I morning I laid 4+ cubic feet of mulch on the large planter box. I think of the box as a kind of sampler. All the plants are thriving but Bermuda grass persists. I also mulched the citrus box and the large crape myrtle box and attached a new sprinkler head to the line that feeds the large crape myrtle. It thrived on a drip last summer and bloomed splendidly.
The plants in the deep terra cotta planter appear to be receiving sufficient water. The scarlet geranium is an eyeful, and it makes a statement against the natural landscape of the foothills behind it.
I went to Lowe’s, thinking about ornamental grasses to fill a hole in the front slope garden. The ceanothus or cotoneaster that previously occupied that spot did not survive last summer. The grasses in stock were too water dependent, with instructions such as “best near or in a water feature”. I moved to the next aisle over and found in Succulents a plant called senecio. The plant is native to South Africa, requiring minimal water after the first year. My only concern is that it is not hardy below 35 degrees.
Mulch was on sale, five 2 cubic feet bags for $10 – who could resist? I spread two bags of mulch from the royal blue salvia to the deep pink geranium that anchors the eastern of the front slope garden. This was my Promontory Point moment – the front slope is fully mulched end to end, the culmination of a project that began on Holy Saturday, April 20.
I planted the senecio just as the thunder storm started, and applied Plant Starter on the senecio, the new yellow lantana and the silver and green euonymus. Mr. Squirrel and I dove for cover under the eaves when the rain really started to come down.
A Year at the Snake 