Friday, April 29, 2011

The Front Garden: here’s what I’ve been up to, chapter 3 (the not so big reveal)

Finally, time to take some “after” pictures of the front garden…but there is a problem. You can’t even see many of the plants I selected! They are so small that they fade into the background. I can see them, but the camera can’t.

So there is no sweeping, grand, after shot. How disappointing. These are the best I could capture...please put on your future glasses and imagine them all grown up. Imagine the Cotinus in the picture below actually bigger than the blooming Euphorbia...what Cotinus you say? Exactly. But trust me it’s there…to the left of the Euphorbia. The two pictures above are looking north. This one was taken looking south. For fun I thought I would share our view from inside the house, looking south. Ok I stepped out on the sidewalk for this one, but I am still back to the house looking south. There's the Cotinus. And now looking north. So while the overall shots leave much to be desired the good news is that if you look close there are fabulous things to be seen! Things that will someday grow up and make a statement, I hope. Here are a few close-up vignettes throughout the front garden (I'll try to identify all the plants at the end). And last up a few single plant spotlights for those of you curious about identification (some of these are rather like mug shots I’m afraid) if I miss something you're curious about leave a comment and I'll reply with the name. There are multiples of many of these, and others just a single specimen. Corokia cotoneaster, very cool plant…almost impossible to get a good photo of.This little succulent was mixed in with the Sempervivum at the local grocery store nursery. I'm pretty sure its not hardy but for $1.99 I went ahead and bought it anyway. I've got no name on it. So cute! Sempervivum arachnoideum Kniphofia caulescens Eryngium giganteum Eryngium variifolium Yucca aloifolia 'Purpurea' Echium wildpretii...actually over-wintered in the ground! (frost cloth with and overturned terra cotta pot on the cold nights and days). Grevillea juniperina ‘Molonglo’ Carmichaelia odorata Puya coerulea, I bought three of these at Dancing Oaks last summer, fully expecting them to not make it through the winter. The good news is that this one did! (the bad news is one died and the jury is still out on the third). Halimium x pauanum, planted too close to the Euphorbia but in another month when I cut back the Euphorbia blooms it will be able to shine! Hesperaloe parviflora Podocarpus alpinus 'Orangeade' Callistemon sieberi Yucca rostrata Eryngium agavifolium Pittosporum divaricatum Unknwn Cylindropuntia (a gift from the same neighbor who gave me the Opuntia paddles). Verbascum olympicum Genista aetnensis Hallelujah! The Eucomis 'Oakhurst' are all coming back! Maybe this year I'll get blooms again after they took last year off to rest and recover from the cold temps. Yucca 'Color Guard' Yucca 'Bright Star' Euphorbia characias subsp. wulfenii Arctostaphylos x 'Austin Griffiths,' this is the one I'm hoping will grow in a more upright mannor. Unknown Sempervivum Sedum Chocolate Ball, I bought a couple of this sedum last summer and could find nothing about it's hardiness, turns out to be fine. At least in Zone 8. Unknown Yucca's dug from a my brother's yard in Spokane. Muehlenbeckia astonii Callistemon 'Woodlander's Red' not a bit of protection last winter. 'Blue Pacific' Shore Juniper Ceonothus 'Pt Reyes' Arctostaphylos densiflora 'Harmony,' this is the one growing at a jaunty wind-swept angle. Cotinus ‘Royal Purple' So there you have it, the finished project in its infant stages. More pictures than you wanted to see right? I’ve already bought a couple of other things to plant, and when the plants start to grow a bit I’m sure I’ll add a few more rocks (yes maybe even a couple of larger ones!). So there are bound to be future updates. Thank you everyone for all of your encouraging words along the way!

23 comments:

  1. I'm fairly certain that the NOID that was in with the Sempervivums is a Sedum of some kind, possibly (probably?) S. rubrotinctum. Davesgarden.com says they're only hardy to zone 9 (20F). Another site I found says they're not frost-hardy at all.

    On the other hand, you can pull off a handful of leaves in the fall, plant them inside, and keep them through the winter that way. They need ridiculously strong indoor light in order to maintain color, but if all you're trying to do is keep it going until the next spring, you don't have to care about the color.

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  2. Your front garden is going to be a spectacular sight. I have had the Chocolate Ball Sedum for a couple of years planted in a wheelbarrow, stays outside year around. he only con I have with it is it's a slow grower for me.

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  3. Nothing more exciting about a new garden than before and after pics. It will be great to see how this comes along in six months or a year.

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  4. I think we all know that feeling...how all those plants, once spaced out and in the garden, are practically invisible! The great thing is that they are PLANTED, now you can sit back and watch them grow and fill out the space. I do think it will be a highlight of your street...maybe it will even inspire some of your neighbors to step up their game a little, eh? You've got a great mix of color, form and texture...can't wait to see it mature.

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  5. Show us again in late September!

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  6. Great plants...remember we live in the PNW things grow soooo fast here. I reckon by next summer you'll be thinning things out. I think I need that corokia....

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  7. Well that is certainly a planting of fab plants ( and quite a lot of bucks spent, too!). When they grow large tht will certainly be a very striking front garden.

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  8. As Linda said, plants must grow incredibly fast in the PNW, so those babies will be photo-ready in no time. And I've been mentally preparing a blog post on that purple yucca...

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  9. I like how you unified all that "spiky goodness" with either repetition or the mass of black Ophiopogon. And better to space things out for mature size than to remove later.

    I think you have a Cylindropuntia imbricata / Tree Cholla.

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  10. I honor the diverse array of plants you have chosen, many of them are totally unfamiliar to me. Some of them I only know because we try to buy plants from Youngblood Nursery in Salem (that is where I get Corokia for the store, and other cool things).

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  11. I admit I did only momentarily say 'what Cotinus ?' ..There is nothing better than a collectors garden, at any stage. And, yes Mr sub is spot on, that is a Sedum, and if Sedum pachyphyllum it may make it if you don't get below 15 or so.

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  12. Wow! Looks fab. Great choice of plants--many of them new to me. Intrigued by, Podocarpus alpinus 'Orangeade.' Very interesting!Where did you purchase it?

    Looking forward to that first stage of "filling in."

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  13. great stuff! I love that Pittosporum! I can't wait to see it more grown in. I know exactly what you're going through. I just finished my little front-yard makeover and was thinking the same thing as I took photos, "You can't see all the plants!"

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  14. This _is_ fantastic. It's the kind of garden our HOA will not allow, which is ridiculous given our water situation in northern Colorado.

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  15. Lovely, Loree! Just curious: did you amend the soil underneath the gravel or is it unamended native soil? I always like to hear about the soil prep (or not, as the case may be) when watching a garden's progress.

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  16. mr s, thank you for the i.d...that looks about right and thanks for the overwintering suggestion. Hopefully it will grow so much over the summer that there will be plenty to experiment with.

    Darla, interesting that it's a slow grower for you. I think mine has been pretty good here. In fact I considered dividing it to plant around in other spots.

    plantpropaganda, I'll definitely share both 6 mos and year pics, hopefully I won't be mourning too many losses at the year mark.

    scott, thank you!

    Jenn, will do.

    linda, you do! I've actually got two, one in a container on the patio and now this one. Love it!

    Nicole, while I haven't (and won't) added up what I spent, actually I got quite a few great deals, and only really splurged on the Yucca rostrata...

    Denise, I can't wait for you post! While they live here I imagine they must thrive there...

    DD, thank you for the i.d. and yes the black Ophiopogon is a fav! I divided some out and planted it around in spots too...more attempts at unifying.

    Les, thank you! You get plants from here in Oregon? That's great. For some silly reason I just didn't imagine them traveling quite so far.

    ks, we keep saying it but really...3 cold winters in a row? The next one surely will be better...and maybe the sedum will live!

    Van, I bought that Podocarpus at Xera. I've seen it at Garden Fever. I bet if you requested it from a local nursery that carries Xera plants they would order it for you?

    Ryan, everyone is being very encouraging about things growing in, and for some that will help. But there are others that I'm sure will always remain a little invisible with their tiny leaves. Can't wait to see your photos!

    Patricia, thank you...and wow. That's too bad. As much as I complain about some of our neighbors choices I'm still thankful we have no HOA to deal with.

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  17. kate, the soil under/around things like the agaves was heavily mixed with chicken grit (and it's built up from the surrounding soil). That was the only serious amending this time Back in round one (2006) when we tore out the lawn and planted the original design (heavy on the phormium, cordylines, grasses) we amended with compost and manure. The plants all responded with crazy growth. I can tell when I start digging when I hit one of those spots and things are richer and darker.

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  18. South this way, we call that one Sedum rubrotinctum, common name "Pork And Beans".

    Your garden looks wonderful. I love it all, though Yucca 'Bright Star' has to be my favorite. You must be thrilled how it has come along.

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  19. Great xeriscape, Loree! Congratulations! Your hard work has certainly paid off. Your plant collection is amazing. Too many interesting ones to comment on and I dare not pick just one. I'll just wait for your posts on the individual plants, if any. Now we just wait to enjoy your posts about them as they grow and fill in.

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  20. If only there were a camera that could capture what our eyes see...especially when we are wearing our rose colored glasses! You have presented a thorough account (never too many pictures) that whets the appetite for progress reports.

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  21. No boring green Portland front garden for you! I like how the neighborhood green lawns give way to something way more interesting. Congrats on the transformation. It's going to be cool to see how things mature.

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  22. It's beautiful, it just takes a little time to become showy. And already the plants are doing lovely cameos in your pics. I actually can't believe how many new plants you've crammed into your front garden. Love the Grevillea juniperina ‘Molonglo’ and the Callistemon sieberi (of course!) And those Yucca rostrada have such presence, even as relative youngsters. Really nice work Loree, and I look forward to seeing the changes as they all mature.

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  23. Just to a lucky dip into your archives and got this post. Fabulous planting and photo's. You should be most pleased with yourself, it's all gorgeous.

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