Yes yes I will still take the Bishops! I have just noticed that last year's dahlia (a brilliant single red who's name I can't remember) has emerged from near the compost bin with fat reddish stalks. I accidentally speared its companions earlier with my compost fork. But, as Rich pointed out, the speared tubers weren't the actual sprouting part of the dahlia. Still, I haven't trimmed and replanted the poor things.
I haven't come up with a theme for this year's annuals garden. Last year it was silver and white plants. I put in a selection of grey-leaved things and several different types of thistle. Some bloomed and others appear to be biennials. One thistle turned an amazing metallic blue. Eryngium planum "blue caps."
This year the annual patch has a collection of last year's verbascums (my new obsession) only some of which bloomed. They've bulked up this spring and I anticipate a bloom fest later in the summer.
So...the tree guy came. It turns out the main issue was the City of Oakland's ordinance that does not allow a tree within 10 feet of a chimney. So the plum tree went. Actually, Gray (that's the tree guy) took pity on me and left one of the minor trunks that leans away from the chimney. So there will still be a branch of plum blossoms out my window next spring. The hideous Eugenias, however, remain. They now have bare trunks that shoot up above the roof where the remaining branches rain down fat purple fruit.
Posted by briggs at April 13, 2004 2:25 PM