Befores

 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 :)