Gardening Plans for Spring 2009

1. Make yard layouts on paper (I know, I know, this is always supposed to be the FIRST thing you do. But I usually think planning is over-rated). It's not like I don't have the tools--I have a measuring tape, and engineering paper even, I'm just lazy. The part I find the funniest is that my profession would usually make you think I'd be all into planning and much less likely to do the doing part. But you'd be wrong. We ran into trouble when I started doing all my gardening down here because we put the garden along the fence figuring it was a prime spot to put such a thing--there wasn't anything growing there so we didn't have to worry about digging up grass and plants. The fact that things weren't growing there should have tipped us off. It's not like the husband and I were gardening novices. We just didn't plan.

2. Put raised beds in the sun in the backyard. I will use the brackets that Bob from Gardening at Draco has been nice enough to offer to make for me. I haven't decided how big of beds we'll put in (it will probably either be 1 long one, or 2 short ones). The biggest problem with this is that we will have to do some digging to level out the area that we ultimately decide to put this/these bed(s).

3. I want to expand the front yard berm area. There are two spots on either side of the berm that just never seem to do well during the summer. This is probably because the husband and I have an aversion to watering St. Augustine grass. So, more xeriscape plants are in order. I want to put one of the stock pond agave plant setups on one side. But this is going to take some time since I have to convince the husband that they look nice, not cheap. The other side would have a line of rocks, very similar to what we've already got out there and then will have xeri plants planted in it.

4. There's an area at the end of the driveway (right before the sidewalk) that the previous owners cordoned off with lawn edging and then planted a bunch of Asian Jasmine and one lone rose plant that has bloomed 2 times since we've been here. This is because I never take care of it. Ever. Anyhow, I want to pull all that stuff out and put something else there. Texas Sage, or a Pomegranate tree maybe.

5. And while we're talking about pulling out plants, we've got a 6' berrying Nandina in the back yard corner that needs to come out because of the whole 'invasive plant' thing. I don't know what to put in it's place though since it's in the area that gets sun, and shade, and it's so dappled that I can't tell how much sun it actually gets throughout the day. I guess I should assume it gets more shade than sun and go for a Part Shade/Shade bush. I don't want to put Turk's Cap there because I already planted two of those close by.

6. There's also the area along the pathway to the house--in the last 2 years I've just planted my garden stuff there, but it's really not ideal for that. It doesn't get full sun because the Chinese Pistache tree shades a portion of it for most of the day. I've also had some Yucca-looking plant there (something like kangaroo paws), but it died, and I never bothered trying to replace it because it was starting to poke people in the ankles as they walked by. Maybe Passion Flower will do alright in the area that gets more sun.