An inability to tolerate empty garden space

I've never had much tolerance for empty spaces in the garden.  If I don't have something on hand or at least in mind to fill a space when it opens up, I'll fill in with "temporary" plants.  That fact alone may explain why I have Aeoniums scattered all over the place.  However, when I finally took matters in hand and pulled the Aeonium arboreum that had taken over the understory of the bed containing our citrus trees, I had no plans to plant anything there.

As a reminder, here's what the area looked like before we removed all those Aeoniums in late January

This was the "after" shot

After reading my post on the transformation, commentator Chavli asked if I'd be able to resist adding a succulent ground cover below the trees.  I initially put the idea off but the question stuck in my head - and every time I walked through the area (which is generally several times a day), I thought about what I could put there.  I liked the idea of growing something like California poppies but it was already late to sow seeds, especially as there were few chances for significant rain, but I kept my eyes open for poppy seedlings.  Last week I found two six-packs (one dozen) of the plants at my local garden center and I was off and running.

I planted the area last Saturday

The coverage is spare but I hope some of the plants will spread and that the California poppies will self-seed.  I may sow seeds of other annuals once the poppies are spent.  Self-seeded Santa Barbara daisies (Erigeron karvinskianus) is moving into the space of its own volition too.

Clockwise from the upper left, the plants here include: one 6-pack of Campanula garganica (aka Adriatic bellflower), 2 clumps of Narcissus papyraceus (bulbs planted by a prior owner currently in bloom), 4 Pelargonium graveolens 'Colocho' (grown from cuttings), 12 Eschscholzia californica seedlings, and 2 Lotus berthelotii 'Amazon Sunset'

I've also filled in some of the blank spots elsewhere in my garden with the plants I picked up last week at Roger's Garden.  (The only plant purchased during that trip that has yet to find a home is the Agave 'Snow Glow', which is waiting to fill the opening that will be created once the Agave 'Blue Glow' completes its bloom cycle.)

Two Osteospermum 'Berry White' were added to one already in the front garden.  A single O. 'Lemon Ice' went into an empty spot in a different area of the front garden.  (I wish I'd picked up at least 2 more as I love their green centers.) The 2 O.'Violet Ice' filled vacancies in the back garden left by plants killed off by last summer's heat.

I filled in the empty area in front of the Agave funkiana in my north-side garden with the 3 Echeveria 'Mexicano' I bought last week

and the 3 Echeveria 'Atomic' went into the same area alongside the new flagstone path

The 3 carmine Lisianthus (Eustoma grandiflorum) I'd picked up on a whim went into this barrel to replace 3 sad-looking foliage plants.  I'd completely forgotten that I'd ordered a couple dozen Lisianthus in late 2024, which should be arriving in early March!

Meanwhile, the local peafowl continue to show an interest in my garden.  Four peahens (!) showed up on Monday and made the rounds of my garden twice.

I didn't manage to get photos of all 4 peahens together but I did capture 3 of them in a row here.  They move slowly but steadily and they break off into smaller units when followed.

I was afraid this one was going to head down my back slope but she flew into a neighbor's garden as I escorting them out

This one headed out through my street-side succulent bed when I sought to corral them during their second visit

This one and 2 of her sisters exited more gracefully via the driveway.  At last sight, they were headed down a nearby spur road 30+ feet away.

It's been a stressful month.  Luckily, I have lunch plans with three friends on Thursday.  One of my friends has designated our little group the "Sanity Sisters."  We're getting together to vent and decompress.  Despite the fact we're all trying to limit our news consumption, the sheer volume of crap coming out of national government channels is hard to take.

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