I spent time this morning weeding the western half of the front upper garden. Even with nearly continuous rain since early February, the weeds had not taken complete control. The lower garden is a different story. Lots of a fine feathery weed that will likely need to be poisoned.
I said a brief prayer and pulled the sweet pea. It seems to have died overnight, although I suspect the process was longer. Last summer I trimmed one dead branch constituting half the shrub, and the other half never seems to have recovered. Against all odds, the other sweet pea that I sheared off to accommodate the sidewalk lights is thriving.
It is a joy to see the ceanothus in bloom.
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The common name California lilac is for the color of the small plume flowers, not the scent. I am reminded of the lilacs that came later in the year to the Arboretum in Boston and their amazing scent. For that you need a long cold winter.
I weeded over half of the circle garden around the oak tree at the barn and applied Preen. Clearing grass, clover and weeds from the stone border has to be one of the most miserable jobs on the planet. I need to channel my inner Saint Francis.
In the afternoon I went to Lowe’s to see what was happening in the Garden Department. I ended with a deep magenta South African daisy (osteopernum), a Mexican heather and two cubic yards of soil amendment. In addition, I picked up a one by six pressure treated board twelve feet long. The concept is to saw it into four 34 inch pieces and create a box calendula garden. The box will be a tribute to Gerry and fill a bare spot on the eastern half of the front upper garden. Gerry loved his tarantulas and saved the seeds.
The Garden Department at Walmart graced me with a trailing pink petunia and a purple wallflower (erysimum) with the grayish green leaf. MJ planted a similar wallflower in the upper front garden but it did not survive, most likely due to intense summer sun and shallow graveled soil. It may need low to average water once established. I will try it in the new planter box in the back yard that is partly sheltered by the house.
A Year at the Snake 