Weeds Be Gone!

I've been a blog-lolygagger (blogylagger?) lately. What with travels and our helping Mother-in-Law solve some issues, it has been a run-hither-and-yon couple of weeks, with little time here in front of the screen.

I've had this post in the making for a while now!

I decided to finally get my large front area planted. After many years of its ash-tree-and-ivy landscape, a short stent as a vegetable garden, and a (too-long) time being Weedville, it was time for a transformation. So, I did what I knew and loved. I planted California native drought-tolerant plants.

Every April and October, the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden holds a plant sale. I usually shop in October, but the time was right this April to spring into action! I feel a little guilty for planting in the Spring, with the use of the extra water it will take to establish them, but I just didn't want to wait until Fall.

The first step was having my Muscle Guy roto-till the area. I regret I did not get a picture of that, nor do I have any "before" shots. They'd be too embarrassing anyway. I do have this, though, from before:

At least someone appreciates Weedville!

Here is a progression of my project.

After tilling:

After it was tilled, I covered it with black garden fabric.

Then, I went shopping!

I've no extensive knowledge in plants, so I did what I did last time: I went with an open mind and not a lot of research. I browsed and got what I thought I'd like, what was native (luckily this was done for me; all the plants in the sale this time were native), and what was drought-tolerant. I tried to get a variety of sizes and flower colors. It was a fun shopping excursion!

Here they are, fresh from the garden:

And here they are, staged for planting.

Since I lost several plants on the other side to pocket gophers, I decided to plant most of them with gopher baskets. The exception were the sages. My reasoning was that they would taste too strong for the gophers. We shall see if my amateur hypothesis bears out.  Planting them in baskets was a little extra work, but it'll be worth it to not lose the plants.

After I planted them, I covered the area with wood chips for beauty and weed-abatement.


Here is the final product.

They look so puny!

This is what I have:

Iris Patrick's Halloween

Iris Pacifica hybrid ruffled gold

Monkeyflower. Mimulus x puniceus

Monkeyflower. Mimulus aurantiacus

Bush Snapdragon.  Galvia speciosa (I got 2)

Ceanothus centennial (I got 6)

Island Mallow. Lavatera assurgentiflora

Purple Sage. Salvia leukophyllia

Manzanita. Astrostaphylos Louis Edmonds

Island Bush Poppy. Dendromecon harfordii

California Fuschia. Zaushneria Californica John Bixby

Western Redbud. Cercis occidenatlis

Coast Sunflower. Encelia californica

Hummingbird Sage. Salvia spathacea (I got 2)

Bladderpod. Isomeris arborea

Giant Coreopsis. Coreopsis gigantea

Canyon Sunflower. Venegasia carpesioides

After a few weeks, the plants are pretty happy. In fact, several are blooming well.

Bush Poppy

Monkeyflower

Canyon Sunflower

Bush Snapdragon

Hummingbird Sage

Ceanothus centennial

Both Iris bloomed nicely, but I regret I did not get snaps of them.  They look like they are done for the season.

Generally, all the plants are all doing well. There are one or two that I'm a little worried about, but they are hanging in.  I figure if I lose any, it will give me the opportunity to shop again in October!

As a final step, I would like to get some rocks from the local hills. I haven't had the time or the Muscle to help me. Soon, I hope. And I may create a walking path or a sitting bench or some such.  We'll see.

I'm going to enjoy watching this garden grow!