My Garden Diary

I never exert the effort in climbing My Hill for only one task. While I was going up and later while I was coming down, I cut down seedling and sapling trees that have volunteered on My Hill. When I had My Hill repaired, the county's Public Work Agency, which issued the grading permit, warned me against having trees on the slope. When the winds blow, a tree rocks back and forth, breaking up the soil around the base of its trunk. During a heavy rain, that creates a path for water to enter the slope, undermine the surface, and cause another mud slide. Having spent over $150,000 to repair the last slide, I want to avoid creating any risk of a new one.

Also while on My Hill, I finally dragged the last bundle of pruned branches from the 'Flame' grape to the bottom. I cut them up for the garden waste bin.

While doing my weekly watering of the potted weeping Chinese banyan (Ficus benjamina) on my front porch, I added a large pinch of ammonium sulfate into the second jug of water. I also gave a little of that enriched jug to the palm and lavender that are in pots on the brick path from the sidewalk to the front door. Having learn a hard lesson many years ago, I gave each of these plants plain water first to prevent burning the roots with the strong fertilizer.

In my breakfast room, ran kite twine from a hook in the cieling near the family room to the bracket in the greenhouse window for the shelf containing the potted all-green (i.e., not variegated) pothos (Epipremnum pinnatum 'Jade'). Then I tied two long shoots of the pothos to the twine with nursery tape.

Weeded the brick panel between the sidewalk and the curb, where there are utility junction boxes and where my "mother" lavender (Lavandula lanata × dentata) grows. By the way, the rooted lavender cutting (6 Dec 15) died; I think it got too much water.

Yesterday, I bought a wax-leaf begonia to replace one that died in the raised bed around the tangelo and a statice to replace the wrong one that I planted last year (24 Apr). Today, I planted them. Since I used bone meal in the planting holes, I firmly tamped the soil and then watered well to discourage animals from digging up the plants; apparently, some animals smell the bone meal and think there is meat for them to eat.

Moved the basil (1 Apr) onto the intersection of the paths between the circular and teardrop beds in back, next to my perennial herbs. I do not think the dill is ready yet to move out of the constant shade of the patio.

The two rose cuttings (17 Apr) already have new shoots. I think it is too soon, however, for them to have roots. I might temporarily remove their miniature greenhouse (the inverted bottom of a liter soda bottle) now and then to allow excess humidity to escape.

While grooming the roses in front, I felt rain. After putting away all my gardening tools, I discovered it was merely a brief shower. As I entered the house, the sun was shining intensely. Since the weather still seemed unsettled, I decided to minimize my gardening tasks.

The bromeliad in the dining room died. While the top was still green, it came off in my hand. The base of the green growth showed significant rot. I hope the cutting (16 Aug 15 & 23 Oct 15) successfully roots.

Cleopatra is awake and foraging in my back yard. I shooed her away from one of my two remaining thrift plants, which was staring to bloom, by offering her petals from faded rose flowers.

One of the statice that I planted last year (either 21 Oct 15 or 18 Nov 15) is apparently not (Limonium perezii). The leaves are different, and the flower stalk has much less substance than the other statice in the east bed in back. I will replace it when I can visit my favorite nursery to buy a (L. perezii); this time, I will check the plant label very carefully before buying.

Trimmed the edge of the teardrop bed in back, on the side towards the east bed.

A limb of the Japanese zelkova (Z. serrata) — the street tree in my parkway in front — is dead. As the limb arches over the public sidewalk and extends over the brick path from the sidewalk to my front door, I am concerned that it would injure someone if it fell. The tree service requested some photos before making an estimate of the cost to remove the limb; I took four photos this afternoon and sent them by E-mail to the tree service. While photographing the tree, I noticed some small holes in a major upright limb. I am asking the tree service to examine that limb.

Trimmed the potted weeping Chinese banyan (Ficus benjamina) on the front porch. It had grown so tall as to put its pot at risk of tipping.

Hung shade cloth over the greenhouse window. Since my house is not square on the compass, the window gets far too much morning sunshine from April through October.

Tied up some new shoots on the '4th of July' (front) and 'Peace' climbing roses.

Climbed My Hill to train new shoots on the two lower grape vines. I removed the tips of some shoots, tied other shoot to the supporting wire, and removed all shoots that arose from the trunk of one of the vines.

Trimmed the path in back between the lawn and teardrop bed. This also involved trimming around the dwarf 'Robertson' navel orange and various perennials that I have growing within the edge of the lawn. I still have to trim the edge of the teardrop bed facing the east bed and also the edge of the lawn along the concrete main patio. Then, I must rake.

Rain —
This season: 6.92
Week: 0.21

On the other hand, the bromeliad cutting that I am trying to root (23 Oct 15, more than a half-year ago) finally appears to have two very small roots. I will let those roots develop further before using the cutting to replace its parent plant. The parent bloomed and then died. Before dying, however, it sprouted two side shoots. I used one shoot for the cutting and left the other in the pot without removing the dead parent. If the cutting eventually fails, I will have to repot the other shoot after trimming away the remains of the parent.

Trimmed another lavender in the circular bed. This required much less effort than the other two (27 Mar & 1 Apr) because this one was a newly rooted cutting just last year.

Finished trimming the Artimesia (27 Mar). I fed these with 27-0-6 lawn food. I also gave some of that same fertilizer to the potted Alstroemeria. Since that is in a fast-draining potting mix, nutrients tend to leach away; this means the Alstroemeria needs more than an annual feeding.

Trimmed the edge of the path that separates the lawn from the circular bed. I was going to trim the dwarf heavenly bamboo (Nandina domestica) in that area, but they have developed substantial trunks and branches. I will have to put more effort into trimming them than I wanted to expend today.

Trimmed the potted sage (Salvia officinalis), primarily removing flowering shoots. When a plant flowers, it tends to reduce the growth of new foliage; and it is the sage foliage that we use in cooking. If the flowers were allowed to set seed, that could seriously weaken the plant.

Planted a 'Snow Lady' Shasta daisy (Leucanthemum maximum) in the east bed in back to replace a 'Daisy Mae', which I could not find. If the remaining 'Daisy Mae' and the new 'Snow Lady' grow vigorously, I might be able to root cuttings or take divisions to increase both.

Potted basil (Ocimum basilicum) and dill (Anethum graveolens), the only two annuals I have in my garden. As usual, I will keep these in the shade on my patio until they are well established. Then I will move them near my other herbs, where intersecting paths separate the teardrop and circular beds in back.

While planting the new Shasta daisy, I noticed signs of snail damage in the nearby hollyhocks (Alcea rosea). I applied some poison snail bait.

To prevent bark borers damaging my peach tree (Prunus persica 'Santa Barbara'), I used a drench of systemic insecticide that is harmless to warm-blooded animals (including humans). This is one of the few times I use a poison as a preventative. However, I have never had a peach tree that was not damaged by bark borers.

Severely trimmed another lavender in the circular bed (27 Mar). The remaining lavender bushes there do not require so severe a trimming, but they do indeed need some.

Trimmed the edge of the path between the rose and circular beds.

Trimmed one of the 'Goodwin Creek Grey' lavenders (Lavandula lanata × dentata) in the circular bed. It was crowding the adjacent azaleas and daylily and also blocking part of the path that surrounds the bed. Three other lavenders in that bed also need trmming. While they do not normally affect my hayfever, the concentrated exposure when trimming them can disable me.

The loquat tree (Eriobotrya japonica 'MacBeth') — the central feature of the circular bed — seems to have set a large crop of fruit. They should ripen about May. I hope the squirrels leave some for me.

Put up two cuttings of Artimesia, hoping one will take so that I can replace an Artimesia that died last year. Then, I trimmed another of the more established Artimesia (20 Mar).

Three of the azaleas in the circular bed are chlorotic. I gave all six of them a dose of gympsum, soil sulfur, and iron sulfate. I also gave the same dose to a struggling Camelia sasanqua in the rose bed. These are not actually fertilizers. I will apply a very mild azalea and camellia fertilizer later in the spring, after all azaleas and camellias finish blooming.

Trimmed more of the edges of the path between the rose bed and the lawn (20 Mar), reaching the intersection with the path that divides the circular bed from the lawn.

Tested the sprinkler system for the back yard. As a result, I trimmed some of the lawn and shrubs to give more clearance to the sprinkler heads.

My Hill is sufficiently steep and high that I really hate to climb it. Thus when I must climb it, I try to accomplish at least two tasks at the same time. Today, I carried lopping shears in my bucket of fertilizer. I used the shears to cut down many seedling and sapling trees that have volunteered on My Hill. The roots of those trees are too extensive to pull them out of the soil, so I hope that cutting the above-ground growth will kill most of them. Later in the year, more nutrients will have traveled back down from the foliage to the roots, making that hope less realistic.

On the west side of My Hill, the bush anemone (Carpenteria californica) is quite dead; but the bush anemone on the east side still has green leaves and a small amount of new growth. I will replace the dead plant next October, which is the prime planting month in southern California.

Removed a dead cane from the 'Color Magic' rose. This is an "own root" rose, grown as a rooted cutting and not grafted onto a different rootstock. Thus, as long as there are live canes, the plant will survive. Also, any sucker growth from the roots should be retained as they will bloom true to the 'Color Magic' variety.

Trimmed another Artemisia. This is something that needs to be done every spring. However, I might skip those Artemisia that were planted last year as rooted cuttings.

Picked a very succulent asparagus (A. officinalis) spear. I planted asparagus when I first started my garden over 40 years ago. For many years, we had fresh asparagus with dinner once or twice a week for several weeks in the spring. Then, during a very wet winter, all the plants rotted in the ground. Late that spring, I noticed seedling asparagus sprouting. After about three years, I got a small crop. Then another very wet winter killed those plants. Over the decades, this cycle of new seedlings, edible crops, and destructive wet winters repeated. This is the first spring of another cycle in which the plants are sufficiently mature for me to pick an edible spear. If I do not see more spears, I will cook this one, slice it, and add it to a salad.

Trimmed the edges of the rest of the path between the back lawn and the west bed (13 Mar). I also trimmed the red fescue (Festuca rubra) away from the Artemisia growing in the lawn.

I was going to feed My Hill today, but I discovered I did not have enough fertilizer. I refuse to climb My Hill twice to do one task. It is so steep that I prefer to climb it once to do two tasks. Feeding My Hill is thus an effort for another day.

Weeds — especially pimpernel (Anagallis arvensis) — have sprouted in the west bed in back. Some of the pimpernel is already blooming.

Raked more leaves off my patio. The Tree is already in full leaf, but there is still a large mound of its last year's leaves.

Fed the dwarf citrus and the gardenia (G. jasminoides 'Veitchii') with commercial citrus food plus zinc sulfate.

The crushed rock in the parkway is proving much more stable than the pea gravel that was removed (26 Feb). I see no stones on the sidewalk or in the street gutter.

Rain —
This season: 5.68
Week: 0.74

Rain —
This season: 4.94
Days since last: 13