Friday, April 29, 2016

End of the month/April Favorites...

Yesterday I shared the bloom-spike evolution of my Nolina microcarpa, which got me to thinking about the other Nolina in my garden. May I present Nolina ‘La Siberica’

My first Nolina 'La Siberica' sighting was at a fabric store here in Portland, the Whole 9 Yards. I was awe-struck and begged for the name. They couldn't tell me what it was but they did know Cistus had done the garden design, and that's all I needed to know! It was about a month later that I'd purchased this plant...

Then I added a second...

And a third.

Although this one is being eaten by the monster Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica) which I really need to limb-up so it looks like the tree it will be rather than an amorphous blob.

It's also a fav, I mean just look at those HUGE leaves!

I do wish I knew why some of the new growth has done this. It doesn't look happy does it?

I shared a photo of my Sonchus canariensis last week, but since it's blooming it's dandelion flowers I thought I'd include it again here.

The foliage is why I love this plant.

But it never ceases to make me laugh when it blooms. I mean really, I'm coddling a giant dandelion in a container because it's not hardy here in Portland.

Just imagine if it were hardy here!

I bought this Nothopanax/Metapanax delavayi as a sickly little stick at a Cistus Nursery Tough Love Sale back in 2010. Since then it's truly become a garden star...

Doing it's part to block the offensive bi-colored garage...

And sharing it's striking foliage. (Special note to "pseudopanax ferox" if you're reading this post...I have seeds after all! I have no way to contact you but have been saving them hoping you'd comment. Please email me at: spiky plants at gmail dot com).

Okay just one more fav...Schefflera delavayi.

I recently looked back at a post from 2013, when this was newly planted, and realized how much it's grown. But that's not why it's a fav right now...nope, it's the new foliage. My other Scheffleras (S. brevipedunculata and S. taiwaniana) have new foliage that's sort of silver-green. I love the tea-stained look of this new growth most of all.

Since I've been an incomplete blogger and not included info on each fav as I've shared it here's a wrap-up, in case you're curious:

Nolina 'La Siberica': evergreen grass-like perennial hardy in Zones 7 - 11. Likes sun and a little water. Eventually reaches 6 ft tall.

Eriobotrya japonica: evergreen tree hardy in Zones 7 - 10. Likes sun to partial shade and a little water, moderately drought tolerant when established and requires good drainage. Eventually reaches 20-25ft tall, 8-15 ft wide.

Sonchus canariensis: evergreen shrub in climates where it's hardy in the ground (Zones 9 - 11) eventually reaching 8 - 11 ft tall and 2 - 3 ft wide. Likes sun and is drought tolerant.

Metapanax delavayi: evergreen shrub/small tree in Zones 7 - 9, eventually reaching 15 ft tall. Likes sun and requires even moisture.

Schefflera delavayi: evergreen shrub in Zones 7 - 11, eventually reaching 8 ft tall. Likes part shade and requires even moisture in will draining soil.

So...anything worthy of the "fav" designation in your April garden? Please tell us about it!

All material © 2009-2016 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

Thursday, April 28, 2016

Nolina microcarpa, a pre-Friday fav that deserves its own post...

Tomorrow is the last Friday of the month, which means a blog post dedicated to some standout plants for April (favs). Originally I planned to include several photos of my Nolina microcarpa, but when I went through the photos I realized I had taken quite a few and didn't want to cut any out. Thus it's getting it's own dedicated post today...enjoy! Here's the plant the day it came home from Cistus Nursery, back in April of 2014...

It was the afternoon of April 8th when I first noticed that something was going on with it, there in the center...

See it?

A close-up.

Two days later, April 10th, and it's starting to become more pronounced.

I also started to wonder about this plant being monocarpic, dying after blooming. Several Facebook friends have assured me that's not the case.

April 12th...

And we've leaped ahead to April 17th.

It's obvious this isn't going to be a pretty flower, but rather in the "interesting" camp.

April 18th...

Each one of those buds is a tiny flower waiting to open.

April 19th. Above it looked bluish, that was a trick of the late afternoon light. The whole thing has more of a pink tinge, as you can see here.

April 20th.

April 22nd. I take back what I said about it not being pretty, it actually really is.

April 23rd...

I wonder what it will look like as it ages? Will it dry gracefully and remain a decorative bit of the plant? I hoped maybe it meant the plant would branch but after reading up on it I guess that's not possible, although it will form a clump.

And yesterday, April 27th. What a fun show this is, ain't nature grand?


All material © 2009-2016 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Wednesday Vignette - thinking of my mom...

I snapped this photo while visiting Dancing Oaks Nursery earlier in the month. The glass insulators used as garden art took me back to my childhood and my mother's vast collection. Her's were generally found indoors but I have a vague recollection of some being outdoors...I may have made that up. I haven't seen them for years, I wonder if she got rid of them when they moved or they're boxed up in storage somewhere? Guess I need to call my mom...

Wednesday Vignettes are hosted by Anna at Flutter & Hum. All material © 2009-2016 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Project remake: fern dish planters...

Last summer I added a few more of my "dish planters" to the garden. These two were planted up with purple sweet potato vine (Ipomoea batatas 'Blackie') which never really looked as good as I'd hoped (please pardon the lens flare/sun spots...which I actually kind of love)...

This year I decided to plant 'em up with a couple of the same plants that are growing beneath them. Repetition ya know...

Because I do love me some painted ferns (Athyrium niponicum var. pictum)...

Especially when combined with the soft texture of Adiantum venustum.

And because more is always better I added a few bits of Impatiens omeiana, what was left after the garden critters (slugs? root weevils? cutworm?) had their way with them (it's a spring tradition).

I'm hoping maybe the Impatiens will do better out of the ground, up in the sky? At the end of a long, slippery, metal pole...

Pretty please garden gods?

Because I'd piled the soil (and thus the gravel top dressing) so high I was a little worried the hard rain we had last week would wash it out. Nope! It all stayed in place.

Here's to seeing these fill in and become lush with that beautiful fern texture...

All material © 2009-2016 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.