I've largely ignored the garden on the north side of the house for the last couple of years, letting it get by on benign neglect. This week, without any kind of plan in mind, I decided it was time for some tidying up. The prostrate rosemary I planted years ago was completely out of control. Perennial shrubs had been allowed to sprawl. Weeds and rampant self-seeders were swamping other plants. Fallen leaves were piled ankle deep in spots.
As usual, I failed to take any "before" photos so photos taken earlier this year will have to do.
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| This photo, taken at the end of October, hides a lot |
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| This photo of my two largest agaves, taken in July, gives some sense of how crowded they were |
I pulled out the Santa Barbara daisy foliage (Erigeron karvinskianus) that had formed lanky clumps more than a foot high. I yanked several sprawling Hairy Canary Clover plants (Dorycnium hirsutum), confident that they'll reappear from seed. I cut back a lot of the ivy creeping up under the hedge from the back slope (although more work is needed there). I cut back two rockrose (Cistus) shrubs that had lost all shape and lopped several large limbs of Leucadendron salignum 'Chief'. The prostrate rosemary got a trim. Tubs of guava tree leaves were raked up to be shredded for reuse as mulch. In the process I uncovered two agaves I'd entirely forgotten were there.
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| Agave desmettiana 'Variegata' (left) was a pup I planted years ago. Agave 'Cornelius' (aka 'Quasimoto', right) had been overrun by Hairy Canary Clover. |
Two of my largest succulents, Agaves vilmoriana and ovatifolia, gained a little breathing space.
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| Although you can see that the Aloe vera is still in danger of being swallowed up by ivy |
The "after" photos may not reflect all the work that went into the process but I can testify that my back and shoulder muscles feel the impact.
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| There's more bare space but the Erigeron will certainly be back to fill in by spring if I don't find something else to plant before then |
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| View from another angle |
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| There's now a line of sight from the back of the north side garden looking south toward the backyard patio |
Other odd jobs done this week included replanting some pots.
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| From left to right: I planted a half-barrel with snapdragons and primrose; a terracotta pot got a trio of Pericallis (aka florist's cineraria); and I spruced up two of the large pots by the front door with an underplanting of Bacopa (Sutera cordata) and pansies |
I guess it's time to tackle Christmas decorations. That's my weekend project. What's yours? Best wishes however you're spending your time.
All material © 2012-2020 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party