Backyard overhaul: slow but steady

In a recent post, my friend Kathy who blogs at GardenBook talked about the "hateful areas" in her garden. I can relate only too well. In recent years, it seems most of our backyard has become a hateful area. With our attention firmly focused on the front garden, the backyard has fallen into benign neglect.

That is about to change. Actually, it already has started to change.

The area I'm going to show you today is outside the dining room slider; the desert bed we created in 2014 is on the other side of the fence. A year ago, we had an 'Aristocrat' pear and a clumping bamboo removed (read about it here) to create a blank slate. The first new plants to go in were an Acacia baileyana 'Purpurea' and a Grevillea 'Flora Mason' (see here). In recent months I've been slowly adding more plants. This area only gets a few hours of direct sun but is fairly bright most of the day because of light reflecting off the house.

Let's take a closer look.

Farfugium japonicum 'Giganteum' (#7 below) is one of only a few "pre-existing" plants. This is what it looked like in 2010. The more the chocolate bamboo (Borinda fungosa) next to it grew, the more the farfugium diminished because the bamboo sucked up most the available water. But now that the bamboo is gone, the farfugium has made a comeback. While it would be happier (and bigger) with more water, I'm grateful it's hung in there all this time.

Most of other plants shown below are recent additions. #10, Aloe karasbergensis, is one of three aloes in this area. The other two, Aloe tomentosa and Aloe debrana, are to the right (not shown).

① 'Wood's Compact' manzanita (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi 'Wood's Compact') — from a recent UC Davis Arboretum plant sale

② Blood lily (Haemanthus coccineus) — from the UC Davis Botanical Conservatory

③ 'Lemon Lime' nandina (Nandina domestica 'Lemon Lime') — from the Sunset Western Garden Collection

④ 'Meerlo' lavender (Lavandula allardii 'Meerlo') — from the Sunset Western Garden Collection

⑤ NOID pincushion (Leucospermum sp.) — from Succulent Gardens. I'm not giving it the room a mature leucospermum needs because I don't expect it to survive for long. But for $10, it's a reasonably cheap experiment.

⑥ 'Duet' New Zealand flax (Phormium 'Duet') — from a recent UC Davis Arboretum plant sale

⑦ Farfugium japonicum 'Giganteum' — growing here for 10+ years

⑧ 'Orange Flame' correa (Correa pulchella 'Orange Flame') — from a recent UC Davis Arboretum plant sale

⑨ Garnet geranium (Pelargonium sidoides) — from a recent UC Davis Arboretum plant sale

⑩ Aloe karasbergensis — planted in spring 2017

① Coral bells (Heuchera sanguinea) — gift from a friend, planted in spring 2017

② Carex oshimensis 'Evergold' — planted years ago

③ Holly fern (Cyrtomium falcatum) — planted years ago

④ Cycas panzhihuaensis — growing in a pot for 5+ years; planted here in fall 2017

⑤ 'Lemon Lime' nandina (Nandina domestica 'Lemon Lime') — from the Sunset Western Garden Collection

⑥ 'Meerlo' lavender (Lavandula allardii 'Meerlo') — from the Sunset Western Garden Collection

⑦ NOID pincushion (Leucospermum sp.) — from Succulent Gardens

⑧ 'Duet' New Zealand flax (Phormium 'Duet') — from a recent UC Davis Arboretum plant sale

⑨ Aloe karasbergensis — planted in spring 2017

⑩ Blood lily (Haemanthus coccineus) — from the UC Davis Botanical Conservatory

① Carex oshimensis 'Evergold' — planted years ago

② Cycas panzhihuaensis — growing in a pot for 5+ years; planted here in fall 2017

③ 'Lemon Lime' nandina (Nandina domestica 'Lemon Lime') — from the Sunset Western Garden Collection

④ 'Evening Glow' New Zealand flax (Phormium 'Evening Glow') — $2 special from Lowe's clearance table

⑤ 'Meerlo' lavender (Lavandula allardii 'Meerlo') — from the Sunset Western Garden Collection

⑥ NOID pincushion (Leucospermum sp.) — from Succulent Gardens

⑦ 'Duet' New Zealand flax (Phormium 'Duet') — from a recent UC Davis Arboretum plant sale

⑧ Aloe karasbergensis — planted in spring 2017

⑨ Farfugium japonicum 'Giganteum' — growing here for 10+ years

⑩ 'Wood's Compact' manzanita (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi 'Wood's Compact') — from a recent UC Davis Arboretum plant sale

① Leatherleaf fern (Ruhmora adiantiformis) — from Annie's Annuals; planted spring 2017

② 'Lemon Lime' nandina (Nandina domestica 'Lemon Lime') — from the Sunset Western Garden Collection

③ 'Evening Glow' New Zealand flax (Phormium 'Evening Glow') — $2 special from Lowe's clearance table

④ 'Meerlo' lavender (Lavandula allardii 'Meerlo') — from the Sunset Western Garden Collection

⑤ NOID pincushion (Leucospermum sp.) — from Succulent Gardens

⑥ Blood lily (Haemanthus coccineus) — from the UC Davis Botanical Conservatory

① Renga lily (Arthropodium cirratum) — from Annie's Annuals; planted spring 2017

② Paintbrush or snowbrush (Haemanthus albiflos) — from the UC Davis Botanical Conservatory

③ Holly fern (Cyrtomium falcatum) — planted years ago

④ Leatherleaf fern (Ruhmora adiantiformis) — from Annie's Annuals; planted spring 2017

⑤ Cycas panzhihuaensis — growing in a pot for 5+ years; planted here in fall 2017

⑥ 'Lemon Lime' nandina (Nandina domestica 'Lemon Lime') — from the Sunset Western Garden Collection

① Chinese ground orchid (Bletilla striata) — gift from a friend, planted in spring 2017
② Renga lily (Arthropodium cirratum) — from Annie's Annuals; planted spring 2017

③ Paintbrush or snowbrush (Haemanthus albiflos) — from the UC Davis Botanical Conservatory

④ Holly fern (Cyrtomium falcatum) — planted years ago

⑤ Leatherleaf fern (Ruhmora adiantiformis) — from Annie's Annuals; planted spring 2017

⑥ Cycas panzhihuaensis — growing in a pot for 5+ years; planted here in fall 2017

This area still needs proper mulching and more rocks. But the groundwork has been laid. What's required more than anything now is patience because these plants need time to settle in and bulk up. Alas, patience is not my strong suit...