Stripadelic!

The Mariposa Center Garden was the focus of our volunteer day today - this is Emily's project garden and today is Emily's birthday, so that was appropriate!  We moved all our tools down there and set to work in the warm sunshine with a great crew: Emily, Debbie, Matt, Leslie, Eliot, Nate, Paloma and "other" Emily. ;)

First task was to remove weeds and trash. Leslie, Emily and Debbie worked on that. Second task was to fill in the hole left under the recently repaired fence with dirt. Matt wheelbarrowed several loads of dirt and rocks down, and Nate used the digging bar to loosen the existing dirt and level the area.

In the meantime, water was being applied to settle the new dirt, and to the existing plants on the garden, since it's been such a shockingly dry winter so far.

Next came the plants. We added several specimens to fill in the spaces left by the Dendromecons and Lupinus that just didn't make it on that hot dry spot. Here's what we planted:

2 Artemisia pyenocephala (Sandhill Sage)
1 Cistus aguliari
3 Cleome isomeris (syn. Isomeris arborea)
1 Lavatera assurgentiflora
5 clumps of Dietes bicolor

The transformation in the area of the gap is amazing - hopefully those plants will take off and fill in their spots quickly. Right now the Chasmanthe and Echiums are looking lovely, the rosemary bushes are lush and the Arctostaphylos and other Dietes are doing great.

Eliot swept the sidewalk and we all put away the tools. Matt pruned back the Dahlia imperialis and Janet and Debbie got some cuttings to take home. We all ate a few cupcakes in honor of Emily's birthday, and the day was done.