Back Garden Tour 2022, Chapter 2

Starting up where Chapter 1 left off, we're looking at the area behind our garage, the fence is our south-side property line. For the first fifteen years I gardened here, there was a trio of conifers right along the neighbor's side of the fence, thus the soil here was impossible to dig (dry, root-filled) so that's why I started planting in containers.The shade pavilion, which will become a greenhouse in just a couple weeks.
Since these photos were taken this area has been completely reworked. The bromeliads are tucked in the basement and I've expanded the rock plantings. A subject for a future post!
This stock tank used to hold a huge chunk of Podophyllum pleianthum, while I miss it I do love this new version planted up with lots of my favorite things.
Now the fence! It's become my canvas for all sorts of experimenting: bromeliads, staghorn ferns... what can I grow vertically?
I have had so much fun here, some planting ideas only lasted a year or two, others are still going strong several years in.



What they all have in common is that they are summer fun, the fence is bare once the shade pavilion's greenhouse walls go up.

That means a lot of work cleaning plants up and moving them indoors. It's worth it though!

Looking at the southwest corner now, where I put in these tall columns late last spring.
Pay no attention to the agaves on the lower left below, they were moved here just as a place to land while Andrew worked on the scaffolding shown at the beginning of Chapter 1, they'd been soaking up the sun out in the driveway planters all summer and will move into the shade pavilion greenhouse soon.
Here's a new view, the shade pavilion as seen from the west end, back wall of the garage in the distance.
Same focus, but moved inwards from the extreme.
Turning left (north-ish) to look at the patio now.
The Magnolia macrophylla and Tetrapanax papyrifer are meeting over the patio dining table. What was once VERY sunny is now quite shady.

Stepping down on to the patio.
Looking towards the shade pavilion with the dining table in the foreground.
Patio plants in the southeast corner...
Same view, pulled back.
Southwest corner...note the Agave victoriae-reginae bloom standing tall!
The agave is all bloomed out now (I'm posting weeks after the photo was taken), but since it's  one of the hardier agaves—and shows no sign of post-bloom decline—I'll leave it in place and see how it does over the next few wet and cold months.
The west side of the patio, many of these containers were moved to this location when the driveway scaffolding went up.
Dioon edule and friends.
Looking semi northeast now and the orange wall comes into view. What's really remarkable to my eye is the fact the Agave ovatifolia almost entirely blocks the stock tank "pond"...
When I first planted the agave in this large green container I put two others in with it becasue it looked so small (here). Not anymore!
A gunnera spent the summer in the stock tank pond, since every other plant I tried was tortured by the raccoons. I've since given the gunnera to a friend and plan to fill the tank with soil and plant it up in the spring. I am done fighting the masked asshats and trying to grow water plants.
Class photo against the orange wall...
Looking east towards the back of the house.


And just like that, this tour has come to an end! Today—October 21st—our typical autumn weather (cooler and periods of wet) is expected to arrive, more than a month late. I've loved every stolen minute of the extended summer, but since the last few days have been miserable with heinous levels of wildfire smoke making the air thick and unhealthy even I am ready for the rain to come...