Bright sunny day with mild temperatures. I spent two and a half hours this afternoon mostly paying attention to the back yard.
I mowed the grass that is not growing so profusely these days. I seeded the grass with Scott’s Turf Builder, walking up and down with the seed sifter. The brown patches where the Bermuda grass and crab grass are going dormant received extra hand seeding.
I had new plants from Lowe’s and will go back to Miracle-Gro Quick Start transplant food. I found a liriope ground cover to replace the yellow eyed grass in the front border garden. In the spring and summer it should have a spike brush bloom much like the salvia or butterfly bushes. The projected height is one to two feet. I amended the soil around the newly planted liriope and found surprisingly good drainage.
Cyclamen are just in at Lowe’s. I planted a variegated wine color and a standard white in the two pots at the entry to the front sidewalk. The variegated cyclamen I have never seen and will try it, even though it may only be hardy to 40 degrees. I also gave one to Helen, and she will keep it on her porch with the other plants under a thermal blanket. I gave both plants a healthy dose of Repels-All because of signs of burrowing.
All the new plants, in ground and container, and the lime green ceanothus received a bonus application of Quick Start.
I pruned back the two back yard oleanders by half, as they were covered with scale, and applied neem oil to the pink oleander. I also pruned back the maida elegans, and need to watch its growth pattern on the winter over. It should now be well rooted in the raised bed soil.
I turned off the irrigation water to the back yard yesterday. Significant rain is due next Tuesday. The Uruguayan firecracker plant has a new home in the back yard along the fence, after I hacked back the white lantana. In the course of the transplant, I found an extensive root system and bundled as much soil and roots as I could into a five gallon gopher basket. I followed the usual procedure: apply Quick Start, amend the soil and pray.
I finished work in the last light of the day, a few minutes past five, just as the sidewalk lamps were lighting up. I stretched and a watched the sunset over the western ridge.
A Year at the Snake 