Gardening among the rocks
Onions have their pretty cousins,
I play at gardening. My grandmother was a real gardener. She had a garden that I remember as the way a garden should be. Her vegetables were planted in beds separated by grass paths and she seriously planted and tended those beds to produce a bounty of tasty vegetables and flowers. I have never had that discipline. I like plants but I balk at anything requiring real commitment. My new garden in the rock pile which is El Dorado Hills demonstrates this well.
Ongoing experimentation
I tried growing some lush mixed borders with annuals and perennials but the combination of no soil and extreme summer heat is a challenge. Plants which survive my haphazard tending and the poor soil and climate are real keepers. My best luck as been with bulbs and so last year I got wild and crazy with some new kinds. I had never grown alliums (flowering onions) and so I selected a variety and stuck them around my back yard border. The picture above is the result. They are making a pretty good show in their first year. The trouble is that lots of plants make a good show the first year hear in my scorching rock pile. I have been fooled before. The trick will be to see how they look next year – or if I can even find them.
