Friday, October 21, 2022

Back Garden Tour 2022, Chapter 2

Starting up where Chapter 1 left off, we're looking at the area behind our garage, the fence is our south-side property line. For the first fifteen years I gardened here, there was a trio of conifers right along the neighbor's side of the fence, thus the soil here was impossible to dig (dry, root-filled) so that's why I started planting in containers.

The shade pavilion, which will become a greenhouse in just a couple weeks.

Since these photos were taken this area has been completely reworked. The bromeliads are tucked in the basement and I've expanded the rock plantings. A subject for a future post!
It's so nice to see this area looking summery, since it's not nearly so full in real live (with the Great Migration underway).

This stock tank used to hold a huge chunk of Podophyllum pleianthum, while I miss it I do love this new version planted up with lots of my favorite things.

Now the fence! It's become my canvas for all sorts of experimenting: bromeliads, staghorn ferns... what can I grow vertically?

I have had so much fun here, some planting ideas only lasted a year or two, others are still going strong several years in.




What they all have in common is that they are summer fun, the fence is bare once the shade pavilion's greenhouse walls go up.


That means a lot of work cleaning plants up and moving them indoors. It's worth it though!


Looking at the southwest corner now, where I put in these tall columns late last spring.

Pay no attention to the agaves on the lower left below, they were moved here just as a place to land while Andrew worked on the scaffolding shown at the beginning of Chapter 1, they'd been soaking up the sun out in the driveway planters all summer and will move into the shade pavilion greenhouse soon.

Here's a new view, the shade pavilion as seen from the west end, back wall of the garage in the distance.

Same focus, but moved inwards from the extreme.

Turning left (north-ish) to look at the patio now.

The Magnolia macrophylla and Tetrapanax papyrifer are meeting over the patio dining table. What was once VERY sunny is now quite shady.


Stepping down on to the patio.

Looking towards the shade pavilion with the dining table in the foreground.

Patio plants in the southeast corner...

Same view, pulled back.

Southwest corner...note the Agave victoriae-reginae bloom standing tall!

The agave is all bloomed out now (I'm posting weeks after the photo was taken), but since it's  one of the hardier agaves—and shows no sign of post-bloom decline—I'll leave it in place and see how it does over the next few wet and cold months.

The west side of the patio, many of these containers were moved to this location when the driveway scaffolding went up.

Dioon edule and friends.

Looking semi northeast now and the orange wall comes into view. What's really remarkable to my eye is the fact the Agave ovatifolia almost entirely blocks the stock tank "pond"...

When I first planted the agave in this large green container I put two others in with it becasue it looked so small (here). Not anymore!

A gunnera spent the summer in the stock tank pond, since every other plant I tried was tortured by the raccoons. I've since given the gunnera to a friend and plan to fill the tank with soil and plant it up in the spring. I am done fighting the masked asshats and trying to grow water plants.

Class photo against the orange wall...

Looking east towards the back of the house.



And just like that, this tour has come to an end! Today—October 21st—our typical autumn weather (cooler and periods of wet) is expected to arrive, more than a month late. I've loved every stolen minute of the extended summer, but since the last few days have been miserable with heinous levels of wildfire smoke making the air thick and unhealthy even I am ready for the rain to come...

All material © 2009-2022 by Loree L Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

21 comments:

  1. Call me crazy, but I think a cow's skull would look awesome on the fence behind the shade pavillion. I know it's not your style, but hey, it *could* be!

    Your garden continues to amaze me--as does the amount of work you do to protect plants in the winter.

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    1. I'm gonna go ahead and call you crazy ;) definitely not my style! We do have a deer jawbone, complete with a few teeth, on the dining table though. It's part of a centerpiece, not something to eat!

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    2. See? You're not THAT far away from a cow's skull!

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  2. Do you cover your large agave ovatafolia in the winter?? Your yard looks beautiful & what a great place for evenings eating dinner outside.

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    1. Yes I do. Since it's in a container I want to make sure it doesn't get too wet. The ones in the ground in the front garden are not covered though. This species does okay in our climate.

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  3. Looking really good as normal…..always inspiring 🙂

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  4. Stunning as always! If I had a patio - or a shade pavilion - that looked that nice, I might actually sit down in my own garden. Your large containers had me wondering where I might have more space for half-barrels. I've got to do some scouting as my husband will need Christmas present ideas in another month or so ;)

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    1. You do have a patio, one that is lovely with a spectacular view!

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  5. Both chapters 1 and 2, for the front and back garden are spectacular. Not a pebble out of place, the grass surrounding the square pavers are trimmed to perfection and ready for close-ups.
    No cushions on chairs surrounding the dining table?
    I bounced back to see A. ovatifolia in it's youth with a couple of companion agave. Shocking how small it was, shocking to see your garden in its toddlerhood, astonishing to see there were 62 comments back then... before Instagram I suppose.
    The hanging creations on the fence behind the pavilion are always my favorite.
    Dioon edule is amazing! (does it migrate?)
    chavli

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    1. I probably should get a cushions, the chairs become a little uncomfortable if you set in them awhile, I just didn't want to worry about them getting wet—not that that's a big concern here in the summer.

      Funny thing about that older post, the garden was already 9 years old then! It just looks so young in that photo becasue that area was the project that spring. Those comments! Ya, that was the good old days when blogging felt relevant. The Dioon edule goes into the shade pavilion greenhouse, it's one of the hardier of the cycads.

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  6. I do love your pavilion area. It is inspiring and looks like a very comfortable place to spend time. Do you have to bring in the A. ovatifolia? A beauty but a monster. Season ends here tomorrow with 6 inches of snow expected. Frankly I am like you and looking forward to some moisture and a good rest.

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    1. That large Agave ovatifolia stays right there, I imagine it's probably rooted into the ground (not to mention extremely heavy). I do put a sort of cover over it though, to keep it dry.

      6" of snow!?! Good lord. Actually I wouldn't say I am looking forward to our rainy season. I would just as soon go in with summer forever. Just one rainy weekend to put out the fires and clear the smoke.

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  7. That whole area looks great. You must be very pleased with it....though gardeners always see something they want to improve in their gardens, don't they?

    Maybe be very pleased for a while anyway, for fun! You deserve it.

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    1. Thanks for the kind comment Hoov. Actually I loved most everything about the garden this year. It was a really nice summer, a sort of pay-back for last years stolen summer (due to the ankle break/surgery).

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  8. You have an amazing collection of plants Loree!

    Such a great variety.

    I enjoyed seeing some summer photos as well. I am typing this on a wet Sunday afternoon from my dining room looking out into my back garden and autumn is well and truly here.

    It is still very mild though without any frosts so far. I hope that it continues this way, but I doubt it will.

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    1. Thanks Adam, our summer went on forever! I guess everything has to come to an end eventually. I hope your mild streak continues...

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  9. Thanks for the rest of your back tour. The area around that table seems like I would "waste" plenty of time sitting in, instead of doing work that pays the bills. Wood, flat surfaces, varied height accent spikes, a libation or three, and a book or four...yes. This feels really good, more than ever.

    Also - I'm thinking of your weeks of extended warmth as a nice payback for or balancing of the extended chill and wet much of your spring.

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    1. Indeed our long summer felt like a reward for dealing with the cold wet spring. Now we see what autumn holds for us! BTW, hope to see you at that table sometime!

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  10. Wait, is that THE Gunnera I got to take home? I finally got it planted in the creek. Planted it about halfway up the bank, hopefully out of the worst of the winter torrent. We'll see if it is still there come spring (hopefully!).

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    1. Yep, that's the gunnera. It looked so much larger once I got it out of the tank. Fingers crossed!

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