Here's a wide shot of the shade pavilion area, photo from late August.
Photo annotated with my thoughts...
The neighbor's backyard studio is new construction and is a fun shape echo to the shade pavilion, and it's a little dark on the far right of the photo, which tells me the wall of laurel and hazelnut hadn't yet been pruned (massacred).
Finally, the pyrrosia! A close-up...
Exhibit A; the container is three separate parts that I happened to have laying around and managed to fit together. The base is a vent cap, the lower cone shape is a piece Andrew bought home from work, something they were getting rid of, it is VERY heavy. The top cone shape is... can you guess?
A funnel...
The plant is a fantastic Pyrrosia polydactyla I picked up at Secret Garden Growers (it's not readily available there, yet).
This pyrrosia is a "sp" (species) I purchased at the Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden. The leaves (fronds) are a little wider, more glossy, and the veins are much darker than your average pyrrosia.
Exhibit C is that "planter" on the far right. Okay, it's actually not a planter, but rather a vintage metal bucket shape that used to be in grocery stores for weighing produce (at least that's my memory).
I picked it up at a reuse shop last month.
I was thrilled to finally have a use for this heavy-duty hook I brought home when we cleaned out my dad's shop.
The bucket shape has been a handy catch-all for plants in waiting (you know, plants you buy but don't have an immediate place for); some of them at least.
That's where this cool Pyrrosia hastata 'Storm Watch' has been hanging out since I brought it home. I'm still scheming on where it's going to end up.
Finally, remember the new step I "unveiled" last June? What I didn't point out back then was the narrow empty space between it and the wall. There's a piece of metal that runs along the edge of the patio pavers that made snugging the step up against the wall problematic. I was toying with growing moss in the planters I squeezed in there, but then I thought...pyrrosia!
It's Pyrrosia lingua and it's an experiment (kind of like my whole garden) but so far they're doing fine.
What I know about these says they'd probably like a little more light than they're getting, but we shall see. I'm keeping a close watch on them.
I definitely like the look of their leathery fronds peeking up at me.
Exhibit B; is part of a jack stand, topped with the same dish I use for my other dish planters—it's the top of a chicken feeder.
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Loree, can pyrrosias be grown as houseplants? Are they pretty hardy?
ReplyDeleteI had one in the house recently as part of a centerpiece and it wasn't happy after a couple weeks, I think they need more humidity than the average house supplies. They are typically temperature hardy to Zone 7/8.
DeleteI've been impressed by my one and only Pyrrosia (lingua), currently in a pot in my lath house. If and when I find more, I'm going to try planting them in the ground. However, the only place I've ever seen any Pyrrosia offered for sale here was Seaside Gardens in Carpinteria, which I usually only get to about twice a year.
ReplyDeleteHopefully they'll start to be more widely available, there are so many interesting leaf (frond?) shapes.
DeleteI love seeing your garden, the new plants, and creativity you have with found objects. I'd love to have your knack for that.
ReplyDeleteThank you Jeanette, regarding the found objects, it does make it hard to let go of anything, when you can see the future possibilities!
DeleteOoo adding to my wish lists is the polydactyla. Sure miss Mike Darcy’s radio show. Used to listen to it on Saturday mornings before I had kids and get fired up to go outside.
ReplyDeleteJim N. Tabor
Mike Darcy has given so much to the hort community here, he's a treasure!
DeleteThese plants are Greek to me but fascinating. Love your Dad’s hook.
ReplyDeleteIsn't that hook just the best? Color, size, shape, great design.
DeletePyrrosia polydactyla!!! Yowza!!! You score the coolest plants.
ReplyDeleteIt's fun to see how you find a potential planter in every discarded piece of metal: the compositions you create are fabulous.
Which Pyrrosia is occupying the gap? And the pot placed on the step to the right, also a Pyrrosia?
Chavli
Thanks for the nudge to ID the gap planting, I meant to. They're Pyrrosia lingua, the leaves are smaller than usual but with time will gain some size. The pot on the right is Lepisorus cf. macrosphaerus MD 15-09 from Far Reaches.
DeleteMy favorite upcycle project is the red jack stand with the chicken feeder top. The shape is reminiscent of the Seattle Space Needle with a rooftop garden and the combination of red, metallic gray, and green is very pleasing to my eye. And, yes, the Pyrrosia polydactyla is divine. I'll be keeping an eye on my Pyrrosia lingua over the next few winters to see how it does with our harsher winters down here. If so, it would be fun to try more species.
ReplyDeleteThe space needle! That's how I will think of it from now on.
DeleteCool plants in cool containers, I'm drooling!
ReplyDeleteThanks TZ!
DeleteMy Dad had a hook like that too. A Dad thing? When we cleaned out his garage my sister got the hook.
ReplyDeleteJerry had the right word for Pyrrosia polydactyla--"divine".
All the little details in your garden are just what a garden should have.
Thanks Hoov, I love the details...
DeleteYou've had such good luck with pyrrosia. I have a couple, but they're not thriving. I think it's a lack of water. I may have to accept the fact that they're not a good fit for my garden/gardening style. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteP.S. All the hardware is super cool!
Interesting. Several of mine are grown epiphytically, so they do dry out, especially when it's in the upper 90's and 100's for several days. But I guess I do give them a drink every couple of days. Hoov just posted a shot of a pyrrosia in her Bloomday post, so it is possible. Then again you have so many other plants that do great in your garden so why bother eh?
Delete