I was up early to finish work on the Triangle Garden. I fed and watered the camellia and the gardenia yesterday. The goal today was to plant the verbena in the remaining open center section. Three verbena plants: white, scarlet and an unusual peach color that I had not seen before. They will add color to the triangle garden and complement the lovely white columbine with the purple center.
The center section has been washed out by rain, gutter overflow or drainage, and all that is left is hard pan. I had limited success breaking up the rock, shale and shelf, but managed three deep holes for vitamin B water and the new plantings. The soil around the camellia and potato shrub is workable, and I tried to level the ground out with the bare center section. I then added two cubic feet of soil amendment to the center section and worked it into what soil is there.
A load of bark sat beside the driveway for a year. To my surprise I discovered that just under the top layer the bark is mostly composted. I dug out this black composted underlayer and spread it over all the plantings – camellia, gardenia, potato shrub, newly planted verbena, euonymus and the melissas. A layer of new bark topped off that layer.
I directed the irrigation line to the new verbena. The line has a good drip near to white verbena, the plant that appears to have the poorest soil.
The melissas struggle in that far corner; I added Miracle Gro Shake and Feed and generous water to encourage them. The purple melissa appears to be spreading along the border log.
I also applied a layer of the mostly composted bark to the bacopa around the bayberry in the back yard. The plant farthest out from the shadow of the pergola appeared to be stressed. Bacopa requires consistent watering, and the compost layer is meant to avoid fluctuations between watering. I will revisit the mulching next week.
Finally, I transplanted the white oleander in the far corner of the back yard.. MJ wanted to allow room between the two oleanders for expanded growth. I managed to dig out the entire root ball (again) and moved the soil amendment to the new hole. More vitamin B water, and MJ will apply worm castings.
A Year at the Snake 