Plants crowding their neighbors

With the advent of warm weather a lot of plants are putting on major growth spurts and suddenly I have a variety of issues with plants not just rubbing elbows but actually swamping one another.  The worst culprit is Lotus berthelotii 'Amazon Sunset'.

I know from past experience, that this Lotus is robust but, after adding 2 plants in 4-inch pots last fall, they did very little.  A little rain in March, followed by long stretch of warm weather, and the vining stems were everywhere.  The good news is that this plant can be managed relatively easily with regular (weekly!) trimming.

In another case, two plants jockeying for space appear to be equally culpable of crowded one another.

Both Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt' and Salvia lanceolata slowly merged while I wasn't watching.  I'm not sure what to do about this.  I love both plants but I'm not sure how I feel about the combination.

My Echium webbii has exceeded expectations with respect to its growth, although the problem is only evident on one side.

This Echium is projected to grow into a 3x3 foot shrub.  Its height (discounting the flower spikes) is about right but its closer to 5 feet wide.  The shot on the left shows the Echium engulfing two Santolina virens, which I clearly need to move.  I also need to thin out the Mexican feather grass (Stipa/Nassella tenuissima) on one side.  There are some Lisianthus (Eustoma grandiflorum) buried in there too.  However, I don't see any issues on the side facing the back door (shown in the photo on the right).

Other areas requiring some form of adjustment include the following:

This area is something of a mess.  The Achillea 'Moonshine' now in bud are fine.  Geranium 'Tiny Monster' (with the magenta blooms) sprawls but it's manageable.  The problem here is that a lot of self-seeders, Gazanias and Osteospermums, need to be pulled and some of the bulb plants, like Scilla peruviana (which just finished blooming), need to be dug up and divided.

The Westringia 'Morning Light' on the left eliminated the need for evaluation of its placement by dying.  There are some Spanish bluebells (Hyacinthoides hispanica) I'll probably lose in the process of digging it out but that's okay.  I originally planted 5 of these shrubs and 2 others died suddenly just like this one.  Only one of the plants, shown on the right still looks good.

The only thing this Aeonium haworthii 'Kiwi Verde' is crowding is the flagstone path on the left.  As soon as it's done blooming I'll replant from cuttings. 

A noID Wisteria is creeping up behind the Mexican feather grass here, and climbing up the side of the screened catio.  This is an annual problem.  I've been trying to remove the Wisteria since we moved in 10 years ago but the roots must extend under the house.  I'll be cutting it down to the ground again this year, digging up the roots I can get to. 

A gardener's work is never done.  Adjustments are a continuous process.  Problems crop up everywhere. 

This bunny is part of a legion that have appeared every spring for the past few years.  I don't even try to manage them, relying on the coyotes to send them packing.

Whatever problems you may have in your garden, I hope they're manageable.  Best wishes for a pleasant weekend.

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