Monday, October 7, 2013

What I didn't buy...

I'm in a fall planting frenzy.  I've made repeated visits to my local and not-so-local nurseries in my search for items on my planting list, plants to complement the items on my planting list, and, well, anything else that strikes my fancy to fill the current vacancies in my garden beds.  My focus has been on the side yard but I've also picked up plants for my dry garden and my back border.  (So far, my front yard, slope and vegetable garden have been woefully neglected.)

A little over a week ago I went to Roger's Gardens, an Orange County nursery, on my second visit in 2 weeks.  I usually wander the nursery without a cart first to assess the stock, then cycle back with a cart to pick up my final choices, assuming I can remember all of them.  This time, I brought my camera as an aid in my selection process.  I snapped photos of things I liked as I went along.

I bought quite a few plants, some of which have already appeared in recent posts.  But there were also a lot of plants I passed up (at least for now).  Here's what I didn't buy:

This well-priced agave would work on my back slope but clean-up is needed before I get started with any planting there

Angelonia would be nice as a complement to Acanthus mollis 'Summer Beauty' in the side yard but this is a summer-bloomer so it's already past its glory days

This Echeveria would look good with the plants surrounding the side yard patio but it was pricey

Talk about pricey!  This Euphorbia would add height in one of the hanging baskets of succulents in the side yard but I couldn't bring myself to spend $30 for a novelty item.

I loved this Gaillardia but I'd already committed myself to Ursinia 'Solar Fire' as the floral accent along the side yard patio

For some reason, I'm always attracted to Geum, even though I've had little luck getting any of these to bloom.  This one was described as a "wild form."

The price on this Gomphrena 'Fireworks' was marked down 30% but it is the end of its season...

I've already killed Hibiscus acetosella 'Haight Ashbury' once

I was looking for some Lomandra but this variety only came in 1-gallon containers

I'm a sucker for pansies but it's too early in the season to plant these - a good Santa Ana wind, like the one that whipped through our area this past weekend, can take out newly planted pansies in no time

I'm still thinking about this Penstemon digitalis 'Mystica,' a spring bloomer that develops purplish foliage


And this Salvia 'Waverly'

Passing up these double-flowered snapdragons, offered in 6-packs, was difficult

I was looking for Stachys byzantina but I wanted the 'Big Ears' ('Helen Von Stein') variety and this wasn't that


I considered several low-growing foliage plants to complement the Coprosma repens 'Plum Hussy" and Ursinia 'Solar Fire' in the new side yard bed.  I passed on these:

Hebe, I don't remember the variety but I liked the foliage and neat shape of this plant

Dwarf mondo grass also would have presented a neat appearance under the Coprosma

Seslaria caerulea - the blue tones on the reverse of the leaf blades weren't right for my application


I also steered clear of the Halloween displays, although I was tempted.  

Entrance to the special Halloween display

Gargoyle fountain

Lots and lots of pumpkins


Rogers does a good job with decorations but, as we had only 2 trick-or-treaters last year and none the year before, decorating for the holiday is a low priority.  And I already have a perfectly nice bat and skeleton.

So, what did I buy?

Celosia argentea, which I featured as my favorite plant of the week last week

Phormium 'Dark Delight'

5 Talinum paniculatum 'Limon' (aka Jewels of Opar)!
Close-up of the seedpods that form on the Talinum - aren't they pretty against the lime green foliage?

5 Carex testacea (aka orange New Zealand sedge)

5 Crassula lycopodioides, my choice to accent the Coprosma repens 'Plum Hussey'


I have a 3-nursery trek scheduled with a friend in less than 2 weeks.  I hope I can steer clear of garden centers in the meantime...

16 comments:

  1. I think you made some excellent choices, both what you bought and what you didn't buy. I would have sorely tempted by that Agave. I love Carex testacea.

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    1. Carex testacea is relatively new to me - I put some in a pot earlier this summer. It's orange color makes it a perfect fit for this area I think.

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  2. Very restrained to bypass loads of those goodies but well done on your haul, especially the phormium!

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    1. I kept thinking about that Phormium after buying the smaller variety on my earlier trip. I'm glad I found a place for it, even if the trade-off was the loss of a Loropetalum.

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  3. I've been looking at Talinum for at least a year..I think '14 may be the year !

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    1. I'd heard of the plant but had never actually seen it in a local nursery until I ran into it at Rogers. Now I hearing horror stories about rampant reseeding...

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  4. lovely plants. I bought a selection of cool plants last month and still have NO idea where I am going to put them...so am trying to resist another nursery trip!

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    1. I'm trying not to buy a plant unless I have an actual place in mind but I can't say I've abided by that rule consistently...

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  5. So you are going back to get that agave right?

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    1. In all probability, yes, although I admit I'm a little worried about putting spiky plants on the slope when I've fallen there on occasion.

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  6. Who needs Talinum? I have groves of it seeding in the cracks of my walkways and patios and it's not hardy here. Every spring I pull out hundreds of seedlings. This year I started dead heading it but I can't keep up. Hope you only bought one :).

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    1. I bought 5! This is what comes of researching a plant after you buy it rather than before.

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  7. Just think of all the money you saved, though I would have been sorely tempted by the weird $30 euphorbia! Congratulations on the ones you did choose. A friend gave me a Jewels of Opar. It is a delightful plant, but it does reseed prolifically.

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    1. I admit that I gave the weird Euphorbia purchase 20 seconds of thought (I really do need some height in my succulent basket) but I couldn't get beyond the price. Maybe they'll knock the price down later in the year...

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  8. Love the phormium, and I like the jewels of opar, but didn't know they reseeded so well! I guess you'll have something to do every spring pulling little volunteers! Still, I think you did well in your plant selection. I've been passing up pansies too - much too early. And $30 for one plant!!! Not unless it's a tree!

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    1. A lot of plants that have reputations for reseeding don't present that problem here - too dry perhaps. The exception is the mimosa tree - I'm constantly pulling out those seedlings. We'll have to see if Talinum ends up in the same category.

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