Started to get the donations planted.

Banksia serrata

Yesterday I wanted to get some of Jamie's plants in the ground, as I knew rain was coming today. I started out in the middle front bed, where our big Agave americana variegata, affectionately known as "Moby Dick" used to live - until it flowered! The stump from that was so big we couldn't remove it, so Matt has been planting Agave attenuatas all around it.

That's been working OK, but I have also noted that the Leucodendron "Jester" in that bed has done incredibly well with no help, so it seems like a great spot for a related plant from Jamie's donation: Banksia serrata.

After weeding and clearing the area, that went in just fine, and I mulched it well with wood chips afterwards. It should make a large shrub or small tree, and has wonderful serrated leaves and big creamy colored cone-like flowers.

Cistus skanbergii

Next up, I added the Cistus skanbergii in the same area, and the two Teucrium aroanium as well. Hopeful the latter two will do well, but will have to keep an eye on them. The Cistus will be great. More mulch, away we go.

After that was done, I moved to the middle back bed and started weeding. I weeded around a lot of the Aloe maculatas, and moved one to fill a gap. They do look very tired in midsummer, but quickly spring back and get growing as soon as the rains start.

Leucospermum "Veld Fire" - back

The blue fescue grasses (Festuca glauca) that we'd planted there are not xeric. I finally admitted that, gave up and pulled the remaining ones out, and put in lots of mulch.

As the area behind them was empty, and was an area with lots of sand in the soil, the perfect plant to add was Leucospermum "Veld Fire". I'll add a couple more variegated Yuccas later, but overall when the Leucospermum gets going it'll be perfect there.

OK that's all for today - more soon!

New donation

Today I picked up some plants from neighbor Jamie. They're all super tough and a lovely donation to the garden: we'll have to get them planted right away!

Acacia stenophylla (2)
Agave bracteosa
Agave geminiflora
Aloe ??? - need to ID this one
Banksia serrata
Cistus skanbergii
Dasylirion longissimum
Dyckia sp. 
Leucospermum "Veld Fire"
Teucrium aroanium (2)

Thanks Jamie!

Wrong Way done right

The area behind the Wrong Way sign has been a bit of a mess for a while. After the Cannas were infected with Canna virus we had to throw them all out, which left some Gaillardias and some Watsonias. Spring reminded me that the Watsonias were mostly white ones when they flowered - they need to go to the left bed. But what other plants could go in that spot? The directives were a) xeric or very drought tolerant, b) bright colored if possible c) no taller than 4' high to preserve the line of sight for drivers exiting the freeway.


I'd recently planted a Coprosma there, and Janet moved out Banksia spinulosa over there too. And today Matt and I went by the Flora Grubb sale and we just went for it. We bought:

1 large red Phormium "Guardsman"
3 Elymus magellanicus
1 Agave gypsophila
1 Aloe tomentosa (with three heads - we can divide it!)
1 Arctotis "Burgundy"

These plants make a great rich red and silvery combination. We got back to the garden and started by ripping out a bunch of Gaillardias and Watsonias - that felt good! The stage was set.

We placed the plants we'd bought in various areas, then we hunted through the plants in the back area and added to that group:

1 Agave lophantha
1 Agave salmiana ssp. crassispina
5 Agave parryii
1 Euphorbia "Excalibur"
14 Lychnis coronaria (Rose Campion)
5 Aeonium arboreum "Atropurpureum"
2 Aeonium arborium "Zwartkop"

With all these ready to go we started planting. After a few hours all 36 plants were watered in, and we cleaned up and built a fresh new twig border with the lovely branches Deric and Kome gave us. We even gave some Watsonias that were left over to a nice couple from Fremont who were visiting the garden.

Done! I'm really pleased with how it all looks, and it'll all grow in and be beautiful AND low maintenance, I hope. I've decided to add a few Artemisias around the base of the Phormium and Agave lophantha to pick up the silvery theme too - might try rooting up my own.

Oh yeah, forgot to mention I planted some Portulaca grandiflora (Moss-rose Purslane) in the bright bed last week, At $6 for 18 plants from Home Despot these sunny, heat-loving little annuals should fill in the front of that bed nicely.

Bindweed is the antichrist

Francisca

Saturday's volunteer day was great as always. We had a dozen people show up and work away for 2 hours, putting in a total of 24 person-hours of work which had an astonishing effect on the garden. We got so much done and several people asked if there were additional work days planned before the next official one. Well if they're THAT keen,who am I to stand in the way?

I sprinkled some multicolored California poppy seeds and yellow Calendula seeds along the lavender hedge as I pondered project number one for the day: to remove bindweed from the dog area and lay down weed barrier cloth. After covering this with mulch it should prevent bindweed from flourishing there. No, it won't stop it altogether, but it will put a severe dent in the party scene that the bindweed has been enjoying. Fingers crossed!

Uzuri and David

I'd estimated we'd get one 6' x 100' long strip done, but we got two strips done. Emily led the enthusiastic group comprised of Elliot, Paloma, David, Uzuri, Donna, Francisca and Leslie, who systematically rid the area of weeds. Leslie also pruned the Salvia "Anthony Parker" which was a bit overdue for a haircut.

In the meantime, I worked in the left bed alongside Carlin, who managed to prune back several unruly plants in no time at all. The cardoon, Cortaderia, Euphorbia "Blackbird", Purple Fountain Grass (Pennisetum setaceum), Watsonia and Artemisia "Powis Castle" all got a trim.

Donna and Emily

I cut back the red Canna, a rosemary and a lavender, and together we worked on the Helichrysum petiolare and Coprosma that were threatening to take over the Phormium back there.

Emily moved the two Aquilegias from the left bed up by the bench - it was just too hot and dry for them. Janet moved a Banksia spinulosa over to a spot behind the wrong way sign too - that one wasn't getting enough sun. Dee cut back the Watsonias in the brights bed among other tasks, and Debbie cleaned up a great deal of weeds from the steps area.

Paloma and Elliot

While all this was going on, Matt was busy in the back slope. At the end of the day I was astonished to see how much work he'd done in cutting out terraces, securely marking the area for the new steps, and moving the compost bin up slope to the base of the compost heap.

Go team!

Full sun

Hot and sunny today. I popped round to Starbucks and picked up my first weekly load of coffee grounds: if nothing else they smell great! Then, while drinking a coffee, I enjoyed the newly opened daffodils. I'd ordered mixed bulbs - supposedly they are all different colors. However, so far, only plain yellow... hm...

Next up, the usual plant triage - get things in the ground that have been waiting probably too long. Today this included:

Grevillea rosmarinifolia (top bed)
Banksia spinulosa (left side bed)
Grevillea synapheae (between Moby Dick and the variegated Echium)
Berberis linearifolia (top bed)
Psoralea pinnata (up by the bench area - it smells good)
3 dozen yellow Corn Marigolds (Chrysanthemum segetum) (in all the edge borders)
I also moved some California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica) and Nasturtium seedlings around to fill in spots in the new front edge border, moved the Trachelospermum jasminoides (star jasmine) to the trellis, and a Heuchera to sit with the other specimens in the shade.

While this was happening, Jess and Sophia came by and chatted - always fun. Sophia says whole sentences now and some of them make sense. Mindboggling.

I was also visited by Jessica from Caltrans. Now, this visit had been making me a leetle bit edgy as I thought she might want me to get rid of some plants / trellisses / steps / trashcans / the whole damn thing.... eeek! But no: she was soooo nice, and very enthusiastic about the garden! Pretty much every concern I had was erased, and not only that but she brought me a whole flat of yarrow plants, 2 bags of nasturtium seeds and a bag of sunflower seeds. Yeah! Thanks Jessica!

Then along came today's winning team from the 1860's baseball reenactment league, the Pacifics! OK, basically that means Matt, Sage, Barbara and Dan. All covered in mud and drinking Miller Lite. So, enough gardening! Off to the barn.

While I was toodling around on the horse, Leah came by and went to town. She pruned the loquat, picked up cigarette butts and needles (gag!) and left me all sorts of plants too. I'm so sorry to have missed her - how often do you get someone dropping by to clean up biohazards for you?! Anyway, I can't wait to see the results of her work in daylight. Thanks Leah.

San Francisco Botanical Garden - land o'temptation

The SFBG has a monthly plant sale, and it was there that I got my first load of plants, waaaay back in December '08... I'd missed recent sales but was determined to go today, and also determined not to spend loads of money.

The place was mobbed and I didn't see anything I had to have, so I was feeling like I might leave, but remembered I wanted a Grevillea and asked a volunteer. Too bad, so sad - they had two, that were already sold. But wait - here's Mark who knows all about them, maybe he can tell you if we have more.

Mark remembered me from December, when he sold me an aeonium. He showed me a few plants then said "follow me" and we went back to the private nursery area. The mother lode! I left with 5 plants from Australia:
Grevillea rosmarinifolia
Banksia spinulosa
Grevillea synapheae
Berberis linearifolia
Psoralea pinnata (Scurfy Pea Shrub - sounds... great...)

And of course I had to join the SFBG - you get a free plant and 10% off your purchases.

Got back to the garden and couldn't decide where to plant them, so instead I planted up the new front bed with the following:

2 Lavenders
6 Agapanthus (moved from adjacent bed)
12 Artemisias
9 orange daisies from Matt's dad.

We have a couple dozen more orange daisies - not sure what they are but they look great. I also put 5 variegated agave pups around the place, and got some props from a guy called Kenny who lives around the corner and likes what's happening. Yay!