Surrounded by a ring of fire

Reference to a "ring of fire" may conjure a number of images in your mind.  If you're a student of geology, you might think of the path of volcanoes and seismic activity rimming the Pacific Ocean.  According to National Geographic, seventy-five percent of the world's volcanoes lie on the Pacific Ring of Fire, which also accounts for ninety-five percent of its earthquakes.   (I should note that this includes coastal California.)  However, the reference may also make you think of the classic country song co-written by June Carter and popularized by Johnny Cash, who first sang it in 1963.  'Ring of Fire' is also the name of a 2013 television movie about the relationship between Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash, who became his wife in 1968.

"My" ring of fire has nothing to do with any of those things.  For me, the expression refers to the Xylosma congestum hedge that surrounds a large part of my garden.  I inherited it with the garden and, although I've never had any particular fondness for hedges, I admit that I gradually fell in love with this one.  It's particularly attractive when it produces fresh new foliage.

The fresh foliage has a bronze-orange cast but the older, shiny green leaves look good year-round.  The hedge responds well to pruning too.  It also produces masses of tiny yellow flowers that the bees love but those flowers are relatively rare due to its regular pruning.

Section of the hedge on the north end of the back garden.  This entire back garden section hides the sharp drop of the slope on its other side (which also protects the gardener and visitors who might otherwise take nasty falls).

View of the mid-section of the back garden hedge with the entrance to the Port of Los Angeles in the distance

This section of the hedge winds around the south-side garden, flowing into the back garden

View of the back hedge from the bottom of the back slope.  The trees poking up behind the hedge are the 2 Arbutus 'Marina' trees on the upper level of the back garden.

This section of the hedge sits on the north end of the front garden, where it borders the edge of a path mainly used to move our trash and recycle bins to the street for pick-up

This section runs from the driveway south.  It's mirrored on the other side of the driveway looking north.

When we moved in, there was a break in the front Xylosma hedge on its south end.  I was told that the entire stretch facing the street was originally planted with a different shrub, Auranticarpa rhombifolium.  When those shrubs started dying, they were replaced by Xylosma everywhere except in this last area.  When the remaining Auranticarpa here died off, I planted more Xylosma behind the succulents I'd used to fill gaps between the Auranticarpas.  They've only just now reached the height of the original Xylosmas.

Coincidentally (or not), there are lots of plants that echo the color of the fresh Xylosma foliage at this time of year too.

Aloe striata and Euphorbia tirucalli 'Sticks on Fire' complement the Xylosma foliage

Clockwise from the upper left, flowers that do the same include: Arbutus 'Marina', Leucospermum 'Royal Hawaiian Brandi', L. 'Sunrise', L. 'Spider Hybrid' (still in bud), Grevellea 'Superb', and Metrosideros collina 'Springfire'

More complementary flowers, clockwise from the upper left include: Arctotis 'Pink Sugar', Erysimum 'Wild Orchid', orange Ranunculus, Gazania 'Gold Flame', Lobelia laxiflora, and Sparaxis tricolor

The "ring of fire" phenomenon in my garden isn't a once-a-year event.  The hedge produces a fresh flush of reddish-orange foliage a few weeks after the hedge is pruned, which happens three or four times a year.  However, the color appears brightest during this first flush during our rainy season.

All material © 2012-2024 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party