Dynamite, Leucadendrons

'Dynamite' Lagerstroemia arrival in the summer of 2012:
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Yesterday.  The low wall behind it is 4' tall (121 cm)
 In this next photo, you can see the 'Dynamite's losing their foliage last autumn. The other day I pulled out the beautiful Phormium there on the extreme left of the next photo.  It had a terrible case of mealy bug, perhaps Phormium Mealy Bug.  I could have treated it with a systemic insecticide, but it felt like time to get it out and plant something else.  I resort to insecticide only in dire situations. 
 
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The now empty former Phormium home.  The neighbors on the downhill side are doing some electrical work and the power company will be fussing in that box of electrical lines under the beige plate, which made it feel even more like it was time for a re-work.  I added a few blocks to keep soil from covering the plate, and to protect my Aloe striata from the power company.
  
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The bunny guards around the Oak and one of the roses came off--they are now woody enough to be of little interest to the rabbits.  I got a new Leucadendron salignum 'Blush'--it should do well there, with an Agave in front of it--Agave titanota, maybe.  I planted some Oscularia deltoides to froth out over the blocks and hide them from view.  First, some drip irrigation to replace the sprinkler riser there just visible at the lower left of the above photo. 

Leucadendron salignum 'Blush'.  San Marcos implies this selection is better than 'Jester'. This is one genus that has had no problem with summer planting in this garden. 
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How is 'Ebony' doing, by the way?
September 2013:
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Now:
Leucadendron 'Ebony' photo Leuc9264_zpsaf793175.jpg
It's grown.  

Now, back to work.  Visiting garden centers and other gardens and traveling long distances to visit other gardens makes for a much better blog, but I'd really rather be gardening.  So, where's that 10" irrigation riser, the drip manifold, the thread-sealing tape, my hat...

Comments

  1. Your frontgarden with your house on the background looks stunning, the combination of different succulents is really beautiful and for us exotic.

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  2. The ebony has done really well, looks like a good bushy form.

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    1. It is a better plant than I expected. You know with the unusual colors often they are weaklings.

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  3. Oooo la la, that Ebony is gorgeous

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  4. Your front garden looks wonderful dear Hoover and I am so pleased that the 'Ebony' is growing so well for you.
    xoxoxo ♡

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    1. Thank you, Dianne. I hope your garden is doing well also!

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  5. I agree since I have a bunch of photos of garden visits yet to post and much of my time is in my own garden lately. Dyanamite looks gorgeous in your garden and the view of your front garden is fantastic with all those succulent combinations. Love the Ebony, especially since that color is not easy to find in a plant. You'll have fun with the rework once the utility work is done.

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    1. The irrigation is the not-fun part, and it's done. Yay! It's a balance, right? Some out there, some at home.

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  6. Great choice! That 'Blush' is beautiful; I have a 'Safari Sunset', which San Marcos compares 'Blush' to, and it's doubled in size in less than two years. Keeping my fingers crossed that your 'Blush' will grow equally fast.

    'Ebony' is a much slower grower for me. Does that jive with your experience?

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    1. Super-slow, yes. However it has indeed grown, so that's good enough. More and more I am okay with slow plants. Means I don't have to trim them as often!

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  7. Lovely to see the view of your front, not sure I have seen that before. Sometimes we have to do tough decisions in the garden, and sometimes that means getting rid of plants – but doing so makes room for something new so always a silver lining :-)
    I am not so sure that visiting other gardens and garden centres makes better blog posts, I much rather prefer reading what people have in their own garden and how they treat those gardens.

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    1. It was a beautiful Phormium but I could not risk all those mealies spreading everywhere. Yes, tough decisions sometimes.

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