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Monday, June 2, 2014

Before and After: Replacing a weedy patch with a new garden

It's getting hot out there now and with work in the garden slowing down it's time for an update on recent projects.  The first is in the back yard near the circle garden.  Last year this sloped area next to the fence sported a patch of weedy groundcover surrounded by wildflowers.  Not the best, but we had other fish to fry back then.



The lack of winter rains plus several years of soil erosion had made the situation worse in this sun-baked area of the yard.  The good news was that even the weeds were now mostly dead so we removed the remaining ones and considered our options.  The plan was to level it out and replace the topsoil for extending the buffalo grass and wildflowers down to the path until I thought of a better idea.



Here's a hint on what that idea might be.  It involves flagstone pieces leftover from a neighbor's project.


Hmmm, need another hint?


It's a crevice garden for all those heat-loving plants that grow so well in our climate.


There are plenty of photos and detailed instructions for the proper design of a crevice garden online and since most of them are meant for tiny alpine plants which don't grow well in South Texas I generally ignored them.  Besides that, they didn't look anything like the agave crevice garden I spotted about two years ago on Danger Garden.  I loved it at first sight and even though my original choice of a location didn't work out I kept coming back to the idea.  You can read more about this garden and see a variety of crevice gardens on Loree's post here.  Special thanks to Loree of Danger Garden for permission to use the inspiration photo.


Neal was skeptical at first and hesitant to endorse the project.  When it comes to heavy lifting around here I need his help and it took some convincing along with a small test plot before he agreed to give it a try.  We began sticking collected rocks and flagstones in the soil. We both liked it more than we expected.  So much so that the arrowhead shape is Neal's idea.  You've probably noticed we left a lot more space between the stones compared to the inspiration garden and we do plan to go back and add more once the plants are set.  I was so quick to start planting that I forgot to take a photo with just the stones before we did a test run for planting.


Plants that were stashed randomly around the garden have found a home now.  Several Yucca 'Color Guard' pups, a small Nolina matapensis (against the fence back right because it gets tall) went in.  No special soil or gravel mix needed because these plants grow quite well in basic topsoil as long as they have good drainage.


Nolina lindheimeri



One very rootbound Agave geminifolia which should be happy to be in the ground.


A small Agave parryi pup


Agave 'Blue Glow' was the only new plant purchased for this project.  I've wanted one of these for a while so it's a great excuse.  New garden, new plant and I was so good in using existing plants too.


Here's the long view from the front gate.  I like the way the crevice garden sits into the slope and is not quite visible until you walk the path to the circle garden.



The bright yellow Navajo Tea flowers along the fence and the rest of the wildflowers are nodding their approval.  Currently the space measures about 13' x 10' which could get larger if the drought continues or we decide to remove more rocks and lawn.  This spot gets full sun from morning to night and hot, hot, hot all summer.  The rocks will settle in over time and it should look less like a miniature cemetery after a gravel topping is added.



So that's one project down and I have a few more new ones to share later this week.

13 comments:

  1. This is so cool Shirley, a crevice garden and it's shaping up nicely! Simply perfect for the spot and the conditions it has.

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    1. It's been fun working with the concept and it needs some tweaking but we are enjoying it already.

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  2. Good that Neal was convinced to climb aboard for this project. That guy's a treasure.

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    1. He is always so very helpful in these projects. I should mention that he actually decided that leveling topsoil and planting lawn was more work than the crevice garden.

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  3. Yay! I love it and I'm glad your husband was convinced, nice work. In an odd turn of events yesterday I was standing in front of that very crevice garden that's in the inspiration photo. It looks wonderful, the agaves have gotten huge! Sadly I didn't take a photo. I look forward to updates on how yours progresses...

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    1. Oh, that sounds fun and I'd love to see the current version. I didn't put any Agave americana plants in because they grow too big and would consume the space. Theirs looks to be twice the size.

      Thanks for the use of your photo.

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  4. I like it! I missed Loree's explanation of her crevice garden, so I was glad to see photos of both hers and yours here. Sounds like a perfect solution for that spot! Bravo!

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  5. That's a great idea! I'd missed Loree's post on this so it was great to review that and see your interpretation. I'm already wondering how I could apply it in my own space, although most of the rock in my garden consists of pebbles as the native palo verde stone was quarried out in the 1940s when the land on which our house sits really was the local rock quarry. I'll be watching for updates!

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  6. Wowser - I do believe this crevice garden obsession is totally contagious. Two photos in and I was hooked. Now I'm looking around for my own stash of native rock and a likely space to try one here. Only the time of year will keep me from plunging right in but that is best as it gives me time to plan...

    I especially like the wedge shape of the bed you're starting out with - I think it works beautifully with the slope you've got and agree that the surprise of it unfolding to your view as you get closer is a lovely touch.

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  7. What a great idea! I never heard the term 'crevice garden' before, but it makes total sense. I have a couple of areas on my property with lots of rocks sticking out of the soil, that I wanted to 'do something' with. I was dreading trying to move the rocks ... I believe I'll plant some good hill country plants and call them my own crevice gardens :-)

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  8. Good idea. I'll have to keep it in mind for my own yard. We have already down some landscaping work to direct water away from the back of the house when it rains, and this idea might work for me in a couple of areas. I have to think of some dog-tough plants, though..

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  9. Very nice! This looks so good that I bet you'll expand it over time to take over the whole space and every addition would be an excuse to buy more plants. Hooray!

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  10. What an interesting garden concept...I have lots of old china that this might work with....hmmm. I will think about that as I redesign some areas.

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