22 January 2007
16 January 2007
cold
We've had several days where water actually solidified at night. (Yes, this is unusual. Yes, I know a night is not the same thing as a day.) The newly transplanted callas are looking very wilted.
I managed to put another hundred-odd kilos of pebbles where I wanted them. The place where I was thinking of putting lilies is both too small and too shady, so I'm contemplating a change of plans.
I managed to put another hundred-odd kilos of pebbles where I wanted them. The place where I was thinking of putting lilies is both too small and too shady, so I'm contemplating a change of plans.
07 January 2007
callas
Yesterday and today I levelled some of the soil in that strip in front of the house and planted into it some callas (zantedeschia) that I had ripped up from wherever they were. Then I bought some more wire mesh so I can make a protected bed for the lilies I hope to eventually plant in the rest of the strip (we have gophers hereabouts and I don't want my plants attacked from below).
I've pruned the plum tree, which I would probably do better if I knew what I was doing, and done demolition work on the gaura and the "Dallas Red" lantana.
There are more primroses open; the morning glory (convolvulus tricolor) behind the house is doing nicely; that anemone is still blooming; the red cyclamen in the front walkway has several flowers open, though the maroon has only one. The lemon tree is bearing magnificently. My neighbour tells me it needs spraying for whitefly; she is probably right.
I've pruned the plum tree, which I would probably do better if I knew what I was doing, and done demolition work on the gaura and the "Dallas Red" lantana.
There are more primroses open; the morning glory (convolvulus tricolor) behind the house is doing nicely; that anemone is still blooming; the red cyclamen in the front walkway has several flowers open, though the maroon has only one. The lemon tree is bearing magnificently. My neighbour tells me it needs spraying for whitefly; she is probably right.
03 January 2007
more pebbles
There's an African daisy (osteospermum fruticosum I think) open, one yellow primrose, and several "Ziva" narcissi. The bush germander (teucrium fruticans) is looking nice, and will be even better when it reaches full size.
I've demolished the Matilija poppy (romneya coulteri) so that it can grow back in the spring, and likewise many of the Russian sage (perovskia atriplicifolia). Hmm, I should add photos to this blog. I also took out as much as I could find of the black-eyed Susan "Blushing Susie" (thunbergia alata). It looked all right, before the frost, but it grows too aggressively for my contentment, so I'm going to try some sweet peas (the seeds were a Christmas present from my sons) and morning glories on that fence instead.
Most importantly of all, I've finished the first half of that monumental project of digging up pebles and sieving the earth away from them. Why am I doing this? Years and years ago, someone laid a pebble-and-flagstone walk under the front of the house and forgot to do anything to keep the pebbles separate from the earth underneath them. So they just worked their way down into the soil, and after I had taken up the flagstones and put them to better use, I had what we might technically describe as a big mess: too soft to walk on and too hard to dig planting holes. I decided the only way to fix this was the hard way. So now I've got the pebbles in one place (with some sturdy fabric under them, never fear) and in the other place I've got wonderful smooth loose soil. Not much left to put in it, though, since I planted all my bulbs back in December. But I can move some calla lilies (zantedeschia aethiopica) into part of that strip -- I have plenty of them and don't much mind if I lose a few. Then I'll see what I can get over the course of the year.
Many spring bulbs are putting up shoots, lately including the calochortus and some of the species tulips. I was getting worried about them.
I've demolished the Matilija poppy (romneya coulteri) so that it can grow back in the spring, and likewise many of the Russian sage (perovskia atriplicifolia). Hmm, I should add photos to this blog. I also took out as much as I could find of the black-eyed Susan "Blushing Susie" (thunbergia alata). It looked all right, before the frost, but it grows too aggressively for my contentment, so I'm going to try some sweet peas (the seeds were a Christmas present from my sons) and morning glories on that fence instead.
Most importantly of all, I've finished the first half of that monumental project of digging up pebles and sieving the earth away from them. Why am I doing this? Years and years ago, someone laid a pebble-and-flagstone walk under the front of the house and forgot to do anything to keep the pebbles separate from the earth underneath them. So they just worked their way down into the soil, and after I had taken up the flagstones and put them to better use, I had what we might technically describe as a big mess: too soft to walk on and too hard to dig planting holes. I decided the only way to fix this was the hard way. So now I've got the pebbles in one place (with some sturdy fabric under them, never fear) and in the other place I've got wonderful smooth loose soil. Not much left to put in it, though, since I planted all my bulbs back in December. But I can move some calla lilies (zantedeschia aethiopica) into part of that strip -- I have plenty of them and don't much mind if I lose a few. Then I'll see what I can get over the course of the year.
Many spring bulbs are putting up shoots, lately including the calochortus and some of the species tulips. I was getting worried about them.
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