Sideline projects: Mangave pups

Rather than tackling some of my larger projects, I've been puttering around taking care of small ones, while completing ignoring preparations for the upcoming holidays.  I'm having a hard time getting in the mood for the latter this year.

Cleanup and division of two bloomed-out Mangaves were relatively easy tasks.  It seems that some of these plants bloom all too soon and the process leaves the mother plant looking disfigured.  However, all also seem to leave plenty of pups behind to replace themselves.  Even though it bloomed recently, I attended to the Mangave 'Pineapple Express' first because it presented the biggest eyesore.

It bloomed back in October.  The flowers weren't anything to get excited about in my view but the hummingbirds appreciated them.  The clump eventually produced 3 bloom stalks as some of pups surrounding the mother plant also flowered.

The photo on the left was taken immediately before I got started.  The photo of the right shows the mother plant after I'd dug it up.

I immediately replanted the largest pup shown on the left as it had plenty of attached roots.  It was replanted near the other 2 'Pineapple Express' plants I'd installed 3 years ago as part of a trio.

These are the other pups I harvested in a variety of sizes

As I hadn't found suitable grasses to hide the bare branches of the Ceanothus hedge I'd pruned months ago, I decided to plant 5 of the largest Mangave 'Pineapple Express' pups in that area.

The remaining pups went into temporary pots.  I'm not sure the smallest ones on the right will amount to anything but, if they develop better than expected, I'll give them away.  I'm hoping to use the larger pups elsewhere in my own garden once they're well-rooted.

The second bloomed-out Mangave was a 'Silver Fox', given to me by a friend as a pup several years ago after my original 'Silver Fox' bloomed-out.  It flowered back in February but was largely hidden by surrounding plants so it hadn't scream for attention.  I took care of it yesterday.

These are photos of the plant in flower in February.  For a relatively small plant it produces a tall stalk.

This is the empty spot left behind after I'd cut back some of the surrounding plants.  I haven't decided whether or not to return one of the pups to this spot - if I do, I expect it'll just get swamped by its neighbors again.

The mother plant was a tangled mess of pups, and more difficult to divide than 'Pineapple Express'

These were the pups I held onto.  Tinier ones went into the recycle bin.

I potted all of them up for now, even the largest one that had a decent root system

This week, I also pruned the twiggy 'Hachiya' persimmon (Diospyros kaki), which took a good hour or more.  It's less than a perfect job as I wasn't comfortable putting a ladder up on uneven ground.  It'll do for now but next year I think it'll go on my tree service list.

It's still pretty twiggy even though I filled half a green recycle bin with sticks.  The branches are brittle, which complicated matters and the sloping ground didn't help.

I'm waiting for the 'Fuyu' persimmon to drop most of its remaining leaves before I tackle pruning it.  It's branches are also brittle (and tall!) so I'll settle for doing the best I can to thin this one out too.  You may note that one of the 2 Leptospermum 'Pink Pearl' shrubs is already gone here - my husband got it out in a flash yesterday as its roots weren't deep.

This is the remaining Leptospermum.  I'll leave it for now as it still has plenty of flowers. New information suggests it won't tolerate being cut to the ground or even a few feet.  Its tilt, probably the result of growing up tightly against the former fence, also bugs me.

I really do intend to get going on removal of the mass of ferns in that part of the garden sometime soon but I may attend to pruning the 'Fuyu' persimmon and the redbuds (Cercis occidentalis) first.  Sometimes I wish we got snow, putting garden work on hold for a time, but maintenance is a year-round activity here and, right now, virtually every part of my garden is calling for attention.

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

The itch to get moving

The itch to start my fall garden cleanup has already started.  I've begun cutting back and cleaning up plants here and there, even if it might be more prudent to wait out the worst of summer's heat.  One morning I decided to tackle a large clump of Coleonema album (also known as white breath of heaven).  I inherited several of these shrubs with the garden when we purchased the house almost fifteen years ago.  The clump in question sits to the right of the front door.  I pass it multiple times a day and it'd lost its shape.  I'd asked the gardener to cut it back but, while he reduced about a foot in height, it didn't look much better.  I decided to shape it up myself - and got carried away.

I was working under the false impression that there was a single shrub here but there turned out to be 2 badly gnarled plants.  I didn't manage to carve out even one well-balanced plant as I pruned more deeply into them.

The branches were badly twisted and mostly bare below the top growth

Both trunks were in similar shape

Despite the shabby shape I left them in, the two plants could spring back.  I cut another of these shrubs back several months ago and it doesn't look half bad now.

This is the refreshed Coleonema that sits 9-10 feet away from the clump to the right of the front door along the same wall

However, I already had some apprehension about keeping these shrubs given how closely they're planted to the house.  Interestingly, when I queried Google about the plant's flammability, the AI overview tagged Coleonema album as flammable due to the oils in its feathery foliage but the query concerning its cousin, Coleonema pulchellum, which I also have in my garden, stated that it "is not listed among highly flammable plants."  Both plants are feathery in texture and have scented foliage, although Coleonema album definitely has a heavier scent.  Perhaps that accounts for the difference with respect to their flammability but I don't yet have a lot of confidence in the AI assessments.  Still, there's only so much information available to work with.

The flammability of the Coleonema album presents a conundrum, especially given the placement of the plants and their very woody bases.  The two shrubs to the right of the front door aren't the only specimens of concern either.

This is the clump of Coleonema album on the left side of the front door.  It's also composed of 2 shrubs, although as a whole they look healthier at present than those on the right side of the door.

In addition to the two Coleonema album to the left of the front door, there are three more of the same shrubs around the corner of the house in front of our bedroom windows, next to two relatively fire resistant Pittosporum tobira shrubs.  

The 3 Coleonema shrubs and 2 Pittosporum form a mixed hedge of a sort here

This means I'm once again considering what to do with a selection of plants placed directly adjacent to the house.  At a minimum, I should probably replace the Coleonema shrubs near the front door.  I was initially thinking of replacing the four plants with two new ones that could be better maintained.  But, given their flammability rating, I'm considering abandoning Coleonema for Lomandra longifolia, a grass-like plant which is regarded as fire resistant.  There are two cultivars under consideration, both of which I'm already growing in my garden.

This is one of many Lomandra 'Breeze' plants in my garden.  It sits only a few feet away from the beleaguered Coleonemas under discussion.

This is one grouping of Lomandra 'Platinum Beauty' elsewhere in my front garden.  There are 5 of the plants here and I could conceivably relocate 2 of them.

My only hesitation is that I've got numerous specimens of both Lomandras.  But then repetition can be a good thing in a garden, can't it?  There are variegated Pittosporum tobira shrubs in place on the right side of the house already so I'm wondering if the solid green Lomandra 'Breeze' would be preferable to 'Platinum Beauty' there.

The area next to the Coleonemas is currently planted with a 6-7 foot long Pittosporum hedge and lots of Agapanthus, all of which also came with the garden

Other additions could include more Agapanthus, either transplants of overcrowded bulbs from other parts of the garden or maybe some of the newer varieties in darker blue colors.  Given the "zone zero" initiative in California that would involve removing any combustible materials within five feet of homes, there's little point in planting anything too precious.  I'm also inclined to add some stepping stones there (to facilitate pruning the back of the Pittosporum hedge) and a low-growing groundcover.  What to do with the three Coleonema album grown in front of our bedroom remains a quandary.

The plants in the front garden aren't my only concern.  Two days ago I was shocked to see dead foliage in the middle of the huge Leucadendron salignum 'Chief' growing in the dry garden on the northeast side of the house.  Big as it is, I love that plant and was immediately alarmed.

The foliage hadn't just turned tawny in the sun

I quickly found a large broken branch

I was initially relieved to find the broken branch but, when I stepped back and took another look at the plant, I saw evidence of more brown foliage.

There was a lot more dry foliage, although it wasn't everywhere

I usually cut back this Leucadendron in late spring but I failed to do so this year.  I'm hoping that the shrub just needs a good pruning to tidy it up.  However, that'll have to wait until we get cooler weather as maneuvering through the interior of that plant involves considerable effort and I've already soaked myself in sweat a couple times this week.  I'd rather handle it myself than add it to the list for my tree service in October or November.  It looks as though the majority of the plant's foliage is healthy.

Most of the plant still looks good

   

We'd expected cooler temperatures this week than we got.  We still hit 90F (32C) yesterday.  There were chances of thunderstorms in the forecast for days.  My husband got soaked going from the dentist's office to his truck following an appointment on Wednesday while he was in nearby Torrance and had to use his windshield wipers until he reached four miles from home so some people got a touch of rain, just not us.  I've taken the majority of my daily walks in the morning as walking in the late afternoon hasn't been at all pleasant.  Those walks provided several sightings of the local peafowl, though.  They're clearly here to stay!

I spotted what I think now was probably a juvenile male on a neighbor's front doorstep.  I didn't disturb him but I texted the couple a photo.  I can't say they were pleased to see it.

I spent one walk in step with another juvenile male.  The next morning I spotted one near the very top of a 40-foot pine tree but my cell phone didn't get a clear picture of him.

In contrast, the peahens remained on solid ground

Wherever you are, I hope your weather is good or at least getting better.  Have a pleasant weekend!

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

Some projects look easier than they turn out to be

As our morning marine layer backs off and temperatures begin to climb, I thought I'd tick off one of the easier projects on my list this week.  After all, I'd tackled the hard part a few months ago - or so I'd thought.

This is the area in question as photographed in January, a bed in the back garden badly congested with overgrown Aeoniums and a rambunctious Ceanothus

This photo, taken in late April, shows a worsened situation in which Aeonium haworthii 'Kiwi' in the bed directly across from the one shown in the first photo had effectively merged with the other bed, impeding the flagstone path that lay between the 2 areas

This "after" shot was taken once I'd cleared the path by removing most of the Aeonium 'Kiwi' and a portion of the taller noID Aeonium arboreum planted in front of the large Ceanothus shrub

My stage two project was to pull out all of the tall, bare-legged Aeonium arboreum, lightly prune the Ceanothus, and then replant.  It appeared a quick and easy fix to me!

I thought I had a better shot facing that area but, if I did, I couldn't find it, and I didn't take an updated photo prior to starting this phase of the project.  This photo, taken on April 30th, has to suffice to show the leggy Aeoniums on the right.

Pulling out the large Aeoniums took longer than I thought it would as many of them were buried underneath the Ceanothus but it wasn't difficult, even though I enlisted my husband's help digging up the more stubborn stumps.

I saved a fraction of the Aeonium arboreum for use in replanting the area, focusing on stems with multiple rosettes.  What I can't use there, I'll plant elsewhere or give away.  The discards filled one of our 3 green recycle bins.

This is a shot of the bed once the Aeoniums (with the exception of 2 clumps of 'Kiwi') had been removed.  I'd foolishly ignored the asparagus fern buried in there until it was fully revealed.  It proved to be another problem.

I don't know if it's apparent in the preceding photo but that noID Ceanothus is a behemoth.  It's the only one left from the garden we inherited when we purchased the house.  Like the mass of Ceanothus that originally occupied the front garden, it's backed by the Xylosma congestum hedge that runs the entire length of the main level of the backyard garden as well as most of the front of our property.  I'd no reservations about pulling out the three massive Ceanothus in the front garden when the plants began dying because the narrow space between them and the Xylosma made me claustrophobic.  The Ceanothus-Xylosma pairing in the back creates a similar feeling but I seldom pass through that section of the path, which is generally used only by the gardeners during their quarterly shearing of the hedge.

Pruning the Ceanothus proved harder than I expected.  Not only does the bed slope downward there but there's another sharp drop of two to three feet between it and the maintenance path separating it from the Xylosma.  I thought about asking the gardeners to prune the top of the shrub for me but I expected they'd shear it with an electric pruner, leaving the top looking butchered so I did what I could with manual pruning shears.  Given the sloping ground, there was no way I was going to attempt the job atop a ladder, or ask my husband to do so.

Here's what the area currently looks like.  The dead lower limbs of the Ceanothus have been trimmed back but they're still homely.  New growth will emerge but I plan to replant the space in front to hide the shrub's base anyway.

Thankfully, my husband jumped in and did his best to remove two foxglove asparagus ferns (Asparagus densiflorus 'Myers').  That plant is a menace and should never, ever be planted directly into the ground, except perhaps by someone who lives in Death Valley.

Although I'd been assured that the foxtail form of this asparagus fern is better behaved than it cousin, it appears to be as bad or worse.  I introduced one plant but we found 2 and they'd spread over a wide area.  We filled 4 trugs with their bulbous roots and I doubt we got them all.  Our recently purchased Root Slayer paid for itself when used on the ferns' roots.

So, this project isn't entirely done.  I want to make another pass through the bed to make sure all (or at least the vast majority) of the asparagus ferns' bulbous roots are gone.  Then I need to supplement the soil and replant.  As yesterday's trip to the garden center didn't provide other ideas, I'll replant the bed with Aeonium cuttings once again, even though the Aeoniums are entering their dormant status.  They do a good job of masking the underskirts of that Ceanothus.  I just need to be more meticulous about keeping both the Aeoniums and the Ceanothus well-trimmed in the future.

I'll close my Friday post with some prettier photos of two succulent plants in flower at present.

I think this is a monkey tail cactus (Cleistocactus colademononis as that was how it was labeled but my phone thinks it's a rat tail cactus, C. winteri).  In any case these are its first blooms 

 

The sweet bell-shaped flowers of Cotyledon pendens in this mixed succulent container was a nice surprise.  I bought the plant for its foliage, having no idea what its flowers might look like.

Enjoy your weekend!

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

Pruning or butchery?

I've tackled several pruning tasks during the past week.  Some of these were on my list, while others were handled on the fly.  With pruning tools in hand, I'm easily distracted.  I always think they're going to be quick jobs but somehow few of these turn out to be that easy.  As I'm a neat-freak, letting me loose with pruners can lead me to go overboard while cutting back plants.  I'm often left wondering if I've butchered my plant.  Usually, things turn out alright and the plants rebound but, until that happens, I worry.

I hadn't planned on cutting back the guava tree in my north side garden but I saw some twiggy bits I thought I could quickly trim away before tackling a different job.  Ninety minutes later, I'd narrowed the tree and reduced its height.  I don't have a "before" shot - these are the "after" views from the front and back.  It looks fine, although now I realize I need to prune the overgrown Leucadendron 'Chief' next to it; however, that's a job for another day.

I hadn't added the Senna bicapsularis to my to-do list either but I thought I could put quick work to this one as well.  It always produces flowers atop tall bare stems.  I've no "before" shot here either.  In this case I cut it back as shown in the photo on the left, only to come back 3 days later to chop it back even further, as shown on the right.  I'm divided on whether I've gone too far or not far enough on this one.

My target for work on the back slope was the tangled mess including a Vesalea floribunda (aka Mexican abelia) and a trailing Lantana, shown in the middle of the photo on the left.  It was a bigger mess than I'd imagined.  The photo on the right shows what was left of the Vesalea when I finished.

I've tried and failed to propagate the Vesalea from cuttings.  It reportedly fares better when propagated using layering, where stems attached to the parent plant trail the ground and develop roots.  The plant on the left appears to have done that.  I think the plant on the right is the remnant of the Lantana that merged with the Vesalea but I'm not positive.  I'm waiting to see what happens with both these plants before pulling either up.

I made 2 stabs at cutting back the Tagetes lemmonii (aka Mexican marigold).  I suspect it'll come back even reduced to a third of its original size but it's easy enough to replace if it declines.  The faded fox is a sentimental favorite I've had for 15+ years.  I may make a stab at painting him, or let him go.

The overgrown Vitex trifolia is shown in the wide shot on the left behind the Dasylirion longissima.  I cut it down by half to bare branches.  It's no longer visible in the wide shot on the right.  I've cut it back severely before but I may have taken it too far this time.

The photo on the left shows the Vitex's pretty purple and olive green foliage. Cutting the Vitex back to its bare branches, as shown on the right, revealed a large Acanthus mollis I almost forgot was there and a variety of succulents previously hidden.  It also revealed a lot of grass weeds (probably Bermuda grass) and some die-back to the Salvia clevelandii, which I still need to attend to.

I cleaned up the Crassula pubescens ssp radicans that's formed a mass at the base of a stump.  No problems with that simple exercise.

I took care of a few other things this week in the course of my pruning activity. 

While on the slope to tackle the Vesalea, I performed a general cleanup.  It looks neater, if nothing else.

The Calendula seedlings were overrunning one of my cutting garden beds, making me think that there were more Ranunculus coming up than there really were.  I thinned the Calendula, moving some of those seedlings elsewhere.

I added 3 Aloe striata x maculata pups and several Aeonium arboreum cuttings to the top tier of the front slope below the Arbutus 'Marina' tree.  The photo has a reddish color due to the effects of the smokey light when it was taken yesterday.

I got less done this week than I'd hoped due largely to the fires that erupted across Los Angeles County.  We'd been warned of "life-threatening winds" but it sounded like hyperbole until the first fire broke out in Pacific Palisades thirty-five miles to the north on Tuesday morning.  Later that afternoon another massive fire emerged in Eaton Canyon in Altadena, spreading into Pasadena and other surrounding areas.  My own area in Southern California's South Bay doesn't have an active fire but we've been impacted by the smoke from those two fires, which together have burned over 32,000 acres.  There are currently six fires burning in the County with only two of the smallest fires partially contained.   I've lived in Southern California my entire life and have seen many fires touched off by Santa Ana winds but this is the most intense event I've ever seen.  Some 180,000 people are under evacuation orders.  Pacific Palisades has been decimated by the loss of 6000 structures and the Eaton fire has taken nearly 1000 more.  At least five people have died.  My confinement to the house due to smoke is trivial by comparison.

View of the smoky haze on Wednesday afternoon

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