domestika

The report from no. 2

well, i managed this week to put what i think (hope) are the finishing touches on our container garden. the sunflowers never had a chance--they pretty much died right away--so i replaced them with a couple of bright pink dahlias which (on day 3) seem to be thriving and well. we'll see how the others fare. it's been a warm few weeks; the hose has come in handy.

generally i'm finding this project to be a battle between where i want pots to go (based on some nebulous ideas about balancing colors and sizes) and where they need to go (based on their sun/shade requirements). i've only had to make one real compromise--moving a flowering succulent from the table next to the chair into the shade. otherwise the vision remains unfettered.

i also feel a little self conscious in the company of my two neighbors (no. 1 and no. 4), who have managed to keep their containers thriving for many seasons. i've only had a few plants--the hardiest of succulents--survive one winter.

behave, plants, behave! my reputation is on the line. (i'm pretty certain both neighbors think i'm insane for planting so many pots at once, when i've barely been able to keep any of them alive.) well, to hell with them (if they do, in fact, think i'm insane). this gardening stuff gives me a lot of delight, even if that delight proves to be temporary. three months would be good; six would be better; a year would be glee.

(p.s. the bright pink bougainvillea and trellis in the back belong to my neighbor.)

Wednesday a.m.

my sad, sad garden. only the hardiest of succulents survived the winter and my delinquent watering habits:

here's what's going to save me. 60-foot magna hose to the rescue!

also, a more wise selection of flowers and plants i picked up at flora grubb, where everyone is so awesome and helpful:

i have been having this problem where soil has not been retaining water, even when i water 2-3 times per week. i thought it was maybe my choice of pots (too porous or small?), but a gal told me it was probably time to replace the potting soil, which apparently i should be doing about once a year, and which probably (because the deck gets a good amount of sun) doesn't need the pumice i'd originally mixed in to help with drainage. doh. in addition to watering more thoroughly, i hope changing the soil in all of the pots will get me better results. wish me luck, because if garden v3 (or is it 4?) dies, i'm giving up and starting a pottery studio. or something.

The only plant I have managed to keep alive

this maidenhair fern, which i got at flora grubb about six months ago now. the guy said "good luck" when i bought it, and i took that as a challenge. booya! actually it dried out two-hotspells ago, and turned brown. i thought it was a goner. but upon clipping off the dead stems and leaves (most of them), and dousing the soil with water, it came right back!

i love how green and summery it looks, and the combination of bright green leaves with dark stems:

the garden, however, is another story. i'll save that post for another day.

A rose, just for you

Fog and flowers

sean and i are back from our vacay in santa cruz, and already sucked into our respective work stations (he, on the couch; me, in the office.) unfortunately i don't have any particularly interesting photos, as we didn't venture far from the house, and santa cruz doesn't really lend itself to spectacular photos since it is always so foggy.

although i was quite taken by all of the beautiful flowers -- rendered all the more vibrant by foggy daylight, where everything glows and looks flourescent. the house we stayed in had some lovely gardens around the perimeter of the lawn, and a wonderfully productive lemon tree that came in handy on more than a few occasions.

anyway i put together these three pairs of photos because it seemed silly to show photos of either foggy skies or pretty wildflowers alone. these pairs, i think, capture the mood and sights of our morning walks, coffee in hand, to go and check out the surf. it was always foggy, a little cold, and mostly grey, but punctuated by dots of intense oranges and pinks.

this is a view of a low-ish tide, which was usually the case in the early morning, near a break called "second peak" at the corner of 35th ave. and east cliff drive. paul o'neill (the founder of o'neill surfboards/stuff) is rumored to live in the green house built into the rocky cliff above this break -- an important point of reference for surfers trying to position themselves to catch waves.

this is a funny little house just a couple of houses in from the ocean. i myself would love to own this funny little house, or one just like it, so i best find another way to describe these uh...cute, quaint (i'm trying to resist saying 'little' here...which i now realize is a strange inclination, given that these houses are several times the size of our apartment in sf)...beach bungalows.

and here's an unspectacularly foggy sky, next to some really gorgeous irises that bloomed in 'our' very 'own' [rented] garden -- just yesterday, in fact.

full disclosure: i used to hate irises because they reminded me of someone bearing the same name, and whom i disliked with my whole being for many many years, but i guess i like them again. i'd tell you the full story, but this isn't that kind of blog.

Mealybug free (for now)

i gained a new appreciation for cacti last month while visiting sean's parents in the tucson area.

and i brought that appreciation right back to sf and into the gardening store, where i picked up this 'ghost cactus.' the buds look pale and rubbery, like this:

note the small, white, star-shaped flowers that grow along the stems. cute!

i think the real reason i like succulents, though, is because they are hard to kill. luckily for me, "ghost plant is a carefree type that is not very demanding," says this cacti and succulents editor of bellaonline.

i planted them three weeks ago and, sure enough, they are living up to their promise of being very low maintenance. i have them set up on the deck in one of my two cedar windowboxes.

though i shan't get over-confident.

for while "this species seldom has many insects or disease problems," the cacti editor cautions, "it can get mealybugs."

all i have to say to that is ewwww!