Odds and Ends

I don't know about you but I've had a horrible time concentrating on anything of late.  The political situation is calmer, albeit not without tension.  The Coronavirus news is still bleak, although the rate of new infections here finally seems to be falling.  I've spent all too much time online chasing down leads on vaccinations, only to have those searches come to nothing.  And, feeling like every departure from the safety of my home and garden contains more risk with new variants of the virus circulating, I've been foregoing all non-essential trips.  I haven't been to my local garden center since mid-December and, in addition to going stir-crazy, I'm out of even basic supplies like potting and planting mix.

Yesterday, I tackled a couple of small projects I thought I could handle with materials I had on hand.  I found a package of moss a friend had given me so I decided it was time to do something about the sad cat topiary the same friend gave me years ago.

The cat was decorated with a dozen or so succulents when my friend gave it to me and I'd added a few more but keeping the moss damp proved challenging and the succulents didn't last.  This is what it looked like after years standing unattended in one of my garden beds.

I took the wire frame apart, pulled out the old moss, and stuffed it as tightly as I could with new moss, thoroughly soaked, before rewiring the frame together

I thought stuffing the frame was the hard part but affixing succulent cuttings proved more difficult.  I used Aeonium 'Kiwi' and 'Kiwi Verde' cuttings I've saved when cleaning up my succulent beds.  I didn't have sufficient cuttings - or patience - to do more than you can see here.  My husband rolled his eyes when he saw my "finished" product.

After running out of patience with the topiary project, I turned to an easier project, replanting the hanging basket affixed to the screen on my south side patio.  I'd emptied the basket of its sad contents several weeks ago but I couldn't think what to plant there.  It occurred to me that the Mangave 'Bad Hair Day' I'd removed from the succulent bed in front of the garage might be happy there.  I have two other, healthier specimens of the same Mangave and this variety is definitely happier in a pot than in the ground.

The Mangave had experienced a infestation of woolly aphids when planted in the ground and hadn't received the water it wanted in its original spot.  I'm hoping it'll be happier here.  Without any potting soil, I refreshed what I already had in this basket with homemade compost.  I filled in with succulent cuttings while the Mangave (hopefully) fleshes out.

I cruised the garden this morning to check what's happening, toting my camera along and clicking photos between dead-heading and watering seedlings and other things that looked thirsty.  My irrigation system is off but, with very sandy soil, some plants need a liquid infusion even just ten days after a decent rainstorm.  In any case, here are the highlights of my ramble through the garden.

These Aeonium arboreum cuttings were green when I placed them here before the last rain.  Many Aeoniums develop a reddish color when stressed but I was surprised to see these turn first a pinkish lavender, a color I've never seen in an Aeonium, and then this burgundy red.

In my cutting garden, the Anemone coronaria 'The Bride' corms I planted in late November are finally coming up, bearing blooms with almost no stems.  I read that Anemones can take time to develop longer stems but I've never seen anything this extreme and, as cutting garden material, it's disappointing at present.

In contrast, Anemone coronaria 'Lord Lieutenant', purchased from the same company but shipped and planted weeks earlier, are much more satisfying

Arctotis 'Pink Sugar' already thinks its spring

For some reason, hellebores seem to bloom later here than they do in the UK or the Pacific Northwest - or perhaps it's just an aspect of the varieties that grow well here - but the first flowers have made an appearance at last.  This is Helleborus 'Red Lady'.

A couple of daylilies have made appearances as well.  This is Hemerocallis 'Russian Rhapsody'.

The Osteospermums have flourished since the return of cooler temperatures and a little rain.  This Osteospermum '4D Silver' stood out in part because of the way that the inner petals cast shadows on the outer petals.

The ornamental pear (Pyrus calleryana) never dropped all its leaves and is still dropping its annoying fruit but it's now covered in flowers that looked particularly pretty against our clear blue skies

There's no rain in sight and the weekend is expected to sunny, warm and dry, conditions I expect will make gardeners in much of the Northern Hemisphere envious.  While acknowledging my luck in the weather department, I still wish we had some rain in the forecast.  Our seasonal total (counting from October 1st) is just 2.74 inches, which is pitiful.  On the bright side, though, today I nabbed COVID-19 vaccine appointments for my husband and me for late next week!  Maybe that'll improve my focus and my outlook moving forward.

The rain brought out the moss that covers this dirt path every year.  How long it'll last will depend on how much more rain, if any, we get.

Whatever your weather, enjoy the weekend!

All material © 2012-2021 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party