tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1615100786320943903.post4350750875132979774..comments2024-03-28T13:18:03.669-07:00Comments on Succulents and More™: From lawn to succulents—grand revealGerhard Bock (Succulents and More)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17583583634141549759noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1615100786320943903.post-10504989381663859492021-11-03T14:14:53.945-07:002021-11-03T14:14:53.945-07:00I'm really sorry to hear that Contra Costa Top...I'm really sorry to hear that Contra Costa Topsoil doesn't deliver anymore. Their Bancroft Bedding Blend would have been my #1 recommendation.<br /><br />Look at American Soil & Stone in Richmond: https://www.americansoil.com/soils.html. I use their Ultra Potting Mix for potted succulents, blended 50:50 with pumice. This should work in the ground as well. In other words, you'd have to order 50% Ultra Potting Mix and 50% pumice.Gerhard Bock (Succulents and More)https://www.blogger.com/profile/17583583634141549759noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1615100786320943903.post-65731571204921593462021-11-03T14:03:38.937-07:002021-11-03T14:03:38.937-07:00Came across your old post while googling around - ...Came across your old post while googling around - I'm tackling a lawn conversion now in Walnut Creek! Do you remember where you got your soil mix from? I'm having trouble finding a suitable mix in bulk. Have heard great things about Bancroft Bedding from Contra Costa Topsoil but unfortunately they don't deliver anymore. Alicenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1615100786320943903.post-74739101986575958362016-04-15T00:15:02.261-07:002016-04-15T00:15:02.261-07:00Nice!Nice!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07656881081955816444noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1615100786320943903.post-80163831021834235512016-03-19T21:11:18.156-07:002016-03-19T21:11:18.156-07:00Great! Thanks, and happy planting. Great! Thanks, and happy planting. Rachelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15932795445072531905noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1615100786320943903.post-11600855451678026622016-03-19T17:37:02.966-07:002016-03-19T17:37:02.966-07:00Rachel, yes. It came from Elton Roberts. He lives ...Rachel, yes. It came from Elton Roberts. He lives near Modesto.Gerhard Bock (Succulents and More)https://www.blogger.com/profile/17583583634141549759noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1615100786320943903.post-80677328016585667562016-03-19T17:30:19.560-07:002016-03-19T17:30:19.560-07:00Do you recall the name of the seller? Really gorge...Do you recall the name of the seller? Really gorgeous. You've got a great low-water-use yard! Rachelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15932795445072531905noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1615100786320943903.post-74876535128113608362016-03-02T10:35:26.109-08:002016-03-02T10:35:26.109-08:00Thanks, Denise. I love having a new living lab rig...Thanks, Denise. I love having a new living lab right in front of the house. I'll be doing a lot of observing!Gerhard Bock (Succulents and More)https://www.blogger.com/profile/17583583634141549759noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1615100786320943903.post-36074413440488393772016-03-02T10:34:47.045-08:002016-03-02T10:34:47.045-08:00Thank you, Renee. I'm very happy that it turne...Thank you, Renee. I'm very happy that it turned out just like I had envisioned it. That doesn't always happen.Gerhard Bock (Succulents and More)https://www.blogger.com/profile/17583583634141549759noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1615100786320943903.post-38284812363735182842016-03-02T08:45:29.362-08:002016-03-02T08:45:29.362-08:00What a fast, beautiful result! You don't fool...What a fast, beautiful result! You don't fool around, do you? This is going to be amazing to watch fill in, so thank you for the deep background!Denisehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13048985060349929026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1615100786320943903.post-22893512804607928802016-03-01T21:49:25.838-08:002016-03-01T21:49:25.838-08:00Beautiful! It will be great to see how it all grow...Beautiful! It will be great to see how it all grows together, but it already looks awesome. I really like the mounds and how they add interest. Great work by you, your wife and the crew, congrats!Reneehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14441140267067281722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1615100786320943903.post-24164617521088927062016-03-01T18:15:46.645-08:002016-03-01T18:15:46.645-08:00I'm slowly warming up to the lighter rock. We&...I'm slowly warming up to the lighter rock. We're expecting rain Thursday through Sunday and will reassess after. Maybe some of the pinkness (if that's a word) will wash away.<br /><br />Next project? There are quite a few neglected spots in the backyard that need attention. They're much more challenging--dry shade.Gerhard Bock (Succulents and More)https://www.blogger.com/profile/17583583634141549759noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1615100786320943903.post-31637893149000205872016-03-01T18:13:53.322-08:002016-03-01T18:13:53.322-08:00Thank you, Deana. I hope to see your front yard so...Thank you, Deana. I hope to see your front yard some day soon!Gerhard Bock (Succulents and More)https://www.blogger.com/profile/17583583634141549759noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1615100786320943903.post-21910025456004604152016-03-01T18:13:32.456-08:002016-03-01T18:13:32.456-08:00Wow, that's quite a compliment coming from the...Wow, that's quite a compliment coming from the owner of one of my favorite gardens :-).Gerhard Bock (Succulents and More)https://www.blogger.com/profile/17583583634141549759noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1615100786320943903.post-72682619681078009112016-03-01T10:56:39.432-08:002016-03-01T10:56:39.432-08:00Looks great! I like the lighter stone myself, rem...Looks great! I like the lighter stone myself, remember darker is going to be hotter. 'Stained Glass' is a favorite, and your 'Excelsior' is--wow! Great find. So much fun to see completed projects, and now...what's the <i><b>next</b></i> project? :) Hoover Boohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03083294821646284424noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1615100786320943903.post-68773374491177960262016-03-01T08:31:56.483-08:002016-03-01T08:31:56.483-08:00It turned out beautiful. It turned out beautiful. Deana Raehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08667584606691026000noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1615100786320943903.post-7713005708052478632016-02-29T22:05:18.985-08:002016-02-29T22:05:18.985-08:00It's incredibly beautiful! What a dramatic ch...It's incredibly beautiful! What a dramatic change for the better. Congratulations! outlawgardenerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08273973572989510382noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1615100786320943903.post-72052249448043154602016-02-29T08:35:29.169-08:002016-02-29T08:35:29.169-08:00Luisa, thank you so much for your comment. I was t...Luisa, thank you so much for your comment. I was trying hard to give expression to my love of the desert without having the result look too out of place.<br /><br />I've added a note on the soil to my original post above. It came pre-amended with pumice and lava rock (at least those are the elements I was able to identify) but I ended up working more rock into it so the mounds wouldn't collapse entirely over time.<br /><br />Would love to have you stay with us when you're in the area!Gerhard Bock (Succulents and More)https://www.blogger.com/profile/17583583634141549759noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1615100786320943903.post-87916793678437555222016-02-29T08:32:48.833-08:002016-02-29T08:32:48.833-08:00Yes, it's hard to know what what a planting wi...Yes, it's hard to know what what a planting will look like one, two, five years down the line--especially with succulents that grow at such vastly different rates. But I'm ready to add or subtract as needed. Nothing in my garden is ever static, that much I've learned.Gerhard Bock (Succulents and More)https://www.blogger.com/profile/17583583634141549759noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1615100786320943903.post-13127442209018040802016-02-29T08:31:03.003-08:002016-02-29T08:31:03.003-08:00Well, you know me. Always collecting plants for so...Well, you know me. Always collecting plants for some future project that may or may never materialize.<br /><br />The pathway material is sold as "blue pathfines." See <a href="http://www.dixonlandscape.com/images/600_DSCN0407.JPG" rel="nofollow">here</a>.<br /><br />The Corten planter is from a mail order company called <a href="http://niceplanter.com/" rel="nofollow">Nice Planter</a>. I've added a note on the planter to my post above.<br /><br />I know <em>exactly</em> what you mean when you say the planter looks lonely. That thought has gone through my head more than once, but I know that somehow other containers will find their way into this area. Or else I'll get a couple of smaller metal planters to go on either side. The wheels in my head are already spinning...Gerhard Bock (Succulents and More)https://www.blogger.com/profile/17583583634141549759noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1615100786320943903.post-56273360410515722932016-02-29T08:25:58.370-08:002016-02-29T08:25:58.370-08:00Our dog, Sasha, was very confused initially by the...Our dog, Sasha, was very confused initially by the changes in the backyard. She didn't care that the lawn was ratty; it was <em>her</em> place to go potty. She's been adapting, and while both she and we have been stepping on the dymondia, it doesn't seem to be fazed.Gerhard Bock (Succulents and More)https://www.blogger.com/profile/17583583634141549759noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1615100786320943903.post-67184486092001840322016-02-29T08:24:27.473-08:002016-02-29T08:24:27.473-08:00That's exactly how I felt when I spotted that ...That's exactly how I felt when I spotted that 'Excelsior' last May at the Sacramento Cactus & Succulent Society Show & Sale.Gerhard Bock (Succulents and More)https://www.blogger.com/profile/17583583634141549759noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1615100786320943903.post-32093377648751790732016-02-29T08:23:39.697-08:002016-02-29T08:23:39.697-08:00David, that Agave vilmoriana 'Stained Glass...David, that Agave vilmoriana 'Stained Glass' seems to be hardy, knock on wood. It was outside all winter, in a #3 nursery pot. But then it was a fairly mild winter, with just one night below 28°F.<br /><br />The Corten planter is from <a href="http://niceplanter.com/product/nice-corten-steel-trough/" rel="nofollow">Nice Planter</a>. 20″ H x 46″ W x 20″ D, $329 with free shipping. It arrived 2 (!) days after ordering from their warehouse in Southern California.<br /><br />The dymondia in the background seems to be growing fairly fast. We've lost about 10 plugs so far, probably because we let the soil go too dry. That an attrition rate of 1%. Not bad.Gerhard Bock (Succulents and More)https://www.blogger.com/profile/17583583634141549759noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1615100786320943903.post-45996145204587948592016-02-29T08:19:56.491-08:002016-02-29T08:19:56.491-08:00Thanks, Candy. I'll take credit for choosing t...Thanks, Candy. I'll take credit for choosing the plants, but the back-breaking labor was done for me. <br /><br />Can't wait to check out the succulent garden in <em>your</em> front yard soon--what, two years after installation?Gerhard Bock (Succulents and More)https://www.blogger.com/profile/17583583634141549759noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1615100786320943903.post-26215227132793610132016-02-29T08:18:15.683-08:002016-02-29T08:18:15.683-08:00Thank you, guys! I'm sure I'll be editing ...Thank you, guys! I'm sure I'll be editing the plant selection as time goes by. I may add more perennials for color, at least as a temporary solution until the succulents fill in. I've become very fond of Arctotis and Gazanias lately...Gerhard Bock (Succulents and More)https://www.blogger.com/profile/17583583634141549759noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1615100786320943903.post-9059334416017319722016-02-29T08:16:39.362-08:002016-02-29T08:16:39.362-08:00The back lawn had actually been my biggest pain po...The back lawn had actually been my biggest pain point. I'd been wanting to fix it for years but none of the alternatives made much sense. I'm hoping the dymondia in conjunction with the pavers will be a success. Time will tell.Gerhard Bock (Succulents and More)https://www.blogger.com/profile/17583583634141549759noreply@blogger.com