What started out as a small hill of sand is starting to become its own bioclimatic zone. I initially never even imagined this spot as being an ideal agave-growing area, but it has proven to receive copious amounts of sun, is bathed in extra heat radiation from the road, and is protected from overhead precipitation from a mature deodar cedar.
Building a berm with 1500 pounds of sand mixed in will help make this as ideal of a desert as it's going to be in a city famous for its rainfall.
Lifting these 100-pound bags is sure doing wonders for my abs!
I cleared away the wild strawberry groundcover, transplanted a rhododendron and witch hazel to a more hospitable place, and removed the rich organic layer of soil, which will be used later to mix back in with the sand. Wells-Medina nursery had a very impressive selection of hardy agaves and a few other plants at very reasonable prices ($7 for the smaller ones). I apologized to them for ruining their display.
Below is progress being made.
The early evening sunlight casts a magical glow on this brand new micro desert.