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Showing posts from April, 2023
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 The wheelbarrowing of Spring 2023 is officially done!  Once I had the back pathways topped with gold fines, I realized I needed to refresh the front paths as well.  What's another yard of dg? I'm happy with the outcome, although I have some cleaning up to do as well as watering/tamping it down.  That's a much easier job! Here is a before, I had little grass clumps to pull and dead leaves to rake up. Supervisor very pleased with my work.  *Couches need to be washed down, ew. Will get a bucket and scrub brush to wash everything down today.  I was ready for wine & dinner when I cleared the pile Saturday.  The little white balls are solar color changing lights at night.   And a peek at the back,  paths needs to be hosed down.  We should be nice & sunny today after the clouds clear. *Greenhouse construction has begun by J! Rubble will be added over the spring summer to the border of the beds. Everything feels very small and "new", I look forward to seeing the
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A quick post, I've been outside working in the glorious weather non-stop.  The one & only Banksia I didn't manage to kill off, has a beautiful cone!  Below, some of the current blooms I stopped & clicked a picture of: I was losing sleep over the drab color of the california gold 3/8.  Ugh, I couldn't stand how it looked.  So I've topped it with a couple yards of ginger fines, I don't think pictures truly show the difference.  But I'm happier with the warmer look of it.  Topping the paths off with fresh gold fines and raking everything as well.  I may need one more yard of the gold fines, although my back is protesting the thought.  TriValley Landscape (Pleasanton) has much prettier gold fines than Cochran Landscade (Livermore) BUT they also have huge clumps in their fines that I have to stomp out.  I'll post pictures when I'm done with that project. I'm trying my hand at a crevice garden, I admit that I lack the patience to really do these ju
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  A tiny bit of rain in Livermore this early morning, .06 so nothing serious.  Mammillaria senilis with some hot orange mostly red blooms! I've just about finished planting the new middle bed, and now need to get some dg to gussy up the paths,  and better blend the old bed with the new.   I had to add a few pops of color, all the california gold looks so drab to me.  I keep reminding myself as the plants get larger and fill in -it will change.  Added Aloe helenae from The Dry Garden Nursery and a Cephalocereus senilis x leuchocephalus from Poot's Cactus & Nursery. His hair got wet, I do adore fluffy cacti. I have 2 potted Aloe plicatilis so decided to ground this one, I like it here. Got the lettuce/herb bed reseeded.  The house bunny will be happy to hear about that.  Tomatoes in the raised bed, I usually start from seed in January - but this year just bought 5 plants.  This is the "messy" side of the house with potted lemon, lime, avocado & grapefruit trees.
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The wind died down today, so I got going again on the yard of California Gold 3/8.  Should be able to finish this tomorrow afternoon.  It's so nice to be in the sun again! Piling rock around new plantings. View from the other side. A closer view of some of the various Dudleyas, I gave them a little drink.  I had them next to the house (in pots) and I didn't realize how dry they were.   An aloe dichotoma, also difficult to see in the picture. This side needs planting before I put the rock down.  This gorgeous Leucodendron startreuse is going behind the couch.   This area gets a nice bit of afternoon shade.  Will try a small crevice garden-y thing in the edge of the bed by the pathway that runs under the slope.  My first try at a crevice garden was a fail, I was too inpatient.  Not pictured, sand to add to the soil. This tulip opened today, later than the others.  Love the brushstrokes on the petals.  Came in a discount grab bag, so no idea of the name.