We're Back. And, the "Palm"

Well, we survived our excursion to Washington, DC.  I had a seminar to attend on SEC reporting, which was actually quite informative.  The folks at the SEC Institute put on a top notch event, should you be so inclined (or required) to attend.  While I was in my two day seminar, my lovely wife and son enjoyed a few of the many sites around our nation's capitol.  I, unfortunately, only got Saturday to drag them around to the sites I wanted to see.  With a seven year old, as I'm sure you gathered, stops at botanical gardens and arboretums are not on the agenda.  Aquariums, museums and anything involving the sale of ice cream top the list.

I would like to give a special thanks to The Elegantologist and ADG for their very helpful tips and recommendations.  I'm starting to realize all of you other blogging folks aren't such a bad lot, myself excluded, of course.

At this point, I must point out one thing that still irritates me.  Now, I do hate to dwell on the negative after a great getaway, especially when the entire rest of the trip was wonderful, but here three days later this still is under my skin.  On Saturday, we visited the American History Museum.  Just outside the museum, my son had purchased a small American flag on a stick.  One that probably every other country in the world sells.  When we here at Castle Turling secede from the Union and establish our own kingdom, even we will sell little flags on sticks.  Once my son (remember he's seven) walked three feet from the man selling the flags, he no longer wanted to carry it.  My wife then put the flag into her backpack, so the flag itself protruded out the top.  She looked like a tour guide.

Upon entering the museum, we had to go through security.  The guard, or officer, I'm not sure whom he worked for, told my wife that she had to roll the flag up and put it upside down into her backpack so only the stick stuck out.  When she, rightfully, asked why, she was told we didn't want to offend anyone.  WHAT????  ARE YOU F-ING KIDDING ME????  OFFEND ANYONE????  We're in the AMERICAN History Museum and we can't display an AMERICAN flag??  Want to know something...I'm offended!!!!!  If I were to walk into the British Museum, I would expect every single person to be carrying the Union Jack.  I reckon I could have carried that into the American History Museum.  Anyway, back to the task at hand.

For today, I want to talk about our, I believe, Sago Palm (Cycas revoluta).

This palm (ok, I understand it's not a palm and it's not a fern, it's a cycad, but if it walks like a duck, talks like a duck...you know where I'm going with this) is right at the front door.  It dominates the walkway that you can see a portion of in the lower right.  I really like this palm (shut up) and it seems to really like the spot.

However, if you'll notice at appears to have been hit with a samurai sword several times on it's right side.  Bear in mind, I did no such thing.  I have other uses for my samurai sword.  The issue is this:

What is that, you ask?  I'm guessing it's offspring.  Their are six of these growing around the base of the palm.  I was under the impression these plants are single trunk, so either ours is proving some Darwinian theory or I'm mistaken.  For the past couple of years, I have cut of the prawns from these little devils and the next year they sprout anew.  At this point, the cones are now starting to poke through, so I feel I'm at a crossroads.  Do I allow a seven headed monster, keep cutting the prawns or embark on some more drastic surgery.  I'm not sure how of if I should remove the children from the parent.  Maybe that's how I would propagate more?  Anyone?  Bueller?

The Front, Stage 1, aka, "The North 40"

Alright.  Here it is.  The first part of the yard shown that does not consist of a single plant.  This is the first section of yard that we are tackling.  Now, as I have stated previously, our yard is not large by the standards of someone who lives in say Alaska.  Or Montana.  Or Siberia.  However, by the standards of the state of California, the yard is pretty decently sized.  Now, I haven't been able to muster the courage to show the entire yard.  I'm still compiling my list of caveats related to each possible picture I could show.  It's quite an ugly site.  In my defense, though, I did not have much to start with.  I believe that would be caveat one.  As a breach to that defense, and as my wife would quickly point out, I am the king of demolition.  I remove everything that could ever want to be removed.  However, I'm not nearly as diligent in the reconstruction process.  The yard, unfortunately, has suffered the brunt of this problem.

So, what we have decided is to tackle the yard in pieces.  That will limit the area we need to concentrate on.  Our plan is actually to create a series of rooms within the property, so dissecting the yard actually fits quite nicely into that plan.  This is what we decided to tackle first.  The front yard off the driveway.  On the sprinkler system we inherited this was labeled the "North 40".  I've decided to stick with that.

Prior to this, the area consisted of lawn.  Next to gophers, lawn is the one thing in this world I despise the most.  Dictators of third world nations who rule with an iron fist are a distant third to these two items.  Within the lawn, there was an ornamental plum tree and a Magnolia.  Now, I have nothing against either of those trees, there were two issues (one with each).  The plum was planted too close to the knee wall.  The magnolia tree was the free city tree that came with the newly constructed houses.  Meaning, every house all the way down the block has the same tree, in the same spot of the yard.  They're Stepford trees.  That wouldn't do.  So, they were the first two trees to come down.  The battle with those stumps is a story for a different occasion, while drinking a different cocktail then I am currently drinking.  And, yes, all bloggers drink when they blog.  Or, at least they should.

The new area consists of the Pigmy Date Palm to the left of the second picture, which is the only surviving item from the previous regime.  It's named Bob.  Different story.  We then have the olive, which is in previous posts.  The small slope is covered with lavender, fourteen in total along with three Italian Cypress.

Two types of Agapanthus are up against the neighbor, the Sprinkler Maven.  The two largest are Agapanthus 'Lily of the Nile' and the three smaller are Agapanthus 'Stormcloud', which are supposedly cobalt in bloom.  Looking at the picture, I'm not sure how that will look against the lavender.  I'm not fond of my blue suit with lavender pocket square nor lavender socks, but I digress.

The front of the yard is rimmed with Boxwood Green Beauty (buxus microphylla japonica).  Capped on two ends with Golf Ball Kohuhu's (pittosporum tenuifolium), which is better seen in the first picture scarred by the leg lifting neighborhood dog.  If anyone knows of a way of electrifying foliage, I would be willing to pay for the information.  We had a third Kohuhu; however, the Sprinkler Maven made sure one didn't survive the liquid onslaught.  Once they grow into a solid wall, I'm hoping it will look quite spectacular.  Sweet Jesus, I left the weeder in the picture.

Here is the line up of boxwoods, along with our drip system.  Yes, I understand that is should be buried, but do keep in mind, I have the memory of a gnat.  Ask my wife.  If I bury it now, it is guaranteed that I will slice through it each and every time I dig a hole for a new plant.  And, in this space, we imagine there will be at least another twenty plants.  That's twenty repair jobs.

Also, note the boxwoods are set back away from the sidewalk.  We're going to put a ground cover between it and the sidewalk.  We have decided the mulch is ugly.

Lastly, we have three mirror bushes, two Coprosma Repens Marble Queens:

And, one Coprosma Rainbow Surprise:

Lastly, my God this is long, I need to go get another drink.................lastly, you will notice all these plants are small.  This is a very, very, very, very young garden.  The lavender and cypress are a year old and everything else (olive in June of '09) has been put in during the last couple of months.  We have a lot of plants that need to be acquired and a surprising amount of patience to wait for them to grow.  I'm actually going to attempt plants from seed soon as a way to fill the space while still being able to afford food.