Still Clearing Out The Rat Habitat...

 Still working on the Aloe clump/rat habitat and environs.  Grevillea limbed up more, creating access to the Bougainvillea.  The Bougie chopped down to a stump (circled): 

  I hack the Bougie back to a stump every two or three years to keep it manageable.  Bougies flower only on new growth--so why keep the old stuff?  Once established, you can't kill them.

Pile of bougainvillea stems to remove.  I had to wait for the big green truck to come and empty the green waste bins.  

The remainder of the Aloe still needs to come out.  The Puya should go, too.  It's the low clump of strappy silvery leaves between the Grevillea trunk and the Dasylirion.    Puyas sport marginal teeth on the leaves, nasty, slashing ones.  It has grown there over ten years, but never flowered.  Too shady?  Or is it trying to lure me close to attack and drink my blood? 

There's significant space between the Aloe clump and the Dasylirion--over four feet (1.2 m), along with a cut in the slope there--if left unplanted, a possible footpath for easier maintenance.

 Aloe out.  Remarkably easy. Now I almost miss it. 

For the sake of a rat-nest-free area, the Leucospermum seedling (far left) should come out too--but  painful is the thought of losing a massive spring show of Leucospermum flowers...best to remove the Puya (gulp!) first and mull on it.  The Dasylirion' lowest leaves (mostly dead) could be removed to display its trunk.

Our Labor Day weekend here is very hot--the low 90's F (~33 C) so gardening has halted until it cools off.  

 What's eye-catching in the garden is mostly what was eye-catching a few days ago.  The black-foliaged Lagerstroemias...

And the roses look decent this summer.  I sprayed twice with Spinosad--just the new growth on the tips of the stems.

'Bolero 2004':

 The effort to apply Spinosad was worthwhile.  

With Spinosad: 'The Poet's Wife':

'Princess Alexandra of Kent':

Without Spinosad:

One Trachelium continues to flower.  A couple that couldn't take summer heat were removed.  Rabbits ate the rest.  

Trachelium with yellow rose 'Julia Child': 

Most of last week's weather was more like early in May than in September, with all-day marine layer overcast and mild temperatures in the low 70's (~22 C).  Ahhhhhh!  It was joy to garden for hours at a time. 

Leucadendrons with neighbor's Lagerstroemia behind:

Orange Garvinea Gerbera recovering after being moved a couple of months ago.  In its previous location, it nearly perished.   

More Japanese Aeonium--sorry, Eriocapitella flowers.

Dependable Dahlia 'Duet' did not have a good year.  Increasing shade in the Veggie garden area kept the soil too cool for Dahlias. 

Rose 'Sweet Madamoiselle', new last year, did nothing.  This year, somewhat improved.  Purchased for its' purported strong sweet fragrance, which, yes,  has appeared in blooms like this:

 The color is a little too bright, but the fragrance is indeed sweet. 

Speaking of color, this is the sort of scheme planned for the house side of the Oak tree.  Blues and silvers.  Agaves do fine here in half sun.  That project awaits more cool weather.

Lessingia filaginifolia ‘Silver Carpet'.  The plant doesn't look much better yet, but it has produced a few flowers.  We'll see how it does over the rainy season. 

As our spell of cool weather was ending, a garden buddy and I made the drive down to Plant Depot in San Juan Capistrano.  We spent close to three hours there looking at everything.  I came home with:

Kniphofia caulescens, Centaurea ragusina 'Snowy Owl', and Agapanthus 'Queen Mum'.  Yep, yet another Agapanthus.  I've gone from one (a real dud--it has never flowered) to six, and will keep the one or two best.  If they are all good, I'll keep them all, except the dud.  

''Queen Mum' produces flowers in the same color range as 'Twister' aka 'Indigo Frost'.  White with purple-blue accents.  This is a tall growing version with a large flower head packed tightly with individual blooms.  The Allium silhouette for those of us with insufficient chill to grow tall Alliums. 

The latest thought is to plant the Agapanthus in this area:

Which is really meh at this time of the year

 Agapanthus mixed in with Geranium 'Rozanne', Salvia 'Blue Hill', white Leucanthemum (flowering in the spring), white Catharanthus and white or lavender Pentas (flowering in the summer and early autumn).   The reblooming 'Bella Sera' Daylily clumps and roses can stay.  

Worn out Dahlias, a worn out Lantana, and a few miscellaneous other plants must be moved or removed, like the not-interested-in-flowering Geums (but maybe they'll do great next year?),  in an attempt to create an actual color scheme--white, blue-ish/purple-y, and peach ('Ambridge Rose').  Perhaps the pot filled with Canna 'Phaison' (an unhealthy specimen--need a healthy one) will become a pot full of 'Queen Mum', towering over all. 

I hope you are having a great weekend.  Doing anything fun?  Because its very hot, the pups will get their end-of-summer baths.  Not overly fun for any of us, but...good for their skin.   

No Natasha, chewing Boris does not count as a bath: