When I shared my week of posts titled
Eight months of Mondays in the garden a couple of commenters noticed just how good the Nolina hibernica 'La Siberica' looked throughout all the winter madness. That's it on the right, photo from January 17th.
Faithful commenter Chavli said "
In the first two collections of today's post, there is a plant that stands out for me on the right hand side. I don't know it by name, I'll describe it as grassy pineapple (with apologies...), but it seems unfazed by the catastrophic weather around it. Definitely the winner in my book." tz garden added "
the grassy pineapple really looks good ALL THE TIME."
It definitely did, until all of a sudden it didn't. To give it a moment of glory, here's what it looked like when I did the
annual garden tour post last October...
And here it is on July 17th. I took this photo right before I left for the
Fling, just to track what I was seeing, a sort of record of how bad it was looking.
This photo dates to July 9th when I first realized the lower leaves were turning brown. I usually do a spring trim of the lower leaves, and I did, back in late May I think. Why were more browning up?
A pulled back shot, another from the 17th, that's more trunk than I've ever seen before.
Once home (this photo from July 24th), there was no denying the new growth was also turning brown. Not good. Not good at all.
So what happened? Was it our extreme winter? Plants can look great after a winter storm, the damage taking months to reveal itself. Or was it something else? This plant dates back to roughly 2010 in my garden. While things have gotten a little shadier around it nothing changed drastically this summer, it's been happy for years.
The above photo from happier times, when the new growth was green.
There was a part of me that always feared what would happen when my plant grew as large as this one in the McMenamins Kennedy School gardens (in the back on the left). I guess that's not going to be a problem.
So, onward. What is a garden if not constant change? I'm very sad to lose my oldest, largest Nolina hibernica 'La Siberica', but also scheming on what to do with a fairly large (by my garden standards) chunk of real estate...
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All material © 2009-2024 by Loree L Bohl. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.
Oh no, not 'La Siberica'! That's such a signature plant in your garden! What does Sean Hogan say?
ReplyDeleteThat he's never meta panax that he doesn't love? Ha (yes, that Sean-ism will live forever large in my imagination), I haven't asked him about this, and I'm not sure he reads my blog anymore. Another nursery owner friend advises to wait and watch, that it might pull thru.
DeleteSo sorry Loree.
ReplyDeleteThanks Janet
Deleteoh noooo -- my tiny one is shivering at your photos...but as you say, I'm hoping it doesn't grow as big as the one at McMenamins ;)
ReplyDeleteYa, the one at McMenamins is about the size of your garden!
DeleteOooh, that stings. But yes, you do have a fairly large chunk of real estate now, so that's a plus! Gardening is not for the faint of heart, you've certainly had your share of winter damage. You've got this, for sure.
ReplyDeleteThanks Tamara
DeleteOuch! That was a relatively long goodbye, Loree. Those seemingly sharp shifts are startling, especially when your feel a plant's managed through the worst of the weather woes. I came home to a large but clearly dead Leucadendron - I saw a couple of dead branches last year but was still surprised when it plummeted into a downward spiral this year. Will you try another Nolina somewhere else?
ReplyDeleteYikes! So sorry about your leucadendron Kris, I know protea family plants can bite the bullet seemingly overnight (as I've experienced that with a few grevillea). I do have another of this same nolina at the north end of our patio, so my garden won't be without (at least as long as that one sticks around).
DeleteThat's sad news about your Nolina.
ReplyDeleteThey are such great looking plants.
What will you replace it with?
I'm thinking about seeing if a (no surprise here) planting of pyrrosia would like the sunnier aspect. My only concern is that in the winter when Clifford drops his leaves, it gets a lot of sun.
DeleteDang it Loree! I finally made it up to Cistus last Friday and that is one of the plants that came home with me...a tiny little one in a 2" band. Also: Griselinia littoralis, Pittosporum x 'Sappy', Lyonothamnus var. aspleniifolius, Eucryphia x 'Nymansay', Pitosporum 'Harley Botanica' and Pittosporum 'Victoria'.
ReplyDeleteWe got 1/10" of rain this morning! How about you?
Oh that's quite the haul! We got misty drizzle that over time wet the leaf and pavement surfaces, I wouldn't call it rain--however the air smells fresh and clean.
DeleteA funny double coincidence: I really had no proper place to plant La Siberica, but earlier this summer my Cistus 'Jenkyn Place' (that had grown huge!), snapped off at ground level during strong winds. It was rolling around like a tumbleweed! This opened up an ideal place for the Nolina, and also Pinus mugo Carsten's Wintergold.
DeleteOh no!!! Such a gorgeous plant. Hope it somehow bounces back. I better take a look at my one year old. Sometimes my colorblind eyes don’t perceive when something is wrong. Hoping for the best for your Nolina, Loree.
ReplyDeleteJim North Tabor
And I hope you have no unpleasant surprises ahead for yours.
DeleteDang! (I wish I had kept my mouth shut...).
ReplyDeleteLike you said, change and gardening go hand in hand, so onward with new schemes... I still remember that gorgeous powdery Rhododendron you scored at the fling. Is it still looking for a home?
Chavli
Why yes it is you smart lady! It may have even been bought with this spot in mind...
DeleteNooooooo! I like that your disappointment has quickly morphed into new possibilities, good way of thinking.
ReplyDeleteOne must evolve, right?
DeleteUgh. Now begins the long slog through heat and drought induced death in my garden, but the Nolina is a real stinger. Spray paint it green (or red, or silver)? Having a few established things dying now that I suspect sustained vascular damage during the sudden drop from warm to cold in January. Boo Hiss.
ReplyDeleteA recent visitor to my garden thought the issue was summer water, so there's that...
Delete