Saturday, March 27, 2021

things seen and done


I finished the ditch.

I got the lobelia and petunias planted.

The big rangoon creeper on the fence has finally produced two or three little green nubs of new growth.

I plucked the seed heads/pods of baby onions off the walking onions in the little backyard and threw them in the trash.

I set out the sprinkler and moved it around.

I dug out another small pot with some bulbs of yellow lycoris which did not make it. (Note to self...bulbs in pots do not survive temperatures in the teens.)

Two of the yellow bells (aka tecoma stans, esperanza) have produced new growth from the roots though the big one over at the shop has yet to come out.

I added another stake and tied up the branches on the now enormous night blooming cereus after the wind undid my previous attempt.

The pecan trees which budded out mid-week are sending out their blooms.

The penta is showing a little new growth but not from the main central root cluster.

I dug up the dead century plant that had already survived two hard freezes.

The no show list is slowly dwindling but still contains the hibiscus, bougainvillea, hummingbird bush, mexican bird of paradise, star of India gardenia, purple orchid tree, desert rose trumpet flower bush, the yellow trumpet flower in the ground. They have until the end of April before they get shifted to the dead list, which currently has 4 items...the pink crinum lilies, the lycoris, the century plant (not sad about that one as it was in a bad spot), and the bromeliads.

The spirea,

a green tree frog,

the second poppy,

the corn field at the end of the street. 




18 comments:

  1. FROG!!! oh my what a cute little being!!

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    1. it's so much fun to come across one, they blend in so well.

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  2. That's a lovely frog. The size of the cereus is astonishing. I did not know they grew that big.

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  3. Pam needs a tree there in her front yard.
    I planted bulbs in my big pots, and they've been through two winters, now. The ones that survived. When they bloom I'll know what they are and tell you. I think they are the paper narcissus. The leaves are still curling around each other, but look slender.

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    1. she's planted at least six but they were only about 12" big. they've all finally come out but it will be a while before they are visible.

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  4. You did a great job in clearing the ditch Ellen! I suppose you will need to continue clearing it on a regular basis throughout the summer. I hope some of those plants that are on the "will they" or "won't they" list come through okay.

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    1. yes and now that it's down hopefully it will be easier but eventually it will get too hot and I'll have it sprayed when it gets high again.

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  5. My pecans are being shy. Not sure why. It is supposed to get down in the forties next week. So odd.
    Good work, Ellen! Good, hard work.

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    1. as usual we get your weather first. rain storm early this morning dropped temps and supposed to get down in the 40s tonight.

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  6. Congrats to you for continuing to whip things into shape. Glad more of the plants have made an appearance. Your no-show list contains some that I suspect may well have died -- hibiscus and bougainvillea, for example. I don't know yellow lycoris -- I'll have to look that one up!

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    1. lycoris is what Ms Moon calls hurricane lilies and I call surprise lilies. the yellow version the flowers are a bit bigger.

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  7. You have been busy there. I do hope the plants you are waiting on will show up full of life before the end of April. Love seeing that frog there. Makes me miss the little froggies we used to have in our yard when we were living in the Sierra foothills. Such cute little creatures.

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    1. I'm ready to be not quite so busy out there but that arctic freeze caused so much work beyond the usual spring chores.

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  8. Love the little frog - so cute! Your list of plants that are TBD is longer than our whole list of plants - ha! Well, unless I count each individual wildflower.

    We're going back into the deep freeze later this week. I am very annoyed. I was all set to paint my toenails. Ha!

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  9. Well done and again, welcome positive news after that awful frosty spell. Lovely little frog.

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  10. Kudos to you!!! Now take a well-deserved rest! We're due for rain this week. I'm not unhappy about it -- I have plants that need moisture!! None of our trees in our front yard have budded out yet. I'm afraid to go check them for fear they didn't make it through the winter and we'll have to replace them.

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  11. I was surprised beyond words to see new fronds peeking out from the tops of the big palm trees planted in a median in front of our Target and Home Depot. They're only about 12" long now, but they can be seen from the ground, and they clearly are growing. The garden dudes on radio here said DO NOT get impatient. Apparently there are plants that take longer to revive themselves than we think. Just for grins, I stopped by the big ol' shrub in front of my place and tested its twigs. The leaves still are clinging, even though they're brown and obviously dead, but the wood is supple, and where I snipped a twig, it was green. Patience!

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I opened my big mouth, now it's your turn.