Friday, July 31, 2015

Looking to the front garden, for my favorites wrap-up of July 2015

This month I thought I would do something a little different, the focus is on plants from the front garden, favorites still - but ones that grow out there in the public realm.

The front garden tends to get short shrift, from me and visitors. I walk by it, and through it, several times a day. Both the sofa and the table where I work have views out to the front garden. In the winter, when the patio furniture is stored and the containers are all tucked away the back garden is rarely visited, and the front garden becomes an even more important source of inspiration for me. However most of my photo taking for the blog happens in the back garden (maybe because I'm a little self conscious of snapping photos where everyone can see me and wonder what I'm up to?). And while visitors approach through the front garden they rarely spend time there. It's a pass-through space, not a linger space. It does however provide a advertisement for doing things a little bit different. There's no doubt a plant lover lives here! So, on to the front garden...

But wait, something about this image was bothering me. It took awhile to realize what was wrong, why it didn't seem right.

That's better! The green front door was missing, nothing a little photo coloring/editing can't fix (it looks so professional, ha!). The door is open a lot because we've got a glass security door and Lila loves to park herself in front of it to keep tabs on the neighborhood.

I'm still mourning the loss of my ground-cover Grevilleas (winter 2013/14) thankfully the several Blue Pacific Shore Juniper I planted to replace them are slowly filling in...but I digress, let's take a closer look at a couple of plants I'm really digging this month!

Here's the fist plant I want to focus on, Opuntia echinocarpa 'Portal Blonde' (Wiggin's Cholla). This was a gift from Sean, at Cistus Nursery, late last winter.

"A Cistus Intrduction: One of Sean's original collections from 1981 from the east face of the Sierra Nevada just downhill from the Whitney portal. This small cholla, to about 4 feet, is clothed with arm golden spines that fade cream as they age. Yellow flowers in mid spring. Lovers of particularly well-drained soil and easy to grow. A fine container or landscape plant. Zone 3."

It's the spines that grab me...(yes, really).

You may have noticed this fine creature lurking in the background. It's an Ochagavia carnea that I picked up from Dan Hinkley (Windcliff Plants) at the 2014 Plant Nerd Night. It's been in the ground since later that spring and is forming a couple of pups at it's base.

"Chilean bromeliad, proven a warrior in the PNW, taking extreme weather events of the last decade in stride. Rosettes of barbed glossy leaves form substantial mounds, showy pink heads appear at the center during late summer. Full sun or very light shade in average draining soils."

Next up: Hebe ochracea 'James Stirling', no, it's not dead.

See, there's a sort of green cast if you look close.

I love this Hebe! It's hardy in Zones 7 to 9, reports of its size vary but it's supposed to be a dwarf variety - remaining fairly small and certainly less than 2ft x 2 ft. Want to learn more? There's a nice little article about this pant in the SF Gate.

Time for a plant update. Remember the Cotinus coggygria 'Royal Purple' I chopped back to short sticks in May? Here it is now...

Nice rebound eh?

Rhamnus frangula (Fine Line Buckthorn), the sort of bad-hair-day plant just right of center. I was just admiring how columnar it was growing and then we had a brief downpour, the poor thing was splayed out in every direction. It's recovered fairly well thank goodness, that upright habit is why I planted it...

The great bark is another reason (photo reused from an earlier post). This one isn't invasive like other thin-leaved buckthorns apparently are, and it's extremely cold-hardy, good down to Zone 3. Eventually it will reach 6 ft tall, and might (like after a strong summer rain) spread to 3 ft wide.

I love this view of the front garden from the northeast corner of the house (that's the Rhamnus again, on the right), it looks so wild. You can see the edge of the sidewalk to the front door.

Just around the corner from the Rhamnus is this combo: Amsonia hubrichtii backed by Canna 'Australia' with Daphne x houtteana, Euphorbia rigida and Agave ovatifolia...

I featured the Daphne x houtteana as a favorite in November of last year. It earned favored status then for staying alive when I buried it in a very unfortunate spot. I vowed to find a better home come spring and I think I did, it seems very happy here.

It's reported to have lightly scented purple flowers in late spring, I didn't get any this year. It wants full sun for best color, even moisture and grows in Zone 6-9 (eventual height of 2-3 feet). That's my favorites wrap-up for July, what have you been appreciating in your garden? Please tell us about it!

All material © 2009-2015 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

33 comments:

  1. Looking beautiful Loree! I can just imagine how many people passing by stop to admire your front garden :)

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    1. Thanks guys, and you're right. It always makes my day when I see someone stop to look closer. It's even better when I get to talk with them.

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  2. I still regret not having had time to photograph your front yard when we were there last month. Next time I visit, it'll be the first thing I do.

    Great plants all around, but two stand out for me:

    Rhamnus frangula
    Daphne x houtteana

    Two more plants for that imaginary PNW garden that exists only in my head!

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    1. Your making a point of saying that you wanted to come back and photograph it got me to really thinking about the way I, and other people, interact with it. It was a good mental exercise - and I'm not sure I really expressed my feelings well in the intro to this post. The garden has completely fulfilled my goals for it. It's largely maintenance free (unlike the back garden), drought tolerant, a little wild and rangy, and a big ad for gardening...replacing the summer dormant lawns that are so ugly, with something better and more lively (it's so alive with critters!). It is full of plants that I enjoy in the winter months. But it also doesn't have any place to sit and observe (other than the front porch, which we do on occasion) and no paths through it (other than the mailman's - up near the Rhamnus/Daphne area). So it doesn't really invite people in, there just wasn't space for that - or the need really. Anyway...thanks for the opportunity to think a little more about the space!

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  3. I remember being tempted by that Ochagavia from Windcliff at one of the Heronswood sales, but I didn't buy it, I didn't actually believe what it said about the hardiness. But I'm trying to find some prickly plants to deter the raccoons, so it might go on the list. What's the sun orientation of your front garden? Is it a full sun western exposure like mine?

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    1. I don't really believe the hardiness either, but figured what the heck, I'd never know unless I tried. Our house faces east, so the front garden gets the morning sun and parts of it are sunny most of the day. It's currently 3:40 pm as I type and everything except the strip right up against the house is still in the sun.

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  4. I laughed at your introductory remarks about photographing your front garden. I always feel weird doing that too and try to time my photographic missions for periods when walkers and drivers are less likely to come by. Your Cotinus has me thinking if that might be a suitable replacement for the Grevillea 'Bonfire' that I just lost. And I love the Amsonia, which my Sunset guide says should grow here, but which I never see in local garden centers - what's up with that? My favorite this week is one I expect you'll like (even if my photos are crap): http://krispgarden.blogspot.com/2015/07/my-favorite-plant-this-week-doesnt.html

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    1. I do know I overlooked Amsonia at the nurseries for awhile, I finally started seeing it in other people's gardens and realized I needed some. Maybe it's there but just not making itself known to you?

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  5. I had to look up that Hebe , I had 'James Stirling' and 'goldesk' I'm not sure which one I still have. One of them needed a bit more WATER in the summer months than I gave. Not this summer , I've learned my lesson.
    I have found the Hebes are very easy to take cuttings from !

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    1. Really, cuttings? Who knew. Maybe I'll experiment!

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  6. I love your front garden. In some ways, I enjoy it more than the back because it features so many of the drought-tolerant plants I'm looking to add to my garden. I even want to specifically make one area a gravel garden, but I'm afraid I've got too many other projects to finish first. Those last three photos are fantastic. Excellent color combo! Here's my favorites wrap-up: http://practicalplantgeek.blogspot.com/2015/07/july-favorites-wrap-up.html

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    1. Thanks Evan! I do enjoy the relative carefree-ness of the front garden. Although I have watered it more this summer than I care to admit.

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    2. (I'm doing a once a week hand water, with a couple of exceptions for things I planted really late in the season - they get the a/c drippings which I collect in a watering can)

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  7. Your front garden bears close examination and is a pretty good booby prize for those who don't gain entrance to the back yard sanctuary. If it was all I saw, I'd still be mighty impressed. My James Stirling is in an out-of-the-way spot where even I overlook it...must put it on the "move this" list. The Daphne is a knockout.

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    1. Thanks Ricki, and I like the term "back yard sanctuary" that is kind of how I feel about it! I'm so glad I picked a good spot for the Daphne, she deserves it.

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  8. Oops...forgot to leave my link: http://bannersbyricki.com/archives/4811

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  9. Looks great. I can just imagine Lila looking out, guarding your plants. A couple there for me to look for to add to my garden, although sometimes names don't translate to the UK.

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    1. Names are a funny thing aren't they? I hope you are lucky. And yes, Lila is a very good garden watch-dog.

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  10. Pretty nice for just a pass-through. Anyway to make it a destination? It looks like one to me.

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    1. Thanks Hoov, I guess I could plop a couple of chairs out there? Nah....

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  11. There are lots of treasures in your front garden! Opuntia echinocarpa 'Portal Blonde' is gorgeous and I can just imagine the winter sun lighting those beautiful spines.

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    1. I'm having a hard time imagining anything winter related right now, what with all the heat. (I am not complaining).

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  12. Not all gardens have to be sit-and-linger gardens. The Japanese, for example, have both stroll gardens and view gardens. Yours is more of a view garden from both the front sidewalk and your own window. Sometime I'd like to see this garden as viewed from your windows. Do you take into account both the interior and the streetside view as you design it? I'm sure you do.

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    1. Ah you're giving me too much credit! I've only taken the inside view into account when placing a few plants, not the overall design. And I will try to remember to take a few photos from the inside sometime. It's absolutely shocking how different it is from when I did this series of images. Maybe it's time to do another "year of mornings"...
      http://www.thedangergarden.com/2011/11/year-of-mornings.html

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  13. Your front garden is full of treasures, including your door! The Amsonia combo is of particular interest to me because I feel I have fewer dramatic contrasts in our colder zone. That grouping is masterful.

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    1. Thank you, and the real door is so much better!

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  14. I'm more focused on the front garden than the back, that's where most of the color is. Your Cotinus looks great.

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    1. Thanks Jason, hope your tour went well!

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  15. Boy oh boy, Opuntia echinocarpa 'Portal Blonde' has some lethal but seriously cool spikes.On the other end of the spectrum (non-threatening) I love the daphne, especially next to the euphorbia (the shot with the amsonia and agave is a great combo too! My favourite

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    1. I put a photo of that Opuntia on my computer desktop background, I'm still not tired of staring at the spikes!

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  16. That cholla is totally swoon-worthy. I think the front garden looks great, and it was interesting to read your reply to Gerhard. Drought-tolerant, maintenence-free, beautiful... sounds like a perfect front yard to me.
    The manzanita is 'Howard McMinn,' right? I bought a little one last week up in Big Bear -- was yours a slow grower? I'll search the archives...

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  17. That's a wonderful spot to hang out in! So many great textures and colors. Good job with the green door, too . .

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