Zinnias bring forth a last few flowers. We finally have a cool-down. It feels like autumn at night, but still summer during the day, and it will for a while.
I walked the garden early yesterday surveying heat damage. The once beautiful 'Marjorie Channon' Pittosporums are dying rapidly, as is the 'Ivory Sheen' version. The two heat waves killed the Banksia, too. Ouch! Both 'Meyer' lemons are toast. Double ouch! Then there are supposedly thirsty Hydrangeas, which are...fine, thank you.
Blankety-blank rabbit decided the Gomphrena was edible after all, drat!
I started removing some of the Dymondia by Smaller 'Hercules', stopping when it got too hot. The Dymondia has become infested with oxalis, fescue, and spotted spurge. The plan is to move a couple solitary Aloes there. I started to dig a hole for the other big-box Lecospermum waiting in a pot, and stopped. (The first, recently planted is at extreme lower left of photo.) Digging stopped because considerable roots were growing in the starred spot--not sure from what. I have another spot possible--will try it there. While the heat was too much the past few days I thoroughly groomed and washed both puppies, found a guy to do some work on the front doors (they were rubbing on the threshold) and other non-gardening activities. Ordered some stuff to finish the found chairs, and re-moisturize the front doors. Looked around the garden, mostly. Little bits of interest here and there. No photos of the dead stuff. Too sad.
For every dead Pitto and Banksia, there's a Leucadendron 'Harlequin' repeatedly exceeding all expectations:
and a Dahlia that endures:
Some plants failed, but some survived. A new TB Iris that looked like it wasn't going to grow...
Grew after all!
A few more Clemmies. Love that rich violet:
Some bad, but some good, too. Onward!
What's exceeding your expectations in the garden lately?
Heat.
ReplyDeleteYeah...the one thing we'd rather not have exceeding expectations!
DeleteAll the info that I get from gardeners in your area means that I can identify flowers at the florist like Leucadendrons. Love that mauve combo in the photo above the Leucadendron. In my garden Anemones are doing well, Heuchera 'Brownies' has been flowering for weeks and the rabbits have not eaten the two new shrubs I've planted but not yet caged.
ReplyDeleteAren't blogs great? I can ID plants no one grows here because of garden blogs! :)
DeleteLove love Heucheras, but the fancy ones don't do well here--expensive annuals. The native Heucheras do well, but they don't have the interesting foliage. The flowers are sweet, though.
Watch those rabbits. They are waiting for you to get complacent!
Losing Pittosporums, Banksia and both 'Meyer' lemons is so disheartening!
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of Pittos, I saw a most beautiful Pittosporum 'Tom Thumb' (with very dark shiny leafs) at the WA state Arboretum yesterday. I never see it in nurseries and it wasn't offered at their plant sale, but it was gorgeous. It may need more water than a California garden can provide these days.
Leucadendron 'Harlequin' is an excellent plant to find solace in.
chavli
Native Sons (wholesaler) lists it. From growing them, my guess it's not so much water needs--its extended heat that gets them. They drop a massive amount of foliage, then the stems bare for too long can't recover, and more and more of the plant dies. Experiment and learn, right? A new 'Meyer' can trial in flat ground that holds a little moisture, too hot here now for Pittos, and Banksias I'll admire from afar, maybe. It might have gotten water in hot weather that killed it---I was watering the nearby Podocarpus.
DeleteI just planted a pitt in one of my stock tanks, a selection from Xera called 'Tall & Tough' -- which felt kinda weird because...well, coming from LA, pitts are useful, not necessarily desirable -- but it's a great-looking evergreen up here! Context is everything. So sorry for your plant losses. I'm still amazed by your success with clems, you should feel justifiably proud. That looks like a viticella, a fav. I'm trying not to think of my Long Beach garden...
ReplyDeleteVery eye opening was the condition of the Pitto 'Tasman Ruffles' in Dan Hinkley's garden book. Just gorgeous. I pulled mine after reading that book. Coastal WA looks like their sweet spot.
DeleteYes the Clem is 'Etoile Violette'.
It IS hard to identify the source of some roots, You're prudent to seek out another spot for the Leucospermum, though. Pittosporum did fine in my former garden and for the several years 'Silver Magic' did well here on my back slope of all places too (although I should note that, because the shrubs were planted along one stretch of the property line, the neighbor added drip from his taps to the pittance I provided). I suspect it's just becoming too hot and dry for P. tenuifolium; however, the P. tobira I inherited with the garden continues to thrive. I don't care for the scent of the foliage but that's a trivial matter.
ReplyDeleteMy Acacia 'Cousin Itt' is still the star of my garden.
Just keep rubbing it in with 'Cousin Itt', whydontcha? ;^)
DeleteApologies--I meant P. tenuifolium and variants. Agree wholeheartedly on P. tobira--much tougher, much tougher (and the foliage does smell!) .
I can relate to the annoyances of getting spotted spurge and oxalis embedded in ground covers.Oxalis particularly enjoys living in Elfin Thyme, and the only solution is to dig up the hole patch and turn it upside down and pull out the oxalis from the bottom. It's strangely rewarding and the Thyme tolerates the process quite well.
ReplyDeleteI'll have to try that. I have plenty of oxalis and spotted spurge to practice on. 😜
DeleteOh yes, the Zinnias are still going strong here, too...until the first frost (mid-October?). Love 'em! I'm with you on the blankety-blank rabbits. Grrrrr....
ReplyDeleteSo sorry about your lemons AND Banksia. Who would have thought? We are having an exceptional Fall. Though still incredibly dry the garden is looking fantastic. I am enjoying my beautiful dahlia show which all too often is cut short by frost.
ReplyDeleteYour lost your Myer lemons? Ours looks perfectly healthy. In fact, all our citrus trees do. So weird.
ReplyDeleteI lost a beloved Euphorbia 'Tasmanian Tiger'. At least it looks that way. When I cut it to the ground, there was NO MILKY SAP in the stems. I've never seen that before.
I was most surprised by a recently planted Banksia blechnifolia. I expected it to the among the first to die in the heat wave. It didn't!
I'm impressed by your Leucadendrons, My lemon and lime are, slowly, forgiving me for the drought years.
ReplyDeleteLeucadendrons are awesome. So lucky they like it here! One of my lemon trees might survive--it looks a little better. They struggled in the extreme heat this summer.
DeleteGlad yours are recovering. They are wonderful ornamental trees as well as producing delicious fruit.