July 4, 2014: Well, we are finally making some progress and, because we are so pleased with the little bit that got done, decided to tackle a bit more. That portion is scheduled to be completed by the 8th - very late in the year - but after it is done, we will have completed approximately 40% of the backyard - not including the hillside. This will leave us with the rest of the summer to dream and plan and then come autumn, we will start work again.
My favorite area is this (it is a great place to sit as it always feels cooler than the surrounding area):
another view: 
I planted 2 more angel wing jasmine along the trellis so, hopefully, they will get their feet happily rooted in the ground and really take off next year. The hibiscus has surprised me. Before, I had it slated for removal as it looked like it was on its last legs but my DH wanted to give it a chance and it is rewarding him handsomely by looking greener, fuller, and more beautiful each day . The Dietes was actually 1 large plant that we divided into 3 pieces. There is also some black ajuga planted amongst the Dietes and Hibiscus so hopefully that will fill in soon.
I ordered some Fargesia and Pleioblastus from Santa Rosa during their end-of-season sale and they should be here next week. I plan on potting them up for the summer and getting them in the ground come fall. I am going to use the Fargesia as a hedge near the bottom of the hillside and, if all goes as planned, they will screen us from the view of the neighbor's garbage and junk that they leave piled up along their side of the fence (not to mention all of their dead and dying plants). At 6 feet tall, the Fargesia should not be overwhelming - just a solid green wall.
I asked the "Ask a Question" forum yesterday about Pleioblastus since there is so much contradictory information on it out there (and ATP does not have any data on it in its database). I have read everything from a maximum height of 12", requires full shade and is a clumping bamboo to it is 4 feet high, must have full sun and runs like no tomorrow. Once, again, I am indebted to the great ATP membership. PlantLadyLin was so sweet and called ZenCat who helped me tremendously by giving me direct feedback on how it is performing in her zone 7a garden (15" tall, well-behaved clump, part-shade). I went ahead and ordered it from Santa Rosa, too, and am going to spot it along the hill. I am hoping that it remains on the shorter end but will actually spread out a bit (the additional erosion control aspect is a plus); however, if they remain clumped, I think they will still look quite nice with the variegated foliage and all. It will be interesting to see how they will perform in zone 10 as compared to zone 7, too.
Anyway, here are some "in progress" photos. I want to keep a photo journal so I can easily track the different plants' habits and growth rates. I plan on taking photos again in the autumn as I suspect (or, at the very least, am hoping fervently) that a lot of the areas will have filled in by then.
These areas look sparse but the plants are in. I left enough room for each so that they should be comfortable for at least 3-5 years. I used to make the mistake of planting to close together - everything looks small when it first goes in but then quickly becomes "too big" - but now I wonder if I have gone too far the other direction. If it is still sparse in 6 months to a year, I will go back and fill in:
another view: 
On the adjacent side of the equipment area:
Around the Eucalyptus: 
This is a small planter that wrongs along the back of the garage heading towards the house:
On the opposite side is this planter (approximately 9' x 9'):
There is an Ensete ventricosum 'Maurelii' (red Abyssinian banana - maybe a height of 12' or so in our area) in the center with (4) Dietes iridoides (white morea lily) surrounding the future trunk (These Dietes were initially one large plant that I divided into 5 sections - I still have a clump left over). On the outer most ring, I planted Heuchera 'Midnight Rose'. I chose this cultivar hoping that it would echo both the black ajuga and green, pink, and white ajuga that is planted throughout the shaded areas.
Well, time to stop now as this entry is getting lengthy but one more photo to show the area that is getting prepped (old sod is out and we are refreshing the soil):
Everything should be back in by Tuesday and then we wind down until mid-September.
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| The Garden Grows by chalyse | Jul 5, 2014 2:08 PM | 1 |
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