How Recent Plant Acqusitions Are Growing

 

Rose 'Moon Dance' 

 A survey of some recent new plants and how they have, or have not, performed.

Dark blue Agapanthus ('Graskop'?) begged from a neighbor last year -- doing great.

Senecio ficoides 'Mount Everest', purchased a couple of months ago, has grown somewhat.  It is intended to be a vertical accent against the driveway wall.  Looks like it will do the job, eventually.

Color looks great against the wall:

Abutilon 'Victor Reiter', a 4" pot from Annie's Annuals June of 2018, has become a well-branched, four by three foot open shrub.  It took longer than expected. 

Abutilon 'Davids Choice', another 4" from Annies last spring, still needs a better location.  The Hydrangeas are overwhelming it again this year. 

Peeking out through 'Shooting Stars':

The Aloe castilloniaes (May 2021) need a spot in the ground.  I'm waiting for autumn.  One has the tiniest of flower stems, which dried up.

The native silver Lupine albifrons (Annies, May 2021) sat in its 4" pot for three months.  I put it down in the sunniest part of the gully last week, and protected it from summer sun and voracious rabbits.  Now it's on its own. 

Echium gentianoides 'Tajinaste' (Annies, 4", Jan 2021) has grown considerably, but no flowers.  Foliage is a nice color, but overall the plant is rather coarse. 

Leucadendron 'More Silver has some yellowing leaves.  Not a good sign.  Uh oh. 

The two new Grevillea 'Superb's now have sufficient flowers to spur hummingbird fights. 

Some of the six-packs of Verbenas purchased in March have done great. 

Others, not so much.  They like rich soil and water.   Surprise. 

The second Centaurea ragusina has done great. 

Some of the several Calylophus purchased this spring at various places have done well, a couple not so well, and a couple flat-out died. Still, I like this plant. 

Didelta 'Silver Strand',  (May 2021, Plant Depot, 1 gallon) has thrived.  It's a brittle plant.  When putting it into the ground, a couple of branches broke off.  Stuck into the ground, they rooted and grew.  I wonder how this plant will handle winter.  So far it seems too good to be true. 

Cuphea purpurea 'Fire Cracker' grew a lot and flowers well, I put it behind a tall Dahlia, so it's unfortunately somewhat hidden.  My bad. 

Agapanthus 'Twister' aka 'Indigo Frost', (2 gallon and 1 gallon June 2021) still in their pots, as is 'Prunetucky Summer'.  They can handle pot life for a while.  Look at the flower stem on the left--it disappears when in front of the Hydrangea, so this plant needs a different background. 

The three Geum 'Totally Tangerine' (Armstrongs, 1 qt, Feb 2021) have grown well, but produced only a few flowers.   Maybe more flowers next year, or none at all?  Warning:  poor flowering next year, out you go. 

Rose 'Gay Princess' (Annies, 4", May 2021) has grown just a bit, and produced a quite nice flower.  Purchased along with the Lupinus albifrons because the shipping is the same for four plants as it is for three.  A Gene Boerner cultivar from the 1950's.  The cultural context of the name 'Gay Princess' has changed since then. 

 The two 'Golden Celebration' roses purchased in January are more vigorous and much larger, but that was to be expected.

Globularia x indubia, (June 2021, 1 gallon, Roger's) seems happy.  There is a bit of new growth.  I assume it's a winter grower, being from Tenerife.

Eucomis 'Burgundy'.  (Spring 2021) It isn't that burgundy because it is in a lot of shade so it doesn't dry out and die.  Still wondering where to plant it, or do I leave it in the pot?  Cool plant.  Puzzled as to where to place it.

Lessingia filanginifolia, (Annies 4", May 2021) is out front by the driveway.  Is it going to become pretty at some point?  It's a California native, hence the rabbit guard.  

Linaria triorthinophora has done nothing.  It can't even figure out how to die.  The &^)^$#! rabbits won't eat it.  Maybe next year?   

Limonium seedlings I carefully nurtured, removing the rabbit guards only after the foliage was tough and leathery.

The ^&*%*$%! rabbits ate them anyway:

Magnolia laevifolia, purchased just about a year ago as few-inches tall mail order plant, has survived.  I planted it where one of the Italian Cypress used to be.  It's quite floppy.  Does it need training and support to create a sturdy structure?  I have no idea.

Protected from *@#%$^#& rabbits, and from hot afternoon sun while it establishes a good root system:  

 Last August:

It's behind one of the 'Austin Griffiths', which replaced another Italian Cypress.  I planted this 'Austin' last March.

Last March:

  

Now.  Huh.  This grew a lot, too:

Must plant the two Grevillea nudiflora 'Medusa's.  They are still waiting in pots.  Perhaps this will create motivation to get them into the ground.  

Ceanothus megacarpa purchased two weeks ago, did get into the soil, replacing Iochroma 'Princess', which did the temporary screening job I hoped it would, but wasn't a must-have.  Iochroma 'Purple Queen' is enough Iochroma for the garden. 

C. megacarpa foliage has resembles a cross between typical Ceanothus foliage and the foliage of our native oak:

It's indicated by the arrow.  Another recent plant, the second 'Austin Griffiths' Manzanita, is doing well. 

Planted 'Austin' there in February 2020, with one arm in a cast.

Huh.  It has grown quite a bit since then.  Then:

The 'Louis Edmunds' Manzanita I moved at the same time did not die.  Yay!

It's grown, too:

'Design-a-Line Burgundy' Cordyline planted in May of this year in the terrace right below 'Louis' has grown also:

Not too bad.   The garden and the gardener are tired and waiting for the hot summer to pass.  Just as Chili Thips damage appeared, I sprayed all the new tips of the roses (what Chili Thrips destroy) with Spinosad.  So, there are some roses here and there to enjoy.  I'm not deadheading, in hopes they sit without new growth, until the nights cool down again and become too cold for Chili Thrips.  

Oooooh!

 Otherwise, just spot-watering snapping off yesterday's Hemerocallis flowers and sulking indoors.  The Dahlias are not having a good year.  Fine flowers, but not a lot of them.  Some buds have been lost to those &^#$$*@! rabbits. 

The big show continues to be the 'Dynamite'  Crepe myrtles.  Enjoying them to a ridiculous degree, averting my eyes from bleached or scorched foliage,  flopping Dahlias,  and the bit-off leafless stem stumps of what were once green bean seedlings.  

 %@#^#*$! rabbits!