Ship Shape

Front walkway

Newly planted mixed Dainthus and redwood mulch

Backyard right bed

Backyard left bed

Vinca minor growing (s l o w l y) and Mexican Evening Primrose (started by seed) mingle. Fall transplanted and divided, Bearded iris getting established up there. I'll be moving about another 20 plants up there next Autumn.

This Nas. took two years to finally get to this point. They are Sean Conway seeds from Target, in the blend....Peaches and Cream. I do not like orange, but this blend is darn nice. I think i'll let it stay....

Sping in Bloom

I see it's been far, far too long since i've logged in. Suffice it to say, i've been busy working and spending as much time in the gardens as i could in between what seems to have been and El Nino winter.
Things i/we have done:

• Painted white, and trimed in redwood shingles: a favorite bird feeder built by our son. Soon to be gracing our new perennial beds in the backyard. it's sooo cute!
• Planted more dianthus in the backyard and front; i'm loving those year round beauties
• Weed Weed and Weed the bank, trying to hula hoe the area once a week to keep it from getting out of hand and spending 6 hours to clear it, until the vinca grows in
• Enjoyed all the daffodils that sprang up in early Feb
• Loved the single bright purple iris that bloomed last week-reminder to plant many more next year
• Admiring the baby pink multiple rose blooms on the Cecile Brunner. it's off to a great start, and won't be pruned for the first 2 to 3 years. It is probably the favorite plant in the whole yard now.
• Weeded, and pruned and mulched the front yard hybrid teas
• Tweaked various sprinklers
• Daphne helped me plant more Virginian Stock, forget me nots, and Spider flowers. (where are those stock by the way???)
• Heavily clipped back the front yard privets, on advice from Gary
• Tried growing seeds of new veggies (no sign yet), Delphiniums (again, but in the ground, now-too late at that!) and just potted up two tomoato plants (Bonnie) cherry and medium varieties.
• Soon to weed and mulch the front beds
• Consdering how to rearrange the front areas
• Lusting after roses for the backyard wall. Maybe this fall, i'll have saved enough for some prime bare roots. Decided not to go for the white icebergs. They are too common, and look a bit spindly. I'm looking for dark leaves, really full growing to about 4-5 feet and baby pink.
• Getting advice from david austin co., for specimens for that wall and blanket roses for softening of the waterfall
• weeding, weeding, weeding!

Pinks, Purples and Whites

Stopped by Armstrong Nursery this morning with Daphne. She came along as i picked out some unusual perennials that i can't find at home depot...although i'd looked already. So here's what we bought:
3-Blue Bouquet Speedwell (Veroinica spicata) grown by plantsthatwork.com
3-Foxglove (Digitalis, Excelsior Mix)
1 six pack- English Daisy (Bellis)
Tossed them in groups in the backyard beds. Trimmed up the stock (pretty leggy-better to grow my own next year) The Speedwell are grouped together in the left bed, and the foxgloves are growing in the far right bed in the back, straddling the mini-stepping stone walk. How grand they will be!

(Maybe my green thumb will rub off on her somehow, someday...)

Scattered in the Dark pink and white English Daisy's along the two borders. Things look ok...i'd like to continue to add backbone perennials like these three and skip the annuals like lobelia, for awhile. I'm really trying to fill things up in the beds to keep down the weeds, and kinda give it a fuller,finished look, even if i add in a few six packs here and there. As for the rose hunt...it's still on. I'm trying hard to get them from Lowe's. They're trying to work with me as well. If i must, i'll wait till next Christmas to get all 10 white iceburg's for under 40 bucks. I spoke with Monrovia growers, and they suggested a carpet rose to soften the waterfall instead of more bush roses. I like the Baby Blanket best, so i'll be patient for now and hunt down the best deals. The big box's usually have a mad sale at the end of the season. It takes persistance to find a great deal. All my seeds are still growing inside. Kinda waiting for the second set of true leaves to come out before i start to harden off and transplant outside. Bulbs...planted two weeks ago, should start popping up shortly. This is such a work in progress;been working out back for 5 months, now. I eager for fullness on the back and in the beds. Adding the right backbone plants will help. I really hope the coneflower seeds come through for me! I can plant those all over the front and back! Finger's crossed...

Mulching Day

Yep. It wasn't a glamorous day, but it had to be done! Stopped off at the El Corazon Waste Facility on Friday and shoveled four bags (big ones) into the back of the van and drove 'em home. Early Saturday morning, i did light weeding on the bank, and then tossed the mulch around as i moved across the bank. Only had three small bags of weeds! With the rain and sun, they pop up quick,as it had been one month since i had done it before when i planted the vinca minor. Anyway, there is now a dark and rich application covering the bank,now;feeding the vinca, preventing weeds :) and keeping in moisture. That soil up there is the pits! So, with this on top and working it's nutrients, in...things will surely improve. The vinca is growing slowly but surely. I only saw about one plant that had died, and just kinda firmed them in a bit as i moved around. Looks great up there. BTW, i planted two home grown six packs of mexican primrose. They'll be off and blooming this spring. Hooray for us.
Compost Facility, Oceanside CA

Everything's Coming Up....Daffodils

As usual, the front side yard is showing signs of an early spring with the ever trusty daffodils peaking their heads out. Won't be long now, and their butter yellow cups will fill the area with sunshine.

Progress in Places, Front

During the last week of December, I really cleared this area out and opened it up. I've got the Cecile Brunner Climbing rose planted just in front of the brick column and it has lots of room to ramble up and over the front door porch. Let's hope it loves the so. cal environment and grows more than the 8' it states on the label!
I'll be putting in a few tulips here and there in a few weeks out in the beds, and adding plants as I come across the right ones from my cottage garden list. I'm starting to grow some seeds indoors, again!...let's hope these fair better than my last two attempts. If they grow well, the Larkspur and Coneflowers will be added to this area. Soon the Alstromeria along the left fence will be in full bloom. Perhaps next fall, I'll add three tree roses to that same area. So much to do, patience in planning helps with my eagerness.

Progress in Places, Back

As of the new year, 2010...we painted the retaining wall walnut, and tore out the lavendar on the bank to replace it with an all over spread of Vinca Minor, Periwinkle. Wall looks great, huh? Plants in the front, lower areas really pop against it, and it is demure.
Took two days of intense labor to get the bank in shape. Next areas to work on for the bank, include:
Final choices for Roses (and planting them), transplanting more bearded iris' up there, transplanting some alstromeria, and getting some mexican primrose seeds to grow to place up there.
Things are shaping up, though!