Planted this slope. More to add.
It looks better in person, and it needs to grow in. There are seven clumps (volunteer seedlings all) of Carex testacaea, a trio of Agave desmetiana (last year's bulbils), a trio of Agave gypsophila, (only one large enough to really see in the photo), and the Agave lophantha 'Quadricolor' group is also too small to see clearly. More Agave gypsophila to add, and then at the bottom of the slope will go smallish, clustering Aloes--greatheadii, ellenbeckii, brevifolia, sinkatana.
A garden-buddy gave me this Aloe sinkatana--thanks, garden-buddy!
The Agaves and the Aloe flowers will motivate me to actually look at this part of the garden. It was no-look land for--since we moved here. The landscaper had put in Alnus rhombifolias (too big, too aggressive) and Ribes viburnifolium which never filled in enough to prevent weeds. I switched out the Alders for Dodoneas and Cypress. Then I switched out the Dodoneas for Pittosporum tenuifolium selections and got rid of the Ribes, which smells like wine that has soured. There's a small fig tree back there, too...
Nice to have a feeling of accomplishment, however modest the accomplishment.
It looks better in person, and it needs to grow in. There are seven clumps (volunteer seedlings all) of Carex testacaea, a trio of Agave desmetiana (last year's bulbils), a trio of Agave gypsophila, (only one large enough to really see in the photo), and the Agave lophantha 'Quadricolor' group is also too small to see clearly. More Agave gypsophila to add, and then at the bottom of the slope will go smallish, clustering Aloes--greatheadii, ellenbeckii, brevifolia, sinkatana.
A garden-buddy gave me this Aloe sinkatana--thanks, garden-buddy!
The Agaves and the Aloe flowers will motivate me to actually look at this part of the garden. It was no-look land for--since we moved here. The landscaper had put in Alnus rhombifolias (too big, too aggressive) and Ribes viburnifolium which never filled in enough to prevent weeds. I switched out the Alders for Dodoneas and Cypress. Then I switched out the Dodoneas for Pittosporum tenuifolium selections and got rid of the Ribes, which smells like wine that has soured. There's a small fig tree back there, too...
Nice to have a feeling of accomplishment, however modest the accomplishment.
Congratulations! I know that planting a slope isn't easy. Will you add any of your baby Agave 'Blue Glow'?
ReplyDelete'Blue Glow' for the other slope. It's 90F today here. Is it that bad where you are? Grrrrr. :^(
DeleteIt was 83F here just before noon, significantly higher than predicted for today - I didn't check later and simply soldiered on. It's those blankety-blank Santa Ana winds again...
DeleteThe slope looks wonderful, it will be beautiful when all of the plants start maturing, Lovely photos dear Hoover.
ReplyDeletexoxoxo ♡
You are so kind, Dianne!
DeleteNice! Any area planted with agaves and aloes is special. I've always wanted a property that is sloped. The land around here is so flat, it's boring.
ReplyDeleteSlopes take some getting used to, but I've learned to love them, mainly.
DeleteThat's incredibly steep! What is your soil composition to keep that in place for so long? Oh, but I suppose you don't get very much rain...
ReplyDeleteThere's a lot of bedrock a few inches under the soil surface, but yes, we don't get much rain. The soil is stupendous, a silty loam, really super stuff.
DeleteI just finished going through some before and afters. A slope that looked very much like yours at the beginning soon achieved lush abundance. It went from sparse to overcrowded in two years' time. I'll look forward to the "afters" of this one.
ReplyDeleteI had the same thought as Alan, then the same realization that you don't have the rain issue to worry about. Maybe you'd rather worry? I have a young fig growing alongside my sidewalk next to a retaining wall. I'm not good at figuring out how to espalier it, which was the plan. Oh, to have lots of room, sloped or otherwise!
ReplyDelete