Not much to look at

In addition to the one major project I've undertaken since our seasonal shift began last month, I've been chipping away at a host of smaller garden projects and tasks.  They're not much to look at, at least not at this stage but, for my own record as much as anything else, I'm going to inventory them here.

There's a relatively good-sized area sandwiched between the newly renovated succulent bed in front of our garage, the trees and shrubbery in the northwest corner of our property, and the neighbor's driveway that I've largely ignored for the 6+ years we've lived here.  When we hauled in topsoil to create berms for the succulent bed, I used some of it to do the same in the neglected area after first clearing it of weeds and the one poor shrub I planted when we moved in, which had stubbornly refused to grow.  As it's a semi-shady location, I decided to use it for part of my burgeoning bromeliad collection.  It's by no means done but I've made a start.

Left, the area after it'd been cleared and soil was added.  Right, after soil amendments, rocks and the first plants were added.

I'd originally planted this Aechmea lueddemanniana 'Mend' in a pot and placed it in what I thought was a sufficiently shaded location but it got singed.  In the 2 weeks since I moved it to is new location, it's pink variegation has become much more vibrant.

I surrounded 'Mend' with plants I felt would complement it.  Clockwise from the upper left, these include: a Neoregelia hybrid, the pup of another Neoregelia that appears to have similar parentage to the first, Peperomia caperata 'Rosso', a pup of Nidularium wittrokia leopardinum, and a pup of Vriesea ospinae var gruberi.  As accents, I've planted an asparagus fern and Pelargonium peltatum 'Pink Blizzard'.  Thus far, all seem to be doing well, although I'm still giving the Peperomia only a 50-50 chance of surviving there.

I see this area, not large enough to be called a secret garden, as a surprise pocket garden.  Before I do more planting, I want to add a flagstone path to minimize the risk that anyone, myself included, will trod on the plants.  I'm planning to use grasses and grass-like plants, probably Seslaria 'Greenlee's Hybrid' and Ophiopogon japonicus 'Nanus' (dwarf mondo grass) to soften the areas around the stepping stones and the bromeliads.  I'll probably add shade-tolerant succulents too, like the Manfreda maculosa I need to move to make way for my future lath/shade house.

Mini-project #2 was tackled on roughly the same schedule as the bromeliad bed.  I used some of that imported topsoil to raise the soil level and improve drainage in the garden on the northeast side of the house.  Digging out a mass of germander (Teucrium chamaedrys) and Geranium incanum in the area was the toughest part of the job.  After getting started on replanting, I wasn't able to get the Barleria obtusa I wanted to fill in the remaining empty spaces so it appears I'm going to have to propagate the plants I need myself.

The new plants here are Melinus nerviglumis (ruby crystal grass), Grevillea lanigera 'Jade Mound', and Vitex agnus-castus.  Behind the new plants are 3 Grevillea 'Scarlet Sprite' (2 of which I added last fall), Globularia x indubia (globe daisy), Salvia clevelandii and self-planted Dorycnium hirsutum (hairy Canary clover).

I've been replanting areas of another large bed in front of the garage too.  Many of the plants I put in during the first quarter of 2016 needed more shade than that location provided.  I've been gradually swapping them out with plants that enjoy more sun.

The most recent additions are 4 varieties of daylilies, all in pale yellow or purple shades.  I've also planted Hebe andersonii 'Variegata' and Polygala fruitcosa 'Petite Butterfly'.  The Arthropodium cirratum I planted more than a year ago from divisions is still there and I'm hoping it will beef up into sizable clumps with this year's winter rains. Oh, and I also added lots of bulbs here, including Freesia and Dutch Iris.

Next, I tackled a problem location in the back garden, an area that quickly killed off anything I planted there, even succulents.  The soil in this area is especially sandy and the soil amendments I added seemed to wash away from the area which sits on the upper edge of the back slope.  I added rocks to help hold the new topsoil and soil amendments I dug in here and filled in with bulbs and a few plants.  I'm trying to find more Lantana camara 'Irene' so I can tie the area just beyond it.

The bulbs, Sparaxis and several daffodils, are of course invisible at the moment.  The visible additions include Euphorbia 'Ascot Rainbow', Lantana 'Samantha', and Hunnemannia furmarifolia 'Sunlite'.  The asparagus fern has been there since we moved in and to this point is the only plant that's been happy there.

The moderate west-facing slope got a clean-up, a couple of new plants, and some bulbs.

I cleared out some Shasta daisies and Agapanthus that were never happy here, relocated a couple of bearded Iris and added more Lantana, a Yucca gloriosa 'Variegata, and a Phylica pubescens.  More daffodils and Sparaxis bulbs also went in here.

Although I didn't previously have any luck planting Phylica pubescens in the ground, I found this healthy specimen on sale for $10 and couldn't pass up trying it again.  All of a sudden, this plant is everywhere at fairly reasonable prices (by current standards), which is hilarious given that the first one I saw several years was priced at $400.

In addition to these projects, I made a few quick fixes this week.

I pulled the blueberry plants that previously occupied these pots for years several weeks ago.  I'd neglected the plants, which should have probably been pulled up and root pruned before replanting in fresh potting mix a year or 2 ago.  I replaced the plants this week with varieties geared to pot culture, 'Pink Icing' and 'Bountiful Blue'.

I finally replaced the Coleonema that died in my front border with 3 Lavandula stoechas 'Silver Anouk'.  At maturity, I'm hoping they'll look as good as the specimen shown on the right, shown blooming in April elsewhere in my front garden.

Finally, I replaced the desiccated succulents in the circle pot on my back patio table with fresh plants.  While I once again used cuttings of Aeonium arboreum and Aeonium haworthii 'Kiwi', the focal point is Graptosedum 'California Sunset'.  With a bit of stress and plenty of sun, it should eventually take on the delicious orange color shown in the photo on the right.

There's still a lot to do but another heatwave arrived today and, after a brief cool down early next week, we're expecting yet another blast so I'm holding off any any more planting or transplanting until the temperatures cool again.

Best wishes for a peaceful weekend after what's been a very troubling week.


All material © 2012-2017 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party