January Is Planting Time

Yappy New Year!
 
January means getting plants into the ground.  Better planted in November, but November was dry and nasty.  December was better but just as dry.  So January it is. 

No idea where to place Leucospermum 'Scarlet Ribbon', but--surprise--purchased anyway.  Either 8-12' tall and wide, or 4-5' tall and wide, depending on which source you believe, and if you can keep it alive. Hmmm...
 These Aloe seedlings are easy--they will go into the Aloe nursery.  Whew!
 Leucospermum 'Mostly Silver', planted recently in an iffy spot.  It responded by growing.  A good response. 
 Two of a new Rose-Hulthemia hybrid called 'Easy On The Eyes'
 I had another Rose-Hulthemia hybrid a few years ago--a 70%-off Eyeconic Pink Lemonade that quickly died.  No wonder it was 70% off.  Curiosity drove me to try again with fresher plants.   
Multiple Kalanchoe luciae and a Sideritis seedling moved here. The big arrow point to the orange sport of 'Wendys Wish', which grows into the pathway, which is why nothing is planted where the big arrow is placed.
A very fine hybrid Hellebore needs a place.  Got it for 50% off months ago.  It spent the summer in this protected spot.  Now what? 
The Telopea which tripled in size since purchase in October of 2016 was unhappy potted during our extreme heat wave called "October", and the long Santa Ana wind event in November.  This moist, root-shaded spot I thought best.  This is a zone pushing plant that is better off with a cooler summer.  Well, now I know that. 
'Festival Grass' has been in a pot to grow a good root system before going on the west slope.  Check roots. 
Arctostaphylos 'Louis Edmunds', Arctostaphylos pungens, Grevillea rosmarinifolia 'Scarlet Sprite', another Aloe capitata quartziticola, Aloe 'David Verity'.   Not sure what to do with any of them.  'David Verity' to the Aloe nursery for now.  A. quartziticola I want to try in a slightly cool spot with some late afternoon or noontime shade.  

The Las Pilitas website praises Arctostaphylos pungens:  beautiful, vertical, adaptable, and tough, tough, tough.  Purchased at the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Nursery, on a whim.  Good whim, but where to put the whim? 
Where to put Agave bovicornuta?  Best appearance with some afternoon shade.  There are several 'Blue Glow's ready for the ground--along the driveway bed currently empty?  I was going to put 'Joe Hoak's there.  Can't decide.  Must decide.
A dried up clump of Aeonium 'Kiwi' cut up and set to re-rooting is re-rooted.  Now what? 
Always admired the Gasteria acinicifolia that lives under the biggest Oak in the Huntington Desert Garden--finally found one.  I thought to put it under our little Oak out front. To do that, other plants must move.
Impulse buy--inexpensive Anigozanthos 'Big Red' at the hardware store.
A spot for them by the fountain.  Likely annuals, but the flowers are so very cool...
Still need a place for Abelia 'Confetti'.  Beautiful plant but where to place it?  The Pachyphytum below it was once a sad tiny three-leafed bit of misery in a pot--it exploded with beautiful growth once in the ground.  That's why all this stuff needs to get planted--to thrive and be happy.
The delight to find and purchase a desirable plant is nearly cancelled out by the search for a place to plant it.  The search requires multiple tours of the garden.

While I wander the garden looking for spots,  many plants catch wandering eyes.  

Planted last spring, success here--a number of plants have occupied this prime spot by the front door.  'Rozanne' was the latest attempt and seems to be the perfect fit.  The Agave and little Echeveria lilacina need to move, but 'Fred Ives' can compete well enough with 'Rozanne' to survive. 
Aloe cameronii flowers are opening.
Still lots of roses blooming.
Rose 'Peter Mayle' joins a Protea 'Pink Ice' in a vase. 
Delicate 'Windermere' is at its best in a dry start to Winter. 
'Bishops Castle' flowers on.
It produced a huge October flush just in time to be torched by extreme heat, but it is flowering again.  This has been the best pink Austin in my garden by far.  Yes, it's fragrant. 
Agave attenuata 'Kara's Choice' or 'Kara's Stripes'--I can't remember which--like the roses has better color in winter's softer light: 
The Abutilon 'Souvenir de Bonn' has flowers again.  It's been months. 
Variegated Agave attenuata
Alstroemeria 'Rock n Roll' completely vanished this summer, so I assumed it was dead.  It reappeared in October, with vigor.  Um...okay.
It's all about the foliage for me.  Please don't bloom, you are perfect just like this:
What was I doing out in the garden?  I got distracted.

Comments

  1. What wonderful quandaries to have! I've never heard of those rose hybrids, not the Telopea, both of which - based on a Google search - are wonderful! However, I'm going to wait to see the results of your experiments in growing both. Planting a bed from scratch is a snap by comparison to fitting new acquisitions into an existing scheme, isn't it?

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    1. I agonize over everything, so a bed from scratch is not easier, no. ;^)

      I hope the Telopea produces at least a flower--they are stunners and I long to see one in person. It has two buds(!).

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  2. Wait, an orange sport of Wendys Wish ? Is this a HoovB exclusive or did you buy it somewhere ? Karas Coice and/or Stripes -very elegant

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    1. I bought it. It's called 'Ember's Wish'. Described as coral orange but with our intense sun here it's--orange. It's been a good one, but my favorite of the 'Wendy's is 'Love and Wishes'.

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    2. Yes to Love and Wishes, which I searched for in vain all last summer. I had it in 2016, but it did not survive winter.

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  3. Gorgeous! And happy New year to you as well. An aloe nursery sounds like a great idea...

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    1. I have a raised bed place that gets morning sun/afternoon shade so that has been a place for little Aloe seedlings to grow large enough to survive the hot dry all-day-sun front slope. So far it has worked out well.

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  4. Buy now, decide where it is going later - that is my philosophy too!

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  5. No ground to plant here, but I'm excited to get some big containers going and have started checking the nurseries for new shipments of Annie's Annuals -- but the nurseries are mostly still in the grip of holiday doldrums. My 'Mostly Silver' was also planted in an iffy spot -- it's tough!

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    1. 'Mostly Silver' is tough? Good news!

      Annie's does mail order, you know. ;^)

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  6. That alstroemeria is a great replacement for variegated hosta in your climate. Well, um, except for the disappearing-in-summer bit. But, hey, hostas disappear for almost six months in the cold zones, and the departure's not always graceful.

    I was empathizing right along with you about the struggle to find the best spots for some exceptionally nice plants; yes, it does involve a lot of walking around visualizing. And then I saw those roses... Pretty easy to get distracted.

    Not one to push zones, especially with woody plants, but I'd give almost anything to grow a manzanita successfully. Recently acquired Dirr's book on warm-climate woodies, his 2002 follow-up to the 1997 bible for hardy trees and shrubs, and was surprised and disappointed to see no entries for any Arctostaphylos. There's a natural southeastern bias to the whole project, but he included a lot of other western plants of much less interest to gardeners.

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    1. I don't know why the Alstroemeria disappeared, but I'm glad it came back. I'm not a zone pusher at all but the Telopea I could not help but try.

      Dirr is excellent but yes a southeastern POV, not overly useful for SoCal. The bark on a mature Arctostaphylos is unreal, and the exquisite little bell flowers. Beautiful plants, good sub for Acer palmatums here.

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    2. In the course of reading more about manzanitas, the fantasy plant for gardeners with summer rainfall, I ran into this hugely informative post about them from an Oregon parks planting professional: https://gardenriots.com/2016/02/23/manzanita-arctostaphylos-a-genus-whose-time-has-come-advocating-for-a-plant/

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    3. Thank for that link, Nell! It's an interesting read.

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  7. Are Aeoniums tricky to site? Somewhere that would allow 'Kiwi' to echo soft yellow roses or Grevillea 'Moonlight' would be ideal, assuming its needs are met.

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    1. They are tricky in that they go very dormant in summer, should be kept very dry at that time. When dormant they look terrible. Snails/Slugs love to destroy them, but since the drought Snails/Slugs have become rare around here (not a bad thing).

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  8. Your post made me laugh, but it was a sympathetic laugh. I know exactly what you're going through. I need to finish planting my haul from my SoCal trip. Like you, I often buy plants without having a clue where they should go. But I have complete faith in you. You'll find the best spots--you always seem to.

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    1. Well, sometimes. Time to go out and look again. I really need all these plants planted. Have fun with all yours!

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  9. I so understand the delicious agonizing. Some plants in my garden get moved again and again. Reading this post made me think of a jigsaw and the pieces keep changing shape ... I've got gaps but have to wait for the cooler weather before I can do anything. Yappy new year - made me laugh. Same to you, HB.

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    1. That is a good analogy, a jigsaw with the pieces changing shape. Or is it a metaphor?

      Thanks! The new year here is very yappy so far, thanks to the Sammies.

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  10. Happy new year! With so many fabulous plants in your garden, your distraction is understandable. Boris and Natasha would probably have ideas about where you should plant your new acquisitions and would probably be delighted to dig holes for you.

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    1. They would be happy to rip the plants up to relieve my mind about where to plant them, and yes they would be delighted to dig some nice big holes. They are always willing to "help"!

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