I had an open garden yesterday

I had an open garden yesterday for the Sacramento Cactus and Succulent Society (SCSS) and my volunteer group at the UC Davis Arboretum Teaching Nursery. I’d put in a lot of effort to make things look nice — tidying up, weeding, filling in holes with new plants, adding top dressing, even getting more rocks. I won’t lie, it was a good amount of work, but in the end, it was worth it.

My previous open gardens had all been in the morning, but this time I decided to do it from 1 to 5pm because the afternoon light is so beautiful at this time of year. The weather couldn’t have been better: bright and sunny, with a high of 81°F at 4pm. I couldn’t have wished for a more perfect day.

The turnout was great. I didn’t keep track of how many people came, but there was a steady stream of visitors. My friends Michele and Kyle, who know my garden well, were on hand to help answer questions. Several people mentioned how seeing my garden had given them ideas for their own. Hearing that made me happy. If I was able to inspire just one person to try something new, then my open garden was a success.

Here are some photos and videos of the garden. I’ll enjoy it while it lasts. Soon enough, the neighborhood trees will start shedding, and I’ll be battling the annual leaf drop.

Note on the videos: I didn’t have time to polish them, because I wanted to get this post published today. There isn’t any real commentary or music, so you can watch them with the sound off.

Inside the front yard fence:

Walkway to the front door

The three ponytail palms on the left...

...have been in the ground since March 2009. A lot of people asked yesterday.

Clumping bamboo (Bambusa chungii ‘Barbellata’) on the right

The newest succulent mound inside the front yard fence. I’m trying to get the bamboo to grow in the other direction (northward) so there’s more room for succulents on the sunny side.

Panorama taken from the walkway

The two original succulent mounds...

...were built in February 2016

The plantings have changed a lot since then

About the only original plant is the barrel cactus (Ferocactus herrerae) towards the back

One of my favorite vignettes in the larger mound

View of and from the covered porch

I’ve posted similar shots before, but the backlit Cleistocactus strausii are just so darn photogenic

Here’s a video:

L-shaped sidewalk bed:

Ribbon of golden barrels (Echinocactus grusonii), among others

Mangave ‘Foxy Lady’ is pushing a flower stalk — the beginning of the end

Rounding the corner, with the longest section of the sidewalk bed ahead

Far end of the sidewalk bed

Video of the sidewalk bed:

Backyard:

One of the mounds I created a year ago

Same mound from the northeast corner of the backyard

Plantings along the east fence

Container cluster 1, about 6 weeks old now (original post)

Container cluster 2

And a video:

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