Wide shots: March 2014

We finally got some real rain!  My rain gauge shows 2.5 inches (6.35 cm) thus far with more rain predicted through today.  There were worries about the soil's ability to absorb so much rain at one time in many areas, most notably those to the east impacted by last month's fires, but we've had no problems here.  The air is fresher than it has been in months and, when the rain paused and the sunlight filtered briefly through the clouds, I took Ming out for a walk and snapped some photos for this month's wide shots post.

I'll start as usual with the backyard.  The biggest change is that we finished digging up a large section of lawn to create a new border stretching from the fountain area to the side yard border.  I managed to get a few plants in the ground before the rain came but the area is still mostly empty.  However, once we dry out a bit, I plant to go to get to work shopping the local nurseries and planting, planting, planting.

This is the usual view of the backyard from the back door, looking out toward the harbor.  You can see the new Japanese maple, Acer palmatum 'Mikawa Yatsubusa' and a few other things planted in the new border that follows the paved walkway.

The back border, photographed from the left side

The back borders, photographed from the right side

The biggest changes to the side yard since last month's post are the addition of a new Japanese maple (barely visible in my photos) and 2 pots that mark the transition from the flagstone path in the side yard to the wide grass pathway that occupies the space between the old backyard border and the new, as yet largely unplanted, border.

Side yard, photographed from the front yard lawn looking toward the backyard

The side yard photographed from the small side yard patio.  I put Euphorbia 'Dean's Hybrid' in the 2 new pots and plan to add succulents.

Side yard, photographed from a lower dirt path.  The Acer palmatum 'Purple Ghost' that replaced the Driyms lanceolata (mountain pepper) in this bed can be seen on the far left - it's still little more than a stick.

I've added a few plants, 2 additional Coleonema and 4 Argyranthemum to the front border, but that space otherwise remains the same.  The shrub roses are not yet blooming, although I suspect they will be before my April post.

Front yard photographed from the entrance to the driveway

Left side of front lawn and border

Right side of front lawn and border

This month, I added a photo of the hedge on the far right side of our property, fronting the street.  I pruned this hedge within an inch of its life in January.  All but one of the shrubs that make up the hedge, which I think are Pittosporum eugenioides, are showing signs of new growth.  Still, they have a long way to go before they again provide an effective screen.

The shrub on the far left appeared dead before I started pruning and it's the only one that has yet to produce any new growth.  It may have to be removed and replaced.

There's nothing new in the vegetable garden to speak of.   The sweet peas in the third raised planter have lots of foliage and some buds but have yet to produce a single bloom.  However, the Mandarin oranges are ripe!

The dry garden, which I've barely watered since our state's drought emergency was announced in January, has really appreciated the rain.  The tree in the foreground on the right is still laden with ripe guavas but the squirrels and the raccoons are making some headway in carrying the fruit away.

Dry garden, photographed from the paved walkway leading to the vegetable garden

Ming photobombing this picture of the dry garden taken from the backyard

That's it for my monthly overview of the garden.  I didn't venture down the slope this month as it's muddy there at the moment.