Plant shopping therapy

As the chaos in the political environment and the world as a whole continues, we all have to find respite on occasion to maintain our sanity.  I usually seek that peace by working in my garden but at times I need to take a break even from its demands.  After I complained to a neighborhood friend that our local garden center didn't currently have much of a selection of small succulents to help me fill out one area, we decided to pay a visit to a nursery specializing in succulents located just half an hour away. 

I hadn't been to OC Succulents' Torrance location in over a year and my friend wasn't acquainted with it at all.  It can't claim any of the vibrant display spaces many garden centers create to bring in customers but it definitely offers a wide selection of both succulents and indoor plants.

A shot of a small section of the indoor plant area

As neither of us were looking for houseplants, we headed directly into the greenhouse area offering small succulents.

Better prices are available if you have a wholesale license, which we did not.  This area also included plants in larger pots, which were individually priced.

The smaller plants aren't labeled by species; however, the plants larger than those in 2-inch pots are identified by name on checkout receipts

After taking a close look at display tables, we grabbed flats and started making choices.

Aeoniums, clockwise from the upper left: 'Garnet', 'Lily Pad', 'Mint Saucer', and 'Zwartkop'

Clockwise from the upper left, Echeverias I was able to identify with relative confidence by eye included 'Afterglow', 'Lola', E pulvinata 'Ruby Slippers', 'Red Ruffle', E. runyonii, and 'Sahara' 

My best guesses for the Echeverias I couldn't reliably identify (even after consulting an ID app included E. elegans, E. gibbiflora, no clue, and E. secunda

Graptoverias 'Amethorum' and 'Fred Ives'

They had a large variety of Sansevierias (aka snake plants) in stock too.  After a couple of recent houseplant losses, I briefly considered the 2 Sansevierias on the right as a possible replacement for an unhappy Dieffenbachia as snake plants are nearly indestructible but I put that decision off for another time.

I headed outside to look at some of the larger (and more expensive) plants while my friend continued her search inside the greenhouse.  

I was specifically interested in checking out the Mangaves.  Unfortunately, I didn't see any of the newer cultivars I've admired when viewing other bloggers' posts.

They had a lot of agaves but for some reason the only one I photographed was Agave bovicornuta (upper left).  The Mangaves shown here are 'Lavender Lady', 'Mission to Mars', and 'Snow Leopard'.

There were lots of cacti species in large containers but I only photographed these 3: Hildewintera aursipina, Echinocactus grusonii (golden barrel cactus, now classified as Kroenleinia grusonii), and Pilocereus azureus.  I didn't see any of the Echinopsis with flashy flowers but then I didn't ask about them and maybe they're already past their bloom stage.

We couldn't miss these palo verde trees in full flower (Cercideum 'Desert Museum'). My friend told me she'd spotted several in the vicinity of our neighborhood when she walked her dog.

A lineup of pricey Aloe 'Hercules'

Both my friend and I left with a flat of plants.  I can't say that either of us found anything new or unusual but, for me, they'll do to fill several empty spots.

Based on the information printed on my receipt, the yellow-orange succulents on the left are Cremosedum 'Little Gem'; the blueish ones to the right are Graptoveria 'A Grim One'*; the next 3 are Echeveria 'Lola'; those on the far right are E. 'Metallica Hybrid'; the pinkish ones on the lower right are Graptosedum 'Rosa'; and the 3 tiny ones on the lower left are a guess identified by my plant app as E. 'Chroma'.
*I looked for an explantion for the cultivar name 'A Grim One' and learned that it was bred by Bob Grim of San Jose, California. 

As it's been a busy week for me, I haven't yet gotten around to planting my new succulents (or the second flat of 'Elfin' thyme I picked up elsewhere) but, assuming the temperatures remain comfortable, I'll get to that this weekend.  As it is, I've a long list of other garden chores I've yet to tackle and, to complicate matters, it appears that the raccoons are loose in my nighttime garden looking for grubs, leaving things torn up for me every morning.

I hope you're able to enjoy time in your garden as well but, if you're in the Eastern or Midwestern US, take care doing anything outdoors in that intense heat!

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

My last nursery run this spring?

I visited a local succulent outlet late last week in search of small plants to fill in some of the empty spaces in the bed I've been renovating.  I shopped OC Succulents in Irvine for years but it's an hour-plus drive away; however, the company opened a "smaller" store in Torrance in 2018 only about thirty minutes away.  I hadn't stopped in since 2022 and, on that last visit, I found that their prices had climbed significantly but now that I've adjusted (somewhat) to the higher plant prices everywhere, I thought another stop was in order, especially as they offer a wider selection of succulents than any garden center in my area.

While the focus of my visit was on smaller specimens, that didn't stop me from checking out the inventory of larger plants.

This is a small sample of what was available in 5-gallon pots.
Top row: Aeoniums 'Merlot' and 'Zwartkop' and Agave 'Green Glow'
Middle: Aloe cameronii, Crassula 'Crosby', and Mangave 'Mission to Mars'
Bottom: Mangave 'Snow Leopard', noID Opuntia, and Yucca gloriosa 'Variegata'

A view of the array of cactus and other succulents in 15-gallon pots

15-gallon agaves with huge Euphorbia tirucalli in the distance

Large barrel cactus (Echinocactus grusonii) in numbers you wouldn't find anywhere else nearby

This Aloe 'Medusa' was $150 but, for a focal specimen this size, I think that's a relative deal.  OC Succulents sells plants in large volumes to landscapers and others with business licenses, who receive discounts.

The indoor plant selection, such a contrast to the succulents, always comes as a surprise when I walk into the store's interior area.

Wide shots of the indoor plant selection

Left to right closeups of  Agloanema 'Siam Aurora Red' (aka Chinese evergreen), Microsorum diversifolium (aka kangaroo paw fern), and Zamioculcas zamiifolia (aka ZZ plant).  I couldn't decide if I liked the variegated Chinese evergreen or hated it.

With my mission in mind, I didn't spend much time with the indoor plants, stepping outside into the tented area that houses both larger indoor plants and the smaller succulents.

My focus was on the 4-inch succulents

These 10-inch or larger plants were $20+: Agave parryi, Neoregelia 'Fireball', and Echeveria harmsii

Here's what I took home:

The smaller plants aren't labeled but OCS does now provide a receipt showing plants by their species names; however, the 2 pale blue Echeverias were missed.  My guess is that they're Echeveria 'Cante' (although my camera's app disagrees).  Other purchases include: a ZZ plant, an Aeonium, a Corpuscularia, 2 varieties of Crassula, Echeveria 'Blue Prince', and Graptopetalum.

Will that really be my last trip to a plant nursery or garden center this spring?  Probably not.  In fact, I stopped by my local Armstrong Garden Center earlier this week to pick up some planting mix and pumice to pot up my dahlia tubers as they wait for space to free up in my cutting garden - but that doesn't count, does it?  I routinely admonish myself not to plant anything new - except succulents - after June but I'm not as disciplined as I'd like to be.  Just last night, I submitted a mail order for a succulent variety I couldn't locate locally but then succulents really don't count...

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

My plant shopping objectives

I don't like to see large bare spots in my garden and, as there are a lot of those at present, finding suitable plants to fill the gaps is the main driver behind my current plant shopping expeditions.  That's not to say that I don't buy plants at intervals year-round.  I'm a sucker for attractive foliage and the promise of pretty flowers so I'm frequently guilty of buying plants I don't "need" or even have an obvious place to put.

Last Friday afternoon, I headed to Deep Roots in Manhattan Beach.  I used to drop in there fairly often when we lived closer.  Even now it's only fifteen miles away but the trip took over forty minutes, such is the state of traffic in LA's South Bay.  My goal was to find a Leucadendron or some other drought-tolerant shrub with foliage to soften the succulent bed I'm renovating.  Deep Roots has been a good source of such plants in the past.

Overview of the south end of the garden center from the upper parking lot.  I found that Deep Roots still has a nice selection but, like a lot of garden centers in the post-pandemic era, container sizes are much larger and prices are correspondingly much higher.

I dismissed some beautiful plants because they were just too much of a departure from the specifications I had in mind.

I passed by a display of nice Euphorbias paired with splashy Anigozanthos, a very expensive Banksia, and a beautiful Loropetalum that was too pink, too large, and not sufficiently drought-tolerant

I more seriously considered other plants.

My only real objection to Euphorbia 'Miner's Merlot' (left) was that it was sold in a very large pot and priced higher than I'd like to pay for an experimental run.  Leucadendron 'Ebony' (middle) was the only member of the genus I found in a 1-gallon pot but, because it's a coveted variety, it was pricey and I have one 'Ebony' already.  The new-to-me Leucadendron 'Startreuse' (right) appealed to me but I prefer not to start with plants in 2-gallon containers and its price made me swallow hard.

Although I ended up passing on all three of those options, I checked out succulent plants while I was there.  They have a nice selection but I generally consider their succulent stock on the expensive end of the spectrum.

Top: Mangave 'Center of Attention' and Agave bovicornuta 'Holstein'
Middle: Mangaves 'Bedhead', Silver Fox', and 'Mayan Queen'
Bottom: Mangaves 'Mayan Queen', Falling Water', 'Lavender Lady', and 'Kaleidoscope'
Can you believe I have at least one of all of these except the agave?

Clockwise from the upper left: planted containers, Aloe striata, Dudleya, and Cereus forbesii 'Spiralis'.  The last was priced at $80.

I even strolled through the indoor plant displays.

I'm always tempted by orchids but even the Cymbidiums on a 50% off sale (which didn't include those shown in the lower right photo) were very pricey.  I didn't even look for a price on the Zamioculcas 'Black Raven' on the lower left.

I ended up taking home three 'Violet Queen' Echeverias in four-inch pots and an Anigozanthus (aka kangaroo paws).  Neither really fit the specs I had in mind.  However, I've got two other 'Violet Queen' Echeverias in a pot I love and I'd told myself I should pick up more if I had a chance.  They're probably a bit delicate for my new space but they'll fit someplace!  With respect to the Anigozanthos, I came across plants in the Bush Gems Celebration collection two years ago and, although stunned by their unusual colors, I passed on them, only to regret that later.  Even though I couldn't envision it in the renovated succulent bed, I couldn't bring myself to pass on it again.  So now the question is: what do I do with it?

Closeup of the flower.  The pot was only labeled "Anigozanthos Celebration," which is a term applying to all the varieties in the Bush Gems collection.  However, I looked it up online and I think this one is known as 'Masquerade'.  The plant grows about 18" tall and 16" wide and, depending upon who's consulted, can tolerate full sun or needs partial sun.

I carried the plant around my garden to conduct tryouts in different settings.

This spot along the walkway bordering my north-side garden has a vacancy, gets morning sun, and is backed up by Grevillea 'Scarlet Sprite', which plays off the reddish-pink in the Anigozanthos's flowers.

This spot is at the back of the south-side bed facing the dirt path that only I and the gardeners that trim our hedges use.  It gets almost full sun and has lots of open space while I wait for the baby Agave ovatifolia 'Frosty Blue' to grow up.

This spot is on the west side of the south-side garden next to a Callistemon 'Hot Pink' (not yet flowering) and several Cistus.  It gets good sun but I'm concerned the Anigozanthos may be too small to show up well against the larger plants.

This spot is in the south side of the front garden next to the flagstone path.  It's backed up by a Pennisetum 'Rubrum' (past due for its annual buzz cut), a Centaurea 'Silver Feather', and an infant Lepechinia fragrans.  All those surrounding plants can get big so the Anigozanthos could get swamped.

Then I asked myself if the Anigozanthos could go in the renovated succulent bed after all.  It's not big or fluid enough to provide the soft touch I was looking for among the succulents but that doesn't mean it couldn't have a spot there.  If I planted 'Blue Glow' Agaves on either side of it to play off the turquoise blue of the flowers and introduced some reddish-pink color behind it that might give the relatively small plant a boost.  The area gets good sun, with some late afternoon protection from the Arbutus 'Marina' tree in the background. 

What do you think?  Which option would you choose?

Due to other commitments and the rain in the forecast, I may only make it to my "neighborhood" garden center this week for another round of plant shopping.  In addition to agaves, I'll continue to shop for smallish Leucadendrons and Euphorbia 'Miner's Merlot' (preferably in one-gallon pots).  I have two other local sources for succulents I plan to check out as well but they require longer trips that'll have to wait a bit.

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

Bi-annual plant shopping trip to Carpinteria & Santa Barbara

A friend and I made our bi-annual plant shopping trip to Carpinteria and Santa Barbara last weekend after it was postponed weeks ago due to unpleasantly hot temperatures.  The sun was intense in cloudless skies so I'm afraid my photos were relatively poor on this occasion.  Unlike Los Angeles County, both areas also received very little rain from Tropical Storm Hilary in September and the dry conditions were evident, especially at Seaside Gardens.

Defying the bright light, I still took photos of portions of the demonstration gardens at Seaside

Top row: Tropical (Vireya) Rhododendron in the Asian Garden (left) and noID Salvia in the cottage Garden (right)
Bottom row: Echium candicans in the Grasslands area on my recent visit (left), when they're looking sad, and back in March (right)

South African Garden featuring Leucadendron 'Ebony' with Protea neriifolia (left) with a closeup of the Protea bloom and Leucadendron 'Jester' on the right

Various views of the large Succulent Garden, including a Yucca 'Bright Star' with a trunk (upper right) and a very large clump of blooming agaves, possibly Agave 'Blue Flame' (lower right)

Tropical Garden with Russelia equisetiformis in front and massive Fuchsia arborescens in the background

 

As usual, I spent more time perusing the plants offered for sale.

2 of about 10 sales displays organized by categories

Plants I looked at closely but dismissed for various reasons, clockwise from the upper left: Chorisia speciosa (very expensive and could grow 60 feet tall), Cryptomeria japonica 'Spiralis' (needs regular water and not clearly suitable to my zone), Eucalyptus 'Moon Lagoon' (combustible oil in plant not good for high fire risk areas), Stipa ichu (I forgot to add it to my cart!), and Yucca baccata (pricey but I regret not bringing one home)

 

After lunch, we headed a bit further north to Terra Sol Garden Center.

Terra Sol always has interesting decorative items but many aren't readily affordable

Flashy Celosia and a vigorous pink-flowered Thunbergia alata

I wanted to remove the weed in the middle of that Abromeitiella brevifolia (left) but, at that price, I didn't dare touching it.  The Adenium (right) wasn't priced as high as its neighboring plant but still too rich for me when I've killed one (maybe 2) before.

 

Fortunately, as she's a more assertive driver, my friend takes responsibility for the northern stretch of our trip from her home in the San Fernando Valley.  My homeward bound trip from her house south to the peninsula takes between an hour and a half and two hours depending upon late afternoon traffic.  It was on the lower end of the spectrum, which was great.  I had plenty of time to unload my car before it got dark and my husband rang the dinner bell.

I'll have more on my purchases later this week, when I've hopefully gotten at least some of them planted

 

 

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

When Christmas takes over garden centers

In coastal Southern California, our cool season is the optimal time to plant.  But when summer hangs on well into autumn as it usually does here, I often delay the plant shopping trips intended to fill the empty spots in my garden.  The fatal flaw with such delays is that, when I finally get out there, I run head-on into the all-consuming rush toward Christmas that consumes most garden centers.  I don't blame them - they need income to stay afloat and selling Christmas trees and other holiday paraphernalia is a big moneymaker.  It's entirely my fault when I fail to recognize that the holiday take-over is already underway.

A friend and I made a trip south to Orange County earlier this week to visit two garden centers.  Although the trees hadn't yet arrived at Roger's Gardens in Corona Del Mar, space had already been cleared to make way for them, which means there were fewer garden plants to peruse.

Overview of the garden center's front area from the upper level.  The large area already cleared for Christmas trees was in the back (not shown).

This demonstration bed near the front entrance is changed out several times a year.  The small red and green electric trains always featured during the holidays were already running but the area was otherwise devoid of holiday references.

That was not the case in the interior areas

Our other stop was OC Succulents in Irvine.   The year-end holidays weren't an obvious issue there but the prices were.  Since the pandemic, prices at this wholesale nursery (and its smaller outlet in Torrance) have soared.  Maybe customers with wholesale licenses get much better deals but I didn't see any of the bargains we found years ago when shopping the nursery.

This area used to feature current "deals" on mid-sized succulents.  I didn't see any of those.

However, there was a large variety of succulents in a range of sizes to be found.  A sampling included, clockwise from the upper left: Aeonium 'Sunburst', Agave attenuata 'Ray of Light', Agave 'Blue Glow', Echeveria 'Blue Atoll', assorted cactus, succulents in 2-6 inch sizes, and Sedum dasyphyllum 'Minor'.  An Agave 'Blue Glow' I recently purchased in a 1-gallon container at my local garden center was priced at half what OCS was charging for a specimen of similar size.  The Agave parryi I bought for a steal on my prior shopping trip to Carpineria for $12 was priced at nearly $40.

The outlet also offers a massive number of decorative plants like orchids and bromeliads, houseplants, and Tillandsias.  If you need a significant number of particular plants, this is the place to go but it might be a good idea to look into a wholesale license first.

Given the circumstances, my purchases were relatively modest.

At OC Succulents, I picked up 2 Tillandsia harrisii.  One is now attached to the chiminea adjacent to the bromeliad-succulent bed in my front garden and the other has been added to the collection in my lath house.

At Roger's Gardens I found the Lomandra 'Arctic Frost' I was looking for during my trip north 2 weeks ago, as well as flowers to fill one of the barrels in my front garden (Argyranthemum 'Aramis Bicolor Rose' and a mix of Calibrachoa), and the first Osteospermum '4D White' I've seen anywhere

I managed to polish off planting the barrels that were left empty when I dug up the dahlia tubers and stored them away for the winter.

Most of the plants in this barrel in my cutting garden were purchased during my earlier trip up north but I picked up the last orange Calibrachoa at Roger's Gardens

I also finally addressed the area around our backyard fountain.  I'd decided months ago to replace the mess that was there with a variegated Lomandra and purchased a 'Platinum Beauty' for that purpose but I held off because I was afraid that it would quickly get too large for the space and I'd be back to square one.  Finding a dwarf Lomandra 'Arctic Frost' was the ticket.

This is a "before" shot of the area.  The seashells were here when we arrived.  I've moved them around many times, trying to disguise the ugly electrical outlet that controls the fountain.  I wanted a plant that would hide the outlet without making it impossible to access if necessary.

Lomandra 'Arctic Frost' should cover up the electrical outlet when it reaches 2-3 feet tall and wide.  In the meantime, I've moved many of the shells back in place, principally to stop the raccoons from tearing up the drip lines.  In the past, they've been known to fight the drip lines as though they were snakes.

Dwarf Lomandra 'Arctic Frost' echoes the 3 Lomandra 'Platinum Beauty' planted nearby last year.  The latter will grow 3-4 feet tall and 3-5 feet wide but, at least at present, the plants look nearly identical.

The Lomandra 'Platinum Beauty' I've had on hold since mid-summer ended up in another area of the same bed on the other side of Echium webbii, where its mature size won't be a problem

 

Yesterday afternoon, in an effort to find a few small plants to fit into the empty spots in the pink-themed barrel planter, I made a brief stop by Armstrong, my local garden center, after a Friendsgiving lunch.  Just three days after my prior plant shopping trip, the holiday influence was even more pervasive there.

The first Christmas trees had already arrived!  From the looks of things, they are going to be even more expensive than last year.

Christmas decor was all over but no holiday music was playing (yet)

For lack of many options, I picked up plugs of English primrose to fill in the empty spaces in this front garden barrel.  Hopefully, it's full enough to keep the raccoons away but I think it might be a good idea to stick in some sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima) too.

I've absolutely no issues with the holiday themes that take over garden centers, although I do wish they'd hold off until after Thanksgiving.  However, as that's not the trend, I need to factor the ever-advancing creep of holiday preparations into my fall season plant shopping schedule.

Best wishes for a pleasant weekend.

All material © 2012-2022 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party