Surprise driveway bed makeover

On Saturday morning, I went over to my friend Kyle’s house in Sacramento (a 20-minute drive on a good day) to drop off some nursery pots. Little did I know that four hours later, our driveway bed would have had a complete makeover:

Driveway bed, December 2, 2:00 pm

Let’s back up a bit.

The driveway bed used to be anchored by our beloved ‘Desert Museum’ palo verde. It would be in flower from mid-spring into late summer, pleasing both humans and nectar-loving insects alike:

Then, last New Year’s Eve, this happened:

January 1, 2023 – the morning after

January 1, 2023

The trunk of our palo verde had snapped off at the graft line in what was one of the worst storms in recent memory, both in terms of wind strength and total rainfall. Countless trees were damaged or completely uprooted across the Sacramento metro area, downing power lines and crushing cars and buildings. We got off easy; even though the palo verde landed on our van, there was no real damage beyond some scratches.

The morning after, my wife and I, with the help of a friend, cut the tree into manageable pieces, which were hauled away by our biweekly yard waste service. The leftover stump sat there untouched for the better part of a year – very much alive, as evidenced by vigorously sprouting rootstock suckers (Parkinsonia microphylla, or foothill palo verde, judging by the tiny leaves and the multitude of small thorns on the stems).

Finally, last Thursday, the stump was ground out (big shoutout to Alliance Tree Service of Woodland), leaving a level area for planting:

Driveway bed after the palo verde stump had been removed. The dark brown stuff is used coffee grounds from our local Starbucks; they add organic matter to the soil and provide a (small) boost of nitrogen.

With the stump gone, there were no more excuses to dilly dally!

This is where we circle back to the beginning of this post.

This past Saturday, I was going to pick up some bagged garden soil and lava fines in Sacramento to build up the driveway bed before replanting. On my way to the rock yard, I stopped at my friend Kyle’s house to drop off a few dozen 2-inch nursery pots. When I told Kyle that I wanted to get bagged stuff (I can’t transport loose material in our van), he offered to take his pickup truck to the rock yard so I could get soil and lava rock in bulk – at a fraction of the price of bagged material. I thought long and hard about it (OK, for 0.5 seconds), and 45 minutes later we were back at our house with ¼ cubic yard of garden mix and ¼ cubic yard of 5⁄16 inch lava, purchased at the cost of $32:

My plan had been to mound soil and lava rock where the palo verde stump had been to compensate for the compaction that had occurred over the years. Kyle took one look at the bed and said, “Wanna do the whole thing?” That had never been on my mind, but Kyle’s suggestion was too tantalizing to ignore. He was right. Now was the time to do it.

Kyle’s idea of redoing the entire bed encompassed creating a blank slate by removing the existing plants (all except the 4-foot Aloe helenae). So that’s what we did:

Kyle’s boundless energy is both infectious and enviable. This guy does not shy away from hard work. I’m immensely grateful for everything he did.

Existing plants removed, new soil and lava rock unloaded and distributed (mostly):

The next step was the most fun: (re)planting. A few plants (Dioon edule, Aloe wilsonii, Aloes mawii × globuligemma) went back more or less where they had been. Others were moved from elsewhere in the garden or grounded for the first time. Hoarding has its benefits: There are always new plants waiting to be put to use.

Aloe helenae (top left), Hechtia stenopetala (in flue liner), Agave ‘Cornelius’ (bottom left)

With Kyle’s help (he has a great eye for design), I was finally able to use three of the four chimney flue liners I’d picked up years ago at Urban Ore in Berkeley. They’re now home to hechtias that previously been in pots (Hechtia stenopetala, Hechtia podantha, and Hechtia ‘Wildfire’). The flue liners raise them up by 2 feet, allowing their leaves to drape down.

Agave ‘Cornelius’ and Hechtia stenopetala

I also planted three agaves: Agave ‘Cornelius’ (see above), Agave montana and Agave bovicornuta ‘Holstein’ (see below):

Aloe mawii × globuligemma, Hechtia ‘Wildfire’, Agave montana, Dioon edule ‘Palma Sola’, Agave bovicornuta ‘Holstein’

Aloe mawii × globuligemma, Hechtia ‘Wildfire’, Agave montana

Hechtia ‘Wildfire’

Kyle also helped me straighten the large Yucca rostrata ‘Sapphire Skies’ you see in the photos below. It had developed a pronounced lean towards our neighbor’s house. We attached a strap from the yucca to the trailer hitch on Kyle’s pickup, and Kyle carefully pulled it forward just enough to allow us to shove a concrete paver and a rock under the trunk of the yucca to keep it upright. Another niggly to-do item accomplished!

This is what the driveway bed looked like when Kyle left on Saturday afternoon:

On Sunday morning, I added more plants along the outer perimeter, mostly small aloes and a few dudleyas:

Gonialoe variegata (bottom), Aloe broomii var. tarkaensis (left), Agave ‘Cornelius’ (top)

Aloe juvenna

Boophone disticha

Aloe humilis, Dudleya candida, Dudleya traskiae, Aloe ‘Silver Fox’

There’s still some room left, but I want to proceed at a deliberate pace rather than overstuffing the bed right away. All plants will continue to get bigger, some dramatically so (especially Agave montana and Agave bovicornuta).

The bed isn’t completely finished yet – I need to get more rocks and eventually more lava as a top dressing – but there’s no hurry on that. Thanks to Kyle’s hard work, I’m much farther ahead than I ever expected to be.

Driveway bed plant inventory:

1. Agave bovicornuta ‘Holstein’
2. Agave ‘Cornelius’
3. Agave montana
4. Aloe arenicola
5. Aloe broomii var. tarkaensis
6. Aloe excelsa, yellow-flowering form
7. Aloe helenae
8. Aloe ‘Hellskloof Bells’
9. Aloe humilis
10. Aloe juvenna
11. Aloe mawii × globuligemma ‘Maui Gem’
12. Aloe ‘Silver Fox’
13. Aloe wilsonii
14. Boophone disticha
15. Dioon edule ‘Palma Sola’ (2x)
16. Dudleya candida
17. Dudleya traskiae
18. Gonialoe variegata
19. Haemanthus albiflos
20. Haemanthus coccineus
21. Hechtia podantha
22. Hechtia stenopetala
23. Hechtia ‘Wildfire’

© Gerhard Bock, 2023. All rights reserved. To receive all new posts by email, please subscribe here.