Weird weather aftermath

Well, it finally seems to have cooled down. Which is good, because we've all been sick the past two weeks, so I haven't gotten much done, and it's nice to have decent weather to get back to work in.

The bad news: both blueberry plants are gone, as far as I can tell.

The good news: my daylilies have recovered, and everything else seems to be doing okay.

Today I planted a prickly pear in the back yard to start off my desert garden. I chose an area that in general is always drier than the rest of the yard, and that not much grows in anyway. I'm a big cactus fan, and I'm so happy to finally get this garden plot started.

Once I get the rest of my cacti in (I have a potted agave and a dragon flower plant that I've been lugging indoors to overwinter for a couple of years but that will grow here just fine, and I think I'd also like to get at least one yucca), I'll put down gravel mulch all around it so I won't have to do any weeding.

There's a lot of trial and error to this, which is why I think that landscaping companies tend to stick with the same few plants in any one area. They choose the ones that they know work and ignore the rest unless someone specifically requests something different.

Still here

It's been cooler here, and I've been rushing to lay mulch and start seeds for fall/winter.

One of the seedlings that was being attacked seems to have survived the grasshopper army, and is putting out a tiny leaf from its nubby stalk. Good for it! The rest of the flat seems destined for the recycle bucket.

I've decided that my first goal needs to be trees, shrubs, and perennials, because the annuals don't seem to be surviving long enough to plant! But I did plant a grapevine in the backyard this week. Hopefully it will survive -- the last three haven't, but you never know.

I haven't been feeling well the last few days, so not much has gotten done on the front yard. Been mostly inside working on the site rather than out in the "real world". :)