Day 265: If you've been following along for any length of time, you'll have heard me talk about the Barren Wasteland, the ten-foot wide strip between the south wall of my house and the north wall of my garage. In the first few years after I moved here, all my attempts at growing veg or flowers in it failed miserably. The soil was simply too poor to support anything but the toughest grasses and other undesirables. I was on the verge of throwing in the towel when I hit on the idea of planting a wildflower mix, thinking that surely some native would take root. I'm smarter now than I was then, largely because the most successful of the species were California poppies, Ox-eye daisies and yarrow, all of which are considered "weeds" in western Washington. It's been impossible to get rid of them entirely, although they are largely overwhelmed by another success: Rudbeckia. Today, the Barren Wasteland is a riot of colour, but keeps its name in memory of my struggle to get something...anything!...to grow here.
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