Mulched Some, Finally


No mulch needed there

I decided to spot-mulch using the bagged stuff, not feeling physically or mentally up to the big-pile-delivered-ordeal this year.  
Gasteria argutifolia under that little shade cylinder
 The area around the new (2017) pergola is now completely refreshed.  The plants are growing.  It's great to be able to use this part of the property again.  

Experimental sizing of bird bath with those upturned pots in progress

Unfortunately construction continues to the east, next door.  Not yet pleasant to sit under the pergola.
Tile saw dust
The new neighbors on the north cleared out almost all the weedy mess.  I think they made some planting mistakes, (Olive trees planted three feet apart) but at least the place has been cleaned up.  No more falling fronds and almost no Eucalyptus litter.  No big trees hanging over shading and dropping branches on everything.
 Hippeastrums all moved here, blooming happily in the terraced bed.  
 Roses blooming, too.


It is refreshing for the gardener, not just the garden.  

Other plants of note elsewhere in the garden.  

Gasteraloe 'Green Ice'
 Sedum 'Angelina', blooming bright yellow, is fighting for space with Dichondra argentea.  Pretty fight.
 Anigozanthos 'Big Red' flowers, finally.  Today I saw some magnificent huge clumps of Anigozanthos in a grocery store parking lot.   What, they want to be surrounded by asphalt???
 Cordyline 'Festival Grass' and Yucca 'Bright Star'.  Foliage is lovely in April, too. 
 Rhodanthemum hosmariense 'Casablanca' woke up in a big way.
 One of the first Daylily blooms, 'Spacecoast Starburst', photo bombed by rose 'Julia Child'
 Itoh Peony 'Misaka' flowers.  'Bartzella' has just finished up.  'Misaka' has a more prounounced red spot at the petal bases. 
Speaking of spots at petal bases,  another 'Easy On The Eyes'.  Look at the number of buds!  I count fifteen.   

Comments

  1. The bark mulching looks good! Do they ever get disturbed by birds or cats in your area or they are pretty much left on their own?

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    1. Interesting question! The Towhees both California and Spotted are mulch-scratchers but they go for the light, shredded stuff. No outdoor cats to speak of here because of coyotes. Cats are their very favorite food. The raccoons do small digs but this garden is so under watered the grubs they are searching for don't exist.

      The bark costs more, but lasts a lot longer

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  2. Hopefully the construction will be over soon and you can really enjoy that handsome pergola! Some serious floral eye candy in your garden!

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  3. Is that red cordyline in the same field of view as the kangaroo paws? Because they look great together (and the 'Bright Star' yucca echoes the open bits).
    Pretty funny about the parking lot specimens, given the apparent touchiness of the plant in gardens.

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    Replies
    1. No, nowhere near. The Kangaroo Paws need considerable water during their blooming period. The parking lot spectaculars just made me roll my eyes and sigh.

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  4. The mulch looks great, the tile dust not so much - I hope the latter work on the part of the neighbor is done soon. The 'Festival Grass' looks fantastic with the Yucca. Does it need the kind of partial shade that 'Renegade' does? Still envious of your Itoh peonies.

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    Replies
    1. Seems like they are about 75% done with the pool. The scream of the tile saw and the jackhammering when they were digging the pool is the worst part.

      No, the 'Festival Grass' takes full fierce sun. 'Renegade' does not. 'FG' does have the quirk of needing a big root system before planting. The ones for sale have just about no root system. I've got two I'm growing in pots to get those roots big enough to plant.

      Puzzled as to why your Itoh won't bloom! Perhaps it is the variety?

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  5. Mulching is a dreaded yet most appreciated chore once it is done. The garden looks so neat and tidy with new mulch. Love that yellow rose. I hope you can enjoy the weekend without tile dust.

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    Replies
    1. So it's not just me that dreads mulching? That's good to know. I do dread it, and then it looks so beautiful afterwards I wonder why I dreaded it, but then the next year, it's time to dread it again.

      The crew didn't work today, so it was nice. :)

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