danger garden

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Opuntia aciculata is my favorite plant in the garden, this week…

This week’s favorite plant is another in a container, not that it has to be. It spent the entire winter outside, stuck in a drive way planter waiting for spring. No it’s in a container simply because I wanted to highlight it, and keep an eye on it...

After all those glochids aren't fooling around.

They’re also the reason for its common name, Chenille Prickly Pear.

They remind me of my grandma’s chenille bedspread, only it was soft (photo borrowed from Etsy, because I don't have my grandma's bedspread, sadly).

This opuntia came to me as a gift from Bob, The Miserable Gardener. This warning was on the outside of the bag, I decided to take it seriously and open the package with salad tongs. I'm glad I did as there were glochids everywhere.

Judging by the photos I found online this plant will bloom red, a welcome change from the usual yellow opuntia flowers in my garden. It's hardy to USDA Zone 8a, when planted in well drained soil, of course. There are a total of 3 new pads developing, they look so sweet in innocent now...

What's caught your eye in your own garden this week?

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Control and Chaos

Last Friday we took a different route across town to meet friends for dinner. On the way I spotted this line of perfectly manicured cones, in a perfectly manicured lawn...

I wonder if the bright green new growth delights or irritates their creator?

And what thought process led to their placement, dividing the expansive back lawn in half? Were there once flowers blooming in the bare soil at the base of the laurel hedge, or was the negative space part of the pattern?

In case you're wondering here's the rest of the lot...

A little further down the street I found another case of extreme control.

And I wondered about the gravel stage upon which the fig tree grows.

Were the plant choices simply a case of careful editing of what had been planted by a previous owner?

Right next door a bit of chaos.

Plants (weeds) allowed to take over and do what they desire.

Neighbors, there's just no rhyme or reason how we end up where we do. Sometimes we land next to those that share our aesthetic (whatever it may be) and other times it's the odd couple.

Monday, May 5, 2014

It’s time we talk about my favorite subject…agaves!

No, this isn’t a full-fledged agave report, just a few random agave highlights...

This photo was taken on November 30th, 2013. I walked around the garden that day enjoying my plants, because severe cold was on the way and I wasn't sure which ones would survive.

This particular Agave americana (dug from my in-laws place in Truth or Consequences, NM) was looking so good. It had been a highlight of the garden for years, but I had doubts about its ability to survive what was predicted for the next week.

Thankfully it stood strong through that storm, but as winter wore on began to take a turn, the center cone turning to mush and feeling soft. It had been a good run (planted out in the spring of 2011) and by mid April I'd come to terms with the fact it (and it's siblings, 3 plants total) had to come out. Of course I took a few photos before I dug.

And thank god I did! Since I had the camera in hand I decided to pull back the rotting leaves and show you all just how bad it was, boy did I get a surprise. It wasn't all rotten after all! Just the first leaf was...

Under that was a perfectly solid (although quite discolored) leaf. So I carefully removed the rotten bits and left the plant. That was a couple of weeks ago and it's done quite well since, last weeks heat wave (89F) did it good.

Here's another, I thought this rot was terminal.

There were also several mushy outer leaves on this plant. See the ones which are purple rather than blue? They were squishy to the touch.

But a little careful surgery and we have a deformed, but solid, plant. Survivors! By mid-summer they should be fully recovered and looking good again (I hope).

Speaking of looking good check out these Agave ovatifolia...

I've shared them before, years ago, and they've grown so much! Winter got the better of the phormium (to the left) and did a number on the manzanita but wow, the agaves look untouched (wish they were in my garden, along with those planters!)...

Nice huh?

Nice, nice is someone sending you a plant you've been lusting after for years. You've already met Joe (my prized Agave ‘Joe Hoak’) and then you saw his big brother across town. Well it's time you met Little Joey, another A. 'Joe Hoak'...how lucky am I?

Little Joey and his friend White Stripes (Agave americana var. medio-picta 'Alba') were sent to me by Hoov of Piece of Eden. What did I do to deserve such kindness? (thank you Hoov!)

In the shot above, behind White Stripes, you can barely make out a pair of Agave 'Mateo'. Just tiny things they're pups separated from a larger plant I bought last August. Mom went in a container but I stuck these in the ground, and whadda ya know?! They made it through our very cold winter. I guess I shouldn't be surprised since their known parent is Agave bracteosa...

Finally I thought I'd share a crazy agave pairing I recently put together. First take a beefy Agave ovatifolia...

Then add a bright green Agave lophantha 'Splendida'...

And you get...

Originally I was going to only plant the A. ovatifolia in this container (inspired by the ones shown above) but then the folks at Cistus Nursery had to go and tempt me with that beautiful bight green A. lophantha 'Splendida'. Since it had several plants growing together in the pot I separated them but then replanted them all together, spaced to accommodate a little growth. It's an agave mash-up center stage in the old privet-lands...

Friday, May 2, 2014

Just hanging around...

As I've mentioned before, finding tasteful hanging containers is not easy, I treasure the ones I have. On the left (below) is an old IKEA offering. For years it had been planted up with a mishmash of succulents, all of them struggling to survive. I finally got rid of them (okay not really, they were salvaged and will be planted out, elsewhere) and potted up the Selenicereus chrysocardium I purchased at Portland Nursery last January. Such a beautiful plant...

Although it is suffering a bit of sunburn, I've been ever so slowly introducing it to the full power of that orb in the sky but it's a power to be reckoned with...

In the orange ball (also from IKEA) is a poor agave, planted in this container when it was just a tiny thing. Now there's no way I could remove it without breaking the container, which of course I don't want to do.

The favorite of the lot, my Circle Pot from Potted. It has always hung from a branch in the wall-o-privet, but since that's now gone it needed a new home. Clifford (our big leaf magnolia) was a natural, but I worried about the weight, not wanting to damage his branches. Out with the planted succulents and in with Tillandsia Usneoides and T. xerographica. No extra weight from soil and I can easily dump any water that accumulates in the pot, since I've been fearful to drill this one for drainage, lest I break it.

Once Clifford fully leaves out it will in a happy dappled shade situation.

The newest hanging container in my collection was purchased at Portland Nursery last January, when they had their 30% all containers sale. I'd had my eye on it for awhile. I believe it's a product of Gainey Ceramics before they shut down.

It's bright apple green...

Just like our front door...

So of course it's hanging on the front porch. Planted up with Dichondra argentea 'Silver Falls' and a single black Ipomoea (Sweet Potato Vine) it should develop a nice long bit of foliage trailing downwards as summer progresses...

Thursday, May 1, 2014

Banksia blechnifolia is my favorite plant in the garden; this week…

Last Saturday we took down the walls on the shade pavilion greenhouse, an annual milestone for sure. From here on out it's happy outdoor living! (okay for 6 months...) Of course before the deconstruction could get underway we had to remove all the plants. As we did I saw many things I wanted to stop and note, or take care of, but there wasn't time (the husband runs a tight crew, no lollygagging). However there was one plant so amazing in it's spring growth that I had to record what I was seeing and that's my Banksia blechnifolia...

This is the second Banksia blechnifolia I've grown, as the first died an untimely death last spring when allowed to dry out on an unusually hot May day while I was away on Jury duty. It was so fabulous I bought a replacement last September when I visited The Desert Northwest up in Sequim, WA.

This is what made me want to try to grow it again. The undersides of the leaves...

But look at this combination of the underside of an older leaf with the coppery fuzz of a new one. Pretty darn fabulous.

But wait! Just when you thought it couldn't get any better, there is fuchsia fuzz too! Seriously. Is this plant amazing our what?

The only thing that could take it to the next level, well it's this...a crazy ground level bloom! What if? Well I would be thrilled (photo borrowed from The Desert Northwest)...

Description from The Desert Northwest: "Fascinating! This is one of several Banksia species that actually creeps along the ground, producing large leaves that stick straight up while the stems are completely prostrate. In the case of this species, the leaves recall with remarkable resemblance those of some species of the fern genus Blechnum, though they are much tougher, and may exceed 12" long. Cylindrical orange or orange-red flower spikes are produced on quite young plants: these arise directly from ground level resulting in a very curious looking plant! And to top it all off, it has brilliant pink new growth! Being from summer-dry Western Australia, it will appreciate a hot site, perhaps with reflected heat, and NO summer water. Although we're not sure how hardy this is yet, it's certainly hardier than might be expected. So far it has survived temperatures in the upper teens F unharmed. It can also be grown in a container in a sandy soil mix, where it is sure to make an interesting conversation piece, and yes, it does bloom in a pot!"

Bonus: if you're in the Portland, Oregon, area I've just learned The Desert Northwest will be at the Spring Garden Fair in Canby this weekend. May 3&4, 2014. If you contact them today (Thursday) you might be in time to get Ian to bring down a requested plant. Sadly he has no Banksia blechnifolia stock at the moment.

So...that's my story, now I want to hear about what's looking good in your garden this week...