The title of this post pretty much sums up my current state. As work on our ongoing home remodel speeds up, my work in the garden is subject to unexpected interruptions and complications. Last week we discovered a badly corroded gas line on one side of the house. As it turns out, replacing it isn't simple. Plants have been trimmed back. Others have been removed. Still others, including the rose that climbed the face of our master bedroom chimney, are at risk.
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| North side of the house as photographed in late June 2018 |
I couldn't duplicate the prior shot as there's a storage pod, port-a-potty and dumpster in the way but here are some close-ups.
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| My husband and a member of the construction crew dug a trench around the house's northwest perimeter, ending just short of the Leucadendron 'Wilson's Wonder' (shown in the prior photo to the left of the chimney). I'll be sad if the climbing rose and Phormium have to go but I'll be devastated if the Leucadendron I brought with me from my former garden has to be removed. |
After a couple of delays, the plumber arrived on site this morning. Upon first view, I overheard him say "this is a (profanity deleted) nightmare." Twice! However, he and his crew are still here so I guess they haven't thrown in the trowel yet. In other news, the crew currently plastering our living room fireplace just spilled blue epoxy on the porous driveway...
Most of the exterior painting was completed yesterday and we've begun to move items that had been deposited in the garden back into place, freeing up some space. There's still a lot of clean-up required but I made a small start last night.
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| My work bench hasn't looked this neat in years. How long I'll keep it looking like this is an open question. |
I'd like to get back to work on the bromeliad bed I started renovating a month ago using stone saved when our indoor barbecue was dismantled but there's a lot of junk I need to move back behind the garage so I can maneuver.
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| Meanwhile, the area is a depository for plants I dug up when I pulled the bed apart, as well as new plants I've accumulated but have yet to find homes for |
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| All that junk on the left in this photo needs to be tucked away or recycled to free up work space |
In the meantime, I'm accumulating plants faster than I can get them in the ground. I managed to get the last of those purchased during my
trip to Ventura County 2 weeks ago planted this week but I picked up more last weekend at South Coast Botanic Garden's Fall Festival and those are still awaiting placement. And then there are the recent deliveries...
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| My haul from the Fall Festival includes a Lasagna fern (Asplenium nidus), a noID Campanula, 2 Euphorbia lactea, and a xMangave 'Pineapple Express' |
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| Gerhard Bock of Succulents & More picked up a few more xMangaves for me at University of California, Davis's fall plant sale |
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| One of 2 recent bulb deliveries |
There also may be a delivery slated to arrive today. Time to stop blogging and start working! Best wishes for a pleasant weekend.
All material © 2012-2019 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
