2009 MAY - KARLA'S GARDEN DAY 2

Part II - Previous post has Part I

A week after Karla's rained-out garden day the Divas of the Dirt tried again - hoping the possible storms would wait until evening. We started in quickly, determined to finish at least part of what Karla requested. Last June we'd worked in Sophia's garden when the temperature hit 96°F ... the same heat was predicted for Karla's day.

This time Diva-Annie was with us and she'd brought her new pruning stick with her. The ligustrum seen in the last post was brought back into line and dead branches pulled down.

We fanned out and tackled all the work we'd talked about the week before - starting with the front of the house and the sidewalk edge.

The front entrance was dug up and redone and the new liriope was planted. Cheerful gazanias grow in the sunnier spot to the right of the liriope.

Karla puts impatiens in the shade at the far end of this bed each summer - this year the color is a cooling white. Mattie designed a rock path across the side border - with so many flowers it's good to know where it's safe to step!

The front looked lovely when composted, watered in and mulched.

Around the back Diva-Annie and Sophia tackled the back border and the woodland area an to the north of the patio. This is one of those jobs with no end - it will absorb all the hours a person is willing to give.

Karla didn't have to make breakfast for this make-up session, so she decided lunch would be a Fiesta. All the elements of a Mexican Stack-Up were arranged on a colorful, placed on different levels around the table. She instructed us that to properly enjoy this vintage recipe we needed to go around the table, spooning some of every single ingredient onto our plates, in exact order and no exceptions!

We obediently piled on taco chips, rice, ground beef, cheese, tomatoes, olives, peppers, sour cream. tomatoes and could that be pecans and coconut? Yes!

Peach cobbler with ice cream- oh, yes. In the shady back yard Karla had this Fatsia japonica/Aralia and the variegated Aucuba in containers for awhile. She's used lattice to screen the utility boxes in the back yard and these shade lovers went in front of the lattice as further softening and screening.

Karla still had some decomposed granite piled in the driveway - it came in handy as a path to the compost corner Mattie had in mind. An open wire composter collected dry leaves, grass and twigs. Buffy, Mindy and Mattie got the black plastic composted assembled and ready and Mattie edged the path.

Diva-Annie, Sophia and I were still working on that woodland bed and trying to reset the birdbath when the first lightning bolt and crack of thunder made us jump. This time there was no period of hesitation when we thought the rain might lighten - this was a toad-strangler and Karla's Diva Project was declared officially over.

Karla: Good Morning Divas ...I have seen my yard get more beautiful each day. After the rain storm ... I had to replant a couple of things, move some dirt/mulch back in to the beds and prop a few plants up, but everything is looking so perky and happy. It is such a delight to look at now – as opposed to the very overwhelming feeling when looking at it before your great effort. I love all of the revisions to the back yard and how it just keeps evolving into something more wonderful each time you are there. Thank you so much for all of the hard work!
Have a great wk and again, thank you Divas – you’re the best!!!