The search continues...

Within the span of five days, I visited two more garden centers in the search for plants to fill vacancies in the succulent bed I've been renovating.  I can't claim any discoveries that have pulled the entire picture together in my mind but, for me, building a garden bed is a painting rather than a puzzle.  Each decision alters the overall composition.

Armstrong, my local garden center, part of a chain, provided relatively few choices in terms of either agaves or Leucadendrons.  There were more aloes than I'd expected but nothing unusual and the agave selection was very limited.  I considered a few alternatives.

I briefly considered Dasylirion longissima (left), Furcraea foetida 'Mediopicta' (right rear) and Yucca linearifolia (right foreground) but ruled out each for different reasons

I didn't find the Leucadendron 'Summer Red' I'd fixated on, or any Leucadendrons in one-gallon containers for that matter.

Armstrong had Leucadendrons 'Winter Red' and 'Ebony', both of which I already have in my garden

For reasons I can't fathom, I was attracted to one ceramic piece that had nothing whatsoever to do with my shopping list but better sense prevailed.

The Talavera-style ceramic gecko was cute but expensive and I've absolutely no idea where I'd put it

I didn't check off any of my bigger ticket items but I didn't go home entirely empty handed.

I bought 2 small pots of Osteospermum 'Serenity Coral Magic' and one small pot of O. 'Serenity Dark Purple' (because they didn't have any more).  I also bought 3 of each of the Echeverias shown in the bottom row in 2-inch pots (left to right: Echeverias 'Afterglow', 'Mexicano', and 'Serrana').

On Tuesday, a neighbor and I took a trip to Flora Grubb Gardens in Marina Del Rey.  That garden center offered a lot of choices in terms of water-wise plants.

The large area directly west of a freeway exit was loaded with Agaves, Leucadendrons, and Leucospermums among other plants

There were a range of mixed succulent vignettes like these arrayed throughout the garden center too

Clockwise from the left are: a mix of agaves, cactus, and Leucadendrons; Agave gypsophila 'Ivory Curls'; and Agave americana mediopicta 'Alba'

Display of Leucadendrons and pots (left) and Leucadendron 'Red Eye' (right).  I was briefly obsessed with the latter but, as it can grow up to 20 feet tall, I reluctantly turned away.

My friend was focused on Leucospermums.

Closeups of just a few Leucospermum flowers, clockwise from the upper left: L.'Flame Giant', L gueinzii, L. 'Helene', and L. 'Naomi'

Other plants sounded a siren's call but were resisted.

Another Anigozanthos in the Bush Gems Celebration series.  This one is 'Aussie Spirit'.  It was in a larger pot than the 'Masquerade' variety I'd purchased a week before in a one-gallon pot at Deep Roots and more than twice the cost.

The Grevilleas on display included 'Long John', 'Misty Pink', and 'Sandra Gordon'

From left to right are Beschorneria yuccoides, Podocarpus henkelii, and assorted bromeliads

I've been a little obsessed with Beschorneria since my neighbor showed me this specimen in her front garden last weekend.  She says it was planted at least 8 years ago and this is the first time it's bloomed.  I have 2, one older than that but unfortunately almost entirely buried under my ginormous Leucadendron 'Chief'.  The other, a variegated 'Flamingo Glow', is still small after 2 years in the ground.  Planted from a 4-inch pot, I think I have a long wait ahead before it blooms.

This shopping trip was more productive than the last one.  I spotted a butterfly and purchased two large plants, although only one of these was on my original list of prospects.

My phone identified this butterfly as a mourning cloak

I bought yet another Agave 'Blue Glow' but this one came in a 3-gallon container.  I planted 2 smaller specimens of the same agave, picked up last year in 4-inch pots, on either side of the spot intended for the larger one.  In lieu of a Leucadendron, I selected Chondropetalum tectorum (aka small cape rush) to add a touch of softness to the bed.  I have a larger version of this plant, which I love, but it grew far bigger than advertised and overwhelmed its spot.  This one should only grow 2-3 feet tall and 3-4 feet wide.

I haven't entirely decided whether to get a Leucadendron for the succulent bed as well.  Despite its price, I've been reconsidering the Leucadendron 'Startreuse' I saw at Deep Roots.  At the same time, I've begun thinking about alternatives and I've added Phormium to my prospects list.

A Phormium 'Maori Queen' like this one in a garden bed near the front door might be a nice option

 

I've another local succulent outlet in mind for a visit in the near term.  I'll be sourcing smaller succulents to serve as fillers and groundcovers.  As I'm also considering removing one or two woody Abelias from the area adjacent to the one I'm renovating, I may have even more space to fill before my renovated bed is ready for its reveal.

Best wishes for a wonderful weekend!  It appears that ours may come with at least a little more rain.

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

I bought a few Christmas presents for myself

Shopping for Christmas presents can lead one astray.  When considering gift prospects for a friend, I decided to visit Flora Grubb Gardens in Marina Del Rey following a pre-Christmas lunch with other friends at a nearby restaurant.  I initially focused on a Protea, as my friend was impressed by one we saw in bloom during our trip to Seaside Gardens in late October.  However, when making my selection, I started to worry about whether it would be a good fit as she hasn't grown anything in the Protea family and the conditions in her garden, nearly fifty miles north of mine, are very different.  I decided to buy one Protea and one tropical Rhododendron and offer her a choice, as I've considered getting both plants for myself and wouldn't mind keeping whichever one she rejected.  She chose the Protea and took it home last weekend.  Meanwhile, I'd convinced myself I had just the right spot for another Protea, so I decided to make another trip to Marina Del Rey this week to pick one up for myself.

Flora Grubb Gardens is about a fifty mile round trip for me so of course I had to make another round of the nursery once I arrived.  By comparison to the other local garden centers I frequent, the plants at this one are always exuberantly healthy.  In all three trips I've made there, I've yet to see a plant that wasn't in pristine condition.

Assorted Leucadendrons and what looks like Agave vilmoriniana (I didn't check)

Cordylines, Grevilleas, and Opuntias

These sculptures reminded me of Dustin Gimbel's creations but I didn't see a label

Euphorbia tirucalli 'Sticks on Fire' looks its best at this time of year but I'll never need to buy any as I have an endless supply

Various other displays, including one featuring Proteas currently in bloom (upper left)

I was briefly entranced with this Stenocarpus sinuatus (aka firewheel tree).  It was tempting but it could get bigger than the space I have available for another tree.  The one I've seen at South Coast Botanic Garden always looks a little sickly but this one looked exceptionally healthy.

Even after checking other options, I decided to stick with with the same Protea I gave my friend.

Here's my own Protea 'Claire', slated to be planted in a bed at the front of the house.  I have another Protea, P. neriifolia 'Pink Ice', planted in a sunny spot in my north side garden.  It's yet to bloom but it's getting closer.

This is a Vireya Rhododendron, labeled 'Mitch Mitchell', which is the name of a prominent breeder of the tropical varieties.   I can't grow the Rhododendrons common in the Pacific Northwest but long ago another blogger suggested that I might be able to grow the Vireya types.  This will be an experiment and I plan to plant it in a large terracotta container. 

I made a couple other unexpected purchases for myself this week as well when I discovered that a very ambitious gopher has moved into my garden.  I had a gopher problem several years ago but it moved on after a little encouragement.  These critters are rampant in my area so it was just a matter of time before they returned.  My husband read that they're mostly solitary creatures, occupying territories of approximately one acre but, given the amount of movement this one has made recently, it's hard to believe he doesn't have an entire platoon accompanying him.

The mounds provide solid evidence of the sandy condition of my soil

I bought more solar-powered sonic gopher repellents.  I've tried the ones with replaceable batteries but they don't seem to last any longer than those with batteries that can't be replaced.  I bought 2 new sets, all of which have on-off buttons so, if and when they do their jobs, I can turn them off and store them away to be brought out as needed.  Hopefully, that'll give them a longer life span and reduce my use of disposable plastic items.

In addition to the 12 new sonic stakes, I've got 3 remaining stakes with replaceable batteries for a total of 15 in my back garden.  Three of the new stakes are shown here.  The 4th location shown above (lower left) is a new mound discovered the day after I installed the stakes, demonstrating that sonic irritation by itself won't immediately get rid of the annoying creature.

To further bolster my effort, I also bought a bag of a granular gopher deterrent, scattering it throughout the back garden beds.  The granules must be watered into the soil to have an effect.  I was counting on rain to hasten the gopher's departure but we didn't receive any measurable precipitation until last night and even that was light.  The forecasters are now projecting that first of two "real" rainstorms will arrive late Wednesday or early Thursday.  I'm dreaming of a wet Christmas.

All material © 2012-2023 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

Flora Grubb Gardens

I finally made it to Flora Grubb Gardens in Marina Del Rey after meeting a friend for lunch last week.  As the restaurant placed me less than thirty minutes from the nursery I decided the time was right to stop by, even if we were building up to a heatwave.

 

I was familiar with the nursery's location, which had operated for decades under different management as the Marina Del Rey Garden Center.  In fact, for a time, fresh out of graduate school, I worked for the hospital directly across the street from it.  I left the hospital for greener pastures after a couple of years but while living in one nearby beach city, followed by another, I shopped at the MDR Garden Center frequently over the years.  My current home is further away but I dropped in periodically even after that move.  I can't remember when I last visited but I think it was prior to the start of the pandemic.  When I heard that Flora Grubb had acquired the space in May, I immediately planned to visit but it took me over two months to act on that plan.

I was curious as to how extensive the changes would be.  The first thing I noticed was that parking was a lot easier.  When visiting MDR Garden Center, I was often forced to park elsewhere and space in that area wasn't always easy to find.  I'd always thought the MDR Garden Center was more attuned to the requirements of our warm, dry climate than many other nurseries I frequent but Flora Grubb Gardens has kicked that up another notch.

Palms and succulents held pride of place at the front of the nursery

All the plants I saw were in pristine condition and the stock leaned heavily toward the kind of plants I use a lot in my current garden.

The mix of agaves shown here included Agave attenuata, A. geminifolia, A. 'Swordfish', and A. victoriae-reginae

The succulents shown here included Pilocereus azureus (aka blue torch cactus), Cleistocactus colademononis (aka monkey tail cactus), and Aloe doratheae 'Canary Yellow'

They made excellent use of the stretch of land adjacent to the Marina Freeway as shown in this series of photos

The extensive stock of drought-tolerant foliage plants, clockwise from the upper left, included: Acacia covenyi, Cussonia spicata (aka cabbage tree), Fatsia japonica 'Spider's Web', Leucadendron 'Hawaii Magic', L. 'Safari Goldstrike', L.'Safari Sunset', and Leucospermum 'Royal Hawaiian Brandi' (or 'California Sunshine', I can't remember which but I already have both)

Lots of the plants were sold in large three and five gallon pots.  I was impressed by their descriptive labels.

Online sources say that Protea 'Claire' is similar to 'Pink Ice'.  It might be a candidate for one of my front garden beds, although I've yet to get flowers from my 'Pink Ice'.

 

Plants in smaller pots were available.

Lots of small succulents

Clockwise from the upper left: bromeliads, bedding plants in 6-packs, a variety of shade plants, more shade plants, flats of groundcovers, and house plants

This display surprised me.  I didn't see any tags that identified the genus of these plants but I guessed they were tropical (Vireya) Rhododendrons.  I foolishly failed to ask but, after checking for a Rhododendron 'Butterball', it seems very likely that's what they were.  I've been interested in trying one for years.

The nursery is well laid out and comfortable to explore.

Decorative displays were spare but stylish

I couldn't figure out the purpose of what appeared to be a concrete igloo but I kind of liked it.  Maybe it's intended to serve as a shed to hold garden tools.

I didn't buy anything but it was hot and I wanted to get on the freeway to head home before traffic picked up.  I'll definitely be back, though.  There's a Protea and a Rhododendron to take another look at and, if I redo my front garden succulent bed as planned this fall, I may be the market for some large agaves.  The Cussonia spicata is also calling my name but first I need to find a spot for it.

One mystery remains.

I couldn't find an explanation for this RV.  'Pretty Problem$' turns out to be a comic film released for limited distribution in October 2022, directed by Kestrin Pantera.  But what is it doing in a nursery parking lot?  My theory is that, with locations in both San Francisco and Marine Del Rey, the Flora Grubb Gardens staff may be using it as a mobile office.

All material © 2012-2023 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party