Posts

mid July 2025

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 I'm slowly continuing the take down of the front "rear" garden.  I'm needing a bin dump to really get going again (tomorrow).  I'm in the summer slow down. It's been 80's-90's, the most mild summer I can remember.  I could get used to this!  Dudleya still looking nice, usually scorched by this time of year. During my chop down, I spotted a forgotten pot of Dianella ensifolia showing off vivid purple berries.  When Ivan and Sophia come to visit, I'm the lucky recipient of things passed along -this one from  David ! A fabulous Stenocarpus sinuatus.   This one from Ivan. No way this San Pedro cactus cutting has rooted yet, but it's certainly showing signs of life.  and these incredible Euphorbia ingens cuttings. That big one is much taller than me! I moved a lone Lophocereus marginatus, Mexican fence post cactus to a grouping a couple feet away.  And stood up the Euphorbia ingens here, I'm hoping the fence + an early morning sun posit...

No time like the present

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 It's that time of the year where I try to stay away from planting, especially in the back - it's just getting too hot.  I was feeling antsy for a project, and it hit me last night.  Why not start removing plants from the front? Great idea, except for it being 100° today.  Oh well, don't fight it when inspiration hits. This area is to the right of our house. The changes I'm certain of- taking out the two Oleander, the always suckering cherry tree & two rosemary. What to add, I don't know yet. My first focus is winter interest.  It is severely lacking, which is stupid.  It's nice most months of the year.  Sorry for the bright sun photos.  I did just buy a new Sawzall, but I was too intimidated to be lifting it above my head to cut.  And the Oleander is toxic, just felt like a bad idea.  I stuck to old school cutting and pruning. Chopping up the pieces well, so I could fill the carts with as much as possible. One Oleander down! (they a...

Thrifty fun and a new Sawzall

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 Saturday, we (Sophia,Ivan & I) decided it was a good day to bargain hunt. Off we went to the Plant and Pottery Outlet in Sunol.  About a 20 minute drive from Livermore.  In front of our parking spot, we did not come home with a puppy.   Pots for days. Fabulous stacks of Corten steel planters - I really dug those round barrel-y types.  However, this was a day based on frugality!  Those smaller squares were $120 and the smallest round (not pictured) started at $250.  As Sophia said, with outlet in the name - we expect bargains.   We followed the smell of clearance, and crossed a little bridge. over a ravine, with many metal animals trying to scare us away.  Metal scorpion?  These were thousands of dollars. I didn't take photos of all of them, but we saw crocodiles, snakes, elephants, rhinocerous, etc.  And back in the corner, Eureka!  The clearance building.  We found a few good weirdo deals and Sophia found a...

Peace & ponyshoes

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When I glanced at this Leonotis yesterday, it looked like it was saying "Peace".  I just searched 10 minutes for this photo, and I don't think my big ponyshoes story is going to be as good as I thought.  I moved this Aloe in March (probably ferox hybrid) from the slope to next to the pool full sun area.  It was reaching for the light so strongly, I felt bad for it.  After a month of no effort, and NO thank-you's for all the spring sunshine  - I jumped in to help the plant "open up". I put these tiny horseshoes -ponyshoes on some of the leaves.  I imagined this to be a dramatic reveal of my efforts, but it didn't really pan out that way.  I promise you the shoes worked! I have had to tune out the news, especially recently.  I checked in for a minute yesterday, and thought "wait, when is his term over".  It took me a second, then I realized - it's still the first year.  Ay yi yi.  Our town has a lovely tradition, a little flag is plac...