Observations

Two steps forward, one step back. That is the pace in the garden these past few years. The rhythm is dying plants, dead plants, moles, heatwaves and freezing springs followed by replanting, pruning, removing and fixing. While it's all a part of the workings of nature, it also occurs to me that the garden is at a kind of plateau right now. Years 3 - 5, for example, were stunning. Growth was fresh, weather was pretty cooperative, there was room to grow and it was all strutting its stuff. Then mistakes I had made manifested, we lost some plants while others grew to unexpectedly enormous proportions. 

Now, in Year 8, the extremes of weather create cracks in the soil in our hot weather as it dries out in a week's time after five solid months of 40-degree rain. This all despite my best efforts to create healthy soil. It's not a pretty, English-style garden out there, rather it is a West Coast gardening experiment. Am I giving up? Hell no! Just fixing the mistakes and learning, planting ever leaner, meaner plant material and replicating what has been successful. After all, two steps forward and one back still yields one step in the right direction.

An early evening view on a 103-degree day. Speaking of heat, while we've been mercifully spared this year, we are in the midst of a heatwave. This year I took two solid days before its arrival to soak large sections of the garden, then we backed off during the heat. So far so good, even with some daytime wilting that seems to disappear once the sun goes down. Most of the plants in this photo are drought adapted, though they did receive a good soak late last week.

The inspiration for this post was primarily the changes made to the edge of the labyrinth garden last autumn and this spring. A series of unfortunate events (as well as extreme heat and dry conditions) created a few holes and prompted a rethink and a redo. This is the outer edge of the labyrinth last August. Note the Ceanothus 'Italian Skies' on the far right behind the blooming Helenium 'Mardi Gras'. It looked okay in this photo but it was rapidly dying, mostly seen on the side not seen in this shot.

The same area photographed this week. While difficult to see, the ceanothus is gone as is the helenium. The ceanothus died; however, the helenium was divided and moved. Also, note the lower left area where the sod had been dug out and gravel applied to accommodate Salvia 'Celestial Blue'. 

Same area, scootched over to the right a few feet. This was early this summer and shows the hole left by the missing ceanothus. The Tetrapanax papyrifer in the background also suffered having lost its largest trunk. No worries, as many more are growing quickly around it. It happens with these.

The southern side of one of the Himalayan mounds last summer with a doomed Ceanothus gloriosus which did, in fact, have massive die-off, though it doesn't show in this photo.

Same area with the ceanothus removed as seen today. That little nob of grass will be cut out this autumn when we embark on more projects (ooh....a teaser).

The area with the Ceanothus 'Italian Skies' which can be seen center left and is showing a little die-off from late last spring. The Helianthus 'Lemon Queen' on the bottom right had taken over, much of it was removed and placed in the chicken garden.

Same area today. While the gap is definitely noticeable, it will fill in with a hidden-from-view Arctostaphylos 'Louis Edmunds'. Arctostaphylos have been incredibly resilient for me where some ceanothus have not. Ceanothus cuneatus has been an amazing exception and I plan on adding more to the garden.

As seen from the right (earlier this summer), looking towards the Phlomis russelliana to the left as a reference. The Helianthus 'Lemon Queen' in the very center is much reduced.

Back to that Ceanothus gloriosus removal. Here it is again, this time photographed in spring. It really was dying and had been this way for a couple of years.

After only three months, this is what it looks like now. Oscar the Agave parryi var. truncata was moved here from a less-sloped position, the Verbena bonariensis and sunflowers are volunteers, the Agastache 'Kudos Red' was moved from a less desirable position and the Cosmos 'Rubenza' was started from seed in the greenhouse this spring. 

Here's an example of one step backwards. This is my poor Lobelia tupa this year. The stump stack is to fill in the gap left by its die off.

Here's what it looked like last year. It filled in such a massive area that its disappearance is rather shocking.

Here is an area where a once huge Atriplex halimus filled in. It died (its stump can be seen behind the panicum) a slow, ugly death from a multitude of causes last year. Another massive hole left by a once gigantic foundation plant.

Same area today. There is a replacement atriplex in there right in the center, slightly moved from its original position and it is very healthy. The flowering spreader is the wonderful Mirabilis multiflora. It is a low-water, giant tap-rooted perennial that I am really excited about. Thank you again, Mary Ann!

Here's a head-scratcher. These two Chamaecyparis 'Heatherbun' shrubs were moved from where the cistern now sits. They both looked (save for their size difference) exactly the same. After a couple of months in this location, one is decidedly more bronze, looking more like the stressed plants in root-bound pots I observed at nurseries. They both receive the same sun and soil, both received plenty of water to get them re-established. We'll see what happens.

More mystery Ceanothus gloriosus die-off. This area beneath a Quercus garryana has been lushly full with several ceanothus plants up until last year. This area died off then regenerated last winter. It is once again dying off and if you look closely on the right the light buff colored bits are crispy leaves. I mean, does it need more water? I'm at a loss. The other areas are beautiful and healthy. I do suspect mole damage. In the meantime, I'm planning on planting a bunch of Sedum spurium to fill in until I decide what is to be done.

Mystery plans! Mystery no more. We're adding more plants, removing more lawn. Of course, not until autumn when the soil will hopefully be wetter. We're extending FM's latest garden bed with more of the same, bringing it down towards the gate, connecting several satellite plants. I have a stash of plants ready to go including more baccharis or coyote shrub, some Ericameria nauseosa, rabbit brush, a grevillea and arctostaphylos or two and some Olearia 'Dartonii'. All drought-adapted, many natives. We are so excited! Plus, it will create an evergreen screen helping to drown out noise from the road below.

One more small sod-removal project is taking out the grass from this triangle area along the driveway. We will add wood chips as well as a few plants. The area will incorporate a dwarf white pine and a Stewartia pseudocamellia (in the triangle), looking rather like islands right now. There are one or two other areas where we plan on removing more sod and adding drought and winter wet adapted plants. While the work up front is definitely a project, it is an eventual time saver as no mowing, little to no weeding if the wood chip mulch is deep enough - and you get to look at plants instead of brown weeds. It also helps to knit the whole big picture together, a goal we've been working towards the past two years.

Cistern update: We are steadily using water from our 2,500-gallon cistern on certain (close) areas of the garden, namely the hydrangeas that are water hogs. Thus far we have had it "on" for 25 hours. What I mean by on is that it is hooked up to a hose and sprinkler, though there is currently no pump, only gravity that sends water downhill. The cistern is now about 1/2 full. Bonus shot of Eryngium giganteum in front of it. 

As FM reported last week, the spray of water -- in other words, the pressure of the water -- is quite low so it does not water a large area. More like individual plants. Which is fine, but we are considering a pump for the future as well as adding a bladder type cistern under our deck to help water the eastern half of the garden.

Now for a few plant photos to round out this post. Strobilanthes atropurpurea with its fine hairs backlit by the morning sun.

Hosta 'Guacamole' is my favorite for its chonkiness, its drought tolerance (yes, for a hosta!), its amazingly fragrant white flowers and its ability to thwart slugs. It still looks good in the heat of August. Plus it makes me crave Mexican food.

Foliage colors and textures in the dry gravel garden.

A book I have been meaning to read for years but haven't until now is Christopher Lloyd's Well Tempered Garden. One tasty bit of writing quotes Graham Thomas as saying that the color of roses with chinensis genes (such as Rosa chinensis 'Mutabilis' shown here) changes to a dark pink once pollinated. In fact, many factors impact flower color such as temperature, rainfall, etc. I observe many flowers in my own garden have shifted colors depending primarily on temperature. Plants are so cool.

Evening sun across the fire pit.

  Agapanthus inapertus ‘Nigrescens’ is beginning to bloom in the berm garden.

This sweet little sedum was a gift from very generous friends who recently visited, bringing a whole tub of amazing plants, plus fruit from their gardens, wine and so much more. What a lovely day we had eating, talking plants and nature. I am so lucky to have such generous and wonderful people in my life. You know who you are! Plus, I love the macrame which she made as well as the idea of a sedum as a hanging basket. So ingenious! They gave me the most amazing variety of everything from arctos to acacia. I also received a lovely Agave bracteosa from Danger Garden last week. We were thrilled to have her visit as she is not only a garden friend but someone whom I deeply respect and admire. She was the inspiration and encouragement I needed when I started my Chickadee Gardens blog. Thank you again everyone from the bottom of my heart!

A parting shot of one of the broody sisters, Clover the hen. She and her sister Pixie are being broody which basically means they sit on the nest all day. They do this in hopes of hatching chicks as the drive to be a mom is strong sometimes. But the thing is, there are no chicks (no roosters here) and no eggs for them on which to sit. They simply hang out here in the 102 degree weather hot as hell. We have to open the nest box hatch for them to have air and we also regularly pick them up and place them among their non-broody sisters so they may eat and drink, for they won't do this while being broody. Sigh....it happens but not forever, they will eventually lose the impulse and go back to being laying hens. And, no, they don't lay eggs when broody so there's that. I just thought this photo captured the lurking dinosaur in them.

So, observing the state of the garden right now, I can't let my pessimistic self win. If my optimistic self were to speak, I would say we're one step ahead. That's better than no steps ahead. I hope that in a year or two that these little adaptations and plantings will make a difference in the garden, i.e. a little less work and more beauty with drought-adapted plants. More and more I am choosing to bypass amazing plants that are thirsty. I just can't do it any more. I am dead serious in saying I have a shoulder injury (along with physical therapy) from watering last summer right through October. I'm on the mend but I have to be careful, a blinding realization that I must take care of what I have. So. No more thirsty plants, even shade lovers. Saying bye bye to withering fuchsias, for example, is heart-breaking but necessary. I'm not removing them, rather letting them fade away in time. I put a lot of energy and water into these plants and what's the point if they are on life support? I am observing the letting go of former garden visions and creating something new. Gardening has changed for me and that's okay. 

That's a wrap for this week at Chickadee Gardens. As always thank you so much for reading and commenting, we love hearing from you and hearing what you are up to in your own gardens! Happy gardening, stay cool out there.