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Winter Project 2017 Update
The major plants added in February 2017--Leucadendron 'Cloudbank Ginny', Leucadendron 'Wilsons Wonder', Leucospermum 'Tango, and Dasylirion wheelerii--have grown considerably, a surprise considering how dry our winter was.
The "project area" was the space at the top of the slope between the Lagerstroemia and Aloe 'Hercules', and for a short distance to the right of the Lagerstroemia, winter-leafless in this February 2017 photo:
18 months later, August 2018. Note also how attractive Senecio mandraliscae is in February vs. August.
February 2017
August 2018
'Wilson's Wonder', the shrubby little thing farthest to the left...
...has grown more than I expected.
The Agave 'Blue Flame' near the wall on the left is becoming engulfed by two happy Leucophyllums. There was a Leucospermum 'High Gold' in the empty place to the right of it, which I killed by moving it over a foot. Still chagrined about that.
There's the late lamented 'High Gold':
Though the loss did give me a place for Aloe aculeata and Agave ovatifolia 'Vanzie'
Leucospermum 'Tango' is the big winner so far--it bloomed for most of fall and all of winter and some of spring.
February 2018:
Leucadendron 'Cloudbank Ginny' is so-so--the similar 'Pom Pom' is better. 'Wilson's Wonder' which began as a plant tuft of mundane green has experienced several waves of foliage color.
That stained-glass thing Leucadendrons do:
Not a part of the project. The oak, Leucospermum 'Yellow Bird', and the Leucophyllym sure bulked up in 18 months.
Oh, my.
A lot of choice succulents have vanished under the Leucospermum and should be moved. Now that summer's heat is beginning to ease, that can be a new project.
It's looking good, HB! I'm sorry you lost the Leucospermum, though. Rampant growth is one of the most positive garden problems to have in may book. I was in my front gardening hunting for a "missing" Hebe speciosa 'Variegata' just this afternoon. I found it hiding under 2 "dwarf" Polygalas so it's now on my fall move list.
ReplyDeleteI felt really bad about the Leucospermum, but it was probably too large for the space. A good lesson, I try harder not to buy plants I have no space for--success there has been mixed, though.
DeleteMaybe the Hebe was happy to be hidden from the sun. I sure was, all brutal summer!
This last photo shows how many of your succulents have disappeared under the Leucospermum. Ha, you have a secret garden here.
ReplyDeleteHa, ha! Good one! Never thought of it that way.
DeleteYour garden looks amazing in every season! The changes are thrilling but I'm sorry about your plant losses.
ReplyDeleteIt's an educational thing to lose a plant; learning is good, though not for that particular plant!
DeleteWhat gorgeous plants, I am particularly envious of the leucadendrons, impossible to grow here.
ReplyDeleteI feel very, very lucky to be able to grow Leucadendrons. They are indeed like stained glass windows when the sun is behind them, an effect that always amazes.
DeleteAs you mentioned succulents, I just reread your posts on decapitating echeveria and am wondering if I can do the same with aeonium? I have four, 4 foot stems with aeonium sitting atop but I can't see the darn "flower" looking part of the plant anymore and I want to repot. Help?
ReplyDeleteYes indeedy you can decapitate and re-root Aeoniums, but wait until the weather cools off (hopefully it cools off) in October. This is because Aeoniums are dormant in summer and they will sit until it cools off anyway. Do the standard thing of letting the cut dry for a few days.
DeleteAlso you can leave the "headless" bare stems of the Aeoniums; they will grow multiple new rosettes if they are fairly happy.
I love seeing all this progress. The succulents should be easy to move when it's cooler. Do you have room for them elsewhere?
DeleteI lost my Phylica pubescens and my two Leucadendron 'Little Bit' this summer. Not enough water.
Yes I have room for the victoriae-reginaes for sure on the slope, the other stuff too. Sorry to hear you lost the Phylica and the 'Little Bit's.
DeleteYep my last Phylica also fried and died in the "nuclear" heat eave of early July, but I got what appear to be viable seeds out of it. Must sow them soon. 'Little Bit' I killed for lack of water a few years ago, grrr! They without a doubt need a long stretch of regular watering to get established enough to do with less.
So interesting to see how a garden progresses! We never know, do we, just how it will turn out? I always have an image in my head how things will look in a year or two or more, and I always have to make adjustments. One project always leads to another...Your garden looks wonderful. I can't grow Leucadendrons here, but I do drool over it when I see it doing that "stained-glass thing " in other bloggers' gardens.
ReplyDeleteI never know, that is for sure. I can't even form an image in my head--not very visual! I just plant where I think it might have the right conditions to grow well, and hope for the best.
DeleteYour plants look beautiful. How much do you water Leucospermum 'Tango'? It is fantastic :)
ReplyDelete'Tango' is still getting established, so in the heat of summer it gets a moderate amount of water, maybe a gallon, three times a week, about like a well-established rose bush. The soil is light, it's on a slope, so drainage there is very, very fast.
DeleteIn heavier soil, they need much more careful watering so they don't rot.
Thanks for the info. I think I have been under-watering mine :)
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