As you walk into the back garden this beauty of a phormium is on your right, or at least it used to be.
I looked back through my old blog posts and found photo evidence if it being in this spot as early as 2012. That's seven happy years, and at least two, maybe three cold and ice events that should have killed it.
But it was a trooper and soldiered on. Well, that is until...
The mealy bug invasion.
I sprayed a few times, when I first discovered them, but there were just too many mealys to kill off. Plus the conditions that allowed this to happen (a shaded base of the plant, which can stay a little on the wet side) weren't going to change. Plus, there was a little rot in there too. It was time to say goodbye.
Honestly though, the fact this plant had survived so much made it hard to let go of, plus it looked so good with the Arachniodes simplicior 'Variegata' to it's side.
After a little prying with the shovel it came out in one complete chunk, and filled the yard waste container completely.
Now there's an empty spot...
But not for long...
The new plants are in place in this photo, but they're so small you can't see them.
It's much easier to see them from this angle...
One plant dug out (plus a few pieces of Saxifraga x urbium 'Aurea Punctata') and fourteen planted in, sounds about right.
I moved the metal aloe pedestal planter back a bit, without the huge mass of the Phormium it didn't make sense for it to be out at the corner of the planting space.
In went a few sempervivum from an earlier haul.
Selaginella kraussiana 'Aurea'
A pair of Coniogramme emeiensis 'Golden Zebra'
And a random Canna lily I picked up on clearance at the everything/grocery store. It was blooming in bright yellow and I sunk it in a container for a color-pop. Now that it's done I figured it's big leaves would add a nice contrast here.
Hopefully it will return and bloom to add a little color next year.
The Cornus sanguinea 'Compressa' was a gift from Roger Gossler earlier in the year, when he brought a group up to tour the garden. I'm glad I finally found a spot in the ground for it.
Those stacked leaves are pretty cool.
Roger also brought me the Rhododendron 'Ebony Pearl' (on the left), those of you who read rhododendron and think massive shrub don't need to worry, this one shouldn't get too big for the space. If so, well, I'll deal with that eventually.
Finally, I planted three more Arachniodes simplicior 'Variegata' to the left of the existing plants.
Old ones...
New ones...
Come spring I need to seed in a little lawn where the phormium had shaded it out. Or maybe dig a few plugs from elsewhere and get it going that way.
I do miss the bright phormium stripes against the dark house, but it's fun to try new plants and see what they do...
Weather Diary, Sept 19: Hi 72, Low 55/ Precip .01"
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Easing the sadness of saying goodbye to an old magnificent surviver means immersing oneself in a new planting project, and the anticipation of how well it will look next year. Gardening is the best thing!
ReplyDeleteYou are so right.
DeleteHard to let go but as you say 7 years is a long time to survive. I actually like what you have done with the new plants better as they are more in scale with the area. The Arachnoides are gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteWe shall see how that scale thing works in a year or two...
DeleteDarn, sorry you had to say goodbye to your phormium that made it through so many winters. However, space for planting is always welcome.
ReplyDeleteAnd rare, these days...
DeleteI have been looking for a spot for that Cornus as it is not in the right place. Since it's under a foot tall it won't be a problem to move it. Nice to see yours at that size as it gives me a sense of what to expect rather than the photos I see of fully grown plants. And I love that Rhodie. Will be interested to watch it grow. I am taking out a plant that I featured in a post today. Mark doesn't like it and he never complains about any planting I do, so it has to go. I haven't had mealy bugs on outdoor plants, ugh.
ReplyDeleteI think my cornus is abnormally open and rangy, good for the spot, but others I see at that height are fuller. I look forward to your post...
DeleteWhat a shame about the mealybugs, that Phormium made such a dramatic statement planted there. It'll be interesting to see how the area matures. That's a lot of plants, I hope the Semps have enough sun there.
ReplyDeleteThere were sempervivum in this spot already, under the metal aloe planter, and they did fine so I anticipate they'll do even better now.
DeleteSaddened for your loss. I adore Phormiums. They have always been a source of inspiration & a delightful medium to use in my work. They always make the greatest ribbons for packages...
ReplyDeleteIndeed they do, and a "wrap" for inside a glass vase. I will miss that.
DeleteSorry about your Phormium, but it served you well! Change is good, or so they say. The variety and textures of the newbies look great.
ReplyDeleteThanks Eliza!
DeleteI thought all PDX Phormiums were goners but yours had a good run and the ones at JC even bloomed this summer...time to give one a try?
ReplyDeleterickii
This one seemed to have been in a magical spot as far as avoiding the PKW's.
DeleteWell, any angst you may have had about losing the Phormium should be more than assuaged its replacements. I love that bamboo fern.
ReplyDeleteYa, new plants are always a good thing. Especially when you can shop from your stash on hand!
DeleteWhen phomiums are good, they are very, very good but.. I love the dark 'Black Rage' I've got now but it loves me back by increasing its girth and crushing neighbors. I don't want to remove it so I've been cutting out the lower leaves so it's now more upright and less outright. Kind of rude maybe to treat it this way, but I figured make it work for the garden or just remove it. I don't pull the leaves out entirely because that seemed to cause problems with other phorms I've grown. I just scissor them out as close to the base as I can get and then pull the old stubs when they've dried. Thinning like this keeps the base open with good air circulation too. It's funny that phorms are now kind of passe here in LA and don't seem to be planted much but I'm sure they'll come around in fashion again. I think getting the size right has been a problem, and then they can die out in patches, or get mealybugs like you had. So glad you found a spot for the semps you've been collecting -- should be magical in spring when they've grown in.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit I've been looking around the garden, trying to find a spot for another one. But so far nothing.'Black Rage' is a beauty. I did the same, cutting the leaves near the base, it's the only way the path into the back garden stayed passable. That's also how I discovered the mealies a year ago and started treating for them.
DeleteHope this is the last you see of the mealy bugs. I expect these types of pests on indoor plants but am always horrified to see them thriving in the "wild."
ReplyDeleteNow I want that fern again. I've only killed it once. That's enough times to give up, is it. I did love that phromium, but a gardener does what a gardener's gotta do. It looks fabulous already.
ReplyDeleteNice that you got to enjoy your Phormium for 7 years which is indeed a good run! Now you have a refreshed area--what you planted there looks great.
ReplyDeleteI removed my Phormiums a few years ago because of Phormium Mealy (Balanococcus diminutus) which appeared in SoCal. Not very controllable with spray.
Cordyline has been a good alternative here, though less cold hardy than Phormium?
Loralee
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to thank you for the run of great posts! I am consistently grateful for the work you put in on this blog. And I am always learning about new plants from you. I don't always comment, but felt a need to express appreciation tonight.