 |
| Agave attenuata - extra tough |
Unless you were out of state last weekend you'll know it was punishingly hot over Labor Day weekend. So what did we do? Volunteer Day!
In fact, it turned into three days in a row, with Matt and I returning on the following two days to keep up the good work and get things tidy. There's lots more to do though - it's time to make a schedule to get everything done.
 |
| A mason jar to direct water |
The garden is possibly drier than this time last year. Always the most parched time of the year, we haven't watered anything since last September when a number of plants died.
We replaced them with plants we thought would be much tougher... and now THOSE plants look weak. Quite a shock to see
Cordylines wilting, and even some of the
Yuccas and even
Agaves looking a bit worse for wear.
 |
| Stacey and Hilary |
So, out came the hoses and we set up sprinklers in a few key areas to save lives.
Emily, Matt and I were ably assisted by
Stacey, Chris and
Hilary, and we all got to work weeding, trimming, clearing and tidying.
Stacey deadheaded all the Agapanthus, and Hilary cleaned the steps out thoroughly. Emily, Matt and I planted a lot of potted plants Emily has donated to the garden too -
Yuccas, Agaves, Crassulas, Cotyledons and other succulents - they look great!
 |
| Jungle! |
A lot of plants looked fabulous though - these are the ones you want to plant if water is an issue.
Agave, Opuntia, Yucca, Dasylirion, Hakea - those are the drought-proof winners. You can see a big jungly mess of them in the photo left. Matt and I thinned a few branches out of the Yuccas and you couldn't even tell what we removed afterwards, they are growing so thickly.
 |
| Agave hedge in training |
I removed some pups from the
Agave "Butterfinger" at the front arch and planted them, plus another from home, along the very top edge of the garden. We'll add more
Calandrinias and
Euphorbias between them to make a great edge.
