While Searching For 'Spring Fire'

A hot September and October finally woke up the Bougainvillea on the front slope
 

A Saturday outing to a quirky family-owned nursery,   in search of Metrosideros 'Spring Fire'.  No 'Spring Fire'.  The nursery was crammed with all sorts of interesting ornamental plants.  I was sorely tempted by this and that, but refrained and bought nothing.  Proof there were interesting plants:  too busy looking to take photos. 

 Sunday's visit to a garden center in search of  Metrosideros 'Spring Fire' was also unsuccessful.  Bad timing:  the garden center had drastically reduced stock to clear large areas for selling Christmas trees and Christmas decorations.  Such are "garden centers".  A few small 4"/1 qt. sized plants did come home with us, including one freebie.  At least there was fresh stock of small plants.  

Two maybe interesting Coreopsis:  'Lil Bang Starlight'.  A white daisy-like flower with a burgundy star center on a petite plant.  Flowers that may look good with the burgundy edges on Agave 'Blue Glow', so I planted them near several and near 'Sparkling Burgundy' Eucomis. 

The Eucomis is shutting down 2022's foliage (green/yellow) and sprouting 2023's (burgundy): 

Coreopsis indicated by arrows below.  I moved the fully recovered Aloe capitata (root system now regrown) from a TLC bed to the spot left of the top arrow.  It needs more water than what it got on the front slope (zero). 

 'Blue Glow' when it glows: gold and burgundy

Two more 'Mystic Spires Blue'  because I liked the first two so much. 

 One 'Mystic Spires Blue' may go here:

Random scraps of fencing are protecting the sweet pea seedlings at the moment.  The potted Dahlia was cut down and stored for the winter.   

Last spring's attempt at a focal point there was--meh.  I'm reworking it for next spring.  'Iceberg' rose mixed with wine-red sweet peas to grow up the tuteur.  The area once completely taken by Lavender 'Provence' got 40 Dutch Iris bulbs, currently protected by horizontal hardware cloth and fencing. There's space in one corner--put a Salvia there?  Currently around the tuteur are various small succulents either rooted from cuttings or recovering from neglect.  

And a Toyon seedling--I didn't plant the seed--perhaps a bird did:

 The succulents and the Toyon must be moved.

The freebie plant is Salvia apiana, native to this neighborhood.  It is being promoted by the California Native Plant Society because it is being stripped from wildlands.  This native Salvia is an important food source for native bees and butterflies.  

Salvia apiana is becoming endangered in large sectors of the wild because, besides climate change, there is a fad involving people going into the wild to collect it to make something called "smudge sticks".   It's not the most orderly of plants (striking silver-white leaves, but big, sprawling, gangly).  I'll do my bit for the native pollinators that depend on it. 

 

Not everyone can live on roses: 

 We're forecast to get precious wonderful rain this evening and tomorrow, so moving and planting and setting out tubs, barrels, and buckets to collect rain were priorities this afternoon. 

First Stock seedling!  Planted 10/30

I finally found the misplaced Rhus seeds, well hidden under a sheet of paper that had "Rhus seeds" written on it in big letters.  They were on the fireplace hearth.  Planted at the edge of one of the beds prepped and awaiting onion seedlings in early January.  There's room.  

The seeds were in hard fuzzy cases, one case for each seed.  I pressed each seed in its case onto the damp soil and then decided to remove their cases.  Would they crack open?  I discovered the damp soil had begun to dissolve the cases--the seeds came right out as the cases fell apart.  The case sensed damp soil and fell apart?  Pretty cool! 

 

Just as I finished planting the seeds, it began to rain.  It was getting dark, too.