I picked up two eighteen packs of ice plant from Lowe’s, some ingrown. I gently untangled the roots and will hope for the best. I planted the seedlings sixteen inches apart in two separate rows, 24 feet in total. The hard work is not in planting the rows but tearing up the deeply ingrown grass and weeds so the ice plant has a chance to survive. The ice plant is met to provide erosion control just on the far side of the soon-to-be-living -in-hope retaining wall and the bed that will abut the flagstones at the east end of the back yard. The planting may be a little dense but allows for attrition. I watered the bank in and will see what happens in the spring.
The oenothera in the circle garden did not make it, and I pronounced the official certification of death. One gray rush also did not survive, and the helianthemum is struggling. I reactivated the timer with 15 minutes of water each day to offset the cold nights and dead headed the blue salvia.
I will do a full round of watering tomorrow morning before church as no rain is expected until Thursday.
A Year at the Snake 