Pansies and Johnny-Jump-Ups

Months ago the automatic watering system in the front yard stopped watering one of the flowerbeds in front of the apartment.  The landlord never fixed it and 2 of the camellias he planted when he bought the place died.  The gardeners eventually dug out the dead ones but left the holes. So I thought maybe they were going to plop in 2 new shrubs any day.  Well, it's been about six months and we recently found out the landlord is putting the place up for sale. No wonder he stopped taking care of the place. So when we went to Lowe's today I picked up some pansies and johnny-jump-ups and planted those in the gaps, and filled the two holes with the soil I had dug up to plant the bedding plants. Problem solved.  And pansies cheer me up.  Now I just hope our lead footed neighbors don't squash them when they throw a ball out of bounds.

Just Like Linnea's

Yesterday I had an epiphany while sitting in Linnea's coffee shop in San Luis Obispo CA.  I realized that subliminally I was trying to make my patio look inviting like Linnea's, where I have spent many happy hours sipping iced tea on warm days and Mexican hot chocolate on cold days.
First off I want to plant a bamboo screen to block my view of the dumpsters and make an obstacle to keep people from throwing things too far, missing the dumpster and landing in my backyard. I want to move a bunch of junk that has piled up from using our backyard as a workshop. I want to restore my altar that my boyfriend has piled junk in front of so I can't even get to it to light candles or anything. He's the biggest obstacle to making the changes I want to make. I'm constantly aiming at beautiful and inviting, while he's aiming at storage and tool usage. I used to dance out there but now there is no room. I think half of the clutter can be thrown away.  Then I have to weed whip all the edges of the garden. And as usual I'm struggling to control all the vines. I sure have my work cut out for me.

Opuntia Cactus

I didn't plant a garden this year because money was too tight.  But my little cactus is hanging in there. Most of my succulents got munched on by snails.  But even they can't handle the spiny ones.

When I was a kid they called these teddy bear cacti, but please don't pet them. 

Brown Eyed Susan Vine

My brown eyed susan vine is finally doing great. I had to hang up new twine to give the tendrils a new patch to grow on. The leaves have some insect or snail damage.  Could be grasshoppers though I haven't seen any on there. So far it's a mystery to me.

Planning My Spring Garden

I'm planning for my spring garden.  This time I'm either going to have a square foot garden or no garden at all. It's a much superior method and the way I've had the most success in the past. And it cuts down on maybe 90% of weeding. I'm building the boxes to be 2' wide x 4' long and I'll put as many on the space as I can while leaving a path to walk between them.

This year I hope to grow a gourmet lettuce mix, purple carrots, orange carrots, pear tomatoes, if I can find a fusarium wilt resistant variety, beets, nasturtiums and radishes. One box (8 squares) will be dedicated to growing herbs.

I also want to plant a pomegranate tree to replace the tree my idiot landlord removed last fall. I'm keeping it in a pot so I can take it with me when I move.

Parsley, Apples and Chives

I just pulled the last of the radishes and beets out of the container. They weren't fit to eat so no love lost there. I replanted the pot with parsley and chives seeds. Then I covered it except for a few vent holes to keep stray cats away from it.

I got some tiny apples from the market and I've saved the seeds to sprout as an experiment. I know apples don't grow true to form, but you never know if you will stumble upon a new apple!  I saw a TV show on it once, how apples used to be bitter and were used for hard cider. But then prohibition happened and bitter apples fell out of popularity so the search was on for a great tasting sweet apple.

I also want to get to the nursery and pick up some daffodil bulbs and iris rhizomes. I think the daffodils will look great in the front flower bed and compliment the yellow roses.

Dear Tree I loved You So Much

Why did the landlord wait until after 8 PM on a Friday night to call and say he will be here w/ gardeners to remove the tree in the backyard? The only tree that we have that shades the house, provides privacy and shields us from the noise the neighbor's kids make all day long? The tree that holds all my hanging plants, windchimes and the birdhouse? The tree that has had numerous hummingbird nests in it.

I think I'm going to be sick. Then he hinted that he'd be more than happy to let his gardeners clear the rest of my backyard.  The gardeners that only did that once before and buzzed the trailing geraniums so close to the ground that they were all dead in 2 weeks.

Oh yeah, now I remember why I hate renting. I love how the landlord didn't even ask us how we feel about the tree. He said neighbors have been complaining.  Evidently they just see a tree as leaves to rake. This is a perfectly healthy tree. It's only crime is that the people that sit under it's shade think it's a nuisance. It was one of the very few redeeming qualities of living in this location.