Moving, Transplanting Before Spring (And Shopping)

 Above:  tiny Adenanthos sericea flower

Fall and winter are the best planting times here.  I'm working to finish before spring officially arrives.  

Emptied this ridiculous planter by the patio.  

It's too shaded to grow much except Clivia, Aspidistra, or Sanseveria, that trio of go-to plants for places where plants should not be put in the first place.  I wish architects knew plants a little better.  Apparently they don't know plants need light.

The one who is responsible for this bed said a planter would "soften the area".  Nice in concept, failure in reality.  I had Clivia there and they were okay, but a sane person can only look at Clivia for so long and remain sane.  Ditto for Aspidistra and Sanseveria. 
This is a better spot:
 I moved the Clivia to the back gully where they can be glanced at every once in a while, which is the right amount of attention for Clivia.  
The view from the garbage cans:
 A variegated boxwood moved from a sunnier drier area to this shadier one.  It will be happier.  The newly planted impulse-buy Camellia is pushing out new foliage.  The Fuchsia is growing.  The green Acer is leafed out again.  The rose is blooming.  All is well.
 Rose 'Altissimo' got a hard pruning this year and it's happier.
The two roses I moved a few weeks ago have not died:
 Ditto for the impulse buy Penstemon.  This is a first:  the first time a Penstemon hasn't died less than an hour after purchase.  It's also doubled in size since planting.  Yay!  Maybe I'll get an actual flower this time.
An impulse buy?  Is it an impulse buy if you've wanted it for a long, long time, and have an empty spot waiting for it?  I've long hankered for ' Cafe au Lait' Dahlia since I first saw it several years ago.  Finally was able to get some tubers before they were sold out. Time to open and inspect.  Is there such a thing as a tuber stamp?
 A dead Acer palmatum removed, an Abutilon 'Souvenir de Bonn' planted to replace it.  I read Abutilon need sun;  the tag said part sun to shade;  we had one at one time and it always drooped when the sun shown upon it, so here it went into morning sun, afternoon shade.  We'll see what happens. 
 In the meantime, the empty spot is no longer empty.
 The 'Climbing Iceberg' rose I planted on the east-facing balcony struggled last year despite regular water and fertilizer.  Excessive reflected heat from the stucco walls and tile.  Being named 'Iceberg' didn't help--the canes were sun burnt.  Pulled out of the pot, it proved to have a enormous rootball, impressive for a rose.  

'Secret Garden Musk Climber', while a fine rose, never did work on the archway in back, due to its habit of growing exactly where I didn't want it, so 'Iceberg' gets the spot.  

 Despite the move and me shaking the potting mix out of that enormous rootball so I could fit it into the planting hole, 'Iceberg' seemed unbothered.  A flower opened without wilting.  Amazing.
Thrive, baby, thrive.  Note sun burnt canes.
A favorite view from the reflected-heat balcony.  The fish are big!  All but one are at least 2' (60 cm) long 
An impulse buy, sort of.  Hakea salicifolia 'Gold Medal'. 
I thought it would work on the slope to the left and behind the golden Duranta.  
"X" always marks the spot:
 Or in place of the two boxwood that struggled in full sun this past summer.  It would be more work to move the boxwood, but the Hakea would be a great screen to hide the neighbor's storage room...
 "Dutch" Iris opened.  Must not miss the beauty all around, even when gardening...
 
What did pretty well on the heat-blasted balcony were the two Chamaerops humilis var. argentea palms.  I moved them to the covered, shadier portion of the balcony, where they will do even better.  


The lesson learned is: only certain plants can handle fierce reflected heat.  Maybe a bougainvillea would work up there...I've got one I could move...

Comments

  1. "A sane person can only look at Clivia for so long and remain sane."

    Best quote of the year, hands-down. I'm still laughing.

    What about something like Mahonia eurybracteata 'Soft Caress' for that spot? It's OK in dry shade, supposedly. Mine has yet to flower, but the foliage is nice to look at.

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    1. I've admired that Mahonia at the garden center several times, but it's REALLY low light in that corner. I'd feel guilty of plant abuse!

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    2. Clivia is a good plant, but that is one of the most visible places in the garden--eyeballs want something more interesting.

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  2. For your shady spot in the patio, you might consider a hellebore, Iris foetidissima, one of the smaller mahonias or one of the dwarf nandinas. Since it's so well contained, you might want to dare put in one of the dwarf ground cover running bamboos, I think they're understory plants that might put up with total shade.

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    1. Great suggestions--thanks! I did try a hellebore there, and it struggled--in more light the same plant thrived. That spot is about as well lit as a closet.

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  3. There is always movement in a garden. Iceberg are very tough roses. They do extremely well here in the subtropics in my garden, practically flowering all year round after removing spend flowers. Crepuscule is the other one which is not to stop. I Grow a few Abutilon shrubs, some for years and years. Love this variegated one so pretty. Dutch iris, beautiful blue. Well there is always something pretty, something special to catch the eye while doing the hard yakka in the garden.

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    1. Iceberg is THE rose here--even planted at hamburger restaurants and gasoline stations. Crepuscule is great also, that is Crepuscule in the photo where the Hakea might go, to the left of the red X.

      You are 100% right, the consolation of a difficult task in the garden is performing it in beautiful surroundings, the beauty distracts! :)

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  4. A lovely post and garden images dear Hoover. No it's not an impulse buy if you have wanted something for such a long time and the opportunity to buy presents itself. Enjoy your Dahlias. I hope your Iceberg rose does well in the new location, they are beautiful roses. Yes, Clivia can look a bit boring after a while, the new pale yellow flowers make a nice change. I was thinking that a plant with variegated foliage might brighten up that dark planter box or some hardy ferns.
    xoxoxo ♡

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    1. Variegated foliage is a good idea, I'll do some thinking on that. Thanks!

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  5. Your 'Altissimo' rose looks very nice. I had this in Alabama but it was in a bad spot. I keep reading that it does well here in Washington so I am considering growing it again. I love the Abutilon. I am looking forward to growing those too. Did you do the steps on the hillside yourself? I have got to do something similar here.

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    1. I did do the steps, and can list some mistakes to avoid, because I made them all. Don't build them in hot weather or when the soil is rock hard. Don't be stingy make them wider than you think you need and more solid than seems necessary. A hand rail you may think is not necessary but someday it will be.

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  6. Yikes to the idea of moving a Bougainvillea - I hope you have a suit of armor handy. That Hakea is beautiful!

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    1. The Bougie is only knee high. Seems possible to move. By next year it might be too late!

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  7. I love abutilons and put them into lots of gardens that I design. Souvenier de Bonn is beautiful but be warned it gets gianormus and reverts easily. Will take harsh pruning. It will do great in the morning sun exposure.

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    1. Thanks, I appreciate your knowledge of SdB. It's in a spot where I can prune it easily and watch for reversion. If it gets gianormus it's going to get harsh pruning whether it likes it or not. Thanks again!

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  8. Wait.. plants need light?
    I want to see how your hakea goes and what the blooms are like (eventually, no pressure!). I could just google it but that's no fun at all. I check mine (different species) every time I walk past it.
    Your comments about the clivia amused me :)

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    1. Only to stay alive. That's all.

      Still deciding where the Hakea should go.

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  9. Impulse plant buys are the best... Perhaps what the dark corner needs isn't a plant, but a beautiful mosaic or fountain?

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    1. I was thinking a sculpture or some kind of non-plant object. Something that won't slowly, slowly decline for lack of sun.

      I'm going to have to go through my garden and meditate upon all the impulse buys and see if long-coveted-carefully-planned-for are all that much better than the oooh-shiney! ones.

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  10. My wish list is so long that I have nearly any impulse buy covered. Thanks for another entertaining post filled with eye candy as well as adventures and misadventures.

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    1. Now that's a great idea! If the wish list is long enough, it's never an impulse buy! Cool!

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  11. Replies
    1. Obrigado! Também eu amo flores.

      Gracias! También amo las flores.

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