4/14/19

Everyday sights in Bernal Heights


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Alternate title: Echium delights in Bernal Heights.

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We had a wonderfully slow spring, with cool temperatures and regular rains--for months! Spring flowers that would often tap out in March are going strong in mid-April.

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Great day to get an afternoon latte, and jaunt around the hill.

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4/7/19

Return to My Back 40 (Feet)

Hi, I know it's been a minute, and I feel like some kind of explanation is warranted, but I am not sure what it would be. And I will say it feels surprisingly awkward to attempt blogging after 4.5 years of not blogging. So I am just going to hurdle all that, and jump right in. 

We have a new garden! 

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Same yard, new garden. 

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We had to replace the fence last year, which according to a neighbor, was built in the 1970s. We took the opportunity to give the garden a makeover too...

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Out with the chunky, clunky cobblestone beds I built and rebuilt over 12 years...

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Out the with the lumpy cobblestone path that had settled unevenly into the earth creating tripping hazards and stubbed toes...

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In with decomposed granite and steel construction! 

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Major construction work finished about a month ago (still waiting for installation of steel compost bin) and planting started right afterward. The steel will eventually weather into the usual brown-orange rust color familiar in Corten design. For now, I am digging the plummy phase, and impatiently waiting for new acquisitions to grooow. 

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We kept a few plants in place--the tree fern, the Meyer lemon, two aged grape vines, and anything growing under the stairs (Bartlettina sordida, misc. plectranthus, Clivia miniata, some calla lilies) . I dug up everything I wanted to keep, and the rest got heaved.

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The project started late and dragged on, and encountered rain delays. I was worried we missed all the winter rain, but the spring has been generous this year, showering into April. We might be done, and I guess that would be okay. Some sun and warmth would be nice. 

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As gardeners go, I have always been more of a 'collector-type' than a 'designer-type'. I also have a sad, glorious history of indulging flights of fancy and embracing garden folly over formulating practical, reasonable, well-thought out plans. I feel like perhaps I have burned through that phase, and am ready for something more age appropriate. We shall see!

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I am definitely going for more repetition in this garden. I'll try to say more about that later, as things start to grow, and I get more used to the camera I bought for this phase of my garden life. I thought all these pictures came out a little bland and washed out, and then I remembered, I have to set the camera to "foliage" mode, and I figured out how to do that--too late for this post, but there is always the next post.