Still hot but got out later and worked the bed

 Tomato was sad looking but not completely wilted though definitely stressed out and not colored very well, and surprise surprise, the cilantro was looking just fine.

Sad little plant

Just a wee babe

 

I started trimming back the tomato into manageable chunks then saw there were some new branches still trying to grow. This was about 4:30pm hence the shade on the bed it was still about 80 something. Okay.. you get a second chance. Trimmed all the old stuff off and this is what was left. 

I took the cultivator to the rest of the bed and hit cement or something so threw two sticks down to mark the edge. I dug a bit close to the tomato and discovered a long root from it. you can see it down at the bottom of the photo on the right. Better picture is here:

Leaves everywhere from the liquidambar but that's okay, good fodder for the compost pile. I cultivated thoroughly but only as deep as it could go, didn't get the shovel out yet. That will happen when I get compost and fertilizer. So cultivated and leveled best I could and watered the heck out of it. Used the regular spray then decided a little water based cultivation is in order. Turned it to the pinpoint multi spray and went for it.

Mostly level surprisingly and likely well churned. Then discovered the hose was leaking from my tape and when I went to shut it off, the hose mend at the faucet was loose. Great.

Will have to see if they'll replace the hose but likely not now since it's winter and technically don't need it as much. Will see what happens. I could fix it right but would be spending my own money and honestly, I don't feel like investing time and money like that right now. I will point it out as a matter of building issue because having water on the wall like that is not good.

Another tenant is moving out, upstairs but opposite end from our building. Much closer to the garden and the office is under it. Not sure if it's worth moving or they would let us but the breeze would be better and looks over the lawn and trees. Rocky would love that. 

Bird of Paradise are blooming like crazy now, one bush has at least a dozen flower buds and the other had more flowers and some trying to make more flowers before the primary one had even opened!

 

Hard to see the buds due to coloring and shape but they're the mostly pencil stem looking ones. There is actually a strelitzia that is all pencil thin stems and no leaves to speak of. Strelitzia juncea looks more like a cactus than a tropical plant but all of t hem are native to Africa and are very tough and easy to grow.

The nursery didn't get the juncea in to sell until about ten years ago I think and only big ones. The flower is identical to the orange variety (Strelitzia reginae) but a bit slimmer.

Some people get the Giant Bird of Paradise (sometimes called White or Alba but S. nicolai) confused with banana trees and all you have to remember is if it has a white and blue flower and no single stem, it's strelitzia. Bananas hang down even their leaves so another trait to look for.

 

 Leaves up, it's flying like a bird!

Leaves down banana hang upside down!

I just made that up. Don't shoot me. Anyway you can see in the background younger banana trees that are single stalk. Most edible ones are and they are cut down after they fruit because that's the end of it. Some growers burn the field but the plants come back from the roots. A renewable tree much like pine christmas trees. They'll be back in a few years.

I did not mean to go on a tangent like this, a lot more interesting things out there than learning about bananas and bird of paradise trees.

But not today.