February's Foliage Standouts

Tired of burying my head and hands in the weeds, I took some time to appreciate the foliage in my garden before the flowers take over with their early spring blast, which is already gearing up, encouraged by weeks of warmer than usual temperatures.

I'll start with a few succulent vignettes before focusing on individual stars that deserve closeups.

This grouping in my north-side garden includes Agave ovatifolia 'Frosty Blue', A. 'Kichijokan' (in the small pot), A. parryi var. patonii, A. pygmaea 'Dragon Toes', and A. victoriae-reginae

Also in the north-side garden is this combination of Agaves and Mangaves, most notably Agave funkiana 'Blue Haze' and Mangave 'Lavender Lady'.  The smaller Mangaves include 'Purple People Eater' and 'Catch a Wave'.

This mix in the succulent bed in front of our garage includes Agave attenuata, A. 'Blue Glow', Phormium 'Rainbow Sunrise', and very red Aeoniums, which may be 'Velour'

On to the closeups!  I'm proceeding alphabetically for lack of a better plan.

Acanthus mollis goes entirely underground in the summer months here, which wasn't the case in my former, very shady garden just 15 miles to the north.  It's always a welcome sign when the 3 plants I have materialize once more following our winter rainy season.  Two of the plants are in the front garden and the third is in my south-side garden, half-buried under a large Vitex trifolia.

This mix of various Aeoniums is a personal favorite, with the red color of some of the Aeoniums playing off the red bark of Arbutus 'Marina' and Phormium 'Amazing Red'.  That Phormium was planted in 2014 but hasn't looked this good in years.

This clump of Aeonium, which I think is comprised of more cuttings of the 'Velour' cultivar, looked near death on the dry back slope during the summer.  It was restored by the rain.

This is Agave angustifolia 'Marginata', which I recently cleaned up after is was covered in leafy debris.  A mimic, Yucca gloriosa 'Variegata', can be seen poking out of its spot inside a nearby stump to the agave's right (commonly used as a toilet by the local raccoons).

This clump of Agave attenuata on the back slope was planted from pups taken from the front garden years ago.  I removed some of the rosettes in the late fall but it's still a dense clump.

The foliage of 5 Drimia maritima (aka sea squill) bulbs emerged on the back slope following our progression of rainstorms.  Choked by ivy and self-seeded alyssum (Lobularia maritima), the sea squill occupies an area along our fuzzy property line with the next door neighbors on our south side.  There's no fence between us but the land does drop off relatively sharply on their side.  Much of the ivy, the Yucca, and the ornamental pear trees are on the neighbors' side. There are self-planted calla lily plants mixed in with the sea squill bulbs too.

I grow Echium candicans 'Star of Madiera' as much for the foliage as for its blue flowers.  I cut this one back hard after it finished blooming last year and was worried that I'd gone too far.

Echium webbii is my second favorite in the genus.  I've had a hard time keeping its size contained in the past.  This plant came from the original Annie's & Annuals as a replacement for a prior specimen.  I haven't previously had success propagating it from cuttings and I've never found it in local garden centers so I hope I can manage containment and/or propagation this round.

The gophers made a mess of the Hesperaloe parviflora in my south-side garden last year.  I recently cleaned it up and cut out most of the Salvia clevelandii that sits next to it so it's looking good (even without flowers).

This 'Red Wing' Mangave is another of my favorite succulent plants.  There are signs of pups underneath its leaves I need to carefully extract.

Melianthus major (aka honeybush) is off and running once again after yet another hard pruning.  Its leaves look like they were cut by pinking shears.

This noID staghorn fern (Platycerium) has been sitting in a pot for a couple of years now.  I've been planning to get it properly mounted or at least set up in a basket but have yet to get to that.  However, even in a pot, it has personality.  I should save it from the rampant bird-planted asparagus ferns at the very least. 

This Prostanthera ovalifolia 'Variegata' (aka mint bush) is happy in this back garden space off the patio.  The 3 I had in pots didn't hold up over the long term.

This Yucca rostrata 'Sapphire Skies' may not look like much but I have great hopes for it.  I got it in a 4-inch pot by mail order from Annie's Annuals & Perennials in 2019.  It spent its first 2 years in a pot to bulk up before I planted it here in my street-side succulent bed.  It's bigger but has yet to develop anything like a trunk.

The creep of spring flowers can't be ignored as the foliage of various bulbs and seeds signal that flowers are in the offing.

Clockwise from the upper left: noID Iris germanica at the bottom of the back slope, the only place they're really happy; Iris hollandica 'Pink Panther', one of many Dutch Iris I've planted;  seedlings of Lagurus ovatus (aka bunny tail grass), off to an early start; sweet pea seedlings (Lathyrus annuus), already climbing the support in my cutting garden; lilies (Orienpet Lilium 'Moon Blend' in this case) sprouting in front of and behind the Yucca 'Bright Star'; and one of many calla lily plants (Zantedeschia aethiopica) growing on the back slope

That's a wrap for this week.  All too soon, I'll be flitting around my garden to collect photos of flowers for Bloom Day - between weeding sessions of course.  Weather Underground is projecting a thirty percent chance of light rain late next week, whereas AccuWeather is showing a sixty percent chance.  It wouldn't be all that surprising if that prospect simply evaporates over the next several days but I can't help hoping it comes through - we've been very dry since early January, and February is historically our wettest month.

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

August Foliage Favorites

I may be obsessed with my dahlias at this time of year but I'm not so preoccupied as to ignore the foliage plant standouts, especially when the garden as a whole can't be said to be looking its best.  I planned a rather short post on my current foliage favorites but it grew longer than I'd intended.

Here are my picks:

I've planted a handful of Japanese maples over the years.  Only 2 thrived and one is a dwarf variety that looks toasted by this time of year.  However, this Acer palmatum 'Sango Kaku' is looking better than ever right now.  In partial shade next to the garage, it's protected from drying winds and the hot summer sun.

I acquired this Agave capensis through the Huntington's International Succulent Introductions (ISI) program in 2015 as a tiny plant.  My recollection was that it was described as a solitary agave but, after rechecking the ISI listing, I discovered it was described as "solitary or clumping."  My plant has clearly become a clumper.  It's not yet the "busy mess" the ISI referenced but it may be on its way there.

This is Agave 'Mr Ripple', which I acquired at a Los Angeles Cactus & Succulent Society sale in 2016.  It's still on the relatively small side but it's produced a small pup about a foot away. 

This Agave ovatifolia 'Vanzie' came from Annie's Annuals & Perennials as a 4-inch plant many years ago.  I planted it too close to the maintenance path but hopefully it'll bloom out before surgery is necessary to prevent legs from being stabbed.

I cut the 3 Agonis flexuosa 'Nana' in this bed back hard each year (due to its proclivity to harbor thrips) but it bounces back every year, even when we get pitiful rainfall.  The plants edging the border are a mix of Aeoniums headed into their dormant period.

This hybrid Aloe vanbalenii x ferox has grown larger than I'd originally anticipated but I've made room for it.  I got it at a plant sale in 2016 when South Coast Botanic Garden still had a volunteer propagation group that held annual spring and fall sales.

I planted Caladium 'Heart & Soul' bulbs earlier this year but didn't record where I put all of them.  So far, 3 have shown up in this border.

I caught this combination of Carex oshimensis 'Feather Falls' and Phormium 'Maori Queen' in the right light.  This particular Carex has done well in my garden and I wish I could find more of it.

Centaurea 'Silver Feather' tends to sprawl but it makes a statement

I encountered a neighbor in my driveway recently who wanted to take a photo of the Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold' on the left.  The gardeners are inclined to shear it into that shape but I prefer the looser look of the specimen in my back garden (right).

Not all the Coleus scutellarioides in my garden are looking good but some are.  Clockwise from the upper left are 'Colorblaze El Brighto', 'Chili Pepper', 'Florida Sun Rose', and 'Glennis'.  The last 3 have been in place for over a year.

Cotinus coggygria 'Royal Purple' is a little floppy but I appreciate the dark color accent it provides

I've gone back and forth about my decision to plant Dasylirion longissimum (aka Mexican grass tree) here but I like it better since we removed all the 'Blue Flame' Agaves around it

I still have concerns about how big this Leucadendron 'Wilson's Wonder' has gotten (despite bi-annual pruning) but I do love the plant

These are 2 of my 'Lavender Lady' Mangaves, both looking perfect

I'm impressed with this Mangave 'Red Wing' too

Two more of my Mangaves of note: 'Moonglow' (left) and 'Praying Hands' (right)

Finally, this fern was a bit of a surprise.  It's a Rumohra adiantiformis (aka leatherleaf fern).  According to my records, I planted 2 of these here in November 2014; however, I'd lined out my entry some years ago, believing that the plants were gone.  It's reappeared and looks pretty good despite this year's low rainfall.  I don't "do" ferns as a general rule as the majority I've planted haven't lasted long.  Clearly, I need to plant more Rumohra! 

So that's my foliage review for August and my wrap-up for the week.  Best wishes for a pleasant weekend and a enjoyable Labor Day holiday if you're in the US.

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

No colorful fall foliage to speak of

I'd intended to pay a visit to the local botanic garden this week since I haven't dropped in there since July but, between the election results and what weather forecasters have classified as an extreme Santa Ana wind event, I wasn't up to it.  The light was interesting yesterday morning so I decided it was time for some foliage shots of my own garden.

When I looked out at the horizon on Wednesday, I thought the marine layer was blowing in but humidity was low and air had a dingy tinge to it.  It didn't take long to learn that the Santa Ana winds had sparked wildfires to the north of us in Malibu, Camarillo, and Ventura.

Due to the Santa Ana winds, temperatures have remained on the warm end of the fall spectrum, which means there's very little in the way of colorful fall foliage but we may yet see some by the time we slip into what passes for winter here.  For now here are the highlights I picked out, starting in the back garden.

View of Leucadendron 'Pisa' featuring a skirt of Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt' and Agave lophantha 'Quadricolor' and various Aeoniums in the foreground

The one remaining Prostanthera ovalifolia 'Variegata' in my garden and an Aeonium hierrense occupy the same bed

This Mangave 'Red Wing' sits nearby

The dwarf Jacaranda 'Bonsai Blue' I've considered removing several times is actually looking good after a hard pruning last year (even though it refuses to bloom)

The south-side garden offered a lot.

The 3 dwarf Agonis flexuosa 'Nana' shrubs fleshed out after their hard pruning in late winter.  The Coprosma repens 'Plum Hussey' in the background, which I cleaned up following our scorching summer heat, appears to be on the the rebound too.

As long as you ignore the troublesome weeds, this large clump of Agave 'Blue Flame' is looking good, although it's crowding the Agave americana 'Mediopicta Alba' (again)

The leaves of Cotinus coggygria 'Royal Purple' are just starting to turn

Below the Cotinus (and another Coprosma 'Plum Hussey') sits a good-sized Mangave 'Mission to Mars'

The Graptoveria 'Fred Ives' I replanted from cuttings this year surprised me by doing so well.  I suspect the credit belongs to all the rain we had from winter into spring.

Metrosideros collina 'Springfire' zoomed up in size this year, courtesy of the rain.  From this angle, it's fronted by Pennisetum 'Sky Rocket' and Agave 'Mr Ripple'.

Vitex trifolia has a smattering of tiny flowers but the purple undersides of the leaves put on a real show

Some flowers crept into my photos of the front garden.

The foliage of Leucadendron 'Wilson's Wonder', Abelia grandiflora 'Kaleidoscope, variegated Nasturtium 'Alaska', and Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt' make the biggest statement here in the front garden but the touches of orange color in the flowers of Grevillea 'Superb', Nasturtiums, and Cuphea 'Vermillionaire' elevates the view.  Agave 'Jaws' and Aloe cryptopoda are almost hidden.

Closeups of the same area

Plectranthus scutellarioides 'Indian Summer' (aka coleus) is doing well in this barrel

Corokia virgata 'Sunsplash' is getting a little crowded by the Correa shrubs surrounding it

The various Plectranthus scutellarioides (coleus) I added along the the path to the front door are doing a good job of accenting the Phormium 'Maori Queen'

These 2 containers featuring Mangaves sit in the area in front of the garage.  Mangave 'Coffee Jitters' (left), a gift from Gerhard Bock years ago, is embellished with the best-looking Sedum morganianum I've ever grown.  Mangave 'Kaleidoscope' (right) is surrounded by a mishmash of cuttings I clipped from other areas of the garden.

Acer palmatum 'Sango Kaku' (aka coral back Japanese maple), situated next to the garage in my cutting garden, is showing more fall color than anything else 

There are also some plants making their presence known in multiple locations.

The Aeonium arboreum (tree aeoniums) are slowly waking up from their summer dormancy.  Those in shaded areas (as shown in the lower row) look fleshier than those that spent the year in full sun.

The Lomandra 'Platinum Beauty', which serve as ornamental grass substitutes, are shining in both the back and front areas

That's it from me this week.  Hopefully, the Santa Ana winds will be done with us by the time this post appears Friday morning.  I'm planning to bury myself in garden chores this weekend.

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