Monday, May 28, 2007
50. More Spring plant pics...
Today's Forecast
El Big Valley:
Mon: Sunny
High: 77°Low: 46°
Native Columbones!
A visit to the local quarry.
That's enough!
The first path is in!
We widen the driveway by pulling out some more turf. We replace it with pavers and "stepable" wooly thyme. We lay in the wood retaining wall, which acts both as a step and wall for new gravel pathway.
Baby cold hardy bamboo from Bamboo Gardens in Portland.
The plants are growing about 2" a day.
Que built the planter with treated wood and then lined it with gravel and a very thick plastic sheet barrier. This will keep them contained.
Deep shade garden--rows of Coral bells. This particular cultivar has unusual black and white leaves and yes, red coral blooms.
Japanese maples do well here. They seem to the El Big liberal flag. We brought this one in from the big city.
This plant is not deer resistant, but somehow it's survived anyway. I put this in last year when I was pretty clueless about the severity of the deer grazing. Most of the plants in this garden were chosen not only for their cold hardiness and low water needs, but for their deer grazing resistance too.
Deep shade Scot moss and Daylilies from our neighbor Em.
Arts and crafts looking shade groundcover. I lost the tag, so don't remember what it's called. Anyone?
Sweet Woodruff groundcover. Thrives under pines in dry shade.
Sagebrush for the full sun xericape BERM. Once these xeric plants get established, they won't need any supplemental watering.
Wooly thyme! We've planted this inbetween the pavers.
Hens and chickens--cold hardy and drought tolerant succulents!
Lambs ears!
Thyme...One of three varieties in the garden.
Seafoam sagebrush for the front borders.
Salvia -- a drought tolerant ornamental sage planted in mass along the dwarf alpine garden on the parking strip
Que thinks this a Chia pet. He finally admitted that he likes it.
Unusual dry shade plant called Euphorbia. Brilliant chartreuse bloom really lights up the deep shade. Related to succulents.
Returning hostas in the shade garden.
"Thyyyyme is on my side. Yes it is. "
"Thyme after thyme..."
El Big Valley:
Mon: Sunny
High: 77°Low: 46°
Native Columbones!
A visit to the local quarry.
That's enough!
The first path is in!
We widen the driveway by pulling out some more turf. We replace it with pavers and "stepable" wooly thyme. We lay in the wood retaining wall, which acts both as a step and wall for new gravel pathway.
Baby cold hardy bamboo from Bamboo Gardens in Portland.
The plants are growing about 2" a day.
Que built the planter with treated wood and then lined it with gravel and a very thick plastic sheet barrier. This will keep them contained.
Deep shade garden--rows of Coral bells. This particular cultivar has unusual black and white leaves and yes, red coral blooms.
Japanese maples do well here. They seem to the El Big liberal flag. We brought this one in from the big city.
This plant is not deer resistant, but somehow it's survived anyway. I put this in last year when I was pretty clueless about the severity of the deer grazing. Most of the plants in this garden were chosen not only for their cold hardiness and low water needs, but for their deer grazing resistance too.
Deep shade Scot moss and Daylilies from our neighbor Em.
Arts and crafts looking shade groundcover. I lost the tag, so don't remember what it's called. Anyone?
Sweet Woodruff groundcover. Thrives under pines in dry shade.
Sagebrush for the full sun xericape BERM. Once these xeric plants get established, they won't need any supplemental watering.
Wooly thyme! We've planted this inbetween the pavers.
Hens and chickens--cold hardy and drought tolerant succulents!
Lambs ears!
Thyme...One of three varieties in the garden.
Seafoam sagebrush for the front borders.
Salvia -- a drought tolerant ornamental sage planted in mass along the dwarf alpine garden on the parking strip
Que thinks this a Chia pet. He finally admitted that he likes it.
Unusual dry shade plant called Euphorbia. Brilliant chartreuse bloom really lights up the deep shade. Related to succulents.
Returning hostas in the shade garden.
"Thyyyyme is on my side. Yes it is. "
"Thyme after thyme..."
Thursday, May 17, 2007
49. First Big Spring
Even though there's still snow on the far mountain, it's finally warm enough to dig around in the garden. Que and I, along with the rest of the town go into a landscaping and gardening frenzy. I draw out the ''s" shaped paths and new garden beds with wheat flour, then cut them into pie wedges. Que digs the turf out with a shovel and makes a berm. I look up a really interesting Xericscape co-op in Boise where I pick up low water and native plants such as lamb's ears, fescues, a mock orange, seafoam sagebrush, hardy lavenders, and flats of wooly thyme.
Click image to read mural. Do you think the muralist was stoned? Que and I plan to sneak over there at night with a bucket of paint and shorten it to it's correct porportion, as well as change it to "the Gods'" to represent the multitude of faiths. Maybe not.
Our friend of the family, KT comes for a visit for the weekend. On Mother's day, we celebrate 'positive female role model day' with brunch at our friends and their parents at a house overlooking the valley. The following are pics from KT's visit to the El Big, as well as a few from Boise after dropping her off at the airport.
Boise's Basque Museum giftshop
A few shots of the nearby art colony town of Josephine and their obsessive bronze wildlife street art collection...
Yes, that's a real bristle cone pine. I think it resembles one of those fake trees used for disguising cell phone antennas.
This one's not even worth rotating.
This one's for Hillside!
Ladies and gentlemen—the valley's first straw bale constructed house!
Ultra unbelievable. Occasionally a site like this sends me back into a temporary state of culture shock. I make Que turn the car around so I can get a closer look. The last time I saw a one was in a small, middle class primarilly Caucasian, conservative neighborhood in California in about 1972. I can remember driving around with my father in his stationwagon and listening carefully to him explain why they're considered offensive.
Unagi in Boise?!
Resin Buddha says, "Bathroom is through the hall and to your left."
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