A Gardener's Self-Discipline

I give myself three 'Gold Medal's for today's effort.

Rosa 'Gold Medal':
Rosa 'Gold Medal'

Not only did I buy two new plants that I had spots in the ground for before the purchase, I also planted them both as soon as I got home.  Wow! 

I vowed to start doing this,  rather than buying a plant just because I wanted it without thought as to where I was going to put it, or if it would thrive in our garden.   And I've--succeeded?!?

I wisely avoided the temptation of a Leucodendron argenteum,  ("Protect from dry winds"--fat chance of being able to do that here in SantaAnaWindLand), and was also sorely tempted by an Agave 'Joe Hoak' with two pups, but I already have a 'Joe Hoak'.  I don't need another.  I don't, I don't, I don't.  At least not today.

What I did get was an interesting Salvia, 'Ultra Violet', which is reportedly a cross of S. greggii and S. lycioides.   Just a 4" size--supposedly it is a fast grower. 

Salvia 'Ultra Violet' 4"

The plant foliage screamed "greggii!" to me (mysterious how plant foliage tends to do this), so a greggii cross makes sense.  It went into the spot formerly occupied by an excellent volunteer lavender.  I hope I get seedlings from that lavender eventually.  It bloomed itself to death and in the process fed every honey bee in the neighborhood ten times over.  I swear I could hear little bee-burps from hundreds of them as they flew slowly home in the summer dusks, after feeding on the lavender flowers for hours.

I had a new lavender seedling identified and ready to move into the spot, but the mow-blow crew weed-whipped it.  Sigh.  But this Salvia looks good, apparently is the right size for the spot (2'x2') and is said to be popular with Hummingbirds.  The violet flowers should look delicious with the creamy orange of Hemerocallis 'Elizabeth Salter' planted behind it.  Right now the only orange 'Elizabeth' is displaying is daylily rust, but I'll forgive her for that.  

The other new plant is Chamelaucium 'My Sweet Sixteen', for a spot on the dry front slope where I dug out the remains of a Baccharis.  I already have two Chamelauciums out there:  I'm trying to decrease the scatter shot appearance by planting groups of the same plant rather than individuals.  Also C. 'My Sweet Sixteen' was 30% off.  It won't look like much until next spring, when it will have wonderful tiny flowers and look gorgeous.  It will, however, have the winter to settle in and get ready for that spring show. 

Chamelauceum 'My Sweet Sixteen'

One of the other existing Chamelauciums is already blooming:
Chamelauceum

I have no expectation such self-discipline in the matter of plants will continue.  Thank goodness!  I utterly failed in the self-discipline department out on the front slope.  Last winter, I was going to dig out both this Tagetes lemonii and the Bougainvillea, but I got lazy and just hacked them both back instead.

Tagetes lemoni with Bouganvillea

It engulfed Aloe marlothii, which was Not Happy about it:
A. marlothiii with Tagetes lemoni

I was going to dig this out

A lack of self-discipline in the garden can also be good thing.  The lesson is that you have to learn when to use it, and when not to.

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