After the last (hopefully!) triple digit day of 2025, our temps have dropped a bit. Although we're still 90 today, with the cooler mornings and sunset happening earlier -it just doesn't feel as serious. My photos today will not be pretty ones.
I've been a bit undecided & stalled on my vision for the front garden renovation. I would like some blooms, but I need beauty year-round. It's just all too "dead & sleeping" in the winter. That's stupid in this zone. So, with that in mind I grabbed my root slayer and started removing things that fell into that category. Bye canna.
That wasn't so scary, and kinda caught the bug at this point. Bye floppy penstemon, salvia, woody lavender, underperforming Dahlias, Princess of Kent rose (doesn't do well here, it's just too hot).
The August/September sun has done it's damage, whatever -it looks worse in January. By the time I got to the sidewalk, both green bins were full.
But that didn't stop me! Bye Cotinus coggygria (royal purple smoke tree). I kept these more as 3-4' bushes, but as I'm pulling the car out of the garage they still block the view of the sidewalk. I liked their color in spring, but they just didn't do it for me the rest of the year. Again, winter dead. Off with their heads!
I was moving with style and ease. Until I began digging to remove the roots. Things really slowed down for me. Broke my new trowel. Purchased in May. :(
The roots were as thick as the trunk, and grew in multiples stacked on top of each other. Each bush took about an hour to unearth. In the end I was victorious.
I was so happy to have it done after 3 hours of digging & cutting... I texted a friend about how I definitely deserved a beer, I ended up with a nice glass of red wine.
I had Buena Vista tree service give a bid on aggressive trimming & lacing up the Chinese Elm street tree. It's dropping tons of leaves & seeds. So hopefully they can do it soon, and save me some clean-up efforts. This is a massive tree, the photo doesn't really show how ridiculous it is. They are planted all along our street, and do look quite nice.
It extends waaaay over the front yard, shading a good portion. The bid was $1k - it is California after all. But we said yes, get us on the schedule. Then I'll have some topsoil & gravel delivered. I have them drop that right in the street in front of the tree, so not to block the driveway. But it would get covered with leaves if I have it dropped before the pruning.
In other ugly news, I had Aloe mite show up on an Aloe sabaea (ordered on Etsy). When it was initially delivered, I had doused it with a systemic (which I usually do for Aloes from Southern CA) -and quarantined it. Thankfully. A couple weeks later, the mite showed it's ugly telltale gall. Cut that portion out & treated it again, but the mites lived on. Instead of trying again, I bagged it & to the garbage bin it went. Here you can see the 2nd gall I was attempting to cut out, but ultimately decided against keeping it.
Hollis from In the Company of Plants and Rocks mentioned on his last post that views of his blog have increased. I don't usually track that, but did notice very strange #'s on mine. I don't do ads, so I guess it doesn't really matter. But have any of you noticed you're suddenly WAY more popular? lol, I'm guessing it's bots & AI training.
Tomorrow (Saturday) I'm off to Davis for the UC Davis plant sale. Even better, afterwards a visit to
Gerhard, succulentsandmore! I hope you have a wonderful weekend :)
You were industrious and ruthless - both good things when you're making a major change! And you did it in 90F heat, which I can't imagine. It's much cooler and even a bit wet here today - we've picked up 0.05/inch of rain since last night, finally passing the 7 inch mark for the 2025 rain year, which comes to an end next week.
ReplyDeleteI don't have the winter issues you do. We essentially have 2 seasons: one cool and one warm-to-hot. It's the long, dry summer that depresses me.
As to blog traffic, mine was steady but much lower until my total views hit 2M last December (after 10 years of blogging). Since then it's gone crazy. I got over 70K views last month and I'm over 247K already for this month. Yes, AI bots are clearly at work, possibly because bloggers won't sue as book authors have ;)
Your numbers are astronomical vs. mine! My numbers noticeably changed mid-August. Interesting. I hope others chime in if they've noticed.
DeleteRuthless, I like that a lot! It feels so much cooler, and we actually did get a few drops of rain. Looking ahead to very lovely 80's for a few weeks. Your garden really gets to show off that lovely zone, year round. If I can get just a touch of that in the front I'll be happy.
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ReplyDeleteWow, you have been BUSY. Super impressive. Can't wait to see what your front yard will morph into.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to visiting with you tomorrow.
Removing plants is helping ideas form, somewhat. Yes, I'm looking forward to it as well!
DeleteA root slayer sounds like an essential tool, I need to up my game on garden tools. And so weird about blog traffic -- yes, mine has gone up in Sept. How creepy to think it's the bots and Ai...weird times.
ReplyDeleteI highly recommend the root slayer, a top 5 for me. The traffic is def strange, I added a google analytics tag to get more info.
DeleteIf you stack your garden for the winter, won't that mean that in the summer you're dealing with not a lot of pretty? Or will that make it work year-round?
ReplyDeleteGood point, I'm trying to add things that look nice year round. So that may be a bit less impactful in summer?
DeleteYou mentioned winter colour which set me off thinking that colourless winter is coming. Unfortunately, lea ves are changing and falling earlier this year, so November bleakness will come early, like in October. Then, we actually look forward to snow to break the grayness.
ReplyDeleteColorless winter, exactly how I feel about it, too. Your fall color is exquisite, I'm glad you get out there and enjoy it all!
DeleteSo what do you rely on for winter color? Or is there anything to recommend in the landscape around you? My winter notes seem to lean heavily on osteospermum, euphorbia, erigeron, and Salvia leucantha but I'm always trying to find more/add bulbs for spring...would love winter flowering aloes but unfortunately the gophers seem to as well.
ReplyDeleteIn the winter I tend to only want to spend time in the back. The cacti & succulents, proteas & grevilleas have blooms but mostly important don't die to the ground like perennials would. I want more of "that" in the front. Your suggestions are all good, I like all the plants you mentioned!
DeleteWow… you go girl! What fun is ahead. Aloe mite… yuck. You’re smart to nip it in the beginning. I noticed a couple of months back that my posts were each getting thousands of views, then it dropped back down to normal numbers. It never occurred to me that it was AI, but of course you’re right.
ReplyDeleteI just checked, it looks like my views are returning to normal. Hmph, I suppose AI learned all they needed to know in a month of my posts, hahaha!
DeleteIf only I was better at blending - my planning brain seems to require a clean slate.
Funny, I just went back to look at those posts with big number views and another 1,000 have been tallied since my above comment just a few days ago. It's so strange they're hitting the same posts again and again.
DeleteIt is strange, I feel like it is AI training. I won't do ads, but I'd love to charge them for that :)
DeleteBusy, busy indeed. It's fascinating to observe your changes and progress. I'll stay tuned for future episodes. ;-) Re: blog #s...gosh, I'll have to check. I've never really kept track, but I imagine, as the others have said, that AI is part of the picture.
ReplyDeleteThank you Beth, it is fun to follow along and see what people are doing in their own spaces.
DeleteGood for you on getting rid of plants that no longer bring you joy. It's a difficult step making that kind of decision. I've started re-evaluating the giant pots I move around year to year and am deciding some just aren't worth the effort. By by oleander in a heavy terra cotta pot that blooms once a year and has to be coddled in the greenhouse over winter - off to a plant exchange with you. Some plants just no longer excite me after I've seen them perform or struggle. The really hard part - as you mention - is then what comes next? I've been stuck in that afraid to renovate stage just because I can't see the vision forward, forgetting I never really had a vision to begin with and just started gardening and trying the plants I thought would be pretty.
ReplyDeleteAs to blog traffic, I haven't seen a huge increase like you and Kris have. I don't have that much traffic usually, receiving 400-800 visitors per month, most from the US and some from European countries and Australia. This month there has been a small uptick, to just above 1000 visitors. Most of that uptick has come from China - a few hundred extra "visits". So, yes, maybe something is going on. It is so weird being spied upon and to not know for what purpose. Strange times.
oh yes, pots are another consideration I need to put on the list! I'm excited to go out and get rid of more of the scorchy stuff today. I'm digesting some cake at the moment, lol. I think the bob/AI traffic is dying off as quickly as it started- I think my visits are usually about what yours are.
DeleteHi, I am doing the same thing ... off with their heads. We are going to be building a new garage, sadly it is going to take away some of my garden space. I am getting serious about what I want to keep and what will need to go.
ReplyDeleteI am experimenting with a few of my favorites, they will not be in the "right place" but I am in hopes they will want to thrive for me. Hee Hee!
Carla, that is exciting news! Even tho you'll be missing some garden space - a new garage sounds great.
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