I spent a few hours this afternoon uprooting thistle and raking out the dead undergrowth off the slope just below the back porch. I finished with a healthy dose of Roundup throughout the area. A new technique this year, trying to catch the tender new thistle seedlings and give them a miserable death before they have a chance to set down roots.
The marguerite daisy is in full bloom. Mike commented on the nice surprise from what is apparently a winter bloomer. The camellia in the Triangle Garden has many promising buds that I hope will pop in the next few weeks. The white mimulus also appears willing to bloom year round.
I planted the two new succulents in the Circle Garden at the barn and watered them in. Time to let go of all the plants that I have tried in those spaces. The flowering quince seems to be taking root, and the native California iris is bravely hanging on. The Circle Garden receives supplemental water whenever I return from a trip to wherever.
A Year at the Snake 