DG and red lava: update on my current projects

The front yard project I first mentioned a couple of weeks ago (see “Eeking out 40 sq. ft. of additional planting space” and “Planting the newly gained space in the front yard”) is closer to completion. After planting the new space, the two major tasks left to do were putting down decomposed granite on the walkways and adding top dressing to the beds.

When the material arrived on Tuesday morning – 1 cubic yard of DG and 3 cubic yards of 5/16" red lava rock – I was worried for a second that I’d ordered too much. But that’s how it always is; in the end, there’s very little left over.

Tuesday morning, right after delivery

By Tuesday evening, I’d spread most of the red lava:

Wednesday morning

On Wednesday morning, I distributed the rest of the lava and spread the DG on the paths, both the walkway into the backyard through the new gate...

Just in time for the rain on Thursday

...as well as the walkways around the two succulent mounds inside the front yard fence:

The original pathfines had mostly disappeared. Where does stuff like that go?

Here are some photos of the finished result:

I’m quite pleased with how the front yard is looking. Good thing, too, because I’m going to have an open garden for the Sacramento Cactus and Succulent Society in a couple of weeks.

The entire L-shaped succulent bed along the sidewalk got a new layer of 5/16" lava top dressing

Initially, the look is a bit jarring, but as the new plants fill in, the lava will be much less noticeable

Cactus and shrubs, including Leucadendron ‘Ebony’

The newly expanded area in front of the relocated fence section and the new gate (right)

Red lava here and there, red lava everywhere

Red lava all the way to where the sidewalk bed ends at the neighborhood mailboxes

The two new succulent beds in the backyard (see here), and the walkway between them, also got a healthy layer of 5/16" red lava:

As I mentioned, I do know that all this red lava is a jarring sight, at least at first. But the lava will start to recede into the background as the succulents grow and the smaller perennials between them fill in. In the meantime, the lava will serve its purpose: retain moisture, keep the soil cool (both crucial in the summer), and keep weeds down.

Note: I chose an inorganic material as the top dressing because wood chips (or the like) will break down and rot over time, potentially spreading harmful fungi to succulents, especially during prolonged periods of wet and cold.

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