Friday, May 18, 2018

Welcome to the jungle...

This is roughly my view as I open my eyes each morning and look out our bedroom window. The softly arching foliage belongs to Metapanax delavayi.

Once I drag myself out of bed and walk over to look out the window this is the view. The Metapanax only gets better the more of it you see. And to think, I paid just $2 for a 14" tall, deformed twig, at the 2010 Cistus Tough Love Sale and it's grown into this...

Down on ground level, having just walked into the back garden, the Metapanax view isn't quite as dramatic. In fact the Schefflera delavayi may steal the show, along with the Polygonatum odoratum and Schefflera brevipedunculata.

But what really matters is the Metapanax delavayi is helping to block the view of U.G.L.Y. — aka our neighbor's garage painted two wall colors and two trim colors for a total of four headache inducing shades of bad (detailed here). Once you're down on the patio level U.G.L.Y. is really obscured. In fact, it's a jungle!

I look back at photos of when this area was newly planted (that would be spring 2014, prior to 90 garden bloggers visiting that summer....) and I cringe. It was all so little. The jungle effect is what I was always after...

Persicaria microcephala 'Red Dragon' is both a star, and a thug. I love it's dramatic foliage, but it's already 5ft tall, and it's only May! It will continue to grow and sometime in July I'll hack it back and it will (hopefully, always has) regrow to a manageable 3ft or so.

I still love the variegated Daphniphyllum as much as the day I bought it, maybe even more. I'm so glad it's carefree because I've lavished no TLC upon it.

Tall plants!

The Paulownia tomentosa was hacked back to manageable size earlier this spring. It's exciting to watch new growth explode from what looks like dead wood. I think this may be the last year it's pollarded and next year we may go for the more drastic coppice.

The non-variegated Daphniphyllum macropodum (on the left, below) has definitely settled in and is looking fabulous, putting on tons of new growth (another photo from a different angle follows in a bit). The Sambucus nigra 'Black Lace' also gets cut back severely in early spring, and quickly regrows a substantial amount of that dark lacy foliage. Barely visible behind all that is an Eriobotrya japonica (Loquat) that's actually large enough now to provide an evergreen screen (hence my thoughts on coppicing the Paulownia).

Smashed into all the jungly goodness is Fatsia polycarpa 'Needham's Lace' — a very special plant that deserves a bigger spotlight than it's getting in my garden. Its new growth is amazing.

Here's that Persicaria at eye level...
And surrounded by a random Grevillea victoriae that I stuck in the mix, but never thought it would amount to much. Thankfully it's getting tall enough to get some real sun and might actually bloom.

Daphniphyllum, again.

And again (I do rather adore this plant)...

And before we can back away from the jungle, proper love must be paid to the Quercus dentata 'Pinnatifida’ (Cutleaf Emperor Oak)... cause it's so cool!

Weather Diary, May 17: Hi 68, Low 55/ Precip 0

All material © 2009-2018 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

26 comments:

  1. What an amazing jungle! I always love looking back, and realizing that well laid plans actually did work out. And plants do usually grow!

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    1. If I ever question that my garden is moving forward all I have to do is pull up a few old posts. Blogging is great that way!

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  2. Your jungle is looking fabulous, Loree. It's pretty amazing to think of how that Metapanax has grown from the little plant you purchased eight years ago, and how the garden has changed in just four years. I didn't see it until post-privet removal. For me, the photos with the privet are barely recognizable.

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    1. That poor Metapanax was moved 3 times before it found it's home, it's a wonder it didn't just give up.

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  3. What a plethora of fabulous foliage.! The view out the window would be enough let alone the fact that it goes on and on. I've learned that you have to have the screening on your side of the fence to hide any bad views. Too easy for neighbors to do something to unmask the ugliness. Alas, a chunk of our hiding hedge died this winter.

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    1. That's so true. I was encouraged by a few folks to ask if I could paint the back of the neighbor's garage, but that never seemed like the right answer for me. Sorry about your hiding hedge!

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  4. In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the Loree sleeps tonight...Your jungle is looking great! What a pleasure to look back over previous posts and see the evolution.

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    1. Funny I was hearing Guns and Roses "Welcome to the Jungle"...

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  5. Red Dragon at 5'+ tall?!! (That's all I could think to say because everything else leaves me speechless -- so great!)

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    1. Seriously, that Persicaria is a beast! And thank you. I wish this was the version you got to see when you visited.

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  6. It's a desert! It's a jungle! It's a desert AND a jungle!!

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  7. You can grow some great plants! I love jungles. It's my favorite garden look, although my current garden doesn't come close to it anywhere, at least not yet. My former tiny garden was routinely referred to as a jungle by visitors, which I received as a compliment.

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    1. It is a compliment, for sure. Unless they say it as they're walking down a garden path with a machete in hand.

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  8. I love the jungle effect and all the leaf textures, esp. the Cutleaf Emperor Oak– it's fabulous. Is it producing acorns yet? You could sell them! ;)

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  9. It is a jungle out there! This would have been great even if it didn't do a double duty of hiding the neighbor's house. How lucky you are to have this delightful view when you wake up every morning.

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  10. So excellent ! My last visit to your garden was Fling. I'm overdue!So do you cut the Sambucus back to the ground ? And if so, how tall is it by seasons end ?

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    1. Yes you are, come visit! No, the Sambucus only gets cut back to a few main branches, I'm a little worried with all the shade at ground level it wouldn't respond so well to the harsher treatment.

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  11. What a wonderful jungle it is. I have that persicaria Red dragon it has never ever got that tall before. It does get to about 3 foot on a good year. Great screening job.

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    1. I am surprised every year at what a monster that Persicaria can be.

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  12. Only $2! I'd say that was a wise investment! It looks like you've achieved your goal, and it's quite impressive. I still regret that I couldn't make it to the Portland Fling, but family events kept me away. If the Fling returns to your area, I definitely want to go so I can see your garden and others!

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    1. And if you're ever in the Portland area on vacation you're welcome to stop by!

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  13. AnonymousMay 21, 2018

    I love the jungle look your garden has. Your plants look so lush and rank, you must have good soil, fertilize. and water well. I'm jealous of your Metapana delavayi, mine is about your plants size but its palmately compounded leaves transformed from five or more leaflets to only 3 leaflets as lobes. I got it many years ago from Heronswood when it was still owned by Dan and Robert. A picture in one of Hinkley's books show a mature plant with a three lobed leaf pattern.

    John, Aberdeen

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    1. The only fertilizing I do is the bamboo in the stock tanks, otherwise it's left to it's own devices. Thankfully I guess my clay soil is nutritious. Your plant sounds more like a thin leaved version of Metapanax davidii.

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