Late Winter Pruning continues...

In the back garden, there is one corner bed that always takes forever to cut back in the Spring late winter, because there are so many plants. There are two Russian Sages (Perovskia atriplicifolia), at least 2, maybe 3 Salvia greggii, and a relatively new addition, rock rose (cistus sp). There are also several agaves and other spiky plants spread through the bed. In the summer, it looks great, lush and green. In the winter, it looks like:

a mess? let's go with a mess

So far his year, i've managed to get through half the bed before i ran out of room for the clippings. But it already looks like progress!

cutting back the russian sage and trimming back the rock rose

the little agaves always pop when everything else is dormant

I really have to move that furcraea foetida - it will be too giant soon. Perhaps i should try it in the giant pot?

However, the bed continues...

there are a lot of plants here

And pruning uncovers other problems, like giant mounds of dirt. Probably gophers, or ants, or who knows what.

also trimming back the lantana

A view from the other side shows what's still left...

i hate trimming back the cistus before it blooms!

That plant that's falling over is a winter casualty. It was upright before the snow, but hasn't really recovered. I'm not sure whether to stake it or do something else? It's a young eucalyptus, although i'm not exactly sure which one. That acacia baileyana var.  purpurea just visible on the left could probably also use some pruning. It doesn't appear to have any winter damage. I think i'm going to let it bloom first...

Meanwhile, i have to figure out what to do about this (other than have fewer plants, because no):

there's a yucca and an agave under there, i swear!

At least i have time to think - since the yard waste pickup is full! I've asked the city for more space, but they are out of bins (so they say). Progress will continue...