I bought my house in November 2004. The property would have brought a gleam into the eyes of any potential male owner as it had a huge RV pad with a double-wide gate and space for not only an RV, but a fishing boat to boot! Since I had neither of the above, I have had to adapt.
Over the years, plants without a home landed on the RV pad. Note: the RV pad has no shade and is located on the south side of the house. Lots of concrete and lots of stucco to create my own Gobi Desert, if you will. A few wine barrels ended up there and, over time, one has rotted out and the other still functions with bearded iris growing in it. Over the years, succulents in pots were moved there. A structure composed of leftover 4 x 8s, concrete blocks, and pavers has created a three-tiered garden where the succulents are showcased.
In years past, I had jerry-rigged a shade structure using two wooden ladders on either end of the succulent collection with long boards over the top and lattice remnants over the boards. In the winter, I would drape tarps from the top to fend off the freezing cold in hopes that when spring came along, I would still have surviving plants under the ugly, rag-tag structure. Then, my next-door neighbor suggested I build a shade for the windows facing the RV pad. Hmmm, good idea, but how about a real shade structure for the succulents instead? The shade would give them respite in our summer heat and hopefully some protection in the winter. So here you have it: the moveable shade structure covers the succulents and provides a pleasant visual interest from each of the two-bedroom windows!
