Finally, A Day Off
Yesterday while I was at work, some landscapers came to trim the pine tree out back. It had become extremely overgrown. We live in one of those San Francisco neighborhoods where the houses are jammed together, side-by-side. In order to dispose of the branches they'd cut, the trimmers had to drag everything through my kitchen and out to the garage. So I came home to a dirty mess -- pitch, needles, spiders, twigs, and what looked like black soot all over the floor. By the time I'd cleaned it up, I was sort of tired. But I'd promised my friend that I'd go dancing with her. She's one of those people who keeps buying you drinks when you're not paying attention, and I ended up having a little too much fun. Which was all right, since today was my day off.
I got out of bed very late, boiled a pot of coffee, and listened to the news (no more Rumsie!). Breakfast was melon and toast. My friend came downstairs to commiserate about our hangovers.
After she left, I headed out to the nursery where I spent hours walking around and dreaming of what I might like to see out behind my apartment, where I have this concrete patio area. I finally settled on this salvia.
Salvias smell great, especially right after a rain. Butterflies love them. I also bought this Campanula, because flowers with trailing habits are so darling -- 
It's almost as though I'm talking to you now, huh? That strip above my head is the spot where I'm starting my little garden. At this point, everything I've planted is very small. I hope it grows!
The soil here is sandy, moist, and poorly drained. I can dig a pretty good hole in it, though the dirt tends to pour back in on itself. While I prepared the area I couldn't help wondering if some former tenant had ever buried a pet out there. A giant boa constrictor, say. But it doesn't really pay to linger with those kinds of thoughts. I'm sure Martha Stewart wouldn't.
After the plants were watered in, I swept all the pine needles and stuff off of my patio and into the compost bin.
posted by 
ing at 6:38 PM
10 Comments:
YOU LOOK MARVELOUS!
I know those shades!
But sandy soil is fine for certain plants. Poppies thrive, really pop-pop-pop! And then basil will love you too. There are flowers that love sand. So many grow around and among dunes. Berries love sand. Not to tip the cart--I hope everything grows. I've been able to grow some plants out of the strangest crappiest soil and it had nothing to do with me or the crappy soil, but the determination of the plants to thrive. It's perfectly fine to take a soil sample into the nursery; they can even check the acidity, the ph, and all of that. My uncle used to do take samples from different sections of his garden into Wedels and his garden grew or it loved him back.
Gardens take patients too. Real ones! ;-) Worth every slow year.
Habits remind me of pendants. Hmm. The drop, I guess.
7:46 AM
Cool back yard and yes your looking better than the flowers...I am hoping the English Ivy continues to take over my back yard. Requiem for a Lawn Mower is my philosophy. I have carefully cultivated the abandoned estate look, not a small challenge, to many people try to hard and it looks contrived, I think I have put in the hours of proper neglect to achieve the desired effect. JW
6:31 PM
ginab is right, lots of plants love sand, spurs love sand...
I can't imagine having tree limbs dragged through the kitchen, that there was no other alternative, but if there was an alternative, the story would be less interesting
you have a nice looking garden
7:07 PM
ginab:
Marvelous, HA! The camera makes my nose look even bigger and pointier than it really is (I hope). But poppies, yes! Come spring, I plan to sow them. I think the sage will love the sand, too. Yay! Wildflowers and plants that smell good tend to like sand, so we'll see. I'll try some basil, because yum!
These nurseries in San Fran don't hold a candle to the ones in Santa Cruz. No lumber, no hogwire. I mean, gardening and carpentry go hand-in-hand.
I'll call and ask about the soil sample thing (it's a 40-minute drive to the nursery). But I'm guessing we need lots of rotting stuff to lure the worms. I saw nothing living down there in my sandy soil except some creepy fat larvae that I'm guessing are future beetles, which to me indicates the old pine back there is in for a hurtin'. Those beetles love to bore into trees.
Habits and pendants. My own habits make parts of me droop and drop.
_______________
Josh:
Oh, beware of that English ivy! It's invasive and, quite frankly, it's ugly! Okay, you've got your abandoned estate thang, and you can play up the whole negligent-millionaire-eccentric bit. But don't deny the whole Miss Haversham aspect. Careful!
___________
Salvia:
The garden will look nice, but it'll take a while. I'm trying to keep in mind that I'm beautifying with a future in mind that I might not ever get to see. The future matters. I am a Democrat.
12:58 AM
Maybe I like noses, but I noticed your smile-grin, your new style, and that garden to beat all.
I would post on the Matty come home post wont'chya darlin' PLEASE, but I'm not Matty. Nope.
I'm skint. too. ugh.
-ginab
4:49 PM
Skint? That sucks. I've started to make my own food more often so that I won't be skint. Today, homemade chicken noodle soup. Lots of hot drinks, too.
It's raining cats and dogs. No need to water the new plants. That's why they say fall is such a good time to plant things. They get watered in properly for a while, and once they've had a few months to establish themselves, they're ready to GROW.
8:07 PM
Well, aren't you ambitious for a girl with a hangover!?
I'd have skipped the nursery (the light, the colours, turn them off!), donned the ever so glamorous shades, swooned dramatically out to the backyard where my chaise would be waiting and I (clad in a feather collared robe) would spend the afternoon there, stroking the hair of the dog that bit me.
But that's just me.
Campanula's, lovely as they are would have to wait until I was feeling equally lovely.
Let's see if blogger will let me post here because it's been giving me a really hard time this week and I'm just about ready to take my toys and go home.
Can't wait to see your flourishing garden! The space is great!
11:35 PM
I love that picture of you!!!!
Now, I plan on seeing this garden next week!!!! Missy! I'm just inviting myself over! I'm tired of waiting! LOL!
I hope to sit in your garden and meditate to Goldfrapp at a very high volume.
1:41 PM
I love all things that grow. Including people.
7:07 PM
Your garden will be fabulous! And what is skint? (I tried to insert italics command for "skint" but blogger told me my tag was not closed. It was, I swear! Ever learning.)
6:37 PM
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