Fantastic Forum the Original Art Bell's Midnight in the Desert and Coast to Coast AM Forum

Posted: **04-23-2012 09:08 PM**

Horrible is right, RA. I think it's highly unlikely that the landlord will see my point of view.

It was a risky move on my part - and it did not pay out.

Posted: **04-23-2012 09:28 PM**

SquidInk wrote: Beautiful. What else do I see there?

I was just going back looking at all your pics and I hadn't noticed your question re my begonia. I do believe the little blue flowers in the pic is Lobelia. I think, I don't remember what all I had in that flower box.

Posted: **04-23-2012 09:39 PM**

SquidInk wrote: Horrible is right, RA. I think it's highly unlikely that the landlord will see my point of view.

It was a risky move on my pat - and it did not pay out.

All things must come to an end and some things should never end. What the hell is the point of wrecking something beautiful? Shaking my head at this crazy world!

Posted: **04-24-2012 01:09 PM**

SquidInk wrote: Well...

This thread has suddenly become more valuable to me. Many of the plants pictured here are specimens I have collected and planted at the rental where I live, over a period of years. When I moved in, the yard was dirt, plywood (yeah, plywood), and a broken sprinkler system ran under all of it. I knew it was a crap-shoot, but I thought if I could make it look awesome, it might be embraced by subsequent tenets.

Today the landlord strolled by and informed it will all be killed next week. In it's place will be a new sprinkler system, and a freshly rolled out lawn. The only plants that will be kept are the hedges, which are formed from invasive species and require constant shearing. I'm sure the towering live oak would be chopped down too (it sheds, you know), but it originates in another yard.

I tried to explain xeroscape, and drought tolerant planting techniques. Then I tried to talk about native understory - but I sense a business plan at work here. Some of the rare species will be re-homed. Ah well... it's been a great thread.

This is painful - how ignorant and insensitive can one be - I mean he has to be blind.

Posted: **04-24-2012 02:43 PM**

You know, I understand the old 'different strokes for different folks' thing -- but a lawn and sprinklers? Like it's still 1961, and we're living in the 'burbs?

That is painful.

Of course, the tenants will pay the bill for all of that water - and it's not cheap here in semi-arid California. Especially during drought times when water is effectively rationed.

Posted: **05-29-2012 09:09 AM**

The squadron explores a matajilla poppy

Posted: **05-29-2012 09:16 AM**

Sorry squid that is not good news

Any chance of getting other tenants on board?

Posted: **05-29-2012 10:17 AM**

Landlords follow the money too.. Sorry for your yard and garden circumstance - not sure of any alternate solutions.

Reminds me of a rental house we had. We lived there ten plus years and decided to do some repairs: painted the bathroom and kitchen, cabinets inside and out and several minor repairs to fixtures and outlets, etx. This was with our landlady's permission and approval. Within two weeks of finishing and her inspection she tells us we need to move and starts court proceedings to do so. We fought as we were in the right and were not in violation of our agreement whatsoever - but she and a so-called handyman we'd never seen as long as we were there came to court and outright lied - said we'd damaged the carpets..

Judges believe land-owners over tenants in the end - repairs and improvements don't matter, or the truth. Had I lied like she did I may have won -

Posted: **05-29-2012 10:27 AM**

here is some inspiration http://www.guerrillagardening.org/

Posted: **05-29-2012 11:45 AM**

Fan wrote: here is some inspiration http://www.guerrillagardening.org/

I used to follow that blog, and I did some clandestine cultivation around my home town in 2006-2007 - great fun! Many of our plots remain intact today.

As for the rental - it fell to the sod a month ago. I managed to transplant several of the more rare species, and find good homes. Here's a list:

manzanitas (obispoensis - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arctostaphylos_obispoensis),
island brush poppies ( http://www.yerbabuenanursery.com/viewplant.php?pid=0454 - native to a small island chain off the coast of Santa Barbara),
Indian Warrior ( Pedicularis densiflora - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedicularis_densiflora ),
experimental Chorizanthe Breweri serpentine habitat ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chorizanthe_breweri ). This very rare plant was growing quite abundantly on a hill a few yards from my door... It is endemic to California, where it is known from about twenty occurrences in the Central Coast Ranges of San Luis Obispo and far southern Monterey Counties - wikipedia

Partial list of plants that were pulled:

salvia bees bliss ( http://www.nativerevival.com/index.php? ... &Itemid=92 )
Marigold variety tagetes nelsonii
marigold variety tagetes lemonii
Island Pitcher Sage ( http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-cal ... a-fragrans )
Yerba Buena groundcover ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yerba_buena )
a large stand of California hedge nettle
Rosa Californica ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosa_californica )
a few lilys ( http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species ... erby=taxon )
10 medicinal salvias & mints
'Black & Blue' Sage
large stand of fennel/bronze fennel
4 prolific artichoke plants - removed with at least 50 artichokes (so, that's $50 in really good food)
herbs including thyme, oregano, cilantro, rosemary, and a young native bay tree (predating my arrival, possibly a natural occurrence)
chamomile
lavender
Pink Flowering Currant ( http://www.calown.com/nativegarden_plants.html )
Artemesia Californica ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemisia_californica )

I am forgetting many - I'll add more as I remember them.

The crazy part is when we moved in, there was literally old ragged blue tarps, plywood and dirt covering a large portion of the yard (even in front, in full view of the street). I knew I was taking a chance when I made the investment - and the investment was mulch-dimensional (edit: I meant multi-dimensional, ...but it's such an awesome Freudian slip I'm leaving it for posterity) including time, study, emotional attachment, and actually not much money as we were able to find seeds and cuttings for many plants. We were constantly complimented by the neighbors on the transformation - it was slow, but obvious too.

It was looking a little like this: http://www.flickr.com/photos/brewbooks/ ... otostream/

Ah well, it's a nicely irrigated lawn now. Goody.

Posted: **05-29-2012 01:56 PM**

Dale O Sea wrote: Landlords follow the money too.. Sorry for your yard and garden circumstance - not sure of any alternate solutions.

Reminds me of a rental house we had. We lived there ten plus years and decided to do some repairs: painted the bathroom and kitchen, cabinets inside and out and several minor repairs to fixtures and outlets, etx. This was with our landlady's permission and approval. Within two weeks of finishing and her inspection she tells us we need to move and starts court proceedings to do so. We fought as we were in the right and were not in violation of our agreement whatsoever - but she and a so-called handyman we'd never seen as long as we were there came to court and outright lied - said we'd damaged the carpets..

Judges believe land-owners over tenants in the end - repairs and improvements don't matter, or the truth. Had I lied like she did I may have won -

My daughter and her carpenter/painter boyfriend went through this. He did a lot of work to their rental house, even putting in a skylight in the kitchen. All with the landlords blessing. A month later the landlord gave them notice saying that his son and wife were going to move in. They went to court and fortunately the judge believed them as they had letters from friends and family about the state of the place prior to the boyfriends renovations, therefore the judge awarded them full compensation from the landlord and they got every cent within 2 weeks. The judge even gave a timeline for it to be paid or the court would place a lien on the house.

Posted: **05-29-2012 04:26 PM**

Good grief - what happened to people treating each other with respect? Is it really all about the money, all the time?

Posted: **05-29-2012 06:25 PM**

SquidInk wrote: Good grief - what happened to people treating each other with respect? Is it really all about the money, all the time?

As they say here ... "no offense, but it's business". That's why when I invest any money into something I don't own, I take a ton of pictures, and have even recorded conversations if I don't have "a good feel" for someone's permission. It's saved me twice.

BTW, when I got home from dinner with my wife, I found this little guy on the pathway to the door. The bunny is fake. I'm referring to the butterfly or large moth. I'm glad he is there and not flying around as the barn swallows were out at dusk gathering dinner.

(Shot with cellphone. Not the best of quality)

Posted: **05-30-2012 07:44 PM**

The name (of that moth) escapes me - great shot! Definitely a moth though.

Looks like it would be about the size of your palm, wing-tip to wing-tip?

Posted: **05-30-2012 07:49 PM**

SquidInk wrote: The name (of that moth) escapes me - great shot! Definitely a moth though.

Looks like it would be about the size of your palm, wing-tip to wing-tip?

If he would have spread open his wings, I would say his total length would be from the tip of my little finger to the tip of my thumb. He was huge. At first I thought he was an leaf off an Oak tree.

Fantastic Forum the Original Art Bell's Midnight in the Desert and Coast to Coast AM Forum

Marigolds