I got a lot done last week! In the circular beds out front, I managed to dig up the rest of the non-native rose bushes, remove the old, leaky irrigation tubing, clear out a lot of the red wood chips, and put in several new plants that I picked up from Watershed Nursery in Richmond.

It’s a little sparse right now, but I’m so happy with it! I put in: Common Yarrow (Achillea millefolium), Woodland Strawberry (Fragaria vesca), Bush Monkey Flower (Diplacus aurantiacus), and Coyote Mint (Monardella villosa). With those, plus the plants already there and the wildflower seeds sprouting up, there should be something blooming in every season. I’ll probably throw down some more wildflower seeds in between the new plants, too.

We got a nice soaking rain after I put the plants in, and they all look so happy and green now! There’s already new growth on every plant.

And, from spending so much time in that area of the yard, I observed that sunlight does make it through the oak tree leaves and branches, so while the circular beds are still pretty shady right now, they are getting more sun than I realized. That’s a wonderful thing!

I needed this excitement because it looks like most of the California poppy seedlings have been eaten by birds or slugs. Ah well. All part of the circle of life!