Peak principis

Aloe x principis is a naturally occurring hybrid of Aloe ferox and Aloe arborescens.  It was putting on a floral show this morning at a local garden center.  

A dramatic companion to Agave vilmoriniana  'Stained Glass' and Agave ovatifolia 'Vanzie'


 'Stained Glass' was impressive as well:
photo by Beloved:


as was 'Vanzie', a form of A. ovatifolia selected for its particularly grooved leaves...
photo by Beloved:

 Grasses with a lace of dew.
 Dew sparkled also on Agave attenuata
 And this unknown, striated Aloe:
 Dew imitated frost on fluffy puffs of Echium wildprettii
Now back to warm glow with a golden pairing of Leucadendron 'Jester' with Sedum nussbaumerianum 'Coppertone' at its base.
 When Leucadendron 'Jester' is halfway happy, it's all the way stunning.
 Imagine adding in a red Anigozanthos!
There:  feeling a little warmer on a cold December day?  I hope so!

Comments

  1. I understand that demo garden is looking really good! I have to walk up there and take it in myself the next time I'm out that way. BTW, thanks for sending the seeds. If I plant them this week, maybe the rain will come on New Year's Day! (We can hope.)

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    1. Let me know if you want to meet for lunch.

      I'm going to wash the house windows (outdoor side). If that doesn't do it, nothing will.

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  2. Goodmorning Hoover Boo,
    Still so much to enjoy in your garden.
    Wishing you all the best for 2018 and hope you are keep going on posting.
    Rosehugs Marijke

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    1. Hello Marijke,

      A happy 2018 back to you. I'm counting my garden blessings: the roses being a big part of that!

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  3. HB, that Agave 'Stained Glass' is a plant I definitely want in my garden: elegant, gorgeous .. almost unreal!

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  4. HB, that Agave 'Stained Glass' is a plant I definitely want in my garden: elegant, gorgeous .. almost unreal!

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    1. It's a very elegant one, as you say, it swoops and sails against the sky. I hope you can find one for your garden!

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  5. After the Sherman I stopped at this "local nursery," which is still fairly bare of plants for sale, but I was able to find sweet pea plants for my mom. What a shock to find the big planting of agaves near the stairs has been completely removed! I love changing things up as much as anyone, but all those big rosettes "really held the room together." Great to see all three of you!

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    1. Yeah, all those Agaves and Aloes pulled out, I was taken aback. They had just planted a few new ones recently. How the heck did they pull out that 7' 'Mr. Ripple'? With a crane?

      I was eyeing those sweetpeas carefully--got a new Leucospermum instead.

      Fun visit with you at SG. Further thought--how can that plantlet producing Bromelliad be a Tillandsia??? Did you get an ID?

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  6. Gorgeous! And that Jester deserves a double gorgeous...

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    1. It's something else, that 'Jester'. Mine is still a little thing.

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  7. That Aloe x principis has the effect of a flaming gas grate across the back of the planting! But warming as it is (and much appreciated on a milky gray day where we've soared up to 23F from a low of 10), the most reassuring image is of those dew-frosted Echiums: precious, precious humidity.

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    1. Yes it does look like the fire in a fireplace. Maybe its the straight line it forms.

      23F? 80F here. The dew on the Echiums was about it for moisture.

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  8. Yes actually, that warmed me up nicely! (Beloved takes a nice photo) And your imitation frost on the Echium wildpretii looks much better than the real frost (and ice) they're covered with here. Poor things.

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    1. Yes he does!

      Given frost, black and slimy-dead? Ice? Oh no!

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  9. Yes, it DID make me feel warmer - and quite fuzzy too, on the inside. Love those hot colors, especially from my current predicament of two days of being iced in, while pet-sitting for a friend's menagerie. It finally thawed today - SO liberating!

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    1. Well the pets were good company, I hope. Congrats on the thaw, but now rain? Send it south. Darn Ridiculously Resistant Ridge. Grrr!

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  10. Oh my, these are fabulous photos ! Is this at Rogers ?


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    1. Yes, Rogers, while the traffic roars by. Didn't even hear it. :)

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  11. Thanks to your post, I'm feeling a lot warmer this wet December day. Not sure if it's the gorgeous pictures or my envy of your climate and beautiful winter color. Leucadendron 'Jester' shows up in the grocery store floral department frequently and always makes me think of you.

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  12. What a spectacle! I'm so happy that you took me there. It's so much fun hanging out with gardeners who like the same plants :-)

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    1. Glad you enjoyed the place. The timing happened to be just right for the Aloe show.

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