Overcast day, cold temperature and high winds – not inspiring for outdoor work. I weeded the worst patch just off the back porch – would not like the grass and other volunteers to become too comfortable. I pruned back the lavender osteopernum to encourage ingrowth. While there I patrolled the retaining wall and extended the warning track further along. The weeds are ginormous but the ground is moist, and the weeds come up mostly by fistfuls.
The middle upper purple lantana in the front slope garden shows new growth from underneath. I cut back more of the overhanging dead branches to direct energy into that new growth.
Desultory weeding around the ice plant was the afternoon program. Eventually the ice plant will need to make it on its own, without my attention. Nevertheless, I see lots of encouraging signs of new growth. Most interestingly, I saw that some of the original plants had died but a new sprig of growth took root somewhere below.
The new yellow African daisy is already blooming in bright yellow and gives a nice bit of cheer. I deployed cat letter around the special mimulus at the far end of the back garden. Seems to keep the moles away. It is a one of a kind mimulus that I have never seen before and never will be able to replace; I want to do all I can to help it thrive.
A Year at the Snake 