Well, it’s Sunday, July 16th, 2023, and I just came indoors after watering the lawn, both front and back.
That’s actually a bit inaccurate. I don’t really water the lawn, per se, except by accident. It’s nice enough, but this time of year tends to run more towards weeds, so we don’t really feel it’s necessary to risk the heat in order to water them.
However, what I do water is all my various container plants, like my Stevia and Peppermint plants in long, rectangular containers on top of the picnic table. Next to them are a Freesia plant (pink flowers), a Jade plant (you can’t kill Jade; I know, because I’ve tried, but it does grow nicely when contained in a pot), and some miscellaneous salad greens.
Beyond them, hanging under the gazebo, are two hanging plants, one with some strawberries and one with — is it lavender? I think it’s something else, something similar. Salvia maybe? Anyway, it’s purple, when it blooms. I thought it wasn’t going to make it for a while but it seems to be surviving okay.
Then beyond that, out in the back yard proper, there are three separate areas we call “gardens”. There’s the ladder garden, made from (you guessed it) an old ladder, turned on its side, with, let’s see, 7, count ’em, 7 compartments filled with dirt and plants. I’ve planted some beans, more salad greens, and a couple of other things I can’t remember and won’t till they actually grow, if they do. It’s doing pretty well.
Further towards the back is Steve’s vegetable garden. It’s got Swiss chard, carrots, chives, and you guessed it, salad greens. It actually has a LOT of Swiss chard, another plant that, like jade, is virtually impossible to kill off.
And again, we’ve tried! There’s a jade bush out in the front yard, in the old raised bed rock garden, that I’ve repeated chopped down, pulled out by the roots, poured boiling water over, and basically abused as much as I possibly could. But like Betty Smith’s tree that grows in Brooklyn, it just says, “Thank you, sir, may I have another?” and keeps coming right back.
Another virtually impossible to kill plant we have an abundance of is, of course, IVY. The whole back fence is covered with it, and inside it hide our resident wildlife: possums, raccoons, skunks, stray or feral cats, and whatever else God or Mother Nature has decided to grace us with.
We try to at least keep it from taking over the lawn directly underneath, which brings me to the final garden area of the back yard, what used to be a compost area behind my She Shed. We’ve tried to grow various things there over the years, with various results. This time, though, I seem to be having some success with bush beans and (maybe) a carrot or two, which I transplanted from Steve’s garden.
Oh, and by the way, those carrots are really something. I pulled a dozen of them out last week and there’s still tons more. It’s possible I may have pulled some out too early so on that chance, I replanted some of the smaller ones in the other two gardens, just to see what would happen. Film at 11.
(and yes, I know what it looks like!)
Anyway, that’s your tour of the back yard. The front yard also has some nice plant-type growth going for it, although more flowers than veggies. We do, however, have these giant purple Elephant Garlic plants which I grew from bulbs several years ago.
I actually tried to transplant them to other parts of the yard but they seem to be happiest in their current position, directly in front of the hose winder. So there you go. Anyway, in front of the little circular garden area under our bedroom window air conditioner, I put about half a dozen old red bricks I found in the back yard, then in between each one I’ve put a potted flower of some sort.
Most are zinnias although I think one of them is something else. I’m really too lazy at the moment to go out and check. Also too hot. It’s already over 100 degrees and supposed to be hotter this afternoon. Bummer. Still, at least we’re not Phoenix, which I believe is clocking in at or near 175 degrees Fahrenheit every afternoon for the next several weeks. One of many reasons I’m glad I don’t live there.
The other reasons, of course, are because — well, it’s Arizona, do I have to explain? I mean, it’s where Eleanor Shellstrop of “The Good Place” originated, and we all know where she wound up. Originally, I mean. Of course, things got better for her as the seasons progressed, so if you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it. No better time than a major heat wave for a good binge watch, right?
Last but not least, here’s what I call my “lasagna garden,” not for what’s in it but for the technique I used to plant it (layers of different materials):
It’s basically just a couple of gargantuan succulents at this point. Until recently, I also had a “pencil cactus” aka firestick, pencil tree, or naked lady (really!) growing there, which looks really, really pretty and turns out to be really, really deadly!
Seriously, if you see one while you’re out driving around with the a/c cranked up to ultra high (maybe in Phoenix, Arizona, where I first saw them and foolishly thought they’d look nice in our garden), feel free to stop, get out of your nice cool car, and admonish the unwary gardeners/homeowners. I’m sure they’ll appreciate your concern!
That’s it! Hope you enjoyed this little tour of our lovely San Fernando Valley estate. See you again soon!
50 By 60 