Second Blogiversary Retrospective

Yesterday was the second anniversary of my first blog post.  In 2013, blogging was mostly a distraction from turbulence in my personal life.  In 2014, it became more pointedly about the garden itself: what I liked and didn't like about it, what I planned to change, how those changes were implemented, and the challenges we faced along the way.  All through the process, I appreciated the comments, suggestions, commiseration, and support I received from those of you who do me the honor of reading my posts.  When I started blogging I never anticipated the sense of community the process creates.  That has become the most important impetus for continuing.

As I looked back on this year's posts, I realized just how much has happened in the garden this year, some of which was planned but much of which was not.  In some cases what started as small decisions, made without much deliberation, led unintentionally but perhaps inevitably to much bigger projects.  Pruning the unsightly Pittosporum hedge along the street is a case in point.  That hedge bugged me from the time we moved in 4 years ago.  However, for the first 2 years, I left the pruning to the garden service that took care of the lawn.  In 2013, I cut back a few of the hedge's shrubs.  The new growth looked better so, in January 2014, I took things a lot further.  Too far, as it turns out.  Portions of the hedge haven't recovered.  But, on the plus side, cutting back the hedge led to the creation of a street-side succulent bed, allowing me to significantly expand my already burgeoning succulent collection.

From left to right: Hedge before pruning; hedge after pruning; wide view of succulent bed; and a close-up

While I was busy mutilating the hedge, my husband decided that the wood-fired "snorkel spa" we inherited with the house wasn't worth the effort required to maintain it.  He dismantled it, we cleared out the gravel beneath it to open up yet another planting area, and my husband made a patio table out of the spa's wood shell, giving us a new seating area in the backyard.

From left to right: Original spa; dismantlement in process; cleared bed; area after planting (September); and completed patio table

Taking out the grass on the south side of the house in 2013 had created a choppy flow from that area into the backyard.  To address that we decided to extend the small bed surrounding the fountain in the backyard to form a connection to the south side yard.  That work began in February.  The new area was planted in March and April.

Counterclockwise from top left: Area prior to project; work begins; additional soil is delivered; bed ready for planting; initial planting (March); and the new bed at the end of May

With the creation of the extended fountain bed and the bed formerly occupied by the spa, the remaining grass area in the backyard became more of a pathway than a lawn.  We removed another semi-circle of lawn next to the north end of the patio in September to improve the flow of that pathway (and give me still more space for ornamental plants).

From left to right: Area before lawn removal; after lawn removal; and after planting (October)

As the summer progressed, we accepted the difficulty of maintaining our front lawn in the face of California's severe drought.  Rather than try to restore the half-dead lawn, we elected to take it out.  The grass was removed in September but my husband and I spent much of our free time in October and November digging out grass roots, sod netting, and rocks; adding soil amendments; and laying flagstone paths.  Planting began in December and is ongoing.

Counterclockwise from top left: Early stage of soil preparation; what one neighbor referred to as a burial mound; one of 2 topsoil deliveries; laying the flagstone paths; the area to the left of the front walkway after planting; and, on the top right, the partially planted area to the right of the front walkway

Along the way:

I lost my beloved garden companion, Ming, in March after a long struggle with a disease we couldn't defeat

I faced regular visits by raccoons (aka Satan's minions) who tore out virtually every plant I put in, often more than once (Note: As shown on the far right, I finally captured a photo of one of the cheeky culprits on Sunday night outside the dining room window)

We lost the privacy provided by the huge Yucca elephantipes that sat on the boundary between us and a neighbor: the first 2 photos on the left were taken before the Yucca was cut down and the last were taken afterwards (Further work on the 4 foot tall stump is planned for mid-January)

So what will 2015 Bring?  I'm not sure but I suspect our garden will continue to change, along with our expectations of it.  Whatever those changes may be, I hope you'll continue to join me on the ride.

Upper left: Sunset photographed from the front yard; Small photos: Views snapped from the backyard over the course of 2014

All material © 2012-2014 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

January Projects

As we're lucky enough to be unaffected by the infamous "polar vortex" plaguing much of the US and blessed with unseasonably warm weather (if not, sadly, with rain), we've launched some new garden projects.  Okay, most of the "launching" was done by me but my husband has kindly cooperated.

I began tackling the misshapen hedge that runs along the street on the south side of our property a few weeks ago.  Oddly, half the hedge to the right side of our driveway is constructed of Xylosma congestum while the other half is comprised of what I think is Pittosporum eugeniodes.  It's the latter portion of the hedge that's in poor condition.  Clearly, for many years, gardeners have shorn both sections of hedge on the top and sides.  While that seems to do a fine job maintaining the appearance of the Xylosma, it has left the Pittosporum a twiggy mess with most of the new growth at the top.  I tried cutting a couple of the 9 Pittosporum back hard last year and the regrowth looked much better to my eye so, this year, I cut back all 9 shrubs.

Hedge before pruning, photographed from the back side

Hedge after pruning, photographed from the lawn above

Hedge after pruning, photographed from the street side

Hopefully, I haven't just made matters worse.  It looks very naked now and the area beyond the hedge is all too visible from the street but, if last year's experience is a guide, it should fill in within a few months.  In the meantime, I'm looking for plants to place in front of the hedge.  Behind it, along the top of the interior stack stone wall below the Ceanothus, I've already planted Liriope spicata, Liriope muscari 'Variegata' and Aeonium.

Newly planted Liriope, along with some self-seeded Santa Barbara daisy

New cuttings of Aeonium (A. arboreum, I think)

The Aeonium arboreum rosettes shown in the picture above were cut from existing plants and simply stuck into the ground.  I've produced many large, branched clumps of these Aeoniums from a few cuttings given to me by a good friend shortly after we moved into the house 3 years ago.

Clump of Aeonium arboreum grown from earlier cuttings

The second project of the year kicked off when my husband finally got around to dismantling the "snorkel spa" in the backyard (previously discussed here).

Photo of "snorkel spa" taken last January

Space after the main portion of the spa was removed last week

The stone gravel left behind after the spa's removal

You can't tell it from the picture above but the base of gravel underneath the spa we had to remove was about 6 inches (15 centimeters) deep.  I used some of it to fill shallow spots in the vegetable garden, previously lined using only gravel I'd dug up out of garden beds throughout the property.  (As our site was once part of a rock quarry, I uncover rocks whenever and wherever I dig.)

Gravel-filled pathways between the raised vegetable beds

My husband, with some help from me, used the rest of the gravel to cover the pathway behind the garage.

No more mud behind the garage!

As there's now a good-sized empty space in the backyard, my husband assumed that I'd immediately get started on planting; however, I need to get a load of topsoil in first and, before we do that, I announced that it would be prudent to take out the section of lawn I'd already identified for removal in the backyard.  I drew the lines of the new border earlier this week and my husband installed new bender board to delineate it.

I intend to treat the 8 foot wide grass area between the border on the right and the new border on the left as a pathway

The bender board around the fountain will be removed once the sod between it and the new bender board has been dug out

My husband wants to handle digging up the sod himself rather than call in reinforcements.  We're using some of the sod he removes to fill in holes in the remaining lawn.

The grass removed from alongside the backyard patio was used to fill in the space formerly occupied by stepping stones to the spa

It'll be awhile before the new areas can be planted but that gives me time to figure out how I'll knit these areas together with the existing borders.  In the meantime, there's always the empty space in front of the hedge to plant.

Remnants of the Past

The gardens associated with older homes have histories.  Established trees and shrubs may be the the most obvious remnants of prior owners.  In many cases, they're part of the curb appeal that attracts a buyer to a particular property.  That was certainly true of our current house - we drove by it when looking at homes in the area and I immediately felt pulled to it.  My husband took some convincing but, after touring many other houses over a couple of months, we eventually came back to this one.  That's not to say that I loved every feature and every plant - from the beginning, there were things I wanted to change about the garden - but I liked the foundation I was given.

When escrow closed and we moved in, one of the things that surprised me most was what prior owners had left behind in the garden.  Although this house is more than 60 years old, I didn't find any garden relics of the sort Loree of Danger Garden recently described (see her post on the subject here).   No old garden tools or interesting pots or evidence of decades-old plant purchases.  When I dig in the back yard, all I uncover are rocks, left over from the area's former incarnation as a rock quarry in the 1940s.  However, the prior owners did leave a number of yard and garden items, some useful, some not.

One very large artifact is this "snorkel spa."

This is basically a firewood-fueled hot tub.  We've used it a few times in the past 2 years but, overall, it's more trouble than its worth as I described in an earlier post.  Getting rid of it isn't so easy as it's big and heavy and there isn't a resale market for an item like this in our area.  My husband hopes to re-use the wood to build patio furniture (someday).  In the meantime, I use it to store outdoor cushions during rainstorms.

Another large, but more useful, item is the compost tumbler in the side yard.

Granted, it probably would be a pain in the neck to move something like this so I guess I understand the decision to leave it behind.  The maker's website says this model is designed for the "serious gardener."  It also claims that it can turn 18 bushels of garden debris into usable compost in as little as 2 weeks but I found that it takes several months even when I turn it a few times a week.  Still, I'm glad to have it.  The red and black item next to it that looks a little like one of Doctor Who's Daleks is a leaf shredder, also left behind by a prior owner.  It's rusted and doesn't work well so it may end up in the garbage soon.

A number of decorative items were left with the house as well.  Leaving the fountain is entirely understandable as I'm sure the cost of transporting it would be considerable.  The birds and I are very pleased to have it.

I was surprised to find two garden benches left by the front door, though.  (I added the cushions and pillows.)

Bench on the right side of the front door

Bench on the left side

And it doesn't seem as though this chiminea would have been that hard to move.

Hoses, a hose caddy, and a hose pot were also left behind.

As was a decorative rain chain.

And a small trellis I keep wondering why I haven't tossed every time I see it.

There are also some tiki torches, currently tucked behind the garage, and a number of drain pipes left over from someone's earlier irrigation project.

When we moved out of our old house, my husband insisted that we take EVERYTHING.  He said something to the effect that it wasn't right for me to leave my "old junk" behind for someone else to throw away.  I tried to leave this concrete pig, claiming the new owner's small children might like it, but even it went into the truck.

Concrete pig in vegetable garden, half-buried by mint (also left by the prior owner)

What would you leave behind in your garden if you moved?

What would you do with this?

Perhaps your first question is: what the heck is it?  It's called a snorkel spa.  It's a hot tub heated by a wood fire.  We inherited this one when we bought the house.  We've used it 3 - maybe 4 - times since we moved in 2 years ago.  Using it is a long, drawn out process.  If it's filled with water, it generally has to be drained, cleaned, and refilled.  Wood has to be collected and a fire has to be set.  The water takes more than 2 hours to heat and the fire must be carefully tended in the meantime.  When it's finally ready for use, you get a lovely 20-30 minute soak overlooking city lights and the harbor.  That's it until you muster the energy to stoke it up again 6 months later.

You can't come home and spontaneously decide "I'd like to take a soak to ease my sore muscles."  Using this spa requires advance planning.  To complicate things further, the South Coast Air Quality Management District now has winter-time restrictions on burning wood in fireplaces indoors or outdoors on certain days due to the negative impact on our already compromised air quality.  The snorkel spa doesn't seem to be worth the space it takes up.  So what should we do with it?

Here are the options I've considered so far:

1. Sell it on Craiglist - This would provide more money for plants!  However, given the new air quality restrictions, I'm not sure what, if any, market there is locally for a spa like this.  Just hauling it away could be a costly proposition for a prospective buyer.
2. Use it as an impromptu shed - I need a place in the backyard to store tools and outdoor furniture cushions.  The wood top is relatively easy to open and we could add shelves and compartments inside. 
3. Use it as a koi pond - It's water-tight but would require a filtering system, which I understand involves its own set of headaches.  And then there are the raccoons - I wouldn't want to encourage more of their visits.
4. Plant a tree in it - Its size would allow a small to mid-sized tree room to develop a good root system. However, there's a good-sized Arbutus Marina right next to it so planting another tree in that location would look goofy.
5. Use it as a raised planter for vegetables, herbs or flowers - This option allows us to use one of the sunniest spots in the backyard and eliminates the need to haul the spa away.  We could take out the smoke stack and drill holes in the bottom for drainage.

I'm leaning toward the last possibility, although I have yet to sell my husband on it.  Do you have any other ideas?