81 The Garden Company
May 12, 2023
83 East Bay Nursery
June 16, 2023
The Queen’s Backyard
R ecently AP came to the El Dorado County Master Gardener’s annual plant sale. As Master Gardeners—many of them my Readers—walked past us, I introduced her. You should have seen how they reacted…like AP was some big celebrity. Freakin’ hilarious! One of them (you know who you are) gushed all over her, “You are exactly what I envisioned! All color and sparkles!” I’m telling you, it was as if The Queen had arrived!
If you’re new here, AP is my Aunt Patti and travelling companion for nursery trips through the West Coast states. For more about her, check here and here. If you’ve followed our exploits and can’t get enough of AP, this post is for you! You’re welcome.
Each spring, AP requests my help de-cluttering her backyard. We get rid of plants and garden accessories that don’t work anymore or we move them around here and there to find better locations. Our goal is to tidy, freshen up, and improve as needed.
This year I couldn’t get to her place in the best timeframe, so AP had a few weeks to sit and evaluate the current state of her backyard and to think real hard as to whether she needed me. Or not.
And, Readers, this year it’s “Not!”
After all these years relying on me as a personal landscape and gardening expert (which of course I do professionally) she decided she didn’t need my (always on-target) suggestions and came to the conclusion that she likes her yard just the way it is!
Okay then! We did a photo shoot—and Readers, here is AP’s backyard just the way it is. You are in for a real treat!
WARNING: You may go blind from so much color!
AP has always considered interesting foliage—which I love—as too contrary to her taste for colorful flowers in every direction. But I notice she has actually come to consider my advice as worthwhile!
See?…
Are you finding some “AP inspiration?“
Well this would not be a complete AP-inspired blog post without including her growing collection of succulents.
Let’s bring them on!!!…
Did you know AP keeps a spreadsheet of all the plants she buys? But when you walk the yard with her, she can’t recall their damn names.
For that matter she can’t remember what day of the week it is. She’s been retired for so long, “Why bother!” she says. Which explains what happens when she texts or emails me about some past or future thing on some day, I have to do mental gymnastics to figure out what she’s talking about. I think they don’t use calendars on the planet she comes from. But I bet their gardens are all full of charm and overflowing with color.
Do us all a favor, Your Majesty…
Never, ever, change.
