Last summer, in August, I posted about our Charlie Brown tree and the side yard. I wanted to update on how the planting has done in the last seven months. The tree is growing steadily. He's looking quite healthy these days.
The median has it's good and bad parts. Half the median is growing well and the other not so much. The west side, the side with the Charlie Brown tree, is growing like mad. However, I suspect there is a leak in the soaker hose or pipe somewhere which is why it's so happy. The Mexican Feather Grass and Myoporum have taken root and are spreading. The Myoporum needs trimming every few months. I love the carpet of green it's become. The grasses seem to enjoy the dry season better. They all looked pretty sad during the rains this winter. Now, they're happy.
The east side of the median is another story. Very little of the Myoporum is still alive. The grasses are half the size of their brothers on the "other side of town". I'm not sure if it's from the shade of the large Jacaranda tree or that their really is a leak on the other side sucking all the water out of this section.
I am impressed that all these plants survived last summer. They were planted during the dry season and made it through the water restrictions. During the summer I watered twice a week for 10 mintues. During the winter I don't water at all. It's the only part of our property that looks good all year around with minimal care.
Weeding this entire section is much easier now that it's covered in mulch and tree chips. The weeds that do manage to sprout are way easier to pull out. The Myoporum chokes out anything that even thinks about settling. At some point I won't have to worry about weeding over here ever again.
My next perimeter to worry about is the median in front of our house. It requires more thought because I need to consider foot traffic to the car and a severe dry patch. At the moment it's home to some nasty weeds trying to take over the neighborhood.
Labels: garden
