Friday, May 31, 2013

Schefflera-land, all planted up…

When last I posted about Schefflera-land it had just earned the name after having been planted up with both S. delavayi and S. taiwaniana. Since then I’ve been busy adding to the plantings and I’m happy to say things are filling in nicely…

My only frustration is the plants on either end are so much larger than those in the middle, having been in place long before the hydrangea was removed. Hopefully the new hostas and ferns will catch up (maybe next season?) and the prized Schefflera delavayi will attain its rightful status as king of the border sooner rather than later. The S. taiwaniana has a couple of years on it though...

You might remember when the hydrangea was first removed I was unhappy with the fact I could see all the way to the patio from the backdoor and entrance to the garden. It's not quite so bad anymore…

Of course the fact that Clifford (the Magnolia macrophylla) has leafed out helps too.

Here’s a close up look at the entire planting border starting at the east side as you enter the garden and walking towards the patio. I’ll try to name as many plants as possible. (L-R) Fatsia polycarpa ‘Needhams’s Lace,’ Solomon’s Seal working its way through Disporum cantoniense 'Night Heron,' a couple of hostas whose names I don't know, and up against the garage and rusted metal trellis is the Schefflera delavayi (S. taiwaniana peeking through on the far right).

I love the blue hostas! Unfortuantely so do the slugs and other critters.

The S. delavayi has pushed out several new leaves…

Notice the leaf stems of the older growth have turned red. I love the way this looks and it never occurred to me that it could be a problem until just now when I tried to find the proper plant term for the leaf stems. I found several cannabis forums addressing red leaf stems and evidently it’s a sign of nutrient deficiency. Anyone care to share their thoughts on the red stems, should I be concerned??

I’m very happy with the placement of the Impatiens omeiana peeking out from under the Schefflera.

There are also a few Alchemilla mollis tucked in here and there. These were divisions from my mom’s plant. I wonder did the small hosta come from her garden or somehow from mine?

Here’s the middle, where the smaller plants start; Rodgersia ‘Bronze Peacock,' next to it a painted fern (Athyrium niponicum, not sure which one), planted at the base of the trellis and just starting to grow up is a 'Cardinal Climber' Ipomoea multifida, and Epimedium wushanense in the lower center of the photo.

That same area but with the camera pulled back a bit.

I repeated the Rodgersia (here it’s R. podophylla ‘Bronze Form’) and painted fern combo a few times.

I moved my (long abused) Metapanax delavayi here where it can finally get a little more light and be better appreciated, lots of new bright green growth!

At its feet another Rodgersia ‘Bronze Peacock’ with Pyrrosia hastata (on the left).

In the middle between the two trellis are a Disporopsis pernyi fronted by Ligularia 'Osiris Cafe Noir.'

Paris polyphylla (Heronswood form), which was a gift from a garden visitor last summer (thank you Sutter!), it's come back even bigger this year...

The far west side of this border is made up of established plants, with the exception of a few hosta and a couple painted ferns…

...and this Peltoboykinia watanabei which is tucked in at the base of one of the trellis.

I hope I don’t fall out of love with painted ferns anytime soon. As you can see I included quite a few of them.

I also found room for a few more Adiantum venustum (Himalayan Maidenhair Fern).

Established hostas (I don’t know why but I’ve never managed to hang onto their tags and learn their names), Podophyllum peltatum, and Syneilesis aconitifolia.

And finally a shot of the Clematis tibetana var. vernayi on one of the trellis.

Make that two shots, that last one was kind of hard to see.

I hope you enjoyed your visit to Schefflera-land! (which I probably should be calling Araliaceae-land with the Metapanax delavayi and Fatsia polycarpa in there too but that just doesn’t have the same ring does it?) I can honestly say I don’t miss that hydrangea one bit…

All material © 2009-2013 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.

35 comments:

  1. Schefflera-land is looking good. I think there's more mystery with the new plantings in place. Just a hint of the patio through interesting foliage now and not totally obscured with shrubbery.

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    1. That's a really good point Shirley.

      We haven't had any new visitors over since the hydrangea came out, I always loved that little *gasp* people let out when they rounded the hydrangea and saw the whole other half of the back yard.

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  2. This is looking really nice. Great combinations of plants with your Scheffleras. That's going to be fabulous when it all matures. Much nicer than a rhododendron

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    1. Thank you! And actually the rhody space gets much more sun than this (and I'm working on it right now!), the hydrangea (HUGE) used to be here. It's on the north side of the garage.

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  3. Great mixture of plants Loree! Looking very healthy with lots of new growth.

    You have placed them really well and I must admit that they do look nicer than the old Hydrangea even though I was one who said that you should keep it...

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    1. Thanks Adam, and I loved that hydrangea for years so it definitely wasn't ever an eyesore for me. It was invaluable for making the garden feel mature even when so much was new. Plus as a bonus my friend Bridget planted it where I can see it from the sidewalk when I head that direction on dog walks...so it hasn't completely left my life.

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  4. Schefflera land? This will be vine land soon -- cardinal climber is a beauty for its foliage, but got quite large for me before blooming. Things may go differently for your climate though.

    Also, I'm thinking you'll get tired of the painted ferns about the same time you get tired of plants in general (in other words, never).

    Almost forgot: that trellis "has a wonderful patina". It's not "rusty". :)

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    1. And that would be just fine with me (vine-land: more of a block of the patio view). I've grown Cardinal Climber once before, on the chain link gate and it bloomed it's heart out all summer long (it's an annual here, maybe everywhere?). I'd be fine if it never bloomed though, love the foliage.

      I hated painted ferns until I spotted a wonderful combination in Scott's garden last August. Sometimes when one (me) has a quick change of heart one (me) can flip flop back quite rapidly.

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  5. It's looking really good and when those Scheffleras and metapanax get larger it will look very tropical/jungly! I wouldn't have had the guts to get rid of the hydrangea but because you did, that bed is full of a lot more interesting plants and more year-round interest!

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    1. Wouldn't you say that "tropical/jungly" is a desired look/feeling? I know I would. Andrew doesn't feel the same.

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  6. I can't believe this area was just planted--it looks awesome.

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    1. Thanks Heather...I wonder if you'd feel the same if you saw it in person (can't believe it was just planted). The height difference between the ends and the middle is jarring!

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  7. The plants look good, and I'm loving the rusty vine supports visually referencing your orange shade pavilion. What ever -land it is, it's a BIG improvement over the BIG hydrangea!

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    1. Funny you say that Jane (about the shade pavilion) as I hadn't even realized that. What they reference for me is the grid of the walkway and patio. Of course that was more obvious in the early spring before Clifford leaved out and all the containers went on the patio.

      Glad you approve!

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  8. As others have said, the whole area looks stunning.

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  9. How much sun does that area get, do you think? I've been considering adding a small-ish blue Hosta to on of the borders, but was afraid the mid-day sun would fry it.

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    1. Scott you ask a really good question. This area gets a lot more sun than I ever realized! The garage provides shade but the hydrangea made things look even more deceptively shady with its mass. So I'd say the blue hostas are getting morning sun from about 9 til noon and then afternoon from about 3 til 5 (total guess). They are handling it much better than a couple of the ferns are.

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  10. AnonymousMay 31, 2013

    I wouldn't worry too much about the red petioles. In the shade they would turn green. Mine did on both my S. taiwaniana and S. brevipedunculata (what a tongue twister name)when planted in the shade. I have three S. taiwaniana, one planted in the sun has yellow petioles, the other planted in the sun has red petioles, and another that had yellow petioles when purchased has now green petioles growing in the shade.

    You have a very attractive garden with all the leaf shapes, colors, sizes mixed up together, a very tropical look.
    You do realize that those three Schefflera get quit large, like the rhododendron that swallowed the house in one of your posts a while back? So do Fatsia japonica and F. polycarpa, along with Metapanax delavayi. One positive thing is that while cutting them back to size you can take a lot of cuttings to give away or sell.

    John (Aberdeen,WA)

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    1. See I wanted to call them petioles but then started to doubt that I was right, should have just went with it. The S. delavayi is in the shade...just gets a tiny bit of sun...and in fact they turned red when the sun was much lower in the sky and they were getting even less.

      Thanks for the kind words about the garden, and yes I know that someday these will be huge. In fact I am currently facing having to move the F. polycarpa...I knew as soon as I planted it (3 yrs ago?) that it was a bad spot...but I so loved seeing there. I think I'll try and hold off until next spring (moving it) but the husband is going to be complaining about it all summer!

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  11. The trellis are the business but the entire area altogether is stunning, the selection of plants are impeccable (ok, a little bias there with the Scheffleras).

    I think the red leaf stem are called petioles?? Whatever they are the redness is nothing to worry about, and is desirable even. Love your delavayi form, still on the look out for that form here.

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    1. Thanks you guys! Can't wait to have you actually standing here in my garden one day.

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  12. Beautiful as always! I especially like the hanging pots.

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  13. I mourned the loss of that Hydrangea, but this is so YOU. On the strength of this post, I am going to give painted ferns another try. I have a lot of deep shade, but many so-called shade plants seem to really prefer a little bit of sun.
    I know we gardeners always see the future garden in our mind's eye, but this planting looks great to me right now.

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    1. I appreciate that ricki, I am pretty good at seeing the future when I plant but this one has been hard. I think because f the mix of new and old in the same border.

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  14. It looks so much better without the hydrangea; I like the red stems but if it means the plant may die, I'd feed it. What do the horticultural departments out there say?

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    1. Haven't asked them...I figure some of my blog readers, would have first hand experience!

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  15. Zonal DenialJune 12, 2013

    I have two S. delavayis, Loree -- one 7'+ in half sun and one still small in deep shade. Neither have red petioles like yours. I have noticed other plants, however, whose petioles have turned red under stress. Hope your Schefflera grows out of it!

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    1. Okay Z.D. who are you? Do I know you?

      I spoke with Sean yesterday (Cistus) and he assured me that the red petioles were okay, even desirable. We'll see if they last...

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  16. I'm stalking your garden. Can you tell me where you sourced the rusty steel trellis material? The Steel Yard?
    thanks!

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    1. Hi Emma...I actually bought them as finished trellis and got them at a wholesale place but I know the very same ones are sold at The Gardeners Choice in Tigard...and the prices there are very good!

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