Work day chop!

John and Bob clearing
out shrubs

Today's workday had an energetic crew: Janna, Matt, Emily, Bob and John convened on the garden to make a mark on the plants that have died of drought.


Janna got to work turning the compost and the rest of us cleared a huge amount of dead material to the now HUGE pile in the dog area. Today the plants that got removed were two Kunzea baxteri who, despite having survived the drought were too floppy in form to live where they had been planted. Our Cytisus scoparius (Scotch Broom) had died too - a volunteer who had been cheerfully providing a splash of yellow for a few years, but is now as dead as a dodo. It joined the others on the heap.

Janna all smiles
taking a break form the compost

We also lifted the canopy of the nearby Hakea suaveolens and Berberis linearifolia, cut back the Salvia leucantha (Mexican Sage), Salvia canariensis (Canary Island Sage) and Plectranthus argentea severely, and gave the Watsonia bulbs a haircut.

The whole brights bed looks really different now with only one big tree left, and a determined pair of taller plants: Cussonia spicata and a Berberis linearifolia who needs to be cut down to size...

Before

In the meantime, Matt went and fetched a large Agave "Green Giant" from PRG as it was buried under a Malva. It came up to join the other big Agave of the same cultivar by the wrong way sign. I cleared out tons of overgrown Pelargoniums in the area, and we moved a Coprosma "Evening Glow" to the left bed, and a clump of Watsonias to where the others are. All we need to do there now is add a few grasses and the area is transformed.

After

After all this, Matt and I went and bought some new plants to replace the dead ones - plants we know are tougher than tough! We got 5 Cordylines and a Coprosma, all thanks to a great donation by Christopher Johnson of Mississippi Street!

Planting and moving

The Phormum "Alison Blackman" grew from a lovely little girl into a boisterous teenager pretty quickly, and she was taking up too much space at the edge of a path, as you can see in the photo to the left. 

Today Matt and I moved her to the brights bed. She will have a lot more room to flop around and be surly, and I used all the removed leaves as mulch (my new policy with Cordyline and Phormium leaves, which don't compost well and therefor make a great weed suppressant!) After that Matt planted some Euphorbias around the base of the clump.

Then after that we moved an Agave weberi from the "wrong way" sign area to the bench area, to create a focal point. We added six Bulbinella robusta plants, and moved a variegated Dietes to where the above-mentioned Phormium used to live.

Circle complete!

After that, we weeded the front bed and created some spaces to plant six Agave filifera in two groups.

An Uber Workday

Quick shout out to the volunteer crew from Uber that visited in December. They were on-demand garden heroes! Many thanks to Jackie, Phil, Becky, Katie, Yulong, Kevin and Kyle for a stellar workday.

This crew dug in and got a lot done

Like usual, we meet-up at Pennsylvania Garden go over a bit about how volunteers make all of this happen and the history of the gardens. After some sorting out of who wanted to do what job and collecting supplies, we headed down to the Pennsylvania Railroad Garden to get to work.

Everyone split into teams, while one team was diligently picking up trash, others were ripping up the fennel that has begun to pop up. Even the trees received some TLC, getting some extra water carried over by hand from SF Paint Source. Buckets and buckets of trash and weeds were cleared and the garden looked much more beautiful and fresh than before!

Some would say a miracle occurred, as a $100 bill was found among the agaves. Drug deal leftover or generous donation from an anonymous volunteer you decide...

Agave forest

Yesterday Matt and I decided to do one quick task in the garden: move some Agaves.

We had noticed a large Agave parryi was languishing behind something taller on the cactus wall, so we dug it out and put it where the wrong way sign used to be. Being prolific puppers, this one came with half a dozen babies so we worked them into the design.

This area now has a great swath of A. parryi and we're going to add another Agave "Green Giant" behind them and some Mexican Feather Grasses (Nassella tenuissima) and Euphorbia characias to complete the bed.

While Matt was digging I collected up a bucket full of Opuntia fruits that had fallen in the drainage ditch and were rotting or being eaten by rodents. I turned the compost bins and added the fruit to the newest heap to rot down. There are lots more fruit ripening up there and I don't want people trying to get back there to steal them as they'll get hurt. I myself spent quite some time picking spines out of myself after that job, and I had the right protective gear on.

The day before yesterday our quick garden job involved cutting back all the Salvia leucantha in one of the BRCs at PRG. They were crushing the pampas grass in that spot and now it has some breathing room. Yay!

More rain!

Aloe maculata

We had 1/2" last night, and more due tomorrow, so Matt and I got a few more plants planted and moved today.

First up, we moved an Agave angustifolia and two Yucca whipplei to the steps. I also planted an Agave potatorum into the group there.

Then we planted a dozen Aloe maculata by the bench, as well as several seedling Euphorbia characias.

Then we moved all the clumps of Agapanthus from the place where the "wrong way" sign was, over to the Triangle Garden in preparation for adding more Agaves to the wrong way area.

Before the rain

Two new clumps

We're due a nice big rain tomorrow - half an inch maybe? So Matt and I decided to take care of some plant moving and dividing so the new plants would get rained in and we wouldn't have to lug water up to the garden.

The ground at the garden is still very dry - the top 4" is damp, but below that everything is dusty, so we're a long way from being back to normal, though the last few week's of light rain has helped for sure.

Pampas and moved Phlomis

We dug up the Cortaderia selloana (pampas grass) "Silver Comet" by the arch and divided it up into several parts.

Then we returned the largest clump to the ground in the same spot by the arch, and then planted five divisions in the brights bed, middle back bed and left bed.

Cortaderia is one of the toughest plants we have, sailing through the drought without suffering at all, so we're confident having more of them is a great idea. This is a sterile hybrid, too, so unlike the plain green kind won't seed all over the place and be a nuisance.

The remaining original

I planted two large clumps of Chasmanthe bulbs in the brights bed, rescued from the Mariposa Center strip's destruction.  The other Chasmanthes in the garden have lots of leaves already so should be flowering soon - a nice spot of orange for the winter.

Lastly Matt moved a buried Phlomis to the brights bed. Much better spot for it, and it should fill in in front of a new Cortaderia there quite nicely. 

We have lots more plants to move and loads of brush to run through a chipper. Need to try renting one again!

Join Us On Saturday

My Mom, Debbie,
keeping PRG in shape

Please join us on Saturday December 5th for a garden workday! We should get a bit of rain this week, so on Saturday it will be perfect for pulling weeds and getting the garden into shape. If that isn't enough fun, Annie is renting a woodchipper, so come see that in action!

Bill giving the crispy trees
an extra drink

We meetup at Pennsylvania Garden at 10am, and provide all the necessary tools and training. Hope to see you then!

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.

Rescue operation

Today Matt and I walked up the street to the construction area to try and find out which agency tore out MCG yesterday. Calls and emails to DPW and SFPA have so far yielded no concrete answers. 

The construction manager on site apologized and said he was just following orders. His company's site manager was called down to talk to me and apologize too - after all they're just following orders. 

They showed me the plans, signed off by DPW in August 2014. So there's that. And they let us into the area all the plants were dumped in. We rescued 3 wheelbarrows of Dietes, a clump of Chasmanthe bulbs and 2 Agaves. Everything else was too torn up to make it... So sad. 

I spent the rest of the day planting and watering the rescued plants while Matt wrote an obituary for his brother. Yes, a crap week on the whole. 

MCG no more

This was the scene that greeted me today. Mariposa Center Garden (on Mariposa, across from Center Hardware) is gone. Wiped off the face of the earth. Well, actually, scraped off and dumped in a pile under the 280, across the way.

I'm dumbfounded. I called Hathaway Dinwiddie and left a message asking if that construction company at work in the area did it. I called the SF Parks Alliance and left a message for our contact there - doubt they know anything, but they will help rectify if they can.  And Emily emailed DPW too. I suspect I know who did it though... j'accuse Caltrans!

The strip of land was DPW owned, so this shouldn't have happened. It was planted starting in 2009 with donations from The Godmothers and Center Hardware and lots of backbreaking volunteer work, and contained dozens of Dietes, 2 olive trees, several Yuccas and Agaves, rosemary bushes, native Dendromecons and Eriogonum, Cistus "Sunset", Lavateras, and so on.

If I can access the pile of wilting plants under the freeway tomorrow, I'll rescue the plants that can be rescued (Dietes, Yucca, Agave?) and demand an explanation from who ever did this. A simple heads up that this was to happen would have resulted in consternation, but we could have rescued the plants and put them at PRG or PG.

I mean, come on.

Then, to cap it all off, Matt and I went up to PG after this discovery to move an Agave and found the new tool chest broken into and all the pruners and small tools gone.

Well you know what? Screw this. Back home we go, get the power tools and fix and reinforce the chest. I even planted a few Agaves on the steps area in a spiteful mood, noting that someone had stolen a few plants from there recently and feeling all the more annoyed.

Crack heads and government agencies and thieving plant enthusiasts: Much annoy. So hate.

Steps done! Sort of...

Today Matt and I headed up to the garden at 9am with 2 hammers, drill and bits, level, set square, pencil, and a belly full of coffee to finish the steps.

With 4 steps remaining, we decided to make a longer viewing platform in the middle of the run as with higher risers, the steps were digging too deep into the side of the slope (and causing rubber arms from using the digging bar to cut through rock...)

We leveled off the dirt removed to make a smooth ramp at the base of the steps, and shoveled lots of dirt into the surrounding beds to get rid of it.

At the end of the day we finished with 7 steps versus the 8 planned. Perfect, aside from needing a few extra bricks for the last step.

I left a layer of sand on top of each step to allow it to sift into the cracks. I'll brush it off tomorrow when it's had a chance to settle.

Then, this winter we can replant the area - this time with only the toughest of the tough plants: Agave striata, Leucophyta brownii and Achillea "Coronation Gold" - pretty much all that's survived the drought in this spot!

Home to rest at 3pm. Another long day, but well worth it!

Steps get started

Today Matt and I were at Discount Builders Supply at 9am to buy wood for the steps. Last built in 2009, they'd finally succumbed to rot so it was time to rebuild - this time with pressure treated wood.

Instead of cheapo landscaping timbers we bought treated 4x6s and instead of making 2' wide steps, we had the lumber cut for 3' wide. This will make fewer steps (8 vs 11) that are taller. That should make steps that are much easier to walk on.

We began by removing the rotten old steps and found that the 24" rebar stakes were pretty firmly stuck in the ground. A quick google showed that Burners always have the best ways to remove rebar, using vice grips and some lumber to lever them up. That got each one out of the ground in about 30 seconds, versus the 10 minutes of hammering, twisting and grunting we'd tried before.

Next was drilling the new wood and excavating the larger steps. Digging bar essential. Heavy work. My poor, bruised hands...

Then leveling carefully, adding the new step risers and back filling. Our tamper does a great job pounding dirt into place, and on top of each step I put a layer of sand bag material to suppress weeds. Each step top now has 12 bricks, versus the 9 in place before. I bought a bag of sand to fill the gaps between the bricks too.

With fewer steps, we'll end up dropping down the slope too fast so we're planning to make a bricked viewing platform half way down the steps to take that into account.

We quit at 3pm, after installing 4 steps due to total exhaustion. We cordoned off the area and dragged ourselves home to rest. Gonna be so very sore tomorrow! Hope we can finish this job this week.