Today I installed the back flow preventer on the irrigation system and charged the system up to that point. I am confident we have had our last freeze for the season.
On several occasions, we have discussed the potential of installing a succulent garden. The "pincushion" garden at the Mobot was our inspiration. From the Mobot web site:
The Pincushion Garden, one of the largest of its kind in the world, resurrects a "lost art" of garden design once common in traditional Victorian displays. During the early 1900’s the Garden only had 2 circular beds on either side of the entrance to Spink Pavillion. Each year they had a different display within the beds. Some years it was a mix of the Garden’s cacti collection bedded out at random and other years it was an intricate carpet bedding design of succulents. Today’s designs mimic the intricate patterns from those 2 beds.
20 circular beds host approximately 25,000 succulent plants arranged in geometric designs. Innovative drainage and irrigation techniques have been incorporated into the design of the new garden, and horticulturists work with plant cuttings to replant each year rather than purchase new succulents.This meticulous and intricate design work takes nearly two weeks to install by a team of ten horticulturists and volunteers.
While not as ambitious as the Mobot, I have been thinking about how to do something in our new backyard. I have always enjoyed succulents and there are many that are hardy in our zone. Outside of the raised bed, our soil is mostly clay, which is not good for cacti or succulents, which like fast draining soil. I will have to provide the appropriate soil mixture. I concluded the best spot would be between the pond and the east raised bed.
I've spent a considerable amount of time trying to decide what border I should use. The least appealing is the nasty black plastic stuff you see everywhere. The most appealing has been the 3" diameter wooden posts. I figured I might need a much as 30 feet of bordering. Going with the wood would cost several hundred dollars.
Today it struck me that I already have the bordering material. In fact, I have been trying to find someone to haul it away for the past year. It is the white stone that we used on the interior chimney breast. Why we ended up with so much excess, and much of it is corners, I will never understand. The corners will make a nice border around the bed.
First I cleared the mulch and redistributed to areas that needed more.
I will dig down 3" to 4" into the clay and then build up my succulent conducive soil. But, for today, I was content to place the stone border around the area to see if I had enough (plenty left over) and to see how it looked.
Right now they look like little grave stones. When I am finished, they will protrude a couple of inches above the surrounding ground.
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