Cutting remarks

Last night we planted some cuttings. After the "Great Thunbergia Disaster Of 2009" where I tried fruitlessly and repeatedly to root some Orange Clock Vine cuttings (only to discover they are considered very difficult to root, even by the pros!) I am wary of small snippets of twig and leaf, knowing they are now out to break my heart and make me look negligent by dying, immediately.

However, I've decided I want lots of lavender so I planted up 27 little cuttings in a tray, along with a dozen assorted succulent leaves and another dozen baby spider plants. With any luck I should have some nice little plants in a couple of months - the spider plants we know will thrive. You can't kill them by dousing them in fuel and setting them alight...

In other news, it has been pointed out by my Pa that I have not been properly capitalizing my latin plant names. And now that I look at the situation, I have also been labelling posts using common and latin names.

Sometimes the common name is the latin name, sometimes there is no common name. Oof. Well I will have to go back and fix this up.

Naked ladies

Today I went up to the Haight and picked up over 20 Amaryllis belladonna bulbs from a craigslister whose name I totally failed to catch (so sorry!) - he also generously gave me lots of spider plants which might make good, tough border edging.

I can't wait to see the belladonnas (aka Naked Ladies) flower, though this might take a year or more - they hate to be disturbed.

Sunny day (on the) real estate

Today I bought a rake and hose, watered, moved mulch, added compost, sprinkled Nasturtium and Malcolmia seeds about with gay abandon, watered some more, made a sort of entrance defined with 2 planks so people don't walk on the new beds, watered yet again, and planted the spider plants we were given, even though I think of them as houseplants, because Matt says they are making the house feel too Sanford and Son-esque due to being potted in plastic drink cups, glass jars etc. Oh yeah - they needed some water too!

Anyway, I spent about 4 hours doing all that stuff in a nice relaxed* way, the sun was lovely, and I had a little chit-chat with Gary. All tickety-boo, as they say.

A pine tree has arrived at the garden, and it's hiding behind the compost heap with a label saying "Pinus t." which I think might mean it's a Torrey Pine. It's tall, and in a pot - I suspect Sage and Barbara might have helped it get there. I don't think Caltrans is going to allow it to live on the garden though... maybe it can go and live at the barn? Dilemma. Hopefully S & B will weigh in before someone steals it!

*For me this = hammer + tongs.

Storm's a-comin'!

Yesterday we went out and planted the following, kindly donated by Mark from Oakland:

12 Dietes bicolor
6 Agapanthus praecox
2 Crassula ovata (Jade Plant)
2 aloes and several assorted other unidentified succulents which Matt made into a rock garden involving some lumps of concrete and sandy soil dug from the only non-clay patch on the plot.
1 vine which I couldn't identify and am not sure will make it as it had a slight accident being removed from it's pot. Sorry, little vine :(

Mark also gave us 2 small oak trees and lots of spider plants which are in the house right now. I'm worried that the trees will be removed by CalTrans as they specified "no tree planting" but there are a few short trees on the plot so...? The spider plants are having all their babies removed and planted in potting compost today, so we'll have loads of them. Thanks Mark!

We also planted about 50 daffodil bulbs in trenches in various areas, added mulch to the Princess tree, watered, and noticed that homeless people hop the fence from the railway tracks at the back of the lot. Anyone got some barbed wire?

Today it's raining in a persistent, icy, miserable way... we are supposed to be out there putting more daffs in but for once in my life staying in and doing some ironing is actually appealing... *shudder*

Pics to come when I take them. Which will be after the rain...