Time for a clean-up

Last January, almost exactly a year ago, I cleaned up my north-side garden.  At the time I was pleased by how it looked after I removed a large number of Aeonium haworthii to show off a variety of agaves previously hidden behind them, filling in here and there with smaller succulents.

This is a shot of the north-side garden once I finished the job last January

Twelve months later, the same area was annoying me for a different reason.

Agave 'Rosa Gorda', shown in front of a taller Agave funkiana, spread faster than I'd expected.  The clumps were pushing back against the taller plant.  Thinning out the clump proved to be virtually impossible.  Clearing weeds and other plants surrounding the A. funkiana was also difficult.

To complicate matters, Agave funkiana was cramming pups of its own into the mix

Agave 'Rosa Gorda' is described by San Marcos Growers here.  It grows in tight clusters and, in my garden with the heavier-than-usual rain we had for 2 years, it spread rapidly, constantly producing new rosettes to form even denser clumps.  (The third of the 3 photos above shows a dozen or so pups emerging from the sides of a single rosette.)  I had to soak the clump before I could even get a shovel into the rock hard soil.  Its thorny leaves are vicious too, even though I wore elbow-length leather gloves.

I'd originally thought I'd replant a small section of the Agave 'Rosa Gorda' and possibly add an Agave funkiana pup or two.  At present, I've decided to give the matter more thought.

I think I'd be happier with smaller, more manageable succulents in front of the taller agave.  However, I did leave a separate, relatively small clump of 'Rosa Gorda' in place.

Having also cut back the lower branches of Leucadendron salignum 'Chief' (sited behind the agaves) and having cleared a small portion of the rampant ivy, there's more breathing space in between the plants in this area.  Rather than filling in with new plants behind the agaves, I may add a flagstone path to simplify garden maintenance.  I still have a lot of ivy to remove!

I'd considered offering segments of Agave 'Rosa Gorda' to neighbors but, that plant was so hard to manage - and so difficult to remove - that I decided not to inflict it on other people, even with warnings about its proclivities.  However, I'll probably give away most of the Agave funkiana pups I collected.

I found about a dozen Agave funkiana pups in various sizes, saving 6 of them

I also found this mystery agave.  It looks like a mutant cluster of Agave victoriae reginae pups.

With one mess taken care of, I'm currently contemplating taking on another.  I've been planning to remove the Aeonium arboreum in my cutting garden for years now.  It's not a small job but I have more of those Aeoniums elsewhere (which also need winnowing) so I definitely don't need a large collection in my cutting garden.  There's no way I'll ever run out of these plants for use wherever I want them.

The huge masses of Aeoniums in front of the citrus trees in my cutting garden have grown so wide I can barely walk through the path between them and the raised planters.  I've cut them back before but pulling them out would resolve the problem once and for all.

As it is, I have way too many Aeoniums in the front garden, most of which could do with thinning.  The best approach is to pull them up and replant cuttings but that's something I'll probably handle one area at a time. 

The back garden is also over-populated with Aeoniums, another area that needs to be addressed

Maybe I'll tackle the Aeoniums in the cutting garden this weekend, or maybe I'll get distracted by another project.  Or maybe it'll rain and I'll stay inside and read!  Best wishes for your weekend, however you decide to spend your time.

All material © 2012-2025 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party