Before More(!) Rain

We're somewhere different!  New things to sniff!
 

 Impressed by a native-plant-restoration project,  I joined the volunteer day to contribute to the restoring.    

A group of about a dozen gathered to plant fifty-seven  native trees, shrubs and perennial plants.  Beloved went along and walked Boris and Natasha around the park while I dug and lugged.  

Walking to the area to be planted:

We got a demonstration of how to plant.  It is difficult for plants to survive long enough to establish themselves during this drought.  Heat and rodents are added issues. 

The guys with the water.  Lugging a bucket of water to each plant was essential. Early morning on a cool day in late fall, lugging water isn't bad.  In August when it's 90F, bad:

The plants need to be planted deeper than usual, and their root systems need to be inside a wire screen cylinder because of root-gobbling gophers.  Another accessory: a one gallon black nursery pot with the bottom cut out, flipped wide side down, to shade the crown of the plant.  The pot also preserves some of the plant when rabbits come foraging.  A red irrigation flag for each plant, so they can be found and given water during their first year--grass several feet tall can grow up and hide them during spring and summer.

The plant in the foreground has a gopher cage planted too high.  It may not preserve enough root system for the plant to survive a gopher attack: 

 I planted this Salvia apiana.  The top edge of the gopher cage is just visible:  

 I managed 3 plants--two Salvia apiana and one Artemesia californica.  The area had gotten a little rain in October and November so the clay soil was fairly dig-able.  I'm spoiled by the silty-sandy-loam in my own garden.  Clay is not as cooperative. 

Blogger in blue shirt:  

A week after the Volunteer Day, the area got significant rainfall--a big positive for those fifty seven new plants--along with all the others previously planted over the years.  

We all had a good time.  

Back in the garden,  another spell of rain just after Christmas--yesterday and last night: 0.57" (14.5 mm).  Any likelihood of rain means it is time to plant new plants and move existing ones, so the last few days have been devoted to that.   

The new fig tree got a different location than planned:

I ended up putting the fig tree on the south side of the tomato fortress.  It will be extremely easy to prune and shape it there by using the existing structure for support.  It's also even easier to access now.   I suppose I'll have to plant a new rose or two where 'Ascot' was removed.  Oh, darn! 

Bud to train horizontally:  the little fig tree may initially end up with an upside down "L" shape instead of a "T" shape, but other buds will surely produce another stem eventually:

Then a move/rehab of an area by the driveway.  Over time, the vigor and good health of Lavender 'Meerlo' crowded out an Evolvulus and a Rhodanthemum. 

Around the far side of 'Meerlo'  there was also a large clump of Sprekelia.   Left untouched for several years, it needed rehabilitation.

Crowded in there, with several Hemerocallis, a rose, and a Lagerstroemia as well:
 

1. Evolvulus and Rhodanthemum bits dug up

2.  Some of the Sprekelia bulbs removed; added some Dutch Iris that were languishing in a shaded spot elsewhere 

3. Hemerocallis clump reduced and moved 

4.  Sprekelia bulbs cleaned up, separated, replanted:

Some of the Evolvulus and Rhodanthemum stems had roots and could possibly survive.  I cleaned up the stems and replanted them--they might live. 

Not much of a root system, but this is a tough plant:

The magic that is rain might get them going.  And must move that bird-planted Toyon seedling:

More to plant before the rain. Beloved had given me some 50% off onion starts--they went in next to some of the Stock seedlings here:

The wire fencing was part of a roll I picked out of a trash bin in the neighborhood a few weeks ago.  A $40 or $50 roll--in the trash?!??  Couldn't resist keeping it out of a landfill.  

 Unlike many of the past several Decembers, the garden seems half asleep, as it should be at this time.  We've had many too-warm winters lately.  Lately with a long stretch of reasonably cold weather, some of the roses are actually shutting down somewhat and dropping some leaves, as if they were experiencing a real winter: 

But this is Southern California, so there are oranges, and avocados to pick, and Aloes to anticipate and admire.

Yum!

   A. capitata hybrid grown from seed:

'Moonglow' about to open:

A. cameroni:

A hardyi:

Fortunately not all the roses are sleepy.

What do you do in the garden right before it rains?