What is it with kids and my garden in the front yard?
I watched a little family of four (two parents and two small children) as they admired my yard, pointing at all the interesting details and colors … smiling, learning. Then mom and dad walked ahead with Kimmy, while little Timmy, who stayed behind unattended, decides to start stomping on a patch of beautiful echeveria.
After tearing a four year-old a new one, I still need to pull the crushed plants and replace them with new ones. Or maybe I ought to replant the perimeter with jumping cholla or some crazy-spiny opuntia…
I’ll fix those rascals.
One of the things that caught my eye most when I first saw this aloe at the Dry Garden was it’s deep, red colored tentacles. I took it home and stuck it in the ground immediately. I really wanted that red focal point in my yard. Little did I know at the time, but have learned since, that many succulents change colors depending on how stressed they are. Stressing can come from direct, all day sunlight or a deprivation of water. As you can see in the “After” shot, mine looks like it’s been at the spa for the last few months; it’s turned bright green. My guess is that with all the new plantings around it, it was sipping on some of their spa water.
Okay, Missy. Time to dry you out and get me back my red this Fall.
One of the things I love most in my garden is the Agave parryi that I planted a year or so ago. It’s grown so quickly and has already produced 6 or 7 pups (that I know of).
Today, I discovered two more of them hiding under her bottom leaves. I’d love to pull them, but they’re pretty tightly tucked-in and I got stuck the first time I tried. I wonder if I should wait until they’re a little bigger before separating them from the mother plant. (The ones I pulled previously popped out a little further away from her.)
In preparation to replace the filth-bag Angel’s Trumpet that I finally dug out of my garden yesterday (I’d been working on removing that thing for an entire week), I’ve been taking pictures of everything I like (these are random photos from the past week).
I’m not sure what to replace it with. It needs to be sculptural, frost hardy, grow to at least 10ft tall and work with all the cactus and succulents I currently have planted. (It’s purpose will be to create a screen over the living room window.) I’d love to hear (or even see) your ideas…
