November, Stuck

 

Hakea laurina

Stuck. Stuck in that mood where I feel stuck.  Not much gets done, I don't feel like doing anything at all.  Blue, glum, a passenger on the struggle bus going nowhere. 

The garden will surely pull me out of it.  It usually does.  Soon, I hope. 

Callistemon (Melaleuca) 'Slim' looked fabulous last week, before the Santa Ana winds blasted them.  

You don't want to see what they look like now.  

It's not all bad out there, though.  I was given some Tuberose tubers back in June.  Agave amica, common name Tuberose, is a very different sort of Agave (!they put it in Agave?!!).  The tubers, potted up, sat leafless all summer, showing signs of life again a few weeks ago.  A. amica grows from a tuberous root, likes constantly moist soil, and goes dormant for the winter.  Wait, winter?  These leaves appeared in October, and the leaves usually yellow and fall in October, so...the plant is...out of sync.  Hmmm...well, at least it's alive, right?

At least the Koi had a good summer.  The pond didn't have a good summer--the water is greened up and I can't get it to clear.  It's important to have clear water to be able to check on the health of the Koi.  And also to see the Koi.  Hana had a sizable wound on her forehead from something, but it's all healed up.  Whew!  At least I can see that part of her.  Little Less looks good too--at least the bit I can see.  Less would not pose.

Hana indicates it's time to feed her:

The new Farfugium, as yet unplanted, has flowered.  Boy are those sad.

But it's all about the foliage.  Fabulous Farfugium foliage:

Speaking of fabulous foliage, yet another shot of Agave mitis 'Nova', which is gearing up to flower itself to death. You can tell because the newest leaves in the center of the plant are getting shorter and shorter instead of bigger:

I love to take pictures of that Agave, because I need a reason to stare at its silky blueness for long periods of time.  Well, I really don't need a reason.  

There was just time to briefly admire the colors on Lagerstroemia 'Cherry Mocha', which had colored up right before ferocious Santa Ana winds ripped them all off.

I managed to plant a new 'Southern Belle' Calylophus in an attempt to unstick.  It was nearly killed by the Santa Anas.  I think I rescued it before it was completely desiccated.  

Still green, seems okay:

The Farfugium I saved from dessication by setting it in a tub of water.  

Silver Teucrium 'Ackermanii', an iffy purchase because it was not the healthiest specimen (but it was the only one I've ever seen for sale), had as good a summer as the Koi did, and it looks lovely at the moment.  The Artemisia 'Sea Foam' above it, also an iffy purchase, actually grew and looks better than it did at planting.  It's not thriving, but it's...not dead.  Also in the picture is one of the big box Leucospermums, which has not flowered yet, but has grown considerably.  And a bit of Grevillea 'Superb'.  And an Aloe. And two leaves of Limonium perezii.

A few of the acorns the wind knocked off the Oak:

Tagetes lemonii, "Copper Canyon Daisy" flowering up on the slope.  That cheered me up.  It easily withstood the wind:

I'm pleased to report Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt' #4 (the first three quickly died) planted at the end of September, is still alive:

Despite stuckness, I managed to get the Sweet Pea seedlings into the ground, rather than letting the Santa Anas dessicate and kill them: 

Tuteur knocked down by the wind, and the 'Iceberg' rose on it too. 

The Sweet Peas don't do much at all besides growing roots until early March.

A mess all around.  At least bumpy-nubbly Aloe aculeata, which was in dire straits and which I planted here to hopefully recover, looks excellent again:

I planted many less individual plants in any one place.  They've always been too crowded in past years.

At least I was able to unstick for small tasks.  

We went on an early trek to Plant Depot yesterday.  One more try with Verbena 'de la Mina', which I've killed four or five times at least, though I suspect poor specimens.  The one purchased yesterday had an excellent root system, which none of the previous ever had.  Also a Lycoris radiata var. radiata, and a Rosemary (now considered a Salvia!!) 'Blue Spire' to replace one of the 'Tamora' roses, which I planted by the gully pergola and which has been miserable ever since.  Rosemary is much much tougher.  I will re-pot 'Tamora' in hopes of saving it.  The other 'Tamora', which spent spring and summer in a pot, has thrived. 

Left  to right, Verbena, Lycoris, Rosema--uh, Salvia rosmarinus:

Do you ever feel "stuck"?  How do you get yourself out of it?