Monday, March 8, 2021

Sad but also excited; removing my Grevillea rivularis

Damage from our quick week of winter is showing up around the garden. One of the first "oh no!" moments came early, when the foliage of my Grevillea rivularis turned brown, seemingly overnight.

It's a little hard to see, since it's kind of "ferny"—I outlined the plant in orange here...

It was about 95% brown when I went out to cut it all down.

I could have waited, to see if the damage was really fatal, but frankly I was worn down after years of listening to Andrew complain about this plant. His feelings weren't unjustified. Those spikes are sharp and unfriendly (as you would expect, after all = danger garden) and I'd planted it in a bad spot, right next to where he parks. In my defense I wasn't even sure if the plant would live, let alone grow from a tiny 4" baby to a sprawling mammoth beast 6ft tall and 4 or so feet wide. 

Brown against a blue sky...

As I said, there was still a bit of green in there...

Page up a couple of images and you'll see an opuntia leaning out, trying to escape from under the grevillea monster. I decided it had to go too. I cut and pulled and was thrilled to see this chunky root. It went on for quite a long distance but I decided ro chop it off rather than see how much I could extract.

Into the yard waste bin...

And other bits saved to replant elsewhere.

After the removal was complete.

So much empty space to plant!

Before...

After! Yep, those Agave parryi and the Aloe striatula (Aloiampelos striatula) were hanging out underneath for years.

Unfortunately now you can see the a/c unit, which is not a thing of beauty.

The shrub between the a/c unit and the driveway is one of my pineapple guava (Acca sellowiana) the poor thing has had to deal with the grevillea, and then being severely pruned when the front of the house was painted, hopefully now it will get a chance to recover.

So what to plant in the newly empty space? Well since those agaves and the aloe/aloiampelos did so well before I'll be adding a few more. Plus there's the random seedling that popped up under the Grevillea rivularis a couple of years ago. It's not in the best place currently, that's it circled in orange below...

But I think I'll get brave and move it up to the empty space. Will that be a repeat of a plant too big for it's space? I have no way of knowing. Right now this guy looks more like a Grevillea x gaudichaudii, than a G. rivularis.

One other bonus is that it's fun to see the  Edgeworthia chrysantha 'Nanjing Gold' blooms that had always been hidden by the now departed grevillea.

Here's one last poorly lighted before...

And an after...new plants ahead!

Weather Diary, March 7: Hi 50, Low 39/ Precip .26 

All material © 2009-2021 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

22 comments:

  1. I'm sad to see your grevillea go, too. I've always liked it, but Andrew was right, of course, it did seem to grab you as you walked by.

    The gift of open space is rare indeed. I like you're idea of adding more agaves and aloes. They'll be more visible now.

    Speaking of Grevillea x gaudichaudii, how about planting one to cover the newly exposed ground?

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    1. Re: Grevillea x gaudichaudii I already have a couple on the other side of the sidewalk, so I don't think I need another. And if that seedling takes off I wouldn't have space!

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  2. The joy of gardening is having possibilities of plants that actually have room to thrive. I'd put money on the fact that your list is already long and being refined over and over and over. Then a trip to a nursery might change everything...

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  3. I understand moving the Opuntia. However, I thought it was so cool to be growing out of moss. An amazing juxtaposition for sure! No moss here in the Sonoran Desert with the Opuntias!

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    1. I'd had to hack a couple of pads off that opuntia over the years (same issue... to close to the driveway) and it looked ever so awkward without the grevillea to hide it's lean.

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  4. I've always admired that Grevillea rivularis. It's hard to see a good plant go, even when it's in a sub-optimal spot, but once you mourn a little, it does open up new possibilities. If you make your husband happy in the process of switching things out, that's a bonus ;)

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  5. You've given it a good tribute in this post but yay for new planting opportunities!

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  6. When one door closes, another one opens...

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    1. When one plant dies, a new one takes it's place...

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  7. Always a shame to lose a big shrub, but maybe that acca sellowiana will flower up and make some fruit! I planted 2 last year and they took the ice and snow in stride. Love the edgeworthia too! - Jim in N. Tabor.

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    1. This one has been a much better flower producer than the other one, so if it makes even more I'll be happy!

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  8. Looking forward to seeing what this area looks like next year at this time. It was a lovely shrub, but gardening will go forward without it.

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  9. Oh yeah, I can relate especially this year when I went on a removal tear. I know you'll find something to hide the AC.

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    1. I'm dreaming of a bit of wire and a vine...

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  10. I always remember that the death of our gorgeous Doublefile Viburnum is what gave us space to do the stone steps up into the front garden and then the boulder wall and driveway. We might never have made that leap if the Viburnum had lived after a bad winter. Usually a bright side to a plant's demise.

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    1. This is an excellent example of change!

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  11. I can't remember how the area looked before the snow, but once the grevillea turned dead, it looks a lot better without it: open and airy, and I find the AC rather blends in with the house color.

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    1. Yes it was a bit too much for that spot... but I would have kept cutting off bits trying to make the husband happy...

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