A little progress and a few lost causes

Given that the feeling of spring has been in the air for some time now, I've done remarkably little plant shopping and not a lot of planting either.  My focus has been on maintenance and weeding, more weeding and still more weeding.  However, earlier this week I finally hunkered down and transplanted a few agave pups that have been waiting for their forever home for months.

This is a wide shot of my northeast side garden area taken in early January.  The pots have been sitting there for months.

I ended up planting just the 2 'Blue Glow' Agave pups I harvested from their bloomed-out parent last September, and one still tiny Agave colorata pup I'd potted up in 2024.  I plan to add filler plants, Pelargoniums perhaps, to soften the look there.

Closeup of the 3 agaves.  The shape of the 'Blue Glow' in the middle concerns me a little but I'm hoping it loosens up now that it's in the ground.

I relocated the Agave geminiflora in a pot but it may not stay there

I'd planned to plant the large Agave 'Mateo' in the ground but it was badly root-bound and infested with ants so I gave up on that once I broke it out of its pot.  I saved 2 good-sized pups for placement elsewhere.

I've continued to my pruning efforts, although I'm by no means done there.  It's been my number two maintenance project after weeding.

Pruning the 'Wilson Wonder's Leucadendrons is a biannual task.  The photo on the left was taken in early January.  Its colorful bracts had faded and the stems were above the roofline before I trimmed it back, as shown on the right.  Bringing down its height and girth also required cutting back the Pittosporum tobira hedge next to it to allow me to reach the back of the Leucadendron.

I pruned the Senna bicapsularis back by a third and I was surprised how quickly and how well it's bounced back

Working on the ivy that takes off whenever I so much as blink feels pointless at times but things would be worse if I sloughed off that task entirely.  The back slope provides the biggest challenge as I'm not in control of the mass of ivy that spreads across the property line on our southeast side - there's no fence or other barrier there and the property line itself isn't clear.  In addition, the ground drops off sharply in some places, which isn't readily apparent because they're buried under ivy.

I didn't take a "before" photo of this area.  This photo was taken an hour or more after I cut back the ivy and grass weeds that covered the area in the foreground.  There's still a lot of work to be done to push the ivy back another foot or more closer to the property line, which I need to tackle before warmer temperatures bring out the fire ants.

The mass of ivy to the left of the area shown in the earlier photo (shown on the left in this collage) included woody branches I initially thought were leftovers of the dead Ceanothus I had removed in November.  As it turns out, those are trunks of ivy plants that have grown several feet tall.  I cut those back as shown in the photo on the right but, once again, more work is required. 

I recently spent hours working on another project that could very well be a lost cause too: the removal of a massive clump of Boston fern (Nephrolepsis exaltata) that's crept under the fence between us and our neighbor on our north side.  I made two runs at it before I was even partially satisfied.

The "before" photo is on the left and the "after" photo is on the right.  The bulbous roots of the Boston ferns are everywhere but I dug up as much of them out as I could.  Routine scrutiny will be required. 

The list of what may be other lost causes is growing too.

The lime tree is still producing fruit but it nonetheless looks sad - and I haven't even tried to remove the Boston ferns at its base.  I'm leaning in the direction of removing the tree next fall, in which case the ferns will come out with the tree.

It made no good sense planting this Grevillea lavandulacea 'Penola' between a fence and the narrow path that leads down our back slope in the first place back in 2011.  Although it's flowered well, it's become woody and rangy with lots of dead branches.  Grevilleas don't like being pruned to bare wood but I may give that a try to see if there's any hope of rejuvenating it.

This Leptospermum scoparium 'Pink Pearl'  looked awkward here even when it was backed by a fence.  Its trunk now leans like the Tower of Pisa (as a result of that fence), although it's blooming better than it did before.  I'll try reducing it by a foot in height but I suspect there are plants that would fit better into this spot.

This dwarf Japanese maple (Acer palmatum 'Mikawa Yatsubusa') isn't looking so good now that it's no longer protected from the sun and wind by the former fence.  I'll wait awhile to see how it looks a month or two from now.

I'm not the only one working on my garden either.  I watched two major projects in the works over the past week.

Our neighbors across the street had their back slope cleared of rosemary shrubs and replanted with other shrubs.  I think there's Coleonema 'Sunset Gold', Salvia leucantha and another shrub I can't identify in the mix but I haven't had the opportunity to ask them what they included.  The work took most of 2 weeks, interrupted at times by rain.

Work restarted across the canyon after a lengthy pause (since my September post) but it's still focused on that neighbor's sprawling patio.  The contractors resurfaced the stairs to match the adjacent walls and pillars.  It looks as though they may be installing a water feature too, as well as adding more metal pieces to the guardrails along the elevated walkway.  There's no evidence of new plant installations, though.  

That's in for me this week.  I plan to make another pass at the ivy on the back slope this weekend and hopefully prune my other 'Wilson's Wonder' Leucadendron, with more weeding thrown in of course.  Enjoy your weekend!

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

A little planting, a lot of weeding

Feeling as though what passes for winter here may be over already, I've started doing some spring planting.  However, whatever time I spend on those activities is eclipsed by the time I've been spending on weeding.  I blame the warm temperatures for the sheer volume of weeds everywhere I look.   It was 84F (29C) yesterday and, with the Santa Ana winds expected to begin blowing again, it could be warmer still today.

All my recent efforts in the garden have been small in scope, mostly focused on filling minor gaps.  The area in front of the Ceanothus in one section of my back border, where I'd previously plunked Aeonium cuttings, was bugging me and, seeing how well sea lavender (Limonium perezii, aka statice) was doing elsewhere, I decided to try it there in place of the larger Aeonium arboreum.

I placed one small Limonium perezii behind my Ginkgo tree 2 years ago and it's now massive, despite no attention whatsoever from me

My local garden center was selling the plants in 6-inch pots last week so I picked up 3 after pulling up 3 clumps of Aeonium arboreum, one of which was already blooming.  I left the Aeonium haworthii 'Kiwi' cuttings in place, as well as several vincas (Catharanthus 'Blueberry Kisses').  I cut the vinca back almost to the ground - it may or may not spring back.  I also left the Mangave 'Pineapple Express' pups in place to see whether they or the Ceanothus itself would be the first  to cover up the shrub's bare base.

The vinca (Catharanthus 'White Peppermint') I'd planted in an area of the front garden had also largely died back.  As I haven't had great success in growing much there, I decided to try succulents this time.

I recently pulled up several lanky stems of Aeonium 'Velour' elsewere and, as its red color has made it one of my favorites, I popped 3 cuttings in to pick up the reddish color at the base of the Phormium 'Maori Queen' in the background.  I then added 3 'Princess' Echeverias and 3 'Sunburst' Aeoniums, hoping they'll fill out in time.

Last summer, I'd received five Echinopsis divisions from my friend Gerhard (of Succulents & More fame).  I initially kept them in small plastic pots in my lath (shade) house to give them a chance to root properly.  Rather than plant them out in the garden, where they would be still small enough to be stepped on, I decided to put them into larger pots.

The Echinopsis' temporary home

I'd had much better luck growing this Echinopsis oxygona in a pot than I've had with any planted directly in the ground

These 3 pots hold Echinopsis 'Daydream', E. 'Salmon Queen', and E. 'Sleeping Beauty'

The 2 pots on the left hold Echinopsis 'El Capitan' and E. 'Tondelayo'

I'd ordered ten more plants from Grow Organic, the company that purchased the rights to the mail order business formerly operated as Annie's Annuals & Perennials.  FedEx, which handled the delivery, didn't treat them gently and I hustled to get the smaller plants in the ground.

This is a bed I'd painstakingly cleared of (most) weeds the week before.  A gopher had tunneled through the area so, the space, formerly dominated by masses of Freesia bulbs and daylilies, had been significantly battered, leaving lots of empty space.  I planted Annie's Anagallis monellii (3) and Layla platyglossa (2) here but they're tiny.

These 5 plants, 1 Tagetes lemonii, 1 Penstemon, and 3 Verbascum phoeniceum 'Violetta', waited longer to find homes, although the Tagetes found its place yesterday afternoon.

I'm still debating where to put the three Verbascum phoeniceum 'Violetta', partly out of caution because I killed one I tried years ago.  I spent quite a bit of time walking through corners of my garden studying my options yesterday (weeding as I went).  While checking out the options in my back border, which still has lots of empty space since my fall cleanup of the garden, I discovered some things I set aside months ago and completely forgotten about.

I'd dropped 3 Amaryllis belladonna bulbs I'd dug up in an isolated corner.  I discovered that 2 have already sprouted foliage.  They're still sitting there...

Meanwhile, my garden's floral output continues to explode in response to our warm conditions.

The 'Spider Hybrid' Leucospermum may not have beat 'Sunrise' with its first blooms but it's already more prolific

While TV forecasters are talking up the tiny possibility of rain late this week, I'm not laying any odds on the prospect.  However, the chance of a little rain next week seems to be getting more promising, although I'm trying to keep my expectations in check for now.

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

One thing leads to another

It started with an Aloe.  You may recall mention of my plan to plant more Aloes in my north and south-side succulent gardens.  Although I haven't had an opportunity to go shopping yet, I realized that I had one in another area of the garden in need of rescuing.  I planted an Aloe wickensii, now classified as Aloe cryptopoda, in my front garden in December 2014.  It grows two to three feet tall and wide but it was small when I got it and it didn't do much for years.  If my records are correct, it bloomed for the first time in January 2022.

Its flowers are bi-color

It was gradually shaded out by the plants surrounding it and hasn't bloomed for at least the last two years.

Two views of the same plant in its original spot in my front garden

Two plants adjacent to the to the Aloe complicated the process of digging it up to be moved.  One was Agave 'Jaws' and the other was Leucadendron 'Wilson's Wonder'.  I didn't record the date I planted that Agave but it shows up in a post I published in January 2015.  The Leucadendron was planted in the same area in late November 2014.  They've since grown to overwhelm each other and much of what surrounded them.

This photo of 'Jaws' was taken in February 2024.  I don't have any later photos, probably because the Agave has been mostly buried under the Leucadendron ever since.  You can see one arm of the Aloe cryptopoda all too close to it on the right in this photo.

This is a photo of the massive Leucadendron 'Wilson's Wonder' taken earlier this month.  You can see Agave 'Jaws' wedged underneath it on the lower left.  Frankly, I knew I was pushing my luck when I planted the shrub back in 2014 but I didn't care at that point.  In later years, I just decided to wait out the Agave's first and last bloom prior to removal.

A few historical references from my photo archive might help explain how the area developed over time.

This wide shot was taken in late May 2015 when I'd "finished" laying the flagstone path and planting the area on the south side of the front garden following removal of the lawn during the prior year.  Both the (still small) Leucadendron and Agave are visible in the foreground on the left.  The Aloe isn't visible here but, according to my written record, it was there behind the Agave.

This wide shot was taken in April 2018.  Again, the Leucadendron and Agave are visible.  There was a Duranta repens 'Gold Mound' next to the Leucadendron and behind the Grevillea 'Superb'.  The Duranta was supposed to grow 2 feet tall and wide but it eventually grew over 6 feet tall despite regular pruning.  I took it out years ago. 

This closeup, taken in June 2021, shows the Agave, Aloe, and Leucadendron coexisting in peace

You can still see all 3 plants in this wide shot taken in October 2022

By late September 2025, the Agave and Aloe had already been swamped by the larger shrubs

Before I dug up the Aloe cryptopoda, I pulled as many of the Agave 'Jaws' pups as I could, while also prying out many of the dead leaves at the base of the mother plant.

'Jaws' is a pupping machine.  I've pulled many pups in the past and I pulled 11 more on this occasion.  I gave up on 2 others after getting stabbed repeatedly. 

The Leucadendron required more effort to tame and I had to bring out my new electric pruner.  I ended up tackling it in two separate phases.

This was my tools lineup.  The blue battery-powered pruner is on the left.  It was a Christmas present from my husband and I don't know how I've lived without it this long.  I have developed arthritis in both my wrists (or, more accurately, in the base of both thumbs), which makes them hurt much of the time.

These photos reflect the first round of trimming from 2 different angles.  Previously, it was virtually impossible to walk between the Leucadendron, Grevillea, and Lomandras (the grass-like plants shown on the right).  I'd also all but forgotten that there was a narrow flagstone path between the bed occupied by the Grevillea and Lomandras and the bed occupied by the Leucadendron, Agave, and Aloe among other plants.  (That path can be seen in the 2015 wide shot shown earlier.)

I took out still more of the Leucadendron on my second pass, especially the dead material at the shrub's base.  I plan to make a third round at cutting back the plant's flower-like bracts next month but, for now, I'm allowing them to shine.

While at it with the electric pruners on the Leucadendron, I decided I should use the opportunity to cut back my Grevillea 'Superb', which has grown into a giant.  According to my records, I planted it in November 2013.

This is the first photo I have of it, taken a couple of weeks after it was planted.  The Nandinas behind it were planted by a prior owner, which I removed as the Grevillea grew larger.

This is what the Grevillea looked like in early January

It hurt me to cut as much of my ever-blooming Grevillea 'Superb' as I did but many of the branches had grown long and gangly.  It's come back stronger after prior prunings and I hope the same will be true this time.

I then moved on to my south-side succulent bed to plant the Aloe cryptopoda I'd retrieved from its shady foliage cave in the front garden.  At that point, I thought that was all I had left to do, but, as I said at the outset of this post, one thing always seems to lead to another.

The removals of several 'Blue Flame' Agaves and one bloomed-out 'Blue Glow' Agave last year had left plenty of space so placing the Aloe wasn't a problem.  This is a view of the Aloe in place from the front of the bed.

Here's another view of the Aloe from the back for the bed.  Take note of Agave 'Mr Ripple' in the lower right corner of the photo.

When planting the Aloe, I decided there was cleanup I needed to address at the back of this bed too.

'Mr Ripple' had produced 2 pups, one relatively large that threatened to tear the ankle of anyone walking the path behind the bed.  To remove the pups, I had to cut back the Delosperma 'Violet Wonder' groundcover stretching over them and creeping into the path.  That done, I also gave a minor haircut to the Pennisetum grass leaning into 'Mr Ripple'.

And then I discovered that I couldn't ignore the state of affairs with the Salvia clevelandii 'Winnifred Gilman' just to the left of 'Mr Ripple'.  I'd planted 2 of these shrubs in 2016 from 4-inch pots.  One died a couple of years ago and I removed it.  Now the second was in deep decline with only a little fresh foliage left.

It looked like this back in June 2025.  The blue flowers were vibrant and the plant adds a nice fragrance in the garden (if being a little heavy for use in indoor spaces).

This is how the area looked after I was done with it.  I cleared the dead foliage from 4 Hesperaloes (aka red yucca) in the process.

I left just a few stems of the Salvia with fresh green foliage in place.  It looks geeky but I'm hoping that it'll produce some final blooms this coming June before I pull the rest of the plant out.  At that point, I'll also need to cleanup or remove the Aeonium haworthii 'Kiwi Verde'  surrounding the Salvia's base.  Whether I replant the Aeonium cuttings or plant something else entirely there has yet to be determined.

Closeup of what's left of the Salvia and raggedy Aeoniums

And then, in another part of the same bed, I need to address still another problem.

I've pruned Hymenolepsis parviflora (aka Coulter bush) back hard in prior years but it isn't looking like it's going to rebound this time, as shown on the left.  Like the Agave 'Blue Glow' that once stood in front of it (shown on the right), it may have to go.

A gardener's work is never finished.  I hope you enjoy your weekend and avoid any weather-related issues.

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