Plan B

A planter fixed up with amended soil and plants that were in pots and protected from our hard freeze

What happens when you suffer a devastating freeze and all your heavy pots with plants in them die?  This was the big question that had to be answered after our severe freeze several weeks ago.  I had a tropical theme going in two large planters for 3 years and they looked wonderful until Jack Frost killed them all.  Thankfully, I had a Plan B.  My focus for this blog, and tomorrows, is on pots and their purposes.  Tragedy hit all places at the El Presidio Garden which included the cactus garden that is contained in the newly installed whisky barrel project.  A lot of cacti were lost in the city and it is a terribly sad sight to see.  Cacti pads are solid and full of water.  Several nights of freezing weather will make them into cacti popsicles.  They become too heavy and just collapse all over the ground creating a mess.  I couldn't even replant the pads that fell off because once the pads unthawed, they were all dead from inside.  Thankfully, I had Plan B.  The citrus fried up causing the green stems to freeze and turn brown which means that the frost killed the plant.  Leaves shrivel up on citrus but as long as the stems are green, the tree/bush will be okay.  Not this time.  Jack Frost blew his evil breathe upon these trees and killed them.  I even had all the plants covered with blankets.  Didn't matter.  All dead.  But thankfully, I had Plan B.

All dead.  The day after shows that perhaps some of it will live, but by day 2, the planter is a total loss.  All leaves and roots have turned black and soft. Nothing at this point is salvageable. Or is it?

Plan B utilizes pots that are specifically grown for emergencies like our hard frost. These pots are filled with the transplants from the primary planters and heavy pots around the property that cannot be lifted.  The pots that carry these transplants must be movable and able to be transported to a shed or place where they will not freeze. To continue a plant species, one needs to save its' clones or transplants.  I had all of them in different pots around the property so that when the freeze came, I could put their clones into our shed.  This past weekend was brutal as I cleaned out the two large planters and reworked them both over again.  It actually looks better now than it had when I put them together for the first time.  However the planters were lush and full of beautiful tropical plants that made it through some tough winters, but unfortuneatly, this winter was too much for them and the entire colonies collapsed. 

Back to the basics as I create a mini jungle of effects....caladiams were also placed in the planter to add contrast in spring.  Featured in this planter is a datura, spider plant, philodendron, grecian urn plant, and caladiam bulbs with red coloring.

My Plan B utilizes a system that keeps an active colony of common plants around the property like cactus, spider plants, schefflera, philodendron, ice plants, citrus, succulents and fatsia plants.  These plants are currently being transferred to their new homes where they'll be able to grow even larger.  Should I be doing this now?  Probably not, but I can't stand looking at empty planters that have feral cats using them for the bathroom.  I also have this feeling that our severe frosts are over for this year. We have some cold nights coming, but they won't be like it was several weeks ago.  The benefit of Plan B is that you don't have to spend a whole lot of money to replace a huge amount of plants that were killed off.  Instead, you have a reserve of clones waiting to replace the original mother plant.  I have several citrus in pots and a cactus garden that I will be waiting to transplant until March.  However, I have started with the tropicals in our courtyard planters and I can't wait to see the "Thriller, Filler, Spiller" idea come to life in Spring.  More on that idea tomorrow. 

I also put Mondo grass in this planter....more on this surprisingly tough plant coming up in the next several days.....

It's always a great idea to invest in pots.  When you have extra plants, like for example from the spider plant, you should take the "babies" off the mother plants and place them in pots or around your property.  I have also done this with the agave pups and cacti segments.  While this freeze was devastating for a lot of us, I was prepared for it.  The only part that I wasn't ready for was the Jacaranda attack. I didn't have any clones of that tree and so to this day, I still worry about that situation as they aren't cheap to replace. 

Fatsia.  An example of an emergency pot.

The Dancy Tangerine may replace a lemon tree gone sour.

Spider, caladiam, and scheflerra make a perfect tropical combination.

Stay tuned for "Thriller, Filler, Spiller" Part 2 of pots and their purposes.

New Beginnings

My neighbor put it best when she saw the job after it was done.... "New Beginnings" I loved how she said it, and therefore it is the title of the posting.  This is the second write on a major project happening on the 922 building which will lead to the creation of the citrus garden. It took us 5 hours to clear all the brush from the planters and the feeling afterwards? Cleansing. Sometimes when I look at an area full of vegetation, I am overwhelmed at how to tackle the problem.  I can easily recognize a problem and with time, I do come up with some solutions.  But I have to be careful about fixing it "right away" and giving myself some time to evaluate the appropriate measures needed to get the work done. And the money that will be required for such a project....

With an electric chainsaw at 45 dollars rental, we began to clear out the planters being careful not to hit cars with tree limbs or blocking access to residents.  There were 2 of us that did the work.  One cut  while the other directed the limbs to the ground. Afterwards, the trees would be cut up into sections for the fireplace. More of that on tomorrow's post.

There are no longer any threats to the building, and there are now just stumps and debris.  When doing this type of project, it's important to locate telephone wire and any electrical line in the soil before cutting to make sure you don't damage any of the connections.  It can be very costly!  We, thankfully, did not have that happen to us, but it did happen to me another time and I'll never forget that experience.

If you are a nerd like I am, I sat and counted the tree rings to see how old these bushes were.  I counted 24 rings total which means that these plants were put into their planters several years after the building was constructed.  The project now is to lower the dirt level BELOW the foundation and remove the stumps which can be difficult.  I am having someone come in to give me an estimate at how much it will cost to remove these stumps.  If it's too expensive, we've taken measures of putting a powder into the heart of the stump that will break down the wood for easier removal later.  Drill a hole into the center of the stump and poor the mixture into it adding a little water.....this will break down the wood bond and roots around the area.  Even though you've removed the bush/branch portion, the roots of this ficus are still active and more sprouts will shoot up. Ficus, once established, is difficult to remove.

Secret agaves and aloe vera were growing amongst the ficus bushes.  If you look down the planters, you'll see one bush remains.  That's a dwarf citrus bush that was put into that space to give residents a sample of what will happen with these planters once they are finished. It's important for people to see what it is you are trying to accomplish because they don't or can't envision the final product.  Give them a sample first so that they have an idea about what you're doing.  Another resident came out during this time of change and was happy about the sensor lights working again.  I am as well.  I fixed all the lights and electrical outlets so that they now work 24/7.  Nothing is blocking them and with several adjustments, we now have a safer property.  You can see the amount of stumps left behind and the cost associated with these stumps?  That's my next write, "The Day After".  I now have a clean palate to work my magic and I cannot wait to begin this new and exciting adventure.     

I have lot's of really useful information coming up this week so stay tuned for more on the Citrus Garden Project. One other note that I think is important to share.....from my studies, landscaping is said to have a life of 20 some odd years meaning that you should switch out old bushes, etc and freshen up the landscape with new plants.  I tend to agree with this as older bushes(not really trees) need help. It's not the plant, but more the soil around the roots that either is nutrient deprived or too compact. Yesterday was a good example of this.  And for that reason, it's good to freshen up the landscape.....end of deep thought:)