French drain needed

Gary & Annelle's scarecrow
guards the ditch

We have spent a lot of time digging around trying to find the source of the wet spot in front of the middle back bed. At first we thought it was a broken pipe. Finally last weekend Emily, Matt and I dug all the wet out, and we think it's juts a plce were water collects under the wood chips, and is held there by a big rock.

A gravel delivery is due shortly from San Francisco Gravel. We'll fill the ditch with gravel and it'll make a French drain that diverts all the sogginess into the front bed, where it's needed.

Dudleya pulverulenta

Other tasks done included planting some of the plants left over from the UCSF demonstration garden that Emily and Arum did. Among them were two California succulents - Dudleya farinosa and a Dudleya pulverulenta which is absolutely stunning.

Lastly, I went out and put stakes and caution tape down the opposite side of the steps to the handrail. That slope is very delicate - it's steep, and rain and dog paws easily uncover all the bulbs planted there, which are just starting to come up. Someone also crushed a large amount of the Sisyrinchium californica (Yellow-Eyed Grass) that was at the top of the steps, and I replaced some of it this weekend.

Don't stray off the path!

I also replaced some of the creeping thymes (Thymus praecox "Pink Chintz," Thymus minor and Thymus "Latavin Lucy") that got disturbed during the handrail project. Hopefully, with the handrail on one side and the caution tape on the other, all the plants on both sides will get a break and have a chance to establish themselves by spring.