One thing leads to another

It started with an Aloe.  You may recall mention of my plan to plant more Aloes in my north and south-side succulent gardens.  Although I haven't had an opportunity to go shopping yet, I realized that I had one in another area of the garden in need of rescuing.  I planted an Aloe wickensii, now classified as Aloe cryptopoda, in my front garden in December 2014.  It grows two to three feet tall and wide but it was small when I got it and it didn't do much for years.  If my records are correct, it bloomed for the first time in January 2022.

Its flowers are bi-color

It was gradually shaded out by the plants surrounding it and hasn't bloomed for at least the last two years.

Two views of the same plant in its original spot in my front garden

Two plants adjacent to the to the Aloe complicated the process of digging it up to be moved.  One was Agave 'Jaws' and the other was Leucadendron 'Wilson's Wonder'.  I didn't record the date I planted that Agave but it shows up in a post I published in January 2015.  The Leucadendron was planted in the same area in late November 2014.  They've since grown to overwhelm each other and much of what surrounded them.

This photo of 'Jaws' was taken in February 2024.  I don't have any later photos, probably because the Agave has been mostly buried under the Leucadendron ever since.  You can see one arm of the Aloe cryptopoda all too close to it on the right in this photo.

This is a photo of the massive Leucadendron 'Wilson's Wonder' taken earlier this month.  You can see Agave 'Jaws' wedged underneath it on the lower left.  Frankly, I knew I was pushing my luck when I planted the shrub back in 2014 but I didn't care at that point.  In later years, I just decided to wait out the Agave's first and last bloom prior to removal.

A few historical references from my photo archive might help explain how the area developed over time.

This wide shot was taken in late May 2015 when I'd "finished" laying the flagstone path and planting the area on the south side of the front garden following removal of the lawn during the prior year.  Both the (still small) Leucadendron and Agave are visible in the foreground on the left.  The Aloe isn't visible here but, according to my written record, it was there behind the Agave.

This wide shot was taken in April 2018.  Again, the Leucadendron and Agave are visible.  There was a Duranta repens 'Gold Mound' next to the Leucadendron and behind the Grevillea 'Superb'.  The Duranta was supposed to grow 2 feet tall and wide but it eventually grew over 6 feet tall despite regular pruning.  I took it out years ago. 

This closeup, taken in June 2021, shows the Agave, Aloe, and Leucadendron coexisting in peace

You can still see all 3 plants in this wide shot taken in October 2022

By late September 2025, the Agave and Aloe had already been swamped by the larger shrubs

Before I dug up the Aloe cryptopoda, I pulled as many of the Agave 'Jaws' pups as I could, while also prying out many of the dead leaves at the base of the mother plant.

'Jaws' is a pupping machine.  I've pulled many pups in the past and I pulled 11 more on this occasion.  I gave up on 2 others after getting stabbed repeatedly. 

The Leucadendron required more effort to tame and I had to bring out my new electric pruner.  I ended up tackling it in two separate phases.

This was my tools lineup.  The blue battery-powered pruner is on the left.  It was a Christmas present from my husband and I don't know how I've lived without it this long.  I have developed arthritis in both my wrists (or, more accurately, in the base of both thumbs), which makes them hurt much of the time.

These photos reflect the first round of trimming from 2 different angles.  Previously, it was virtually impossible to walk between the Leucadendron, Grevillea, and Lomandras (the grass-like plants shown on the right).  I'd also all but forgotten that there was a narrow flagstone path between the bed occupied by the Grevillea and Lomandras and the bed occupied by the Leucadendron, Agave, and Aloe among other plants.  (That path can be seen in the 2015 wide shot shown earlier.)

I took out still more of the Leucadendron on my second pass, especially the dead material at the shrub's base.  I plan to make a third round at cutting back the plant's flower-like bracts next month but, for now, I'm allowing them to shine.

While at it with the electric pruners on the Leucadendron, I decided I should use the opportunity to cut back my Grevillea 'Superb', which has grown into a giant.  According to my records, I planted it in November 2013.

This is the first photo I have of it, taken a couple of weeks after it was planted.  The Nandinas behind it were planted by a prior owner, which I removed as the Grevillea grew larger.

This is what the Grevillea looked like in early January

It hurt me to cut as much of my ever-blooming Grevillea 'Superb' as I did but many of the branches had grown long and gangly.  It's come back stronger after prior prunings and I hope the same will be true this time.

I then moved on to my south-side succulent bed to plant the Aloe cryptopoda I'd retrieved from its shady foliage cave in the front garden.  At that point, I thought that was all I had left to do, but, as I said at the outset of this post, one thing always seems to lead to another.

The removals of several 'Blue Flame' Agaves and one bloomed-out 'Blue Glow' Agave last year had left plenty of space so placing the Aloe wasn't a problem.  This is a view of the Aloe in place from the front of the bed.

Here's another view of the Aloe from the back for the bed.  Take note of Agave 'Mr Ripple' in the lower right corner of the photo.

When planting the Aloe, I decided there was cleanup I needed to address at the back of this bed too.

'Mr Ripple' had produced 2 pups, one relatively large that threatened to tear the ankle of anyone walking the path behind the bed.  To remove the pups, I had to cut back the Delosperma 'Violet Wonder' groundcover stretching over them and creeping into the path.  That done, I also gave a minor haircut to the Pennisetum grass leaning into 'Mr Ripple'.

And then I discovered that I couldn't ignore the state of affairs with the Salvia clevelandii 'Winnifred Gilman' just to the left of 'Mr Ripple'.  I'd planted 2 of these shrubs in 2016 from 4-inch pots.  One died a couple of years ago and I removed it.  Now the second was in deep decline with only a little fresh foliage left.

It looked like this back in June 2025.  The blue flowers were vibrant and the plant adds a nice fragrance in the garden (if being a little heavy for use in indoor spaces).

This is how the area looked after I was done with it.  I cleared the dead foliage from 4 Hesperaloes (aka red yucca) in the process.

I left just a few stems of the Salvia with fresh green foliage in place.  It looks geeky but I'm hoping that it'll produce some final blooms this coming June before I pull the rest of the plant out.  At that point, I'll also need to cleanup or remove the Aeonium haworthii 'Kiwi Verde'  surrounding the Salvia's base.  Whether I replant the Aeonium cuttings or plant something else entirely there has yet to be determined.

Closeup of what's left of the Salvia and raggedy Aeoniums

And then, in another part of the same bed, I need to address still another problem.

I've pruned Hymenolepsis parviflora (aka Coulter bush) back hard in prior years but it isn't looking like it's going to rebound this time, as shown on the left.  Like the Agave 'Blue Glow' that once stood in front of it (shown on the right), it may have to go.

A gardener's work is never finished.  I hope you enjoy your weekend and avoid any weather-related issues.

All material © 2012-2026 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party