A couple of years ago I began paying attention to color combinations, developing a shaky understanding of them that is slowly improving with practice. Last year, the focus was on choosing tough summer bloomers to make summers here less grim. I've now learned the basics of a happier summer: Cosmos, Catharanthus, Dahlias, Pentas, Salvias, Zinnias. I erred getting Zinnia and Cosmos seeds sown two months late this year. Next year, the plan is to do better.
A few Cosmos flowers soon, I hope!
The new effort is to increase foliage texture in the garden, prompted by the pleasing effect of the Zamia furfuracea in the first photo of this post. Most of the foliage in the garden is small or fine, because small, fine leaves need less water and are less damaged by Santa Ana winds. So what to use for foliage contrast? Standing in the garden, staring at a beautiful Agave ovatifolia, drawing a complete blank on plants other than the Zamia with big, bold foliage that hold up to Santa Ana desiccating winds and baking summer sun...
Also to do, I think one more branch (for this year) off the Oak tree:
I note two Leucadendron phenomenon. First, I chopped several feet off 'Harlequin'. Each cut stimulated the sprouting of between eight to fifteen new branches.
Great!
Not so great:
Agaves are always the answer 😂
ReplyDeleteYour zamia is breathtaking. They're never for sale up here in NorCal. I'd love to find a decent-sized one.
I thought the answer was 42?
DeleteZamia furfuracea are not easy to find here, either. Slow growers. I happened to see mine at Home Cheapo and grabbed it. Have not seen one there or anywhere since.
Alyogyny? Al-ee-og-uh-knee? I have no hope of spelling it if I can't pronounce it. One of the things I like about this tablet is that I can select a word (for instance, alyogyny), and it will do a web search for me and I get to see pictures too. That is one pretty plant! It will look lovely next to your mailbox. Nice eye-candy for the neighbors too. That's a pretty selection of summer flowers you have going on there. Lots of bright colors, and fairly easy to grow too. Have you considered a rockrose too, maybe? A word about cycads. Lovely plants, and ancient too, but deadly to dogs if they eat the "berries." My friend got her little boy a young-ish dog from the shelter not too long ago. My friend is most definitely not a gardener, but she did have a cycad in her front yard. Long story short, the dog is gone, and now, so is the cycad. Hope you have some fun projects for August. It promises to be a scorcher. Elizabeth
ReplyDeleteAnd I spelled it wrong, too. Went and fixed it. Do you get a lot of flowers from Rockroses? The HOA at previous home planted some--never was all that impressed but they were in tough places challenging for any plant.
DeleteI do know about the toxicity of cycads--always good to be reminded again and again, tho--thanks--the pups are not allowed in that section of the garden at all, and we carefully avoid getting close to the neighborhood cycads on walks. We even switch to the other side of the street. How awful for your friend and her son. They must feel terrible about that.
Cut one branch, water...August lull. Stay cool in this heat!
The first photo on this post is stunning. The Zamia adds a focal point but highlights all the other things around it too. Cosmos start blooming with decreasing daylength so should start soon. Potted agaves look great anywhere. Watched a video from Plant One On Me of Tony Avent's Plant Delight's nursery. They went into his agave greenhouse full of one-of-a-kind plants. So many gorgeous types and colour variations. You're lucky that they thrive in your climate giving you so many choices.
ReplyDeleteGood tip on the Cosmos, thanks! We are able grow a fantastic variety of plants here, if we're lucky enough to have the space. I will have to look for that video now.
DeleteMore agaves! That's an answer I give two thumbs up!
ReplyDeleteReally? ;^)
DeleteThat Zamia is a beautiful addition. I've warmed up to cycads over the years - now I just need to find one that doesn't cost a fortune. The removal of that last branch of the oak was a perfect final touch. Leucadendron 'Harlequin' is a beauty too. I'm contemplating what to do about controlling one of my 'Wilson's Wonder' Leucadendrons - every time I cut it back, it seems to immediately come back taller and wider and is now seriously encroaching on one of my main paths. The question is to I continue to chop it or shift the path?
ReplyDeleteThe Zamia is great, the texture! I also purchased one at HD, and it couldn't take the heat here. I'd love to try another in a shadier spot.
ReplyDeleteI've got several spots that have a similar issue - how to add texture and color so that it doesn't all blur together into a boring mass of blah. I can also empathize with the grim summer feeling. Still figuring out my plant palette to counteract that, but each summer seems to bring new challenges that the previous one didn't. Keeps us on our toes, doesn't it?
ReplyDelete