| Vicki_CA wants you to know: |
- The current local time for me is 12:17 PM
- I'm in zone 9b
- I live in 30 mi. east of San Francisco, CA (Zone 9b)
- My birthday is April 4
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"I live in California about 30 miles east of San Francisco. We have a typical suburban lot, but our property backs up to a seldom used public open space (green belt), so we don’t have the claustrophobic feeling of being surrounded by fences and houses on all sides. A few years ago we had an in-ground swimming pool installed, and while the excavators were in the back yard, I asked them to rip out everything except the trees. It was the perfect opportunity to get rid of the so-called low maintenance, very boring landscaping that had been planted by the previous owners. So, out went all of the overgrown juniper bushes and non-flowering green stuff. With just a few swipes of a backhoe, that nondescript landscaping is now history - hooray! I consider my landscaping to be an extension of my home. The front, which I am still working on, was designed primarily for curb appeal. One side yard is a shade garden, and the other side yard is too small for any significant landscaping. The backyard is where I live - - starting with the view out of my windows, to the large redwood deck, to the pool, several planting areas and the view beyond. My landscaping grows with gently controlled abandon and lots of intermingling of plants spilling over and onto each other. Seas of mulch or formal symmetry do not describe my gardens. I have lots of roses, large dahlias, and Mediterranean and South African perennials (perfect for my climate), including sages/salvias, rosemary, lavender, and assorted other flowering plants that I selected just because I like ‘em. In the shady/filtered sun areas, I have Azaleas, Rhododendron, Camellias, Pieris japonica, fuchsias, ferns and more. Did I mention my passion for large Delphiniums and Lupines? I also like various heirloom, cottagy plants that I find at Annies Annuals (Richmond, CA). The large calla lilies, agapanthus, gladiolas, poppies, echium, lilies and cannas are also favorites of mine. I grow mostly flowering plants, a few herbs, some Phormiums and ornamental grasses, and a smattering of basic foliage plants for added texture and interest. There’s not a vegetable in sight – I guess I haven’t gotten over my childhood memories of spending endless hours weeding my mother’s vegetable garden! Besides, I am unwilling to give up any precious space to plant groupings that are not drop-dead gorgeous. I have dedicated a tiny area in my backyard to traditional lawn grass. The rest of the free area (including the front yard) is planted with Vinca Minor ground cover, which is very easy to control, despite what others may say about it. We also have coastal redwood trees, weeping birch trees, Japanese maples, ornamental cherry, crape myrtle, and a few other trees. My current goals are:1) Resist the urge to grow some of everything. I am out of space and I need unity, not a hodge-podge! 2) Resist the urge to buy more plants that do not acclimate well to our dry California summers and heavy soil... But then again, there are always raised beds to address the soil problem. ;)
My Self-Portrait:
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| Vicki_CA signed up on Sep 12, 2001 |
