Wednesday, September 12, 2012

New plants!

While taking pictures of my new Clematis tibetana var. vernayi for yesterday’s blog post I realized just how full my "plant holding area" is getting. I’ve got quite a few things waiting for when the rains return and the soil is once again workable, and I've also enjoyed taking part in a few plant trades recently. I think it’s time to share pictures of the goods!

Let’s start with the trades. Alan of It’s Not Work It’s Gardening sent me a bamboo care package back in early August…

Now mind you the email I got from him beforehand started something like “I am sending you some variegated bamboo” what’s a smart person going to do but just say “okay,”... right?

Not only did I get 2 different variegated bamboos, Pleioblastus fortunei…

and Pleioblastus viridistriatus…

But also a beautiful chunk of Phyllostachys bissetii…

And another of Sasa tsuboiana!

How cool is that? Alan I hope you won’t panic when I say that I put the Pleioblastus viridistriatus and Phyllostachys bissetii in the same container. It’s just temporary! IKEA only had three of these metal pots so until I make it back (and hopefully they’ve restocked) they are happily cohabiting.

The next trade was actually a “thank you” from Pam at Digging for sending her an Opuntia she tracked down at Cistus, I received a care package full of pups! Manfreda 'Macho Mocha'…

Agave bracteosa

A hardy Dyckia…

And several small Agave 'Green Goblet' and Aloe maculata pups which are currently enjoying life planted at the base of my Pear Tomato…

Oh, you're probably wondering about the trio of Opuntia pads in the same container? Those are O. macrocentra from R. at Gardening Turned Up to Eleven, another trade. I think I’ll over-winter them, and the pups from Pam, in my “denial garden” the drive way stock tanks (also known as my veggie garden) which stay fairly warm and dry throughout the winter.

R. also sent me a nice big Opuntia ficus-indica 'burbank spineless,' on the left in this group shot taken shortly after arrival.

I think that takes care of the trades…then there are some gift plants! When I visited Ryan Miller’s garden back in July I left with a seedling from a Dierama reynoldsii he purchased from Far Reaches Farm last year. I’m kind of tough on small seedlings so I hope this guy makes it.

My friend JJ made a trip to the Ruth Bancroft Garden mid-summer and brought me back an adorable little Agave macroacantha! Unfortunately it got a little singed on our bright hot 102 degree day, but I'm sure with a little time and TLC it will recover...

Another gift, from a recent visitor to my garden, is Agapanthus ‘Marchants Cobalt Cracker’ a dark blooming Agapanthus from England. Since my variegated Agapanthus died in the winter of 2010 I’ve only got one Agapanthus in my garden, I hope this one grows up…fast!

A few other plants (in addition to the Clematis) followed me home from Cistus, including an Acnistus australis, from Argentina.

With miniature blue/purple Brugmansia-like flowers…

When I spotted the mature foliage of this Crinum it stopped me in my tracks. I thought it was a floppy Phormium, but no. I wish I would have taken a picture of it….I also hope I can keep this tiny baby alive and someday have it look as amazing as what I saw in the greenhouse…

Yucca schottii 'Chiricahua High'

“A Cistus Introduction, our collection from near the summit of the Chiricahua Mts., a hardy yucca with very blue-gray leaves, to 3' long and sharply pointed, both stiff and more flexible than other "tree" yuccas. Eventually to 10' tall, single-trunked in youth to about 6' tall x 4' wide, then multi-trunked. Early summer flowers are white on tall stalks. For sun to part shade. An excellent garden species, both very drought tolerant and very frost hardy, accepting temperatures to -10 °F, USDA zone 6.”

Trunked! 10 ft tall! Oh ya!!!! Plus look at those thin red edges to the leaves…sexy!

I don’t know if you remember my multiple photos and virtual fawning over the Amsonia when I posted about Scott’s garden last month…but ever since seeing his beautiful plants I knew I had to have one, two, three…okay. I stopped at two.

And I can’t wait to get them in the ground, but wait I will…until we get a little rain. Amsonia hubrichtii from Xera Plants… “Also known as threadleaf blue star this North American native is a fantastic perennial that is tough as nails but elegant at the same time. Large erect stems to 3' tall are ringed in 3" fine thread like leaves. In late spring the stems are topped with pale blue star shaped flowers that are fragrant. Its most glorious moment arrives in fall when all parts of this deciduous perennial turn golden yellow and remain in place for a month or more. Fantastic. Full sun to high overhead shade in well drained soils Heat and drought tolerant and long lived…Tolerant of clay soils.”

Another plant from Xera…Callistemon viridiflorus 'Xera Compact'

I’m growing two of the “regular” C. viridiflorus (one in the back garden and one in the front) which promise to reach 5-8ft tall and 8ft wide…I look forward to having another smaller version. I think it will go out front, maybe where one of the Verbascum olympicum “were” (as in once I finally dig them out).

This brings my grand total of Callistemons to 12…maybe a couple too many for a small urban garden? Nah….

Finally I will admit that I’ve actually started stockpiling for next spring. I know. It’s a sickness for sure. But at 30% off $3.99 ($2.79) I figured it was worth seeing if I could successfully over-winter these Echium candicans 'Star of Madeira'…

Wish me luck!

Since we had no fall Hardy Plant Society of Oregon Plant Sale this year I think of these as a kind of a replacement “fall haul”…what about you? Have you started accumulating plants again in anticipation of planting?

35 comments:

  1. I think you have almost as many plants waiting for fall planting as I do. I have lots! And lots of work to do too to get the areas ready for them. I'm going to pull out a bunch of columbines to plant a more interesting variety of shade foliage plants. They are all sitting there being faithfully watered. I love that Amsonia too, I have one tiny little clump of it that I'm hoping survives and increases. Your waiting plants are so interesting!

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    1. I've been told the Amsonia will be pretty slow to fill in, how old it your clump?

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  2. I've got my planting stockpile, too. I was feeling kind of sheepish about the growing size of the group, but now you've got me feeling pretty positive! I want to plant them, but I REALLY DO NOT want the rains to return, at least yet. What a delicious dilemma.

    So where did you score those lovely and affordable young echiums?

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    1. Oh gosh...me either! I am simply loving the continued wonderful weather.

      I got the Echium at Portland Nursery on Division, part of their "annuals" sale.

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  3. Hooray for new plants! I'm trying to stay away from nurseries because love a sale and I love plants. Trying. Not succeeding. Way more plants than space - what's new? You have some beauties waiting in the wings!

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    1. As I recall you had a small patch of grass in your front yard...maybe it's time to plant that up!?

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  4. OMG...I love that I'm not the only one who buys plants now for spring! I'm so excited for your Amsonia...I think you'll love them (and how tough they are)! If you want to see the most amazing one in our area, Joy Creek has one just off their retail area...turns the most stunning mix of orange and gold in the fall. Seeing it several years ago sold me on the plant forever.

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    1. Uhm...perhaps I will have to plan a little journey to Joy Creek!

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  5. I'm glad I'm not the only one hoarding - I mean accumilating - plants for fall planting. While I'm enjoying the summer weather, I'm very antsy for the first rains because I'm ready to hit the ground running. I have a long to-do list that includes transplanting, shovel-pruning, and getting the stock-pile into the ground. October will be busy. And now I want that Amsonia - I've been thinking about this plant for some time now - and I guess it's finally time!

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    1. Yay! Glad to fuel your plant addiction. As for the rain...I'm sure it will come soon enough, no wishing for it here.

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  6. Wow! thats so fun! I'm really happy you got that clematis at cistus. But those care packages are really wonderful. especially when they include agave bracteosa!!! The yucca schottii is really amazing and promising. Have you seen the one on Ian's desert northwest website http://www.desertnorthwest.com/gallery/gallery_seattle.html ... It's really amazing. actually the best word for a plant of that magnitude of wonderful is EPIC!

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    1. Thanks for the link Louis! I hadn't seen any of those pictures before, fun stuff. Plus seeing that photo will help me better site my Yucca, so as not to create an EPIC disaster!

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  7. Your "denial garden" -- ha! Tell the pups hi from me--that is, if you talk to your plants. I do on occasion. I can't believe how many plants you acquired in trade or as gifts, but like you, I also stockpile plants for fall planting. We got a bit of cool, fall weather (though no rain, sadly) last weekend, so I spent a total of 12 hours in the garden planting my stockpile and transplanting others. God, I was sore afterward.

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    1. Oh ya...last winter was the first time I really went crazy with the denial garden, having brought a lot of pups back from the desert SW trip. But I can see that it's going to happen again this year.

      I don't generally chat with my plants but I will be sure to give these a hello from you.

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  8. Accumulating for fall planting? I haven't even gotten all of my spring acquisitions into the ground yet!

    I do need to look around for some bargains and/or unique plants though. I've got a couple of new planting beds planned that will need to be filled. :-)

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    1. Alan...you might want to get on that, spring is most definitely over.

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  9. Wow, you can open a backyard nursery soon, LOL. But I'm with you all the way. You can't ever have enough plants. At the moment I only have a handful of plants waiting to go in the ground but more are on the way from Yucca Do...

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    1. Yes I think my husband is a little fearful that's where things are headed. There is a lady a few blocks away that has a big plant sale every summer. Maybe I'll have to follow her lead.

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  10. That's one big group of plants there. I like the Ikea containers a lot. We have several swaps here and it's so much fun. Amsonia was one plant a friend shared last spring and I'd love to see it bloom, but I think it will be next year now.

    I just came inside from several hours of planting and repotting my accumulation of plants over the summer. It's cooled down and we're expecting rain.

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    1. Do you guys have an IKEA nearby? They have some great inexpensive metal containers.

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  11. I don't think you'll be able to fit them all in, but I've got plenty of free space!!!

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    1. Thanks for the offer...I'll keep that in mind!

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  12. Nice! great collection of newbies there. I'm really in love with that Acnistus australis. Looks a lot like Iochroma.

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    1. Actually you're right, that's one of the "also known as" names for that plant!

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  13. It's wonderful to have plants waiting in the wings so when a spot opens up you have something to fill it. That's my excuse!

    I very curious about what the purple plant is to the right of the adorable little Agave macroacantha.

    Ragna

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    1. Sounds like a great excuse to me!

      The plant you ask about is Echeveria 'black prince'...it's blooming right now!

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  14. Love it! I love trading cacti pads etc with other people. That's the best reward of living in the desert. I have a nursery behind our shed where I take unwanted, dying or new plants and try to restore them to their former glory before finding a place to put them:) And I'm kind of a plant hoarder....I can never say no to freebies:)

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  15. Networking: the gardener's way..business men & women, eat your hearts out.

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    1. Hahaha, so true, what a world we would live in if gardeners ran it!

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  16. Yay for plant swaps, trades, and gifts! And I like the way you used the space at the base of your pear tomato to re-root the Opuntias and other succulents. Love that Yucca schottii 'Chiricahua High', I want one!! Oh and the Amsonia too!

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    1. Yes the poor veggies are getting slowly crowed out in favor of the "denial garden"...in fact the Sungold tomato is coming out tomorrow so another gift (a huge but somewhat tattered Agave) can go in and hopefully be nursed back to health.

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  17. I have a few plants clogging the greenhouse up though I can't bear to leave them out exposed to in the winter weather. Besides . . .
    Where to put them?

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  18. What a score, you've got it bad. I've been trying to tame the plant hoarding but it's a difficult itch, not to scratch. So many wonderful plant obscurities, nothing quite like a surprise box of strange plants.

    Love the echiums, I seeded some earlier this season and have a small army of them. Here's hoping for a mild winter. Keep me in mind for a slice of that red E. trigona you have, I'm sure I have something that you'd find interesting. :)

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  19. I can't wait to see your new yucca grow up--that sounds spectacular!

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