I guess we kinda deserve this one. We paid “the gardener” Jose to install irrigation along the South side of the house—even with his less than stellar track record of getting paid to cause more problems. Anyway, after explaining I wanted a drip system, he came back with a plan for spray heads. I luckily had a picture to show him what a drip system looks like—another unheeded warning sign. I asked he treat the clay soil along the house with the compost I’d bought while he’s got the holes dug for the irrigation so I could plant some of the plants I’d purchased for along there.

Long story short, he put in the drip system and hooked it all up to an old bad valve that can’t be turned off—so the system designed to conserve water will drip non-stop. Insult to injury, he planted all the plants, but didn’t treat the clay soil. He did, however, spread tree bark mulch over the top of everything. So, now we have our investment in plants, sitting in clay soil which retains the water, constantly being watered by a drip irrigation system that can’t be turned off, covered with mulch to make sure to keep the excessive water in. I don’t know, time to start looking for another “gardener”?