The countdown is 105 days until the big day. And a busy month it has been.
1. First, the fence is nearly done on the west side of the backyard.
Still waiting for two gates to be completed. One opens to our neighbors’ driveway and the other goes behind our garage. I will be using that space as a potting area.
2. Next, I removed the old camellia in front of the garage.
Now we need to paint the garage. Our neighbors have given us free rein to paint it any color(s). I bought brick red and mustard yellow. When the guy at the paint store asked whether I was a USC fan I realized that of all the colors I could have chosen these were not the most diplomatic since our neighbors are UCLA fans. We’ll see.
3. Next I attacked the Twin Peaks #2 coyote bush (Baccharis pilularis ‘Twin Peaks #2). I hope it isn’t too late for it to grow back before the wedding. If it is, I will remove it. I’m feeling brutal these days.
Milo thinks it looks mighty ugly.
4. Made more monkeyflower cuttings, seeded pots with poppies and gilias, planted two 4″ hummingbird sages (Salvia spathacea ‘Pilitas’) in the front under the deodar. Removed 2 deergrass plants (Muhlenbergia rigens) from near the large oak and planted them in pots. They were taking too long to get going and I wanted to clear the space for wedding tables.
5. Weeding and weeding. With all of the rain this year there have been so many weeds that it is hard to keep on top of it.
February blooms:
Fuchsia-flowering gooseberry (Ribes speciosum) continues to bloom in the woodland garden.
Claremont pink currant (Ribes sanguineum var. glutinosum ‘Claremont’) is in full bloom.
The monkeyflowers and wildflowers, poppies and globe gilias, are just starting to bloom. The hummingbird sage is blooming, as is the one of unknown identify (Pacific Blue or munzii/brandeegei cross).
And veggies:
Snow peas, Swiss chard, lettuce, herbs, celery (though it is bitter), avocados and more avocados, and that silly tomato plant that looks like hell but keeps producing more pretty good tasting tomatoes.
And finally, on an unrelated note, I got a dress for the wedding. Phew!!! It is such a relief. My kids are completely sick of hearing about the wedding. Hope it isn’t boring the rest of you as well. Gotta try to keep that under control…
I'm exhausted listening to all of your activities Barbara but it's going to look great! Wow!<br /><br />Lorraine
Looking good! Of course I do wonder whether anyone made such a fuss when you got married? Well, times are different. And you'll enjoy the garden after its face lift ;->
Is this "WeddingWild…" ;-)<br />Kidding, of course. Really haven't posted about the wedding as much as it is on your mind I'm sure! Enjoy seeing the progress!<br /><br />Oh, and if the police ever catch the plant vandals, they should be given tweezers and sentenced to pull weeds only, in the parking strip.
It will be interesting to see how quickly your baccharis comes back. Several months ago I took out a 15-20 year old bank of them–or so I thought. They're definitely on their way back here and there from the roots. Still the shock seems to have kept them growing at a more cautious pace at a time of year when they're usually pumping out the new growth.<br /><br />Good luck with the weeding
I'm not sure if Milo's look is one of pity for the Baccharis or one of "Nice Job Mom – now where do I hide my bones?".
Hi All – thanks for your comments. Yes indeed – "wedding" wild suburbia – and TM, I also got married in my backyard but it was so long ago that I don't remember a thing (coming up on 37). <br />James – if the baccharis doesn't make a spectacular and speedy return it is out of here! <br />Troy – I found quite a few interesting things in there…
Barbara, the only time I've ever seen Ribes speciosum in the wild was in the Elfin Forest at Baywood Park in San Luis Obispo County. It was in full bloom and a real knockout in its chaparral setting. I was never sure if this Gooseberry would do well here in our Southern California climate, but you certainly have a beautiful specimen growing in your woodland garden. I think I'll give it a
Arleen – we saw R. speciosum in Baja – so exciting! Saw it a few times – so beautiful.