back bed. We're planning to add a big bold Agave to that spot, but need to renovate the rosemary and remove the Tibouchina there too, as I fear it's really, really dead too...

Load of variagated Agave pups by the arch are free for the taking if anyone wants them.

Happy New Year!

Hopefully on New Years Day you were able to spend some time outside, because it was a very forgiving winter day. Sunshine, no wind, you could just sit outside without a jacket on and be comfortable!

I took my dog Bentley (photo) to the garden, and after giving the place a thorough walk and sniff through, we sat by the bench and just watched, soaking up the 2012 sun. Despite the dry weather we've had the last few months the garden is looking really good. From my spot on the bench I could see all of these things in flower: Tibouchina, Coreopsis, Ceanothus, Salvia, Impatiens and Rosa (see photo). The list of other happy healthy plants is almost innumerable.

I grew up in the Bay Area, and my mom grew roses (still does!), so I should be used to their winter flowers. Yet, I am always amazed and extremely pleased to see roses flowering during

the winter here. Especially those at Pennsylvania Garden, as they get very little care and still hang on, giving a show of flowers off and on throughout the year. Be sure to check the rose bushes, both flowering with lots of new buds (!) across from the bench by the steps at the top of the hill.

I hope that you find wonderful things that amaze and please you at the garden too, Happy New Year!

Princess Plant lives to flower another day

The original Princess Plant (Tibouchina urvilleana) was slated for termination today due to a disastrous split trunk caused by wind damage, but luckily Leah was at the garden today and declared her savable, but only if the plant underwent a radical operation. Naturally Leah was ready to perform that operation on the spot, and had the tools to do it.

To the left you can see the before, during and after pics - don't look if you're squeamish about the sight of a plant having 80% of itself chopped off!

Happily this plant has proved to be a tough old bird in the past, and currently has several strong shoots growing from the base. I expect they will grow up quickly and fill in to make a much healthier and stronger plant in a year or less.

Other things that got done today (with help from Matt)  included a great deal of pruning (by Leah - photo essay to come), staking of a tipped over Hakea suaveolens, cutting back and planting the resulting cuttings of the Tree Dahlia, weeding of the succulent slope and cactus wall, and daffodil deadheading.

The demise of the Princess Plant *sob!*

It is my sad duty to report that the Princess Plant (Tibouchina urvilleana) in the center of the garden has suffered a nasty accident. Looks like the wind tore it loose from it's stake and the main trunk has a horrible crack right through it (left.)

This was the first plant at the garden that piqued my interest in the entire project, and was placed there by Jim and Carrie. It's very sad that the old girl is damaged, and while she is an important part of the garden I don't think she will survive. I fear her fate is to be dug out and replaced with something else, as that much damage will kill her, or at the very least result in some very weak growth. As it is, she endured a hard pruning because she had a similar crack last year, but her trunk was just not strong enough in the end.

Please stop by and pay your respects before she is removed to the happy garden in the sky. :(

Plant profile: Tibouchina

Our original Princess Plant (Tibouchina urvilleana) was the first plant I noticed at P. Garden, planted by Jim who had rescued it from the street. She was a scraggly specimen with a split trunk and long, unbalanced branches that had not been looked after over the years. For her own good, she had to be pruned rather hard by Leah, and for a while there we wondered if she was going to make it. She has since bounced back and is currently putting on quite the display (photo bottom)!

I got another type from Jared, a Tibouchina heteromalla (Silver Leafed Princess Flower - left), which looks swell by the bench with it's silvery, fuzzy leaves. This one has a different type of flower habit too, with the smaller flowers appear along a vertical spike.

Latin name: Tibouchina (tib-oo-KEE-nah, tib-oo-CHEE-nah)
Common name: Princess Plant, Glory Bush
Originally from: The rainforests of Mexico, the West Indies, and South America, especially Brazil.
Blooms: They're pretty much covered in waves of big purple flowers almost all the time
Light: Full sun!
Water: Average to low once established.
Where to find in P. Garden: See the original Tibouchina urvilleana in the center back bed, and  the Tibouchina heteromalla (Silver Leafed Princess Flower) next to the bench.

There are about 350 species of Tibouchina. The name comes from an adaptation of the native Guiana term for these shrubs. Although a common and beloved plant here in California, the Princess Plant is a nasty invasive weed in Hawaii. I have to say I don't have a lot of compassion for the Hawaiians, since they can grow all sorts of tropical stuff year round but I suppose you have to have weeds, even in paradise.

The sun came out...

...and to the garden we went. Three or four hours later, we'd planted:
Leucadendron salignum "Red tulip"
Silver-leaf princess plant (Tibouchina heteromalla)
2 Didymochlaena truncatula (fern)
2 Cheilanthes sinuata (fern)
Pyrrosia hastata (fern)
Aloe striatula
Agave attenuata
2 Ceanothus "Joyce Coulter"
Aloe lineata var. muirii
2 Clivia
Echium "Pride of Madera" variegated
Fuchsia boliviana
3 Ornamental grasses of some sort
An armful of Zantedeschia (callas)
A pile of succulents
A partridge in a pear tree...

I put a leucadendron at the front entry (top photo) surrounded by stones (the dietes that was in the front was being killed by dog pee.)

We've arranged the ferns and clivias in a shady spot at the top of the steps (above) below the standard roses. When the roses get watered, it will trickle down and water the ferns too. We planted tibouchina and fragrant ceanothus and African Blue basil (Ocimum kilimandscharicum × basilicum 'Dark Opal') to create shade for the ferns and a nice spot for our future garden bench (below - chair is where bench might be.) How awesome it will be to sit on that bench and enjoy the garden, one day.

Matt re-jigged the small front bed and added our prize echium, among other things (below) and now all it needs is a twig border. At P. Garden every third shovel strikes a rock/buried plastic bag/rusty battery, and all holes dug must be amended with compost or sand or have a virgin sacrificed on the spot in order to get deeper than 6". This is what we in the trade call a "bloody nightmare." Thank goodness Ron the Iron Maverick came by and lent us a wheelbarrow today! It saved many back-and-forth trips with shovels full of compost.

The compost pile is fast disappearing - I have mixed feelings about that. It's good that the unsightly heap is going to vanish from the front of the garden, but we do need that stuff to assist in converting the horrible rocky clay into something slightly plant-friendly. We can always go and pick up more of it in the car - perhaps we can create a pile in the back and add horse manure from the barn and house compost scraps too, but we will go through it very quickly. Something to ponder.

Serious rain now

It is chucking it down right now. I no longer fear drought for the Bay area, let's just put it that way. But on to the planty happenings...

A neighboring craigslister replied to my plant begging ad and we went over in the rain this morning to pick up a nice collection of Zantedeschia (Callas) Cannas, a cool Bolivian Fuchsia, ornamental grass, borage, (Borago officinalis) lovely African blue basil (Ocimum kilimandscharicum x basilicum 'Dark Opal'), a Bougainvillea, a Wisteria, 2 standard roses, a Hydrangea and something else I am racking my brain over now!

Anyway, Kepa was also kind enough to offer the use of her greenhouse for our Leah-donated Australian seedlings. Hopefully the little sprouts will do even better with more light. Thanks Kepa!

A break in the rain and we went out to plant. Hydrangea in a shady spot. The 2 standard roses either side of the top of the steps Matt dug yesterday. Cannas in what's fast becoming canna-opolis (i.e. by the water supply) and holes dug for other things when the rain stops. Diana and her handsome Labrador Billy drop by, as does Jim with George the Rottie.

But wait! That's not all...

I was scanning craigslist earlier in the day and spotted a post from a guy called Jared giving away lots of perennials. I'd emailed him quickly, and he replied ready to give us a lot of stuff as he was moving house. We hightailed it down to Pacifica and our ghast was flabbered: a big collection of very cool stuff ready to give away!

Among other things we got a variegated Echium, Clivias, big Tibouchina, Aloe, Agave, ferns, bromeliads, Solanum laciniatum, Anisodontea (false mallow), Impatiens niamniamensis "African queen" - all sorts of cool stuff. Hopefully with labels on them. We stuffed the car full, sat some things on our knees, and made off. Thanks very much Jared - sorry you had to part with your plants, but lots of people will enjoy them.

Picture time

Today we planted Leah's succulents, and tidied cut branches from the Big Prune of 2009. We also sowed lots of seeds Leah gave us, and convened with our lovely neighbor Jess who is having a sign made for the "hard of dog poop"...

Some pics of the work done this weekend:

First up, Gary's wall, with newly installed yuccas, Crassula ovata (Jade Plants), cactus and Agaves (2 views) donated by John. My Official Favorite Part of the Garden at this time:

Mystery plant alert! It came to the garden overnight, it's very small and pretty, and we think it's wonderful. Grow big little plant! UPDATE: it's an Echeveria, allegedly.

Cactus and agave, looking yummy:














The Tibouchina urvilleana (Princess plant) after her radical haircut. Don't cry! Someone who Knows What They Are Doing performed the surgery (i.e. Leah):














The top succulent area before - small plants, not looking great, Matt with spade poised:












And after: a big Aloe, an Aeonium and I think a Senecio serpens (blue chalksticks) - thanks to Leah. We do need a lovely big rock or two to accent this area. Right now we have a lump of old concrete, which may be pushing the envelope of urban/industrial gardening a smidge too far:











Our house, with Matt's Sanford and Son-style plant propagation windowsill. Many Agaves, an unidentified palm seedling, a Yucca tip, and 3 Opuntia cactus pads, all busy rooting, we hope. It brings us glee:

Rain stopped - play!

(To borrow and re-punctuate a phrase from Wimbledon)

We got a lot done today, and the rain held off. Leah came over and spent all day helping us! We are gobsmacked. She is a trained arborist and pruned the cherry-plum trees and others and they are about to burst into bloom looking "shipshape and Bristol fashion", at last. (Matt suggested that that area is so nice now that we should put a bench there to enjoy it.)

She taught me a lot about tree pruning so maybe next year I can have a go myself, and she also pruned the Tibouchina urvilleana (Princess plant) because a) it was in desperate need b) I don't have all sorts of cunning Japanese saws and so on and c) let's face it, I would have done it all wrong! So fingers crossed, that plant will get it's act together soon.

Leah also recommended moving a few plants as I put them in too close to others, so I did just that. Then later on she gave me even more plants and seeds when I dropped her off at her house, so I get to plant even more stuff tomorrow. *rubs hands together gleefully* We are reeling from this generosity - thank you Leah!

Another person who came by was John, a craigslister who responded to my begging ad for plants and garden stuff. He said he had some Yucca cuttings, and I thought "yeah sure - why not try cuttings... they can only die on me." What he brought over was in fact 8 gigantic pieces of yucca (some over 6' long!) as well as rooted and not-rooted prickly pears (Opuntia) and a potted agave! Matt and I planted the Yuccas along Gary's wall, interspersed with the Crassula ovata (Jade Plants) I'd rescued recently (they'd started rooting!) and the effect was instantly exotic. Wow.

Lots of people met today, I have to say. A gentleman who lives directly across from the lot, John, dropped by to give encouragement. Robert Poyas the landscape designer came to say hello as he's involved in doing up the triangle area above our lot. And on the way back from lunch we met Max's neighbor, Tommy, who welcomed us to use their yard to store tools.

Later in the afternoon we were surprised to see craigslist John drive up again. Get this: he brought us a big bag full of agave plants/runners with roots! Matt put them in between the Yuccas and Jades and this is now my absolute favorite part of the garden. When the other Agaves and prickly pears have rooted (in the house), we'll add them too. As Leah noted the blueness of the Agaves works perfectly with the grey of Gary's wall. It's stunning. I'm in succulent heaven!

I also found a palm seedling and brought it in the house to grow on, discovered another uprooted spider plant, and removed many bags of dog poop left on the lot. Yuck. But all in all, it was a long, rewarding day on the lot. I'll take some pics tomorrow as it is dark now.

Pruning decision

Jim found and planted the rescued Tibouchina urvilleana (Princess plant), which was the inspiration for the garden. However, this tibouchina is a scraggly lady! She leans at a precarious angle, and is much too leggy. With a bit of prudent pruning she could become a nice bushy specimen, though. At left is a pic of my chopping options: some people have told me to cut the red lines. Some say the yellow lines.

I certainly think I can get her standing up straight using the pole Jim inserted, and gradually pulling her into a more dignified stance!

Matt got me some pruning shears so I am going to perform the surgery at the weekend. Please keep her in your thoughts: she should sprout and look wonderful come Spring, but I can't help wondering if this will kill her...

Time for some pictures

Such a beautiful day today: let's have some pics!
First up: Aeonium - doing well.




















Next we have the Mexican feather grass (Nassella tenuissima), society garlic (Tulbaghia), Princess tree (Tibouchina) et al:




















And an African daisy (Osteospermum):




















Here are two panoramas - the second shows various areas within the garden so far, which are:
a) Gary's wall - what to put there?
b) path along storm drain
c) bed
d) existing cherry plum trees
e) bed
f) bed
g) compost pile
h) bed

More photos

Here are some pics I took this morning of the plants Mark from Oakland donated. They got nicely rained on. You can see the little rock garden of succulents that Matt put together, below. You cannot see all the daffodil bulbs I planted, but take it from me... they're there. I put long trenches of them parallel to the dietes (top row), in front of the geraniums and alongside the Agapanthus. I also put some individually around the base of the Princess Plant (Tibouchina)

I had a wacky idea to plant the bulbs in a giant smiley face shape, or spelling out something (something short...) but in the end sense prevailed and I went with drifts.










I'm a bit bummed that they will come up in multicolored drifts, and not groups of one color, but that's what happens when you buy bulk bulbs on the cheap! It'll be "a look" eh? And maybe if I am feeling extremely energetic in Spring I will take note of what colors came up where, and rearrange them. Or maybe by then the challenges of public gardening will have beaten me down and I won't care anymore - as long as they are alive!

Storm's a-comin'!

Yesterday we went out and planted the following, kindly donated by Mark from Oakland:

12 Dietes bicolor
6 Agapanthus praecox
2 Crassula ovata (Jade Plant)
2 aloes and several assorted other unidentified succulents which Matt made into a rock garden involving some lumps of concrete and sandy soil dug from the only non-clay patch on the plot.
1 vine which I couldn't identify and am not sure will make it as it had a slight accident being removed from it's pot. Sorry, little vine :(

Mark also gave us 2 small oak trees and lots of spider plants which are in the house right now. I'm worried that the trees will be removed by CalTrans as they specified "no tree planting" but there are a few short trees on the plot so...? The spider plants are having all their babies removed and planted in potting compost today, so we'll have loads of them. Thanks Mark!

We also planted about 50 daffodil bulbs in trenches in various areas, added mulch to the Princess tree, watered, and noticed that homeless people hop the fence from the railway tracks at the back of the lot. Anyone got some barbed wire?

Today it's raining in a persistent, icy, miserable way... we are supposed to be out there putting more daffs in but for once in my life staying in and doing some ironing is actually appealing... *shudder*

Pics to come when I take them. Which will be after the rain...

I can dig it...

OK, Sunday morning. It's on.

1. Coffee from Farleys: check
2. Breakfast burrito from Hazel's Kitchen: check
3. Sunday paper: check
4. Truck full of plants: check
5. Buckets with lids for water on a handcart (because a hose running out of the window across the street is silly): check
6. One each of the following, suspiciously new and clean, from Ace Hardware: shovel, pair of gardening gloves, trowel: check
7. Carefully Photshopped aerial view of the plot (courtesy of Google maps) showing placement of each plant: check

We place the plants where we want them, and right away people with dogs, or local businessfolks, start asking what we're up to and giving encouragement. Nice way to meet the neighbors!

First up is Gary from Brickley Production Services which is right next to the plot. It turns out we could not have planted anything without his help because under 6" of mulch is rocky terrain. He lends us a pickaxe and another shovel, and agrees to let us use his hose for watering later on. Thank you Gary!

Next, Jim and Carrie bicycle up, and it turns out Jim is the one who planted a Tibouchina Urvilleana on the plot a few months back. I had seen the potted plant sitting on the sidewalk on 17th street, and a few days later it had migrated to outside the Bottom of the Hill

Later that week it crawled up the hill to 18th street, where Jim rescued it and planted it carefully, with a stake, on the Pennsylvania Garden plot. That was what pushed me over the edge into planning the garden. Pretty cool, Jim.

We also saw some of our neighbors in our building, and a lady with a cute dog called Emily (sorry, I'm so bad with people names!)

So, we start digging. As I said, 6" of mulch covering rocky, shaley clay. Ugh. Some areas are worse than others - Matt had a rough time getting his agapanthus in at the sidewalk edge, but I had fun putting the ceanothus, hakea and kunzea in in the meantime. But a few hours later we are done.

Final tally:
6 buckets of water
4 hands full of blisters
30 plants planted
Innumerable piles of doog poop removed...