Wild & Weedy Wednesday: Desirable weeds?

I'm joining Cathy of Words and Herbs for Wild & Weedy Wednesday again this week to show off a few plants that have shown a proclivity for straying.  They aren't native wildflowers and they haven't shown up on any of California's invasive plant lists.  Their weedy tendencies may be anomalies unique to my garden, or possibly attributable to the heavier rainfall we experienced during the course of the past two years.

The first plant is Wahlenbergia 'Blue Cloud', which I purchased from a Northern California nursery by mail order in September 2013.  It was described as a drought-tolerant perennial groundcover.  It's a member of the Campanulaceae family and, according to Wikipedia, native species in this genus are found on every continent except North America.  This one delighted me for a few years before seemingly disappearing, at which point I added it to my wish list on the nursery's site.  As it turns out, that nursery no longer carries the plant; however, a replacement proved unnecessary when my original plant roared back with a vengeance in recent years.

It's wiry stems are looking decidedly weedy here in my south-side garden, growing between the agaves and right through the middle of a Dasylirion longissima.  The buff-colored seedpods seen on the right may be responsible for its spread, although some Wahlenbergia species reportedly spread by rhizomes.  The species wasn't identified by the seller, beyond stating that it was native to South Africa.

The plant also likes to place itself in pathways between paving stones, where it's easier to manage.  It can be pulled up relatively easily where it's not wanted, although that doesn't guarantee that it won't reappear.

The second plant is Salvia lyrata, also known as lyreleaf sage.  I saw it on a blog at some point in 2019 and, coincidentally came upon plug plants at my local garden center a short time later so I brought home a six-pack.   I was attracted more by the burgundy foliage than the flowers, which aren't impressive in my view.

I planted all 6 tiny plants in one very dry area in my back border.  They managed to merge into a messy mass as shown in the photo on the left.  I plan to dig them up and move them around this coming fall; however, they've already spread themselves here and there as the photo on the right indicates.  That plant is sitting in the middle of the flagstone path 8-10 feet away from the original plug plants. 

Still others have appeared much further away.  The one on the left is in the south-side garden and the one on the right is in the front garden.  How they got there is a complete mystery to me.

The third plant, a white and yellow-flowered Scaevola, gets credit for self-seeding itself in my garden but it's too soon to tell if it'll spread any further, although I'd be happy if it did.

I had a similar plant in a back garden border in 2012-2013 but it disappeared.  This one appeared between paving stones in a nearby area following this year's rainy season, at least a decade following its earlier disappearance.  

Any plant that manages through years of drought to reappear with vigor in response to sufficient rainfall is to be cherished in our changing climate, where long periods of drought punctuated by intense atmospheric rivers at periodic intervals are predicted to become more common in my part of California as the years progress.  The challenge will be to manage their spread during the wet years.  Visit Cathy at Words and Herbs for more on wild and weedy plants.

With temperatures rising, plants are suddenly hustling to bloom, some after long periods of what I can only describe as stasis.  As I've already seen a few quick exits in response to last weekend's heatwave, I thought I'd append views of an assortment of the most recent arrivals to this post given the prospect that their beauty may be fleeting.

Echinopsis oxygona annoys me by opening one bloom at a time.  The blooms seldom last longer than a day.

 

In contrast, the flowers of Epiphyllum 'King Midas' generally hang on for a few days once they open.  Luckily, I caught 2 flowers just as they were opening on Friday evening (as shown in the left column).  I photographed them again the next morning when they were fully open (as shown in the right column).  Epiphyllum 'Monastery Garden', which I mistakenly identified as 'King Midas' in last Wednesday's "Late Arrivals" post, lasted nearly a week before its flowers crashed but these 'King Midas' blooms had collapsed by Sunday morning.

The first of my Lisianthus (Eustoma grandiflorum) bloomed last week but its petals were singed along the edges by Saturday's heat

This Hibiscus rosa-sinensis 'Marianne Charleton' has been in a large pot since 2020 but, on the rare occasions in which it's bloomed, it withers quickly in the heat.  I'm thinking of giving its pot to a more worthy subject.

When this large clump of multi-petaled Leucanthemum x superbum flowers, it seems to do so almost en masse

Buds on the first bloom stalk of Lilium 'Pretty Woman' are just opening.  Three other blooms stalks are trailing behind at different stages in development so I'm hoping they'll provide flowers on a more gradual basis.

Wherever you are this Wednesday, I hope Mother Nature is being kind.

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

Tell-the-Truth-Tuesday: Lost in a cloud

With my house in a state of chaos, I find myself needing to assert some control over my garden.  That impulse has been manifested mainly in clean-up activities thus far (but don't be surprised if I'm tearing up a bed or two in the near future).  Late last week, I noticed that the Wahlenbergia 'Blue Cloud' I'm so fond of for softening the sharp edges of the succulent bed on the south end of my garden had gotten rather out of control.

There are 3 Agave americana mediopicta 'Alba' in the mix here.  Can you see them?  Planted nearly 3 years ago as pups given to me by Hoover Boo of Piece of Eden, the Agaves had bulked up nicely following our winter rains but, wrapped up in a filmy cloud of blue flowers, you can barely see them here.

I started cutting the bellflower back but ended up pulling large sections of it out where it had woven itself in the narrow spaces between succulents.  It remains to be seen whether I went too far.  My guess is it'll come back.

As it is, the Lessingia 'Silver Carpet' is also doing its best to engulf the variegated Agave in the foreground

In any case, it looks a bit neater, doesn't it?

Tell-the-Truth-Tuesday is the brainchild of Alison at Bonnie Lassie.  Do you have any garden woes or faux-pas you'd like to share?


All material © 2012-2019 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

September Favorites

During heatwaves I usually feel as though time is passing very slooowly but despite one heatwave after another this September the month has passed so quickly I feel that I never got my bearings.  Since the last of our lawn was removed last weekend, my husband and I've spent early mornings and late afternoons digging up the soil to remove grassroots, sod netting and rocks.  It's a tedious process but my mind is already skipping ahead to our next steps, including the plants I'd like to add once the soil preparation phase has been completed.  Planting is probably well over a month away but planning has me taking a critical look at what's doing well in my garden for future reference.  And that line of thought brought about the realization that today is the day that Loree of danger garden hosts her favorite plants meme - it caught me by surprise this month.

One of the plants that has drawn my attention over the last couple of weeks is Wahlenbergia 'Blue Cloud'.  I planted 3 of these plants almost exactly 2 years ago in one of the most inhospitable areas of my garden, the dry area with poor soil on the south side of the house that's regularly plagued by raccoon rampages.  Although I'm planning to raise the soil level in that area to improve drainage and plant more succulents, I think the dainty but tough Wahlenbergia will still have a place there.

The plant only grows about 1 foot tall but it has a tendency to ramble and weave itself between other plants given half a chance

As I cruised through the garden with my camera I was surprised to discover 2 orchids in bloom.  I don't have IDs for either, although I believe the first is a Cattleya and the second is a Phalaenopsis.  These orchids get virtually no attention and are watered haphazardly, when at all.  The foliage shows evidence of their mistreatment but, when they bloom, they're always impressive.

The Cattleya on the left was a gift from my husband's former boss whose grandmother brought it back from China many, many years ago.  The Phalaenopsis came home with me when we cleared out my mother-in-law's house when preparing it for sale more than 2 years ago.

The other plants that have drawn my attention this month are ones that have received a lot of attention on this blog but they're worth another shout-out.  The first of these is Plectranthus ciliatus 'Zulu Warrior', which I featured 2 years ago today as my favorite plant of the week.  It's just begun its annual bloom cycle.

I planted 3 cuttings from the plant outside my backyard door (itself the product of cuttings from a plant in my former garden) in a semi-shaded area of the front garden last year

My last 2 selections also appeared in my August favorites post but, as they continue to dominate the garden this month, I've elected to give them their due and include them in this month's post as well.  Plants that perform this well despite heat and restricted irrigation deserve recognition.

Pennisetum advena 'Rubrum'  adds drama to my garden and outshines the P. 'Fireworks' in bloom nearby

And even though they're very, very pink, I can't help but acknowledge the prodigious bloom power of Eustoma grandiflorum 'Echo Pink'

To find other gardeners' favorite plants this September, visit Loree at danger garden.   Meanwhile, it's about time for me to get back to digging up the backyard.

All material © 2012-2015 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party