TTTT: Overthinking Solutions

Euphorbia suzannae with a finger to show size 
Two problems have long vexed me.  

1. The Little Potted Succulent Mess 
2. The Edge Of The Front Slope Mess

1. The Little Potted Succulent Mess lives on the patio. On two sets of rusty shelves, little plants in little pots  mixed in with containers of fertilizer, empty pots, plastic glasses picked up on walks that I use as outdoor vases, odd stuff the Santa Ana winds blow in (that Beanie Baby stuffed dog), and so forth. 

 Some of the plants are always going to be small, and some of the plants are ones purchased very small that need to grow to a size that can survive in the ground. 

 This arrangement would be perfectly lovely if I took better care of it.  No, taking better care of them is too complicated!

Thinking and overthinking, I decided everything could go into the ground, even the permanently little ones, if the garden had a waist-high raised bed in a dappled (not full) shade area.  An area that might work well is at the bottom of the garden by the pergola, between Metrosideros 'Gala' and Callistemon 'Slim'.   Or maybe it wouldn't work that well.  And that is a lot of work to tackle.  So it hasn't happened.  

Then the thought occurred that if every plant on these shelves were  inspected and re-potted twice a year, and had a regular designated watering day according to the season, the shelves and their plants would look, yes, perfectly lovely.  Duh. Why don't I just do that? 

2. The Edge Of The Front Slope Mess

For years I've thought the front slope needs an edging plant of some sort that will be the same all the way along the edge where the curb meets the soil.  At one time river stones or other medium pieces of stone or a small retaining wall seemed best.  Both eliminated due to cost plus fear of a Wilma Flintstone necklace look.    

Plants became the focus in the search for a solution.  In winter, volunteer Lobularia maritima ("Sweet Alyssum") does a fine job.  If a double drip line were installed along the edge of the slope, it could do a fine job the rest of the year as well. 

 Unfortunately without a drip line, during the non-winter part of the year Sweet Alyssum dries out and dies.  Double drip line would be a painful effort.  I'm avoiding that for two reasons:  water saving, and laziness.

 From mid-autumn to the beginning of summer, the Senecio mandraliscae ("Blue Chalk Sticks") does a fine job as an edger.  In summer, it turns into rotting brown goo.  It's also an aggressive grower that needs regular pruning, and the resulting massive amount of green waste is extremely heavy.

  I tried an Aeonium along the edge of the front slope, but it scorched badly in summer heat.  The same Aeonium does very well on the east side slope which is in shade by noon most of the year.  It also is an aggressive a grower, so eventually the edge of the east slope will need some maintenance, though sofar it is working well, keeping soil and mulch in place, which is quite a virtue. This on rainfall alone.
That strange line on the slope is the shadow of the top of a fence just outside of the frame:

Aloe brevifolia is tough enough to hold up through all four seasons, but it is too small in relation to the size of the slope.  Scale and proportion, you know.  
Small plant, big job

 Aloe noblis, about double the size of A. brevifolia, might work.  Running a double drip line along the edge and planted A. noblis is the current best idea.  Or, come to think of it, Dymondia.  But the drip line is a must.  And in that case, I could just use...Sweet Alyssum.  Sigh. 

Turning away from those problems...oh, one more.  This mass of Graptoveria 'Fred Ives' needs to be cut back and the rosettes re-rooted.  Because paths are nice to walk on.  The rosettes can hardly be seen because of all the flower stems, which have been constantly visited by hummingbirds.  The hummers are my excuse for not cutting back the 'Fred's.  I'm good at excuses!

 From the "Bloom, dammit" file, this Leucospermum grown from seed has taken over one raised bed and is now invading another.  Not one flower yet.  
Bloom, dammit!

 While on the subject of blooms, here is Brodiaea laxa 'Queen Fabiola'

 Despite being in a nearly hidden corner.  See it? 

 A recent Clematis post left C. viticella unmentioned.  It's quite weedy.  This is a seedling, actually--I got rid of the original plant but so far it's offsprings have evaded my weeding.  Yes the flowers are sweet but I don't need 200 plants of this. 

 And to end,  Agave marmorata flowers will open any day now.  The nectar-feeders are waiting.

 Tell The Truth Tuesday is a Bonney Lassie meme.