I will buy 15 or 20 yards of twice-shredded redwood bark and cover the pathways with it. This is no place to skimp on cost. The "bargain brand" of pathway mulch is full of jagged pieces of wood that invariably stab me in the middle of my plantar wart every time I take a step. The pathway mulch is essential. I spent too much time weeding the pathways this year instead of concentrating on the flower beds.
I will treat every plant on my property to some overhead watering once a week during the dry season from April to November. I'll try to do it efficiently by keeping to a schedule. I have seven garden hose faucets and there are seven days of the week, so it should be easy to make sure that every plant within reach of every hose gets watered by hand every week. This year I tried to save time by using sprinklers, but the ones I use hit the plants at only about 6 inches above ground level. Consequently, aphids were a problem this year, and some roses that had never exhibited any signs of powdery mildew suddenly started succumbing to it. The lack of rainfall here for five or six months out of the year makes this absolutely essential. Overhead watering gets rid of most of the pests, retards powdery mildew, and keeps the foliage sparkling clean. I'll use the sprinklers on the other days of the week.
I will not scold the cats for taking naps in the flower beds. Any plant fragile enough to be mortally wounded by the weight of a little kitty does not belong in my garden.
Things are starting to look quite boring here. There's very little color left, although some spring blooms are already visible and the roses are still producing sporadic blooms.
The tiny flowers of the Bridal Veil Spiraea have started to open. The bush should be in full bloom by Thanksgiving. The first Narcissus blooms are also a welcome sight.
Some of the irises here never stop blooming, and the cannas are still going strong, as is the Society Garlic.
Today's stars in the rose beds are Baronne Edmond de Rothschild and Rainbow Sorbet. I never thought I'd see a rose outperform Bill Warriner, but Rainbow Sorbet now blooms more frequently and more abundantly than any other rose I'm growing.
Here are Chantilly Lace and Love Me Tender, which is now about 10 feet tall and may have turned into a climbing sport of the hybrid tea.
Something else that's growing way out of bounds is the Fuchsia magellanica. I chopped it down to ground level in February and now it's about 12-14 feet tall. The rose is Emsie Girl.
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