Wednesday, February 15, 2012

An Extra Hand

And back to the garden I go again:)  Somewhere or somehow I got lost.  Isn't that what a garden does? Or did it grow into something that requires more management?  Either way, on a budget of 300 dollars a month, it becomes tricky to not overspend on items, tree care or on new plants around the El Presidio property.  Our Oak trees, while beautiful, create chaos during the winter months dropping tons of acorns, leaves, dead branches, and eventually pollen.  For 1 person, this is a lot of work to maintain and El Presidio is going to be trying something else out.  We have a resident who has offered their services as raker, weed puller, and waterer for over the summer months.
An extra hand around the garden allows for adventure elsewhere like here at Balboa Park in San Diego.

I am extremely happy to have this extra hand so that I can focus on the other things around the property like plant placement etc for this spring season.  My experience with Landscaping companies hasn't been a good one.  They charge too much money for a couple clean ups around the property per month.  Most don't know what they are doing.  For a person like me who creates desert gardening, AND SPENDS MONEY ON IT!, it's hard to watch them chop down a plant that they thought was a weed.....or worse yet....improperly prune a bush or tree!  So I hold onto the money and invest it back into our property.  While at times it can be slow going, the progress is evident.  But now it's time to have a little help with the general clean up around the place while I deal with spring pruning and planter reconstructions.
El Presidio.  One part of the entire complex!

Most of all, I am thankful that my neighbor will cover for our large property while I'm travelling elsewhere and monitoring vegetation during our hot summer months.  Like anything that grows larger; so will the need for extra help.  El Presidio has now reached that point.  

12 comments:

  1. Oh you are SO right about landscrapers ;)
    they know hardly anything about plants
    I wish I could get a helper too

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  2. Somehow, 'landscaping' has become a job that just anyone can do, so you get lots of untrained, unknowledgeable (that's a new word!) people who don't really care about the plants. I'm glad that I have a great helper in my husband.

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  3. I wish my other half liked to garden a bit, but it's not happening:) But I am getting back into the spirit of it all again. I usually go through garden hatred in December and January. February, I get excited. And in March, I go crazy and spend too much money. I drew a line when I smelled alcohol on one of the workers who came drunk to do our landscaping and chopped up a new plant I put into the landscape. Never again. What a waste of money!

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  4. awesome to have someone watching things for you!

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  5. Phew!! For a moment there I thought you were going to tell us that you were going to chop down the Oak! You came up with a better solution though :-)

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  6. You are so right! - Spare us from "experts".

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  7. Oaks are one of my favourite trees, i like to see them respected!
    My other half doesn't like gardening either so i can relate to the feeling! :)

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  8. Dobrego masz sąsiada i trzeba Ci pomocy jak masz duży ogród. Pozdrawiam. *** Have a good neighbor and help you need as you have a large garden. Yours.

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  9. I love Oaks, and, I love the garden.

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  10. I love Oaks, please make sure that never harm it.

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    Replies
    1. As long as I am there, they never will be. They are treated by professionals only.

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  11. Oh, you know it has been WAY too long since I took a trip to San Diego. Agree about the landscapers. Am about ready to get rid of ours.

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