Landscaping
I'm usually full of thoughts, but today the only thing I can think of that I have spent and huge amount of time on lately other than work and family is gardening. I am honestly enjoying it! Even the weeding. I have tried to take before and after pictures, but I just get going when I have a few moments and so much changes so quickly and before you know it I haven't taken a before and after shot.
I think the main thing is that I am learning a lot, and I am really enjoying it! It's been a great activity for all of us to do together. And we get some sun and fresh air.
I am also experimenting so much and just trying to see what works here in this climate, with our predators and maybe a few clumsy people that trample the wrong spot. The main thing is that the people that had this house before me, knew a lot more than I did. And, with a little help from my friends; I post what I don't know about on facebook and I get a ton of great advice and things to google and look up.
The first plant I purchased living here, was a tree. I would actually probably be happy never leaving here (as long as people visited me) and therefore I do a lot of web shopping (which I actually think is cheaper, than having to drive all over town looking for it, especially if you can get free shipping, like amazon prime). The first thing I wasn't used to was that I could see my neighbors. Now living in the woods, you don't always have that, and I haven't had that for 8 years, so I was kind of feeling like, hey maybe some plants that provide a little more privacy would be good. The trees that grow like weeds here are oaks, bay trees and redwoods. And, ask anyone that lives here, the only tree you might want to keep out of those three are the redwoods. The redwoods are beautiful all limbed up especially with some nice up lighting, they are strong, rarely falling, and fire retardant(although at certain times of year they do leave quite a mess on your car) another thought if you don't have covered parking. Also their roots make the soil pretty acidic so you should think about that in the scheme of what you need to plant around it or beneath it. Oaks on the other hand aren't very strong, drop limbs all of the time, which worries me when they hang over my house. Bay's are awesome to cook with, but you can't get rid of them, chop them down and they grow back as a shrub, they are another weed tree. There is an oak tree that is on our fence line and provides no privacy from our neighbors. I decided after looking at fast growing trees on Pinterest I would plant a Royal Empress and yes I did order it on amazon and had it shipped right to my doorstep. I made sure that it would grow in acidic soil since it is next to the redwoods. It has a pretty flower and the reviews stated you could pretty much leave it alone and it would grow on it's own, (possibly 10-12' per year). So I am stoked, and my little stick in the mud has some leaves and is growing taller and I am excited.
The other big discovery was a prehistoric looking purple lily. I even cut one and brought it inside putting it in a vase. Only to find out that it's in the corpse Lilly family. They call it that because it traps flies in their flower and rots and when it rots it smells like a corpse. The bummer thing is that they look cool, so how can I enjoy them without having to live through the smell? Maybe I will learn there is a specific time to cut it back before it starts smelling? Your advice could help. They were obviously planted here on purpose and after being vacant and going without a regular water routing a lot of things are blooming.
My final thought that as my daughter has been teaching her friend's how to correctly identify "poison oak" (since we moved here she has gotten it twice), is that there is still so much I do not know about my garden. I pulled out all the ivy and planted hydrangeas. Threw in my bulbs in any bed that would take them (which previously was on the short list of things I know how to grow: dahlias, hydrangeas and possibly salvia) all easy no-brainers. I have been (not so perfectly, according to my husband) been pruning the abundant roses. The next thing we have been trying to learn is how to propagate roses and hydrangeas, they make great gifts and when filling in holes in the landscape are easier on the budget. I have heard of the potato method which you can learn about all over the web, but my little cutting isn't looking so good, so I might by some rooting hormone or try something else. Only time will tell.....
I'd love to hear your thoughts on what you are enjoying in your garden and your possible advice or experience from your finds, failures, and accomplishments. Also, I have been looking for a good plant app, which can aide me in my discovery or help me decide what next to plan, if you have a good recommendation, I'll take it. The only few I have found are east coast plant based and are not yet west coast. Happy discovering!
~Perry Mama
I am also experimenting so much and just trying to see what works here in this climate, with our predators and maybe a few clumsy people that trample the wrong spot. The main thing is that the people that had this house before me, knew a lot more than I did. And, with a little help from my friends; I post what I don't know about on facebook and I get a ton of great advice and things to google and look up.
The first plant I purchased living here, was a tree. I would actually probably be happy never leaving here (as long as people visited me) and therefore I do a lot of web shopping (which I actually think is cheaper, than having to drive all over town looking for it, especially if you can get free shipping, like amazon prime). The first thing I wasn't used to was that I could see my neighbors. Now living in the woods, you don't always have that, and I haven't had that for 8 years, so I was kind of feeling like, hey maybe some plants that provide a little more privacy would be good. The trees that grow like weeds here are oaks, bay trees and redwoods. And, ask anyone that lives here, the only tree you might want to keep out of those three are the redwoods. The redwoods are beautiful all limbed up especially with some nice up lighting, they are strong, rarely falling, and fire retardant(although at certain times of year they do leave quite a mess on your car) another thought if you don't have covered parking. Also their roots make the soil pretty acidic so you should think about that in the scheme of what you need to plant around it or beneath it. Oaks on the other hand aren't very strong, drop limbs all of the time, which worries me when they hang over my house. Bay's are awesome to cook with, but you can't get rid of them, chop them down and they grow back as a shrub, they are another weed tree. There is an oak tree that is on our fence line and provides no privacy from our neighbors. I decided after looking at fast growing trees on Pinterest I would plant a Royal Empress and yes I did order it on amazon and had it shipped right to my doorstep. I made sure that it would grow in acidic soil since it is next to the redwoods. It has a pretty flower and the reviews stated you could pretty much leave it alone and it would grow on it's own, (possibly 10-12' per year). So I am stoked, and my little stick in the mud has some leaves and is growing taller and I am excited.
It should someday look something like this. I would rather see those beautiful purple flowers as opposed to my neighbor's window.
The second tree we purchased was a meyer lemon tree for my husband's birthday because he was so sad to leave the abundantly producing tree from where we moved. But, this is a small failure even though the tree didn't die, it got eaten down to the small twig left by a gopher, it must have come out of the ground to have eaten than much of it. I have learned from this that you should plant your plants in gopher baskets to protect them. I have also heard that the cynch gopher trap works better than the others. I have heard that they hate fish, so if you drop a dead fish in the bottom of your hole when you are planting they will strategically avoid that plant (I don't know for how long, but as long as the fish is decomposing I assume). So, you can be strategic about where you are using your fish. There are a million suggestions, another one was chewing gum, and human hair in the gopher hole. Also there is a gopher plant that they don't like and provides a nice ground cover. Also, fox gloves (flowers) are fairly gopher resistant. Yay, I am so happy to have learned so much in such a short time and get to share it with you all and hope that it helps you as it has me.
The other big discovery was a prehistoric looking purple lily. I even cut one and brought it inside putting it in a vase. Only to find out that it's in the corpse Lilly family. They call it that because it traps flies in their flower and rots and when it rots it smells like a corpse. The bummer thing is that they look cool, so how can I enjoy them without having to live through the smell? Maybe I will learn there is a specific time to cut it back before it starts smelling? Your advice could help. They were obviously planted here on purpose and after being vacant and going without a regular water routing a lot of things are blooming.
I am pulling all the obvious weeds, but those I am unsure about I leave hoping for some beautiful blooms.
The next possible "weed" is this plant that has actually filled in nicely everywhere with little watering. I have two people that think it is definitely a "weed" and another that says they could possibly be 4 o'clock flowers that reseed like crazy and have a pretty flower and green foliage.
My final thought that as my daughter has been teaching her friend's how to correctly identify "poison oak" (since we moved here she has gotten it twice), is that there is still so much I do not know about my garden. I pulled out all the ivy and planted hydrangeas. Threw in my bulbs in any bed that would take them (which previously was on the short list of things I know how to grow: dahlias, hydrangeas and possibly salvia) all easy no-brainers. I have been (not so perfectly, according to my husband) been pruning the abundant roses. The next thing we have been trying to learn is how to propagate roses and hydrangeas, they make great gifts and when filling in holes in the landscape are easier on the budget. I have heard of the potato method which you can learn about all over the web, but my little cutting isn't looking so good, so I might by some rooting hormone or try something else. Only time will tell.....
I'd love to hear your thoughts on what you are enjoying in your garden and your possible advice or experience from your finds, failures, and accomplishments. Also, I have been looking for a good plant app, which can aide me in my discovery or help me decide what next to plan, if you have a good recommendation, I'll take it. The only few I have found are east coast plant based and are not yet west coast. Happy discovering!
~Perry Mama
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