mystery cherry pink dierama. Carl Thunberg, the “Father of South African Botany” is credited with the discovery of Dierama pendulum in the 1770s
The SoCal garden churned through a lot of attempts at growing dieramas. I’d figure they’re South African, I’m zone 10, we should get along famously. So many plant fails are due to faulty assumptions. Matching growing zones is only the beginning of the investigation as to whether conditions are suitable. Dieramas are not for hot dry gardens but come from cool mountainous regions in southeastern Africa. The fact that the famous Slieve Donard hybrids were developed in Northern Ireland says a lot about their preferred growing conditions. Hot and dry conditions in Northern Ireland must be thoughtfully provided, whereas in Los Angeles those are the brutal default conditions. (Simply compare the latitudes of Northern Ireland and Los Angeles for the strength of sunlight, something I’ve only recently started to take into account.) Novices make many such mistakes, but still trial-and-error can prove the astonishing range of plants and bring surprising results — just not, in my experience, with dieramas.
this Slieve Donard dierama appeared at a SoCal nursery and was brought up to Oregon. This strain of dieramas was developed mid 20th century at their namesake nursery in Northern Ireland, named for the highest peak of the Mourne Mountains. I’ve read about this strain since forever, nice to see it bloom in the Oregon garden. The darker colors steal all the oxygen, but this silvery number need not apologize, I love it.
zone categories are based on average minimum winter temperatures. Other factors like heat and rainfall were not originally given proportionate consideration
In fact, a theory I brought north to the Oregon garden, that growing conditions here would suit plants that are also happy in Ireland and Northern Europe, has been borne out. Here at the Oregon coast, dieramas bloom from a small size, often the first year they are planted out. No struggle, no gnashing of teeth.
From Australia and so far winter hardy here, Acacia pravissima speaks to the remarkable range of potential growing conditions tolerated by plants, which only trial-and-error can discover
Many faulty assumptions were also absorbed by the mostly photo-less books read in my formative garden years by plants people who were also great writers like Jekyll, Sackville-West, Russell Page, and Lloyd — when they referenced plants for hot, dry areas, I ignorantly assumed it as a ringing endorsement for Los Angeles gardens! British garden writers already had centuries of garden culture at their backs to lend that authoritative, confident tone to their writing. The Empire had been sending out explorers and botanists as far back as 1768, when Joseph Banks joined Captain James Cook’s voyage to observe the Transit of Venus. And all those plant specimens were brought back to the very propitious growing climate of the roughly zone 8 British Islands, which has a lot in common with the climate of the Oregon Coast.
early spring 2022. Rhodocoma capensis, the Cape restio from the Cape Province of South Africa, has been planted at base of far left stock tank. That generous graveled area has shrunk considerably the past four years.
What I’m realizing attracted me in those formative years reading about mostly zone 8 gardens was a framework for thinking about gardens, and the confident inclusion of selections and representations and, most importantly, sequences and chronology of natural cycles in this framework. The relative predictability and structure of planning for spring, summer, fall, and the creativity and purpose unleashed by the hard limitations of frost dates.
Digitalis parviflora beginning to color up. Herbaceous plants thrive here and assume astonishing shapes in a matter of months.
That whole psychological notion of the “summer garden” being this rare, fleeting phenomenon you have to grab with both hands, this is what was imparted and took hold in my garden imagination. And that’s what I’ve experienced in the Oregon garden. (And abandoning those misconceived notions is when I really began to explore the potential of the little zone 10 garden in Los Angeles.)
July 2022 — a young tetrapanax with world-conquering ambitions removed spring 2025. Rhodocoma just behind. This stock tank now holds a Darmera peltata, Eucalyptus ‘Baby Blue,’ Corokia ‘Sunsplash,’ Anemanthele lessoniana — and remnants of the expelled tetrapanax continually find their way up through the drain holes
the path through the gravel is no more than a dog track now. Rhodocoma capensis background on the right, over 6′ now. The restios perform very well in zone 10 too.
shimmering intergeneric hybrid Ozothamnus x cassinia in bloom
stock tank at eastern end is almost completely concealed by plants now. Originally planted with cassinia, manzanita and a restio, the latter pulled out this spring
Shimmering even harder as it edges into bloom, this Cassinia leptophylla ssp. fulvida was found at a SoCal nursery. Like ozothamnus, it’s from Australia/New Zealand. I rarely see it available. Rooted cuttings have been planted in the SoCal garden as well as the Oregon garden — don’t ever want to lose it! One of the original stock tank plants with Arctostaphylos ‘Sunset’ which, in a container, seems to tolerate summer water.
more small stature plants filling in the rocked area — Linaria ‘Peachy’
Looking for a purple-leaved sedum without pink flowers led to Sedum ‘Conga Line’ found locally with flowers on the buff/peach spectrum, planted this spring
still taking fliers on odds and ends like this form of Campanula punctata but generally avoiding the classic scene-stealing genera that grow so well here like peonies, roses, maples, rhodies, clematis, and mostly focusing on low-key textures and sparkling seasonal incidents that contribute but don’t dominate. A kind of modified chaparral approach that’s a hangover from 30 years of gardening in SoCal.
Eryngium varifolium has been through several winters
The asphodels hit all the marks, so good in leaf, flower and seedpods. (Still need to paint the fence!)
Symphytum ‘Axminster Gold’ beams amongst grasses
Newly planted this spring, Symphytum ‘Axminster Gold’ has proven robust enough to co-exist with grasses, not an easy niche to fill. Pinched back when planted, it’s branched out and muscled its way up and between the Silver Spike grass, Achnatherum calamagrostis.
side view of Silver Spike grasses with Penstemon ‘Dark Towers’ in foreground
Alstroemeria ‘Third Harmonic’ is also strong enough to find its way among grasses
Reading brought me first to gardens, not photo-heavy books, magazines or video how-to’s, and the idea of a discrete “summer” garden took on a mythic, Brigadoon-like quality for me. The Joe-Pye Weed was growing roughly center of the photo, in front of the large grasses
I mentioned on June 17th that Joe-Pye weed would eventually have to be moved, maybe next spring. But the idea became embedded like a sliver, and removal of the eutrochium was accomplished within the week. The enormous root ball was not easy to extricate, and because of its extensive roots the entire area was very dry, even after a good rain we had on the 20th of June.
Alongside Stipa gigantea, Geranium robustum from Secret Garden Growers this spring, borderline hardy, silvery fine-cut leaves, politely hoists itself up and into surrounding plants
yelllowy-chartreuse spires with Digitalis grandiflora and Phygelius ‘Strawberry Blonde’ with foreground Podocarpus ‘Mood Ring’
Digitalis grandiflora which I may have previously referred to as D. lutea, which is smaller and without the speckled throats. From the excellent Digging Dog Nursery on California’s North Coast near Mendocino.
Phygelius ‘Strawberry Blonde’ showing that uniform habit of growth phygelius achieves when cut back after winter
Very cold/wet tolerant Agastache auranticus selection by Xera Plants possibly ‘Mandarin Dream’ growing in a large metal trash container at the east end of the overhang. The Fritillaria persicara also in this container did not return after winter, which I’ve read is typical. Too expensive to treat as tulips though!
Rhodochiton atrosanguineus vine seems happy, blooming from a young size
“breadseed” poppies are spring bloomers in SoCal, lasting into summer here. This ‘Orange Chiffon’ strain came true from volunteers this spring
Amazingly, Echeveria agavoides has survived several winters here, thriving in this garden as well as in zone 10
This certainly turned out more long-winded than usual! And on to July. More soon, AGO.
