History again – Part 3 – 1993

Two years in the making, homesteading a wayward and neglected property: Here is the result. Kris and I wanted to accelerate a garden in one of the worst neighborhoods in the city at the time. It was our way of creating peace and serenity within the chaos. We built up the back wall and covered it with vines. What a joy it was not to see drug deals from the kitchen window. We choose a particularly invasive vine, a perennial Morning Glory to provide the coverage. We were warned about how rampant and vigorous this vine could be. That is exactly what we wanted; an invasion of greenery.

A tall stand of Bamboo was planted to partially shade and protect the precious Avocado tree. Perennials were our plants of choice. We were establishing a beachhead and didn’t want to mess with the temporal nature of annuals.

Two concrete strips comprised the old 1908 driveway off the alley. We traded extra parking for the herb garden I planted instead; the concrete providing footpaths around the herbs.