Please Don't Hate Plants

I'm going to miss those Dahlias until they reappear next April:
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Perhaps it is necessary to balance out the plant-nut population with people who want absolutely nothing to do with the green and growing.  Can you imagine this as your front yard?
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It hurts to look at it.  Yes, that's a plastic boxwood, covering something up that can't be as deplorable as plastic boxwood.   
Outdoors:  plastic boxwood.  Indoors:  polyester sunflowers! 
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What do people who hate plants do on a beautiful Saturday morning?  Sleep?  What would Saturday morning be without a quick inspection of our green friends followed by a trip to the garden center for more?  First, feed the Koi...
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...then wander over to enjoy the Dahlias again...
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...the morning's surprise was a flower on the dark potato vine.  I didn't know they did that.  
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Then off to one of those plant nurseries that inhabit the space under high power lines.  It's the only land in Southern California plant growers can afford.  
Looks a little like Banksia speciosa.  A very little:
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There was a lot of new stock, freshly arrived.  Always dangerous, new stuff.
Acacia covenyi, the "Bluebush" Acacia:
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Love blue, but Grevillea 'Moonlight' stopped me.
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The San Marcos website normally sticks to subdued and rational commentary about plants.  Their comments on this plant  were different. It made me regret not buying one.  They rave--in a subdued, rational way, of course.  How many of their comments use the word "stunning"?  Not many. 
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Stunning?
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Yep.  Year-round flowers.  Maybe I "need" one.  
 
Are Phormiums out?  Their stock dropped when succulents became the new-new thing, helped along by the New Zealand Flax Mealybug. 
I did like the unexpected lavender tones of this 'Black Rage', though: 
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 Salvia 'Pink Frills' looked appealing.  A greggii hybrid of some sort.
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The plant that came home with us was a Dianella, of all things.  I yanked out Dianella tasmanica 'Variegata' with a little regret a year or two ago.  Liked it, didn't love it.  Monrovia was offering several small blueish dwarf versions--meh.  This one, though, firmly attached itself to my hand when I touched its container, and would not let go.  I was forced to buy it.
Dianella prunia 'Utopia'.  (Also time to feed Koi again):
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Blue-green and growing, with purple edges.  How about nine of them, planted as a grid, three rows of three, in that grey gravel?  Or a single glorious Aloe dichotoma, grown to tremendous proportions?  Something, anything...
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Please don't hate plants.
 
    
 

Comments

  1. You're right about the power lines at garden centers. We have them here in Florida too!

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  2. The raindrops on that Phormium look like jewels! I planted a Dianella this past spring, called Something Twist, or maybe Twist Something. Your Dahlias are so pretty, what a great color. I miss mine already too.

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    1. It was THE summer for Dahlias. Hopefully next summer will be, too.

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  3. Need? Of course you do!

    That plastic shrub is terrifying, but your new Dianella...beautiful.

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  4. What a stunning Dahlia you have, the colours of apricot and off white....... Also in our country you see more and more gravel and stones, awful I think, but I have never seen before a plastic boxwood, haha.

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    1. Gravel is okay, but a few plants would help.

      I am glad you do not see plastic boxwood often. They are sad.

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  5. That plastic boxwood isn't a scratch post for neighborhood cats? Too bad.

    That 'Black Rage' looks fantastic!

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    1. Great idea, Alan. Cat toy! Okay, I knew they'd be good for something.

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  6. Fake grass I can sort of understand - plastic boxwood, standing alone against a blank wall no less, no comprendo...

    The Grevillea is beautiful. I passed on G. 'Superb' this weekend and have been plagued with 2nd thought ever since even though I still haven't figured out exactly where I'd put it.

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    1. Where to put them. Yes, there is that small issue, especially for 'Moonlight', which gets 15' tall.

      I have plastic grass myself, just for the puppies to use, out of sight of the rest of the world. It has its place...

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    2. And Grevillea 'Superb' looks superb!

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  7. The vision of that Dianella attaching itself to your hand and refusing to let go made me laugh. I met a 3-year-old human that did the same this weekend, and as sweet as he was, I'd be more tempted by the Dianella for the long haul.

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  8. which power-line grower was this? I'm seeing Grevillea 'Moonlight' but only in expensive, large sizes. The LA Arb's Moonlights are clipped to about 8 feet, and I think it was bahia/David Feix who noted they tolerate pruning very well. I've already killed 'Black Rage' -- saw another dark one recently, 'Back in Black.' I really liked the smoky tones in Black Rage, very similar to the color of Yucca 'Blue Boy.'

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    Replies
    1. The Village in HB. How did the Arb's look? Pretty good?

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