Are You Bold In Your Garden?

 Are you bold in your garden:  pulling out a perfectly nice plant or section and replanting it differently because you know you can make it better?  
 The gardener is the garden--are you bold in multiple respects, only one of which is gardening?

Now 'Hercules' nifty martini-glass silhouette is visible, and there's a huge space to replant:
 I loved the Calothamnus villosus, and the Calothamnus loved that spot.  I felt bad cutting them down.  They needed little water.  Their flowers fed hummingbirds and bees.  Bad bugs ignored them.  They did not reseed (this isn't necessarily a good thing). Their litter was fine textured and became an excellent mulch.  No pruning needed except to control size.  The one flaw seems to be rodents using the stems as nest-building material. 
Sure sign of rodent infestation.  This must go!

I decided to be bold, and try something new.  Callistemon viminalis 'Slim' will provide for the hummingbirds and bees in a more narrow footprint.  'Wilson's Wonder' Leucadendron and Leucospermum 'Tango' will supply dramatic color and take up less space.  There will be room for a few more Aloes and Agaves waiting for a place in the ground, too.  
Leucospermum 'Tango', undoubtedly bold:
 The photos do not exaggerate its intense color.
I'm not at all bold in real life.  Boldness seems easier and more possible in the garden.  In real life there's a line between boldness and foolhardiness which should not be crossed.
Look, a supervisor!
Now, stumps to remove.  Back to work. 

Comments

  1. I must become more bold in my garden as crowding more things in and relying on survival of the fittest leads to the chaotic mess in which I live. Leucospermum 'Tango' is gorgeous!

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    1. Your so-called "chaotic mess" is beautiful.

      I'm lucky I bought 'Tango' when the plants were still in bud. With flowers like that they will sell out fast. Maybe I should have bought two.

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  2. Worth being bold sometimes, nothing like seeing something new and fresh to spice a space up!

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    1. Judging by your site, you guys do the remove-a-good-garden-section-remake-it-great thing quite often! And then take an amazing vacation. I'll have to try that vacation thing sometime.

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  3. Look at you go! Indeed 'Hercules' benefits from the space to shine. Nice work. I've got a Leucospermum 'Tango' in a vase on the dining table, it's a beauty. Lucky you being able to grow it in your garden.

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    1. Well I hope 'Tango' will grow here. I grabbed it not knowing the flower because Leucos are a grab-it-now-or-never-see-it-again kind of plant. The pure orange is dazzling.

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  4. You did it! I'm sure that removing the Calothamnus was painful but I totally understand the decision and the renovated space is going to be spectacular.

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    1. It was painful. A seedling or two would have been nice--I would have found a spot for it somewhere, even in someone else's garden.

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  5. I don't think I'm half as bold as you - I move plants around, but usually wait until I can re-home them. I'm such a Mother Hen... That Calothamnus would have broken my heart to remove, but it sounds as if you have come up with some fabulous replacements too.

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    1. I think it takes a lot of practice. Never would do this sort of thing 10 years ago. Now feeling freer to experiment.

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  6. Bravo! I had a gardening friend in town who boldly created a trench on one side of his house for water control and to plant a rain garden. A year or two later he moved all of the plants out of it and filled it back in. Bold doesn't always work, but it sure is fun!

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    1. And besides the fun, a whole lot of exercise! Loppers work the backside of the arms and they are sore today.

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  7. So many of the plants you grow exemplify boldness. I have so much space that I tend to expand rather than edit. I'll have to change my tune with the enforced editing that becomes necessary after the storm.

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    1. 'Hercules' is boldness in plant form. Maybe he inspired me. The drought forced me to learn to change things perhaps, though that is a slow long term event, and not the sudden Mother-Nature-Went-Wild event you all endured lately in the PNW.

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  8. I would have pulled them too, looks much better.

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    1. Thanks! With a lot of succulents a few shrubs and a leafy tree or two allays the feeling of starkness. It felt like it was getting too shrubby.

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  9. I'm not bold in my personal life, but when it comes to my garden, I do tend to pull things out and replant on a whim. Does that count as bold?

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  10. I'm the opposite of bold. I'm a big old wimp. Well, except the other day I told my boss's boss that he wasn't doing his job and that he needed to step down and get a different job that is more in line with what he wants to do. Other than that, my garden could use a bit more boldness.

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    1. I'm seriously wimpy also. Mom & Dad used to say that a lot. When Mom & Dad call you a wimp, it's pretty bad.

      I hope that comment you made has positive repercussions. Sometimes the truth will not be contained, (especially at work) and you freed it.

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  11. Could have sworn I commented on this earlier, but maybe it was just in my mind... I do love bold foliage, but I'm a real wimp when it comes to taking things out. I feel so bad if it's a healthy plant, I only do it if I can find it a new home. That said, I love re-homing plants, so I can experiment with new ones. :)

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    1. Big old shrub isn't viable to get re-homed. Seedlings would have. Now after replying to all the comments and thinking things through more, it seems that the changes the drought demanded have given me the freedom to experiment more. (Though in the case of the Calothamnus, they are ironically not thirsty plants).

      Huh. How about that? Drought does unexpected stuff.

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  12. I love the plants you can grow. It's harder to be bold in a Z5 dry shade garden, but I'm working on it.

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    1. I'm sure you are better at it than I am! We can grow some amazing plants here--we get a world tour of plants without leaving home. But every climate has wonderful plants, yes?

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  13. I *LOVE* what you did here, and I'm so happy you made the choice to be bold. Love 'Tango' and wish I could grow leucospermums here.

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  14. Some space sure shows off 'Hercules' now.

    The Leucospermums are uncommon here (for now) and it's been fun to have them in the garden.

    Looks like NorCal is going to get more rain this weekend--enjoy!

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