Thursday, April 14, 2011

The Great Wall of Santa Clara

The fence guy came and put up this *gigantic" fence in my back yard -- I hadn't put in any plants because I assumed they would tear up any landscaping that was in the way, and I was right. This is the view basically out my back window right now. I used to be able to see the top of the back windows of the house behind me, now it's completely hidden all the way to the rooftop.

Now to figure out what to put in that strip between the pavers and the fence... this is, alas, the north side of the fence, so it stays in shade most of the time. Greens, I suppose. Sigh! I do know what's going into the corner by that step though -- that's where the rosemary bush will be.

-- Badtux the Fenced-in Penguin

10 comments:

  1. Plant you some grape vines there to make wine from. Then you could be Badtux the Vineyard Owner Penguin.

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  2. No sun but does it get bright as in reflected light from a wall? You might try wax begonias or vinca. Neither one likes sun but they do need some brightness.

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  3. Dave, not enough room for grape vines. I thought about it, but the strip is too narrow.

    Nans, not for long :).

    Montag, yes, it does get somewhat bright due to sun reflecting off the pavers. But I was thinking about something a bit more, uhm, edible, than begonias. For example, a bed of strawberries is going in over to the right side of the yard, on the east side of that fence.

    - Badtux the Garden Porn Penguin

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  4. Not edible, but hostas will grow damn near anywhere. Just remember, unless you're willing to dig up every last bit of root when you get tired of them, or want to use something like Round-Up (and thereby render that patch of ground completely uninhabitable by plants for awhile), they're a bitch to kill. We regularly mowed over patches of them for 2 or 3 summers before the ones out in the yard finally gave up and died....

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  5. I grow awesome raspberries, boysenberries, marionberries and blackberries in an eight-inch wide strip of soil betwee the northern side of a fence and my driveway. Many quarts of berries in a 35 foot long strip. The roots will spread and soon the OTHER side of the fence will have cane fruit too.

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  6. Raspberries and blackberries are indeed on my list, Dick. But I already have a lemon tree to provide for my Vitamin C, so...

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  7. You could try scarlet runner beans. They're both pretty and edible.

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  8. Plants potato vines and thorn-less roses. It will be a luxuriant wall in no time. Another idea....plant Podocarpus---you can do almost anything with it. I often used it in Urban design settings. Goggle''''

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  9. Purple pole beans are yummy - and they're purple in both blossom and pod! (Not to be confused wtih the inedible hyacinth bean.)

    I love me some clematis, but they do need at least some direct sun.

    Will stop now before my rosemary-envy gets the best of me. O Bay Area, why did I ever leave you?

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