The large succulent bed on the south side of the house receives more compliments than any other part of my garden. The maturity of the plants there could be part of the reason for that but, with maturity, many of those succulents no longer just rub elbows - they're overcrowding one another. I've recognized the issue and made adjustments now and then; however, an incident starting with a gopher is now forcing me to get more serious about it.
Here's how the gopher touched off other observations:
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The hole shown here at the edge of a flagstone looks much larger than it is. When I initially saw it, I thought it was the result of pulling up a clump of alyssum (Lobularia maritima). Closer examination showed it was a gopher hole. Gophers are described as bigger than a mouse but smaller than a rat and they're known for eating plant roots. |
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I didn't find any gopher mounds or evidence of plant damage nearby at first. However, several feet away I noticed a mass of Erigeron karvinskianus (aka Santa Barbara daisy) 3 feet tall and wide covering the plants below them. As I pulled it up, stems of Hesperaloe parviflora 'Coral Glow' came with it. |
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I don't have a "before" shot of the plant, one in a group of 3, but it's been thinned by about half its original size. The prior photo of the debris was only a fraction of what I removed. |
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This is a closeup of the Hesperaloe's pretty flower |
Once I'd cleared the mass of
Erigeron that had covered the blue chalk sticks (
Senecio serpens) and most of an
Agave americana 'Mediopicta Alba' next to the
Hesperaloe, I realized that an
Agave 'Blue Flame' was intruding on the smaller agave.
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At least 2 of the 6 'Blue Flame' rosettes shown here need to go. One rosette's leaning against the Agave 'Mediopicta Alba' and a second is pushing against the Dasylirion longissima. |
That sight prompted me to check on the other clump of
Agave 'Blue Flame' in the same bed. We'd removed one huge rosette there a couple of years ago but, since then, the others have grown larger and proliferated.
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There are also 6 rosettes here, sandwiched between another 'Mediopicta Alba' Agave and several 'Blue Glow' Agaves |
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The 'Mediopicta Alba' Agaves themselves are also prone to pupping. Many of those pups end up feet away from the parent plant but some cuddle beneath it. However, in contrast to 'Blue Flame', they're smaller and easier to pull in both situations. |
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'Blue Flame' parents and pups stick together and are very hard to remove. I couldn't reach the trunk of either of the 2 in front in this view but I made a stab (or rather a lot of stabs) at cutting into the smaller one, I had limited success. I think better tools, like an electric saw, will be required. |
I've requested assistance from my husband in removing at least some, possibly all, the 'Blue Flame' agaves in this particular clump. As my husband is still preoccupied with "adjustments" to my lath (shade) house and our temperatures are expected to climb until Saturday, we've delayed that effort for awhile. I'm committed, though. While
'Blue Flame' is a good-looking plant, it's a bully. It grows too big, too fast, and it's a prolific pupper. It demands more space than I have to offer and I already have it growing elsewhere.
Those aren't the only removals pending either.
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The Agave 'Blue Glow' that bloomed in 2023 produced 2 more flower stalks in late 2024, both of which have bloomed. I've already cut down one stalk as it was impeding on the dirt path the gardeners and I both use regularly. The second is leaning into Metrosideros collina 'Springfire'. It and the rest of the plant need to come out soon, although I'm dreading that chore. 'Blue Glow' stabs back! |
The south-side succulent bed may look very different next year but, in a garden, change is inevitable. I'll close this post on a more positive note with two beauty shots of plants in the same area.
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I was worried that I'd pruned Vitex trifolia (aka simpleleaf chastetree) too hard but it's bounded back to its beautiful self |
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Crassula pubescens ssp radicans looks great in flower sitting atop the wall along this path |
All material © 2012-2025 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party