Plant details

I planted three California Gray Rush and two Soft Gray Rush (also Juncus Patens) in the ditch. These should tolerate full sun, no drainage,and seasonal flooding.

Also, three Deer Grass in the front yard. These are said to thrive in any environment except wet shade.

And three low asters on the roadside edge of the ditch. The Calflora man says that these are quite hardy, even bordering on scarily aggressive. Let’s see if they can take the place of Bermuda grass there (after killing grass with round-up).

I planted three ounces of garlic cloves (Germain Porcelain hardneck) around the drip line of the peach tree in February, with 7-5-7 organic fertilizer. This was Barry's recommendation for pest control.

The planting directions say:

Choose a sunny, well drained location. Fertilize with 16-16-16 at 5#/1000 square feet. Advisible to create raised beds, just before planting. Plant between Sept 1 and Oct 15 (northern climates -- this garlic from WA state), but you can plant into early spring in southern climates. Fertilize with 46-0-0 in January at 2#/1000 square feet. Do this again in March and May. Start weeding as soon as weeds appear. As hardneck varieties start to mature you need to remove the central stem just above the last set of leaves. As maturation continues you will want to taper off the irrigation. When the plants have died down approximately 60% it is time to harvest. Hang garlic in bundles of ten in a warm, dry, well ventilated area. When the garlic has cured remove the tops and roots. Store in a netted bag in a well ventilated area out of the sunlight.

We visited Western Hills Nursery Coleman Road in Occidental. Maggie has run the place for 25 years, and she propagates many rare plants. Her garden is a wonder to visit, and she’s happy to spend time with amateurs like us. She has lots of 4” pots, which make things economical.

We discussed our garden with Maggie, and she told us to finish killing kikuyu grass and amending soil before investing in her plants. But we realized that the little space that Robin amended last year, surrounding the small Japanese maple on the NE side of the office, was ready for planting.