Foliage Follow-up - Drought Busters

My front lawn has been dug up and our front entry is now surrounded by more than 800 square feet (74 square meters) of bare dirt.  Dirt that, left untended, will sprout weeds and grass attempting a come-back.  I'm planning to haul in additional topsoil to create berms and improve the overall quality of my vast expanse of dirt.  A wide area around the Magnolia tree will be topped with decomposed granite and remain unplanted.  But the rest of the area will be filled by plant material that I hope will be far less thirsty than the unhappy lawn we previously had.

In considering what to plant, I've begun by looking at what has done well in my garden thus far.  I thought I'd use this foliage follow-up post, written in connection with the monthly meme sponsored by Pam at Digging, to highlight the foliage plants that have demonstrated their drought tolerance during my, admittedly short, stewardship of this garden.

Since I reduced my water usage, I've lost a lot of plants.  The healthy ones stand out dramatically in contrast to those holding on by their root hairs.  Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt' is one of these.  As I went through my garden I was surprised just how good these plants look, especially those that have been in the ground for a year or more.  Last December, I commented that the 'Cousin Itt' I had in a pot looked better than those in the ground but the plants in the ground have taken off.  Perhaps they like drought.

This one looked spindly last December but it's got a healthy mop now

Despite competing with tree roots, this one's ready to take over a portion of the backyard lawn

The 3 plants in this border look better than any of the surrounding plants

I'm also impressed by the 3 Agonis flexuosa 'Nana' I planted last September.  Like the Agonis flexuosa trees that surround the property, 'Nana,' a dwarf variety, is taking the drought in stride.

One of the 3 Agonis flexuosa 'Nana' planted along the side yard patio

I've had mixed results with Phormium but P. tenax 'Atropurpureum' and P. 'Amazing Red,' which some sources indicate also belongs to the tenax species, have been the most reliable.

Crowded into a relatively small area along the driveway, this P. tenax 'Atropurpureum' is doing fine

I've been very pleased with this more diminutive P. 'Amazing Red' too - I now have 4 of them

Among the smaller plants, I've been impressed by the drought tolerance of Lomandra longifolia, a grass-like plant; furry Pelargonium tomentosum, also known as peppermint geranium; and Helichrysum petiolare 'Petite Licorice,' which spreads in my garden with relative abandon.

I now have 9 Lomandra longifolia 'Breeze' - I pick up one or more every time I come across them in small pots

The peppermint geranium can get by with less water in partial shade (it's certainly doing better than the nearly dead foxglove next to it in this picture)

The gray-leaved Helichrysums are astounding performers in the sunny, dry areas of my garden but I prefer the fine-leafed variety, which I inherited with the garden, even though it plants itself wherever it likes

I've acquired quite a few Leucadendron in the past 3 years as well.  One, L. 'Wilson's Wonder,' moved in with me - it exploded in size when I removed it from the large pot I had it in at our old house and put it in the ground here.  I've purchased half a dozen more Leucadendron since then, most of them hybrids of L. salignum.   I haven't had any problems with them until L. 'Rising Sun,' planted in March, died suddenly this month.

Leucadendron 'Wilson's Wonder' gets no attention other than an annual trim

Leucadendron salignum 'Chief' has been happy in my dry garden since January 2013 and L. 'Ebony' has sat at its feet for a year now

I'm still not sure what caused the rapid demise of L. 'Rising Sun.'  The 2 most likely culprits are phosphorus toxicity - plants in the Protea family are said to react negatively to phosphorus in soil or fertilizer - or Phytophthora root rot.  It looks more like the latter to me but I'm no expert when it comes to conducting a plant post-mortem.  Still, I'm going to test my soil before I plant a lot more Leucadendrons.  I think another L. 'Wilson's Wonder' might do very well in the front yard.

The sad L. 'Rising Sun' shortly before I gave up and pulled it out

You can find more foliage-focused posts by visiting Pam at Digging.


All material © 2012-2014 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

When things come together just right

By mid-summer, most gardeners I know - at least those who garden in hot, dry climates like mine - become discouraged.  I'm no exception.  Most of my grass is dead.  Numerous plants have dropped dead, some seemingly overnight.  An army of disgusting worms attacked my Bush Lupine and ate half the plant before I sent them packing.  The raccoons returned and, in addition to stealing the filter out of our fountain and running off with it, they declared an end to our detente and tore apart the beds in the side yard looking for grubs.  And it's still too warm to begin fall planting - even if that didn't prevent me from indulging in the purchase of a dozen Rudbeckia last week - so I have itchy fingers

I deal with the situation by putting on blinders to avoid seeing the garden as a whole, while focusing on practical problems: modifications to the irrigation system, mulching, hand-watering, pruning, and researching drought-tolerant plants and new ways to thwart raccoons.  However, while planting 3 of the Rudbeckia I couldn't stop myself from buying, I realized just how good at least one of my beds looks right now.

Wide view of the bed

Side view of the same space

This bed seldom shows up in my photos.   On the southwest side of the house, it's partially hidden behind our Magnolia tree.  I've added and subtracted plants from this bed at intervals in the 3 years I've tended this garden.  While some of these are still immature, the bed nonetheless finally feels as though it's coming together.  I love the mix of mid-tone and chartreuse greens, accented by yellow, orange and red touches.  The yellow color is provided by Abelia 'Kaleidoscope' and Coprosma 'Evening Glow' as well as the flowers of Rudbeckia 'Prairie Sun' and Gaillardia 'Mesa Peach.'  Orange and red tones are provided at various times of the year by the berries on the Nandina, 2 varieties of Hemerocallis, and Gaillardia 'Goblin,' which self-seeds freely.

The Calliandra, Coleonema, Nandina and Agapanthus in the background came with the house but I've added most of the rest of the plants.

The Grevillea 'Superb' planted last November is developing lots of new buds

Gaillardia 'Goblin' is flowering less profusely than last year but still provides a lot of color

The new Rudbeckia 'Prairie Sun' mixes well with Abelia 'Kaleidoscope' and Coprosma 'Evening Glow'

Coprosma 'Evening Glow' is a relatively slow grower

One of 5 Lomandra longifolia 'Breeze' in this bed, this plant adds an airy quality

Duranta erecta 'Gold Mound' if the label that came with it can be believed

Salvia 'Mesa Azure'

And a closer look at the Rudbeckia that pulled everything together

Now, my only wish is that the lawn surrounding the bed wasn't so hideous.  I think the answer is to pull the front lawn out.  Plans are underway...


All material © 2012-2014 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

Foliage Follow-up - The Importance of Good Grooming

"The Importance of Good Grooming" sounds like an article for girls in some kind of high-handed teen publication dating back to the 1930s, doesn't it?  However, the phrase came to mind this week as I was staring at my rather sloppy looking Mexican feather grass (Stipa tenuissima).

Three of my "ungroomed" grasses - some are much worse than these but I don't have photos on hand

I have a LOT of Mexican feather grass in my garden - 34 plants by an off the top of my head count.  I'm sorry that I learned only belatedly that it can be invasive in my climate.  It's a very drought tolerant and spreads easily even in unirrigated areas.  Tufts of grass seedlings have popped up in my garden beds, as well as odder places, like between driveway paving stones.  Keeping in under control requires timely removal of the zillions of seeds the plants produce.  Cutting the grass back eliminates the seedheads but, in my opinion, negatively impacts the graceful appearance of the plant.  Combing the grass by running one's fingers through its strands is one recommended method to clean out the seeds and dead material but I found that this is also hard on my hands, even when I have the foresight to put on gloves before I get started.

So I tried tools originally purchased to groom my cats.  Of these, the flea comb worked best but I think it was rough on the grass.  In the end, I found that a wide-toothed hair comb works well to remove seeds without having them attach themselves to gloves and clothes.

Hands still work best for pulling out dead material from the middle of the plants but tugging the dead blades from the base in small segments was more efficient than simply running fingers through the plant material - and less hard on my hands.

The freshly groomed plants look a lot better.  I'm so pleased with them I thought I'd make them this month's focus for the foliage follow-up post sponsored by Pam at Digging.

Freshly groomed Stipa tenuissima

Only 31 more plants to go.

Why, of why, didn't I plant more Lomandra 'Breeze' instead of all that Mexican feather grass?  No grooming needed there.

Lomandra longifolia 'Breeze'

Please visit Pam at Digging to see her foliage follow-up and to find links to other foliage highlights.


All material © 2012-2014 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

My favorite plant this week: Lomandra longifolia 'Breeze'

I've got a belated new year's lunch with friends to get to but I didn't want to miss posting my favorite plant this week.  It's the grass-like evergreen Lomandra longifolia 'Breeze' (aka dwarf mat rush).  This plant has performed admirably in my garden since I planted 3 in the fall of 2012.  In fact, I've been looking to purchase more and have held off only because I can't find it in anything smaller than a 1-gallon size.

My photos don't do it justice.  The foliage is a bright emerald green.  It produces yellow flowers in summer, which reportedly have a honey scent - next summer, I'll have to take a whiff.  The attributes listed by growers are impressive to say the least:

• Suitable in full sun to partial shade (mine did fine in a mostly shade situation but adapted without difficulty when that became a mostly sun situation after the removal of the nearby Eucalyptus tree)
• Drought tolerant once established but, according to San Marcos Growers, it can also handle wet soil
• Performed well in tests with irrigation involving both saline water and reclaimed water
• Accepting of clay and sandy soil
• Winter hardy to 15-20 degrees Fahrenheit (reportedly unscathed by temperatures dipping to 16F in the Atlanta, GA area)
• Evergreen in USDA zones 8-11 and perennial in zones 7-11
• Successfully grown under Eucalyptus trees (where, I can testify, it's hard to grow anything)
• Deer tolerant
• Suitable for use singly or in mass plantings

What more could you want from a plant?  This Australian native grows 2-4 feet tall and wide (mine are currently about 2x2 feet in size).  After reading  more about it, I think I may have to plunk down cash for the 1-gallon size and try it on my back slope.

Lomandra longifolia 'Breeze' is my contribution to Loree's favorites meme at danger garden.  Please check her site for her favorite and those selected by other bloggers.

Foliage Follow-up - December 2013

My garden isn't blanketed by snow or ice like the those of many garden bloggers right now.  In fact, our daytime temperatures are currently downright balmy.  Today's forecast is a high of 83 degrees.  I'm not sure what the plants feel about a temperature shift from the low 60s to the low 80s in the span of a week but, so far at least, they appear to be taking the change in stride.

Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt' basking in the morning sun

Agonis flexuosa 'Nana' flaunting her pretty new leaves

As is Calliandra haematocephala

Despite nighttime temperatures in the 40s, Solenostemon scutellarioides 'Mocha Mint Coleus' still hasn't bit the dust

My new Crassula (maybe C. dubia) has found a home in a pot

Digiplexis 'Illumination Flame', a hybrid of Digitalis and Isoplexis, acquired after a tip from Denise at A Growing Obsession, seems to be settling in

Leucadendron 'Pisa' in a pot for the time being

Lomandra longifolia 'Breeze'

Milium 'Flashlight' valued for its chartreuse color (despite its brown tips)

Moss, which appears all over our property once the rainy season begins, including between driveway paving stones

Moss covering the usually bare dirt path running inside the hedge separating our lot from the street

Phormium tenax 'Yellow Wave' (or 'Apricot Queen' - I've forgotten which is which)

My newest Prostanthera ovalifolia 'Variegata' (mint bush), accompanied by asparagus fern

Yucca 'Bright Star' with Euphorbia 'Dean's Hybrid' in a pot until I find a proper place for it

Those are my foliage highlights for this month.  Please visit Pam at Digging for other foliage stars.  In the spirit of the season, I'll leave you with one more foliage photo.  Even if you're surrounded by snow, I hope you manage to stay cozy and warm.  Enjoy the holidays!