I've been busy with dirt. Not much to show for it, I spent Tuesday spreading 21 yards of top soil into 2 very long rows. Pretty much the width of the front yard of the new place. Seeds sown: corn, pumpkins, artichokes, sunflowers, wildflowers, eggplant, and I don't know. It's all a crazy dirt filled haze at this point. The point is really to give this weed ridden area a boost (vertically) so I can really plant it out at a later time.
I was good and filthy by the end of the day, and so tired that I just sat right in the dirt to poke the seeds in. I met some neighbors I hadn't up at that side, and enjoyed some good friendly gossip. Along with one woman who couldn't stop with "the raccoons will eat the pumpkins, and take all your corn". She had lots of advice 😅.
I'll spare you the photos of the pile of dirt, that's all it is now. If things sprout, I'll be happy to share.
I have a friend coming to visit for a week, no matter the time of year there is always prep for a houseguest. A couple Saturdays back, David @slowboat spent the day with us for a BBQ and a good swim in the pool. He gifted this Acanthostachys strobilacea, a unique (to me) bromeliad that stretches and grows downward a good 3'! Not only that, he planted it up for me in this planter I had sitting around. Now it is happily hanging in the shade house.
And has rewarded me by sending out an orange bloom.
I'm going to do a random share of happenings, my specialty.
I planted this Cyathodes colensoi, in front of a similarly colored rock - which I didn't realize until just now. Maybe that will work out?
My one and only clematis is sending out blooms.
I thought I killed (too much sun) this Dicksonia antarctica. I pulled it out of the ground, potted it up and it's showing signs of life!
Ditto, Chusquea mimosa Brazillian bamboo. Supposedly can take some sun, not here it can't.
No complaints of too much sun from Agave oteroi 'Oaxaca'.
Echium wildpretii is doing it's big fluffy thing in the center, sending a bloom. This took the makeover in stride, with soil getting thrown all around it. I'm glad it made it.
That's pretty.
Dahlia, cafe au lait was a complete dud last year. In fact, I thought I removed the tuber. It didn't like being on the chopping block, and has made a nice rebound.
The liatris, by the path to the back gate are beginning their floof blooms.
Making it look like this magnificent Hechtia (argentea?) is blooming, a gorgeous gift from
Gerhard.
A colorful Bromeliad.
Something's going on in there.
Happy Father's Day to the Dad's out there! Sophia and Ivan are on their way over. Ivan is going to help with a couple palm tree removals, or more like I'll be assisting with tool fetching. Have a great weekend.😀
Do it now while you have the energy! (I'm sitting in my backyard in the pleasant sunshine and cheering you on.)
ReplyDeleteHa ha, thank you Alana! I will be taking it easier over the weekend.
DeleteSo, the new area will not be like the other garden, for now, at least?
ReplyDeleteJust for the time being - I thought why not take advantage of the summer sun and grow some veg.
DeleteYou've thrown yourself right in with getting to work on house #2! I'm not really surprised but I'm exhausted on your behalf ;) That Hectia is a beauty - I've never seen one bloom. I envy you the lovely Echium wildpretii too - I had one for 2+ years that sat around doing nothing before it just dropped dead.
ReplyDeleteI think that Echium is crested, I probably damaged it during the redo. We will see what happens, I laughed at "just dropped dead"... I have far too much experience with that happening!
Delete21 yards of top soil!!! Never a dull moment in your garden(s). Here's hoping for a photo of the new property front area, with a massively successful veg garden (if only to prove that passing neighbor wrong).
ReplyDeleteIt's wonderful to have a guest who brings a cool gift, plants it up for you in what was 'just sitting around' (gorgeous!) container and hangs in place too. That's a guest who be asked back.
Echium wildpretii has been my obsession lately. I can't grow it of course but I adore it anyway. I hope you'll post a photo when it's in full glorious bloom.
Chava
Oh, I'd love to prove her wrong! I'm so lucky to have met David, he's a gem of a human being. Will do, thank you Chavli!
DeleteI can't wait to see pics of the successful veggie garden! Love that Acanthostachys strobilacea, and the pot it's in. Wow, that's late for an Echium wildpretii to start it's bloom push. Around here they're at the end of the bloom cycle.
ReplyDeleteThat pot was sitting around waiting for something cool, David to the rescue! The Echium is ridiculously late, on closer inspection I think the top has crested. I likely damaged it with all the top soil and rocks being tossed around. So it could take a really long time to bloom, if ever?
DeleteJust make sure to get "before" pictures of the yard. Boring piles of dirt look amazing as "before" pictures.
ReplyDeleteI sure did, and photos of my incredibly dirty legs and feet lol.
DeleteHa, don't you just love neighborly advice.
ReplyDeleteI am so excited to see what all grows. I will come for a pumpkin carving party.
Enjoy the time with your friend.
I love liatris. I have white, pink and purple. :-)
She had plenty :). Thank you Carla! Oh, I'll have to look for other colors, I have standard purple only.
DeleteThe Hechtia is very cool. Good to see the Dahlia had other plans than being tossed aside. Beautiful.
ReplyDeleteSusie, I was thrilled to see the Dahlia in a much better state. Maybe I hadn't planted it deeply enough?
DeleteWill you eat the pumpkins? Or are they going to be for decorations?
ReplyDeleteHopefully we have enough for both. I have grown Blue Doll pumpkins the last couple years, and they are the most fabulous pumpkin I've ever had. Finely textured, great flavor almost like Kabocha squash.
Delete21 yards of topsoil doesn't sound like much until you start shoveling and then it is the size of a mountain! We ordered a load once and thought it would kill us before we could get it spread. You are one tough girl to get it all done in one day. The hard work will be worth the effort.
ReplyDeleteJeannie@GetMeToTheCountry
I did have them run the truck along while dumping it, saving me some of the trouble. The corn has sprouted!
DeleteForget about the pumpkins and the corn, the raccoons will hot wire your car and go joy riding.
ReplyDeleteHa ha haha aha! Yes, exactly!
DeleteDelightful plants! The Dahlia came back strong. It's exciting to think about all the lovely veggies you'll have come autumn. Enjoy your house guest!
ReplyDeleteThank you Bea! We're having a good old time, and the garden will wait for me one more day ;)
DeleteYou've got time now to figure out what you want to do. I think it makes sense to get a lot of fresh vegetables in the meantime. Great idea to get a head start on getting new soil too.
ReplyDeleteTrue, and so many weeds to annihilate first!
DeleteTWENTY-ONE YARDS OF SOIL? I can't get over that.
ReplyDeleteYes to Hechtia argentea. I'm glad it's doing well in your garden.
I didn't have to move all of it, they spread it somewhat. Still I was dead-dog tired at the end. The Hechtia argentea is a stunner!
Delete