Can't Wait to Get my Hands Dirty

It's been oh so hard the last two weeks - the weather has been beautiful during the week, but crummy and miserable on the weekends. And I've been pretty busy on the weekends -- it's all a big tease.

In LA two weeks ago I saw a bunch of things that were pretty inspiring. The most obvious thing - the "Puerto Rico Effect": things that I grow as houseplants are growing like weeds on the side of the road in So. Cal. There were many many neat little succulents grown as groundcovers that looked liked sedums or crassulas. I also went to two botanical gardens and a beautifully landscaped museum. The most inspiring thing I saw were the Japanese and Desert Gardens at the Huntington. The desert garden was great, with an attached hothouse for the stuff that can't even take LA's version of cold. But what absolutely blew my mind was the Japanese garden. So beautiful it made me want to cry. No kidding. An amazing pool and stream. Beautiful cloud-pruned trees. A bamboo forest. A large bonsai collection. Many things to aspire too.

Oh, and I was not beyond yanking a few little bits of succulents and groundcovers here and there to take home and attempt to grow. We'll see how I do with those.

I'm so overdue to make some more troughs.

Spring has sprung. Most of the crocuses are gone, the daffs are in full bloom. One of my two Draba rigidas is blooming, and the other is getting ready to. The Armeria 'Victor Reiter' has put out some huge buds.

I'm really anxious to see how many of the plants I've killed this winter.

The Delosperma is going crazy in the greenhouse. The Draba kelsyii has taken to it's transplanting very nicely.

Must

Grow

THINGS