Thinking thankful thoughts

Today is that day when folks here in the USA pause and give gratitude. Truth be told I'm having a hard time coming up with appropriate words this year, so I'll let a photo do the talking. Take care all...

So you like those things?

Last week Andrew and I ventured south to Los Angeles, for a pre-Thanksgiving gathering with his family. One day we traveled east, towards Azusa, where Andrew fished the San Gabriel River, and I visited the Los Angeles County Arboretum. En route he swung through a fast-food drive-thru to fuel-up, he does love a greasy breakfast sandwich. As luck would have it there were several well-lit Agave 'Blue Glow' in the parking lot, I jumped out to photograph while he ate...

Lost in the moment I heard a voice say "so you like those things?" and I looked up to see an older fellow, masked (COVID protocol), friendly, watching me take photos. I said yes, yes I do. The next thing I knew he was giving me a lesson on how to reach in and snap off a pup. I hesitated, saying that felt a little like stealing, but he assured me the mow-and-blow guys just hack off the pups and haul them away. He then went on to share that he'd built quite the collection by harvesting here. The next thing I knew he was snapping off a pup and handing it to me, instructing me on how to care for it. I should have asked if I could take his photo with the baby 'Blue Glow' but I hesitated a little too long and he was in his car and gone...

That's how I came home from SoCal with an Agave 'Blue Glow' pup...

Back to the beginning though...

For the vacation portion of our trip we stayed in LA's Koreatown at The Line.

Arriving on a sunny warm Sunday I was instantly in heaven, checking out the plants around the hotel. Grevillea 'Moonlight' I think...

Russelia equisetiformis

The hotel had a restaurant on the second floor, "Michelin-starred chef Josiah Citrin’s Openaire"

However the two times I went to explore it wasn't open. 

Oh well, it's easier to take photos when there aren't people whose privacy your worried about invading...

Camera pressed to the glass, looking into the restaurant.

And the seating area between the restaurant and the pool.

A balcony stretched around the east side of the second floor, with lots of seating and plants everywhere—this is definitely a hotel for plant lovers! 

Looking up at the second floor plants from the hotel entrance...

We did eat (and drink) in the lobby bar one night, where I enjoyed the plant shapes on the ceiling.

Between the hotel and Starbucks (what can I say, I came of coffee drinking age in Seattle and Starbucks is my go-to morning coffee) I stopped to admire the plants in front of Oasis Church.

As I snapped photos the people waiting at the nearby bus stop looked at me as though I'd lost my mind.

In the interest of full disclosure I should share that someone was sleeping under a palm just to the right, out of frame. He was there two mornings in a row—but on the third he was gone.

Inside our room this narrow shelf, and the interesting print above, called out for a still-life. 

The orange vase, wooden blocks and rock were there when we checked in. I picked up a small broken branch from a Lyonothamnus floribundus ssp. asplenifolius (Catalina ironwood) at the Natural History Museum and tucked it into the vase, later adding a Rhipsalis paradoxa I'd purchased.

Here's my entire (small) haul...

The rhipsalis came from Mickey Hargitay Plants, a great little shop I'll cover in another post.

I believe this fabulous split, double pod, is from a Brachychiton discolor.

The only plant I bought at Seaside Gardens in Carpinteria is this tiny, unlabeled, guy. Anyone know what it is?

Yes, I haul home all sorts of interesting (to me) things I pick up off the ground, like these eucalyptus buttons.

As well as an assortment of banksia pods...

Because one is not enough!

This small piece of wood also made the trip back to Portland.

Andrew added a trio of cap-less acorns to the mix.

Oh, and there's one more plant! I wandered into a place called botanik in Summerland (best town name ever!)...

And fell in love with this guy, who was wearing a fetching corsage of fallen bougainvillea. 

What? I carried a common old Senecio radicans back from California? 

Well yes and no. Because common as Senecio radicans is, this one seemed special because of its ultra green stems and small blue succulent leaves.

Plus it's a 'String of Blimps"... ha! Who comes up with these names?

I managed to get it home in my carry-on without much damage. Where there is a will, I will find a way...

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

Filling the hypertufa containers

When I shared images of my autumn hanging plantings and dish planters (here) I ended the post with a teaser photo of the hypertufa pots I was planting up. Today we'll take a closer look at those containers...

There are three different groups of planters; the first set is parked at the end of a short run of retaining wall bricks, next to our driveway. The two small containers in front are from apotspot, and they're not actually hypertufa but rather "hand cast stone" made by artist Claire Bandfield. I've had them for years now, hanging out in another spot, but when I brought home the larger pot I moved them, thinking they made a nice statement together.

The larger pot—and all the others you'll see in this post—came from Alex Martinez. He recently put his house on the market and sold his extensive hypertufa collection, pots he had made. I was thrilled to acquire nine of these containers. Also, I can't take credit for the fern planting, I bought this container because the fern just looked so perfect in it. It's a cheilanthes, possibly Cheilanthes tomentosa (Myriopteris tomentosa).

The texture on the fronds is pretty incredible.

The two small containers are filled with NOID sempervivum...

One a selection of offsets pulled from plants around the garden.

I've picked this poor pot up and put it back into place a couple times now. I thought the squirrels were getting a little rambunctious, but it turns out Andrew has been hitting it with his car door. Oops.

The striking plant in the other pot came from Means nursery.

Birds-eye view.

On to the next group! This photo was taken while I was sitting on our front porch...

... and this one from inside the house, looking out the front door—something I'll be doing a lot of over the next few months as it's often too wet and cold to be outside. I'm so glad we have this large glass "security" door as it's great for garden views and getting extra light in the house.

Moving closer to the door, you can see how the new containers add interest to the view.

The first container I filled with an Agave x leopoldii, which should be able to handle what ever our winter throws at it.

 

Next to that is a NOID—but very ruffled—sempervivum I also picked up at Means Nursery.

Isn't it gorgeous?

I didn't set out to plant in a silver and burgundy color scheme, it just kind of unfolded that way. 

I don't normally do mixed planters, but I love how this one turned out.

Another Means sempervivum, along with a few different saxifraga (one is Saxifraga 'Whitehill') and Antennaria microphylla. All bought the day I paid my final visit to Joy Creek Nursery.

The super spiky guy on the right was labeled Acantholimon laxipicatum and came to me via Ann and her trip to Kathy Allen's garden and nursery in Medford, Oregon. I hope to join her the next time she ventures that way.

This sempervivum was passed on to me from Sound Gardener, it's a special plant from our visit to Linda Boley's garden, during the 2019 Garden Bloggers Fling. Linda had a patch of these with leaves like pinecones, I asked about it and she gave a few of us plants. Unfortunately mine didn't make it, but now I get a second chance to see if those unique pinecone-like leaves will develop.

Yes there is another of the ruffled dark sempervivum, how could I buy just one?

The final pot in this set came filled with bits of different sedum, and of course moss. I was tempted to leave it as is, but added a couple plants.

(just behind the pot is the Agave parrasana 'Meat Claw', I had to share a close-up)

Anyway, the squirrels have had a great time digging in this container and making a mess of the poor plants, I keep tucking them back in.

There are a couple Saxifraga kolenatiana 'Foster's Red' mixed in there.

Along with a Monardella macrantha 'Marion Sampson'.

Okay, two container groupings down, one to go! The final group of three are to the southside of our front steps. One actually on the steps...

This one came planted with the fluffy sedum. I have not a clue what it is.

It doesn't try to compete with the moss on the planter, which let's face it, is the primary reason I love this pot.

Yes, I also had great fun taking photos and may have gotten a little carried away, the light was perfect.

Moss and agaves... it works.

Agave parrasana 'Globe' in the hypertufa cylinder, the others in the background are in the ground.

Well, except for the big guy in the metal container... (he's a NOID).

The coniferous groundcover came to me from Cistus Nursery labeled as Juniperus communis v saxatilis. The powder blue leaves on the left belong to Euphorbia ridiga.

The sedum in this last container comes from the one on the steps. I broke a few pieces off and tucked them in.

The three calluna/heather in the container were inspired by how much I've enjoyed this combination of agave and calluna nearby.

These are Calluna 'Zalina, 'Firefly' and 'Zeta'.

And with that, the hypertufa tour is done!

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