Suite L & The Lizard

Installing landscaping between the view with a room and the actual view I feel like I am sometimes working in a road runner cartoon one wrong step and I am a splat on the valley floor. It would not be a dive but more of a rough tumble down the mountain side. Trimming yesterday Ray pulled on a vine which gave way with his weight on the wrong side and he bounced down a quick 10 feet a hurting waist was the result. I am careful moving about on the mountainside of the rooms not that I don't watch my footing at most times, there are lots of roots and obstacles when working here.

This is one of our projects, an exterior room restoration. We came in after the plumbers and had to hide their pipes, that meant hauling about 10 wheelbarrows of muddy, heavy, clay, pumice and rocky soil by hand up the steps and through the rooms. While I did not haul it up I did do my share of digging the mixture since I drove the golf cart to and from where we removed the soil off a mudslide pile. For this design I used sea stones to build a dry creek bed and Eddie installed additional stones around the splash pool to increase soil retention.

The plants we used with the exception of the palm were all ones that Ray, the head gardener grew from starts and the ground cover purple heart were fresh cuttings. We have been lucky to have had ample rain for the plants since watering is not easy and evaporation and use are rapid.

A spot below a guest suite was left unfinished with the rough earthen wall. The lizard and snake have adorned the area giving it a southwest flavor the boss wanted it kicked up so I added the cactus planters. We don't have to worry as much about watering but I am watching to make sure the cactus get enough sunshine to thrive.