Garden Center Visits, Agapanthus and Other New Plants


Accidentally became besotted with Agapanthus 'Twister' on a garden center visit last week.  I saw it, and left it, thinking, "You'll go back if you really want it."  I went back.   

Snails find Agapanthus clumps the perfect place to be fruitful and multiply.  Our long drought brought about a collapse in the neighborhood snail population, so my attitude towards Agapanthus has turned more positive. 

Enchanting 

The Agapanthus inapertus ssp pendulus 'Graskop' plant I asked for and received from a kind neighbor has an emerging flower stem--awaiting its opening.

 'Black Pantha' was good, though I never got a satisfying photo of it.  Next year, hopefully.  The plant, more established by then, should produce a better flower as well.

Sunday early morning, another garden center visit:  we went to Roger's Gardens in Corona del Mar.  We have not been there since March 2019 2020.  They were offering a free California native Asclepias (milkweed) plant in exchange for any tropical milkweed.  Tropical milkweed (A. curassavica) is believed to disrupt Monarch Butterfly migration patterns in California and promote disease in adult Monarchs.  Some were coming up from seed, so I pulled one to exchange.  I've been removing all the seedlings that come up. 

Beloved took most of the photos.  I was busy looking at plants. 

Roger's was fully stocked, though they didn't have much in the way of  latest/greatest/unusual.  Their emphasized trends this June were fruits/vegetables, and hummingbird/butterfly.  They continue to devote a good amount of space to succulent plants and shrubs with lower water requirements, but there were a lot of roses and tropical/subtropical plants as well.  A section of fruit trees contained no 'Improved Meyer' Lemon trees.  I asked an employee, curious as to why they did not.  "We got in about 100 this week, and already sold them all," was his answer.
Big selection of vegetable plants:
The vertical garden looked freshly replanted.  They had a "hummingbird starter box" for sale ($39.95) with hummingbird attracting plants, mostly Salvias, with a mimulus and pentas.
 
Garden long and prosper! 
Their "small scale garden" display changes frequently.  This iteration has a blue, silver, and bright green color combination:
Succulents are still on-trend.  Blogger in habitat:
We got there early and had the place to ourselves, for a while.  Once it hit about 10:15,  shoppers began to pour in.  The pandemic interest in gardening hasn't faded yet. 

 
Most people had Cupheas and Salvias in their carts.  Good to see that--there were lots of feeders for sale, but plants are healthier for the birds. 
That Platycerium specimen has been at Roger's as long as I can remember.  Yes, it's grown.  
Lots of tropicals and begonias, more than in the past few years. 
Blogger in habitat, checking to see if they had Agapanthus 'Indigo Frost'.  They did not. 
Diplandenia/Mandevilla
Clematis 'Nelly Moser':
In Southern California, Hibiscus do fairly well only close to the ocean.  The ones in our neighborhood are sad to see:  stunted and often mostly defoliated. 


Oh, a fringe-y Leucanthemum!  I've been looking for one.  The sealed plastic bag in my hand contained the tropical milkweed plant to be traded in for a native species. 
This planter was Aloes and such last we were here.  Now Dichondra argentea, Pittosporum, Thuja 'Whipcord'...
...Senecio 'Mount Everest', drapey Thymes, and what appears to be a new Lomandra...
To new to be for sale.  Could be an improvement over the similar looking variegated Dianella tasmatica that gets brown tips, spots, and streaks (at least it did in my garden).    
Nice purple center on that white Dahlia.


Beautiful 'Itt' out by the parking lot
What came home with us?  One of those fringe-y Leucanthemums.  This one is 'Sante':
 
Plus, a free Asclepias eriocarpa and Globularia x indubia.  I saw the Globularia quite a long time ago at Rogers but didn't buy one.  One was waiting. 
 By the time we left, Roger's was crazy busy and crowded.  I'm glad we wore our masks.  Covid-19 cases, after a long sustained drop in our state, are starting to rise again. 
 
Crazy busy at home  this very warm dry Sunday at the urn fountain.  Four exotic Lonchura punctulata, no less than five six male Hooded Orioles washing the Agave nectar off their feathers.  A Mourning Dove so dumb it couldn't figure out how to take a bath--it stood in the water looking around until a Mockingbird chased it away.  Female orioles, the usual gold- and house- finches.  Hummers zipping around all.   The towering A. marmorata flower stalk has dripped puddles of nectar into its own dying foliage.

  

Comments

  1. What a fun visit at your garden center. So many lovely plants. I can see why you liked that Twister Agapanthus. That is one of the prettiest ones I have seen. I have one of those Thuja Whipcords. It is a slow grower. I do like that texture of that plant. I can imagine all the birds at your bird bath. Fun to watch them.

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    1. The Thuja Whipcord is a wonderful plant, but it doesn't seem like Southern California is a good climate for them. supposedly USDA 5-7, and we're 9-10-11...

      So many birds in the garden right now. Happy they find shelter here.

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  2. Now, you've gone and whetted my appetite for a trip to Roger's...I love that new-to-me Agapanthus. Because I inherited so many clumps with the garden, I haven't augmented the supply much but I think it's time to swap some out! I dug out the plants around the former mimosa tree last year, replanting only a fraction of the bulbs but, given that all my oldest plants could use dividing, that would be the optimal opportunity to fold in some new plants. I'm glad to hear that you've got many happy avian visitors.

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    1. Uh, oh. Guess you'll have to go plant shopping. Sorry! ;^)

      Seeing all the Agapanthus in bloom around here, it's one massive celebration of blue lavender lollipop shapes. Plus a few white ones here and there.

      Crazy the number of birds in the garden this year. Maybe be due to the dry winter?

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  3. Wow, beautiful images of the Agapanthus! That is dreamy! And the garden center looks fabulous, too. I need to visit my local garden centers again for some plant therapy one of these days. ;-) I feel like I was in such a rush earlier in the season.

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  4. Sounds like a fun place to visit with so many choice plants to choose from. Love the subtle blue hue of Twister!

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    1. I missed going to garden centers for a year. It's been fun to get back to them.

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  5. Thanks for taking me along, I'm not getting out much these days...

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    1. Been there! Some down time can be good, too.

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  6. Agapanthus is beautiful but not quite hardy enough for us. I love visiting a good garden center, or even a mediocre one.

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    1. High Country was offering one hardy to zone 5.

      But you can grow Alliums, which give the same effect in the garden. I've decided Agapanthus is our substitute for Alliums.

      I love to plant shop, too. It's always fascinating.

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  7. Love that new Lomandra. Will look for it.

    Funny coincidence: I've been looking at agapanthus lately myself. It's exciting to see how far they've come since they old days.

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    1. Maybe Roger's is trialing that new Lomandra. They had none for sale. They still get some good stuff now and then.

      The collapse of the snail population is what made me take another look at them. Snails are death to succulents, and those: I have many!

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