Friday, April 25, 2014

Just a quick walk around the garden

Springtime is all about the discovery, and while I am constantly checking-up up on things in person I haven’t really posted much about this spring in the garden, as a whole. Here’s a little walk around sharing some highlights...

The Rheum palmatum is going to bloom, I'm a little worried. It might be more than the garden can handle, so big so luscious, so red!

Just look at that thing!

It was plenty bizarre, and then it started to open.

Even the stem is part of the action!

The Pittosporum divaricatum has never looked better. All those tiny bright green leaves (and yes, this is the least blurry photo I could manage)...

My Microcachrys tetragona finally made it in the ground, this silly little plant makes me so happy!

Parahebe perfoliata

One of the pair of tetrapanax trunks not leaving out from the top finally started to do so from the side.

This is the other one. I hope one of those nubbins starts to grow!

I couldn't bear the sight of the dead tips so I cut the trunks back. I forgot how crazy interesting they are. A woody edge surrounds a white spongy material in middle.

I got all excited when the eucomis started to push up out of the soil. My excitement tempered a bit when I realized only one of three clumps is returning.

My crazy little lewisia which starts to bloom orange and then fades to pink.

Gross. Bye bye Mr. Slug.

My favorite thing about Fatsia japonica might just be the new growth.

Heck all new growth is pretty fabulous! Mahonia fortunei 'Curlyque'

The tip on my Mahonia x media 'Charity' turned crispy this winter looked dead. It's wonderful to see new growth happening.

Schefflera brevipedunculata

There are two stems on the plant, one with new growth (above) and one which I (stupidly) broke, causing the new growth to fall to the ground (and me to swear, loudly). Those little side buds have been swelling and I think they're going to start growing, thank god.

This patch of Solomon's Seal is on borrowed time. It looked lovely next to the hydrangea (which left last year) but not so good anymore...a little out of place...

New growth on Metapanax delavayi...

And Schefflera taiwaniana...

Now that my clumps of Syneilesis aconitifolia have gotten bigger it's hard to appreciate the individual leaves. Some thinning may be in order, although I tried to divide it last year to share with my mom and failed miserably.

This fern is the only remaining one of about 20 we inherited with the garden.

And this is one of the unfurling fronds on my Dicksonia Antarctica, the one that lives in a container. The one in the ground is definitely dead, I picked the wrong winter to experiment.

My variegated Daphniphyllum is going to bloom!

But my relocated Loquat isn't so happy, poor thing.

However my, also recently moved, Fatsia polycarpa is going to make it (big sigh of relief). Although winter seems to have done a real number on it's growing tip. No signs of branching on the trunk, but it's definitely still alive so it's got to push some new growth out somewhere...(please!)...

And finally it turns out the winter damage to my Bocconia frutescens was a blessing in disguise. Since the foliage was toast I cut it back hard and look...a much fuller plant with lots of leaves, a happy ending. Oh and yes, that poor spider has been hanging out there for weeks, with no customers.

All material © 2009-2014 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

34 comments:

  1. Broken growing tip just means bushier plant (as the last photo reinforces)

    It's funny how your "eye" differs from mine... you have many plants that show lots of stem, with tiny leaves or few of them, and once a plant fills out a bit you say it needs to be thinned. I look at that same plant and say "ah, finally filling in". :)

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    1. Whoa, new avatar picture!

      I don't recall mentioning "thinning" a plant previously because it was too full, I love mature plants in the garden, that's a big part of why I was upset at loosing several from the winter cold. This particular plant, the Syneilesis just seems to loose some of the beauty of the individual leaves when they are so overlapping, not that I plan to do anything about it!

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  2. You wrote: "this silly little plant makes me so happy!" and "Heck all new growth is pretty fabulous!" To me this is what gardening is all about, making us happy and giving us the excitement of watching things grow! What made me laugh is what I've said before and I'll say it again, what grows 1,000 miles north grows here at 7,000 feet! I'm talking about the corn lily, the lewisia, the solomon's seal and some of the ferns. The Rheum palmatum is handsome, another plant that needs cold. Reading blogs is so much fun!

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    1. Good points! Yes that Rheum palmatum grows just as well (and maybe better) at my parent's up in in Spokane, Zone 5, where there is certainly no lack of cold.

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  3. Great post, I really enjoyed getting a look at your garden and how it's doing. I also love the new growth on Mahonia 'Charity.' My Fatsia is looking quite pitiful too, the growing tip and leaves are funky like your polycarpa. I'm pretty sure I lost two of my four Eucomis this winter, although one of them is producing a nice-size clump. I also like the look of the crowded Syneleisis.

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    1. I'd taken those photos earlier in the weekend yesterday happened to notice even more new growth on the mahonia, yay! I keep looking at the spot where there used to be eucomis just trying to will them out of the ground, so far no luck.

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  4. Thanks for the tour! My sentimental side is glad that you still have one sword fern. As exotic as your garden is, it's nice to see an iconic NW native.
    Jim N. Tabor

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    1. I agree, that and the fact it's most likely been through a few owners of this house (the sword fern), it deserved to stay.

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  5. fifi lafontaineApril 25, 2014

    Whoa, so much to lift the spirits in your yard! It also reminds me of my hunt for the seemingly very elusive Schefflera Taiwaniana... and Wow, that Metapanax Delavayi is way cool too. Great post!

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    1. We'll find you a S. taiwaniana, don't you worry!

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  6. So many treasures in your garden! I hope that someday my pathetic Syneilesis aconitifolias will look as good as yours! I continue to marvel at how your gravel mulch keeps everything looking so good and how you magically balance xeric/succulent/cacti with moisture loving forest floor gems.

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    1. Ha! Just yesterday I was planting something and realized within a few feet of each other I have opunita and peonies...Fatsia japonica and agaves. Lordy what a mixed up mess! It's a garden only it's mother could love...

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  7. And it makes me happy to take this quick walkabout with you. I have to use discipline when strolling here, noting the good things and ignoring the weeds (at least until I can get to them). The Solomon's Seal I got from you has enlarged my patch considerably and it looks right at home in the woodland with Oxalis at its feet.

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    1. Glad to know the Solomon's Seal lives on in your garden!

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  8. Love seeing the new growth on the metapanax and the schefflera tawaniana! I was able to snatch up both of those at the HPSO sale! They are residing in pots right now, til I can figure out the best spot for them in the ground. I fried a schefflera brevipunctulata last summer, so I am a little nervous! Hooray for spring! Cheers- Kiersten

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    1. Yikes! Well you could look at it as though you already did the killing so these knew acquisitions are bound to be successful!

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  9. You have a fabulous collection of plants and going through your photos are enjoyable as always. So much positivity leaping out from the photos now that spring is in full swing there. Glad to see the schefflera and the tetrapanax flushing away.

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    1. Spring is possibly going to rapidly transition to summer with weather in the 80's next week. I am thrilled!

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  10. Gorgeous plants and foliage. I'm glad to see I´m not the only person that accidentally breaks new emerging parts of plants...I also swear when that happens.

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    1. A nice string of four letter words can make any bad situation better, can't it?

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  11. Wow..what an exciting tour! The Rheum palmatum is pretty bawdy : ) I love new foliage in the spring. The colors are so fresh and not fade by the sun yet. Happy Gardening!

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    1. Indeed the green-ness of Portland right now is amazing...none of the golden lawns and scorched foliage that will appear later in the summer.

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  12. I love all the new growth, especially the Schefflera taiwaniana. I wouldn't worry about the loquat. Looks like it's just a few damaged leaves. Ha! I can't imagine having only one sword fern. The woods around the house probably contain 2-3 acres worth of them!

    Looking at that Rheum all I can think of is George Takei saying, "Oh my!"

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    1. I'm sure the last week of cool temperatures and rain probably did a lot of good for the loquat, at least that's what I'm telling myself.

      I think we've probably removed 10-12 other sword ferns, maybe more. They were such a mash of ugly.

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  13. Wow, you've got so many unusual plants. I'm envious because most of them wouldn't be able to deal with out dry soils. I'm eternally torn between plants that need more water than we can provide, and desert plants.

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  14. Good to see so many of your plants bouncing back -- better than ever! I would love to see the final blooms of the Rheum palmatum! Now you've teased my curiosity! ;-)

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    1. It gets better every day, I'll be sure to share a photo or two when it's at it's peak.

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  15. Oh my, that flower spike on the Rheum looks quite alien, doesn't it?

    I reckon your Fatsia polycarpa will come good again. The growing point on mine was whacked one winter and the following spring it produced 4 new growing points.

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    1. Yesterday I noticed a couple of suspicious looking points on the trunk, swelling as though they're up to something. We shall see...

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  16. Your garden always looks so lush and green with the exception of that loquat. You are the master of unusual plants. I won't be at the fling so hope all goes well. Even if it rained your garden would look wonderful. I think it is an all weather garden.

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    1. You give me too much credit! (master) I'm just a hopeless addict. And I do so wish you were going to be here in July!!!

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  17. My new loquat is doing the same thing and dropping all the old leaves. I'm crossing my fingers watching all the new fuzzy silver leaves emerging. Looking good over there!

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  18. The top half of my Tetrapanax died, but it was sprouting. Last summer it easily reached 10'. When I went to prune it I noticed that the bottom half had a noticeable fissure just under the bark, and much of the trunk was squishy, so I gut it to the ground. Thankfully I do have a nice new sprout coming from the base.

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