back on the home front

 photo P1019685.jpg

It’s finally happening.

 photo P1019680.jpg

 photo P1019848.jpg

Miraculously, after a couple close calls resulting in an almost fatal wilt, Musschia wollastonii has survived and begun to hoist up that much-anticipated chartreuse candelabra of blooms. The Madeira Giant Bellflower must be an unforgettable sight in bloom on its native cliffs of Madeira. As with Aeonium tabuliforme, the cliff face is what’s shaped that remarkable architecture. Some claim to grow musschia mainly for the leaves, but I don’t find them wildly exciting, possibly because it’s been struggling to survive here. Musschia is monocarpic, meaning it will die after blooming. Which also means I can now die happy, having seen it bloom in my garden. But what vigilance to get to this point! In spring I parked this pot right by a hose bib on the north side of the house for its daily shower.

 photo P1019763.jpg

Also newly in bloom and slightly offbeat, Emilia javanica ‘Irish Poet,’ the Tassel Flower. A delicacy that couldn’t compete in a waist-high, full-throttle summer garden, but it stands out fine in mine, which is in the process of undergoing accommodation to the ongoing drought.

 photo P1019786.jpg

Emilia may be small, but it packs a big orange punch in its ‘Irish Poet,’ form, seed from Nan Ondra. Many years ago I grew the species, which is a darker, burnt orange bordering on red. I much prefer the electrifying orange of ‘Irish Poet.’

 photo P1019662.jpg

These pots give a sense of its scale. Last agave on the left was just brought home from the recent Orange County succulent show.

 photo P1019835.jpg

Agave ‘Tradewinds,’ a blue-green striped potatorum selection thought to be a seedling of ‘Kissho Kan.’

 photo P1019825.jpg

Diminutive emilia is barely visible on the lower left, unlike the fountain of Pennisetum ‘Sky Rocket’ in the distance.

 photo P1019775.jpg

The plumes arch just where the Cussonia gamtoosensis canopy begins, a wonderful effect that’s unlikely to be duplicated next year as the cabbage tree continues to grow. Today I watched for the first time as a sparrow landed in the baby cussonia, which to my mind makes it a real tree now.

 photo P1019869.jpg

There’s also two big clumps of this grass fronting the lemon cypresses on the eastern boundary*

 photo P1019774.jpg

And another clump growing amidst Gomphrena ‘Fireworks.’ Both thrive on minimal supplemental water, which keeps them in trim, upright shape.

 photo P1019768.jpg

The front of the cussonia border, which shows how Aeonium ‘Zwartkop’ looks in its summer dormancy period here. I can appreciate ‘Zwartkop’s’ skeletal form, as opposed to the giant ‘Cyclops,’ which was getting increasingly annoying in its off-season shabbiness, so it’s been pulled out of the garden to be grown in a container. All the plants here are well adapted to low water use, except for a couple patrinia I foolishly included this year. Crambe maritima is doing really well, another plant I saw in several Portland gardens recently. Yucca, furcraea, gaillardia, adenanthos, coprosma, Pelargonium ‘Crocodile,’ anigozanthos, agastache, echium, Rekohu carex. A Beschorneria alba is in here somewhere too. Variegated St. Augustine grass is weaving through the legs of the aeonium and spilling onto the bricks. The iron pyramid was propping up a castor bean I recently pulled out.

 photo P1019808.jpg

In ‘Cyclops’ place I decided to try agapanthus, something I’m as surprised to type as I was to purchase, having never brought one home before. This one is ‘Gold Strike,’ and it wasn’t easy to find. I wrongly assumed I’d have the pick of tender varieties in inky blues, even deep purples, all within a few miles’ radius of home. After all, they grow like weeds here. There must be a wonderful selection locally, right? And if not, there must be U.S. growers with extensive lists, right? Wrong on both counts. The best selection, of course, is found with UK nurseries. A couple years back I attended a lecture given by Dan Hinkley on what he’s up to at his new garden at Windcliff, and a good part of the presentation was on his new-found love of agapanthus. “How suburban!” I thought at the time, and “Dan’s going soft!” But as usual, Dan’s right. Mature stands are tolerant of drought, make a mid-summer garden look fresh again, and now I can’t wait to try them with Pennisetum ‘Sky Rocket.’ The deepest blue to be found locally is ‘Storm Cloud,’ but I’m not done searching around for other kinds with names like ‘Purple Emperor’ and ‘Night Sky.’ Still can’t believe I’m shopping around for agapanthus, though.

 photo P1019753.jpg

A large mint bush near the ‘Cyclops’ aeonium was showing its age, so that was given the heave-ho recently too. Prostranthera never gets older than a few years in my garden and is well known to be short-lived. Waiting in the wings, outgrowing its pot was Eucalyptus ‘Moon Lagoon,’ which I intended on planting in the mint bush’s spot in the fall. This is one of the mallee eucalyptus, which are more large shrubs than the towering giants Californians associate with eucalyptus.

 photo P1019656.jpg

Never much inclined to wait, I called Jo O’Connell at Australian Native Plants Nursery, where I bought the eucalypt, to ask her opinion. She said to absolutely go for it now, mid-summer, a woman after my own heart. And so it’s been planted.

 photo P1019721-001.jpg

Speaking of suburban, how about some marigolds? (Now who’s going soft?)

 photo P1019728.jpg

What an undeserving bad rap the bedding plants industry has given marigolds. The tall strains like this one, ‘Cinnabar’ from Derry Watkins, are so hot. If you don’t have a bias against orange, that is.

 photo P1019602.jpg

And I don’t think there’s anything easier to grow from seed than marigolds.

 photo P1019736.jpg

The grey shrub arching over the marigolds is Olearia virgata v. lineata ‘Dartonii,’ brought home from Far Reaches Farm a few years ago. (“If you’ve hankered for a willow but lament your dry conditions, then weep no more.”) It was so cool to see this shrub growing against the greenhouse at Old Germantown Gardens in Portland recently, where it was tightly clipped in a more columnar form. The Agave attenuata is ‘Boutin’s Blue,’ formerly ‘Huntington’s Blue,’ not quite happy in full sun. In a large pot, it’s the Goldilocks of agaves and gets moved around quite a bit.

 photo P1019581.jpg

Marigolds in the distance, the new Leucadendron ‘Ebony’ in the foreground, handling its first summer beautifully so far. The sideritis to its right wasn’t so lucky, inexplicably collapsing a couple days ago, about a day after this photo was taken. Every so often around mid-summer, this mysterious soil-borne wilt process takes out a plant. I know in my absence the garden was watered really well for a change, and that might have kicked it off. The sideritis was one of two self-sown seedlings I found this spring, so it was a gimme anyway. I’ve already planted a couple Cirsium occidentale in its place. (Seeing the cirsium almost in bloom in Scott’s garden in Portland was a nice moment too.)

 photo P1019557.jpg

The Berkheya purpurea I brought home from Cistus a few weeks ago can just be seen behind the leucadendron. The oregano-like plant is Calamintha nepeta ‘Gottlieb Friedkund.’ Fabulous plant I’ve been spreading around the garden. From Digging Dog.

 photo P1019739.jpg photo P1019737.jpg

Another annual growing fast in the heat, Hibiscus trionum, seed also from Nan Ondra.

 photo P1019712.jpg

Rudbeckia triloba is everything I want in a summer daisy, except for its moderate thirst. There’s a chance that if it self-sows, the progeny will be better situated for drier conditions. Slim chance, but you never know. And there’ll always be gaillardia.

 photo P1019555.jpg

Eryngium pandanifolium in its second year, reliably blooming again, a great relief.

 photo P1019800.jpg

The ‘Limelight’ Miracle of Peru seed around, and a few are always welcome.

 photo P1019745-001.jpg

A potted Lotus jacobaeus has filled out well this year, much more so than when planted directly into the garden.

 photo P1019872.jpg

Aristolochia fimbriata scoffs at any neglect I throw its way. No surprise that it was included on the sales tables at a recent succulent show. It’s that tough.

 photo P1019871.jpg

 photo P1019492.jpg

Crassula pruinosa, also brought home from Cistus.

 photo P1019507.jpg

The crassula was tucked in at the base of Euphorbia ammak. That golden-leaved shrub thrives in pot culture, even the careless kind I practice.

 photo P1019541-001.jpg

Really brightens things up. Corokia virgata ‘Sunsplash’

 photo P1019647.jpg

Also doing really well in a container is the Shaving Brush Tree, Pseudobombax ellipticum.

 photo P1019645.jpg

And that just about takes care of mid-summer 2014.

*I keep neglecting to mention that one of the best attributes of this excellent grass is that it is sterile and therefore noninvasive, unlike Pennisetum setaceum.

This entry was posted in agaves, woody lilies, clippings, garden travel, journal, plant nurseries, Plant Portraits, pots and containers, succulents and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

14 Responses to back on the home front

  1. Kris P says:

    Your garden appears to be enjoying our humid weather. Congratulations on the Musschia’s blooms but please don’t check out any time soon – I need your pointers on creating a more drought-tolerant garden! Where in heck did you find the Pelargonium ‘Crocodile’? I’ve been looking for that since I first saw it during a garden tour more than a year ago. Your Hibicus trionum looks good tucked in among other plants – mine got ungainly and I cut it back to the ground but I’m very sure it’ll be back as it seeds like crazy.

  2. Denise says:

    Kris, I can’t remember were I got the P. ‘Crocodile’! I’ve got a rooted cutting — we’ve got to meet up so I can get it and the crithmum to you. I’ve never got this annual hibiscus going before. Ungainly sounds ominous. It’s blooming at a very small size and seems pretty tough. The ongoing drought does keep us on our toes!

  3. Hooray for tall marigolds! (Actually, hooray for tall versions of any plant if I’m honest)

    I’m going to have to try Tassel Flower — it’s nice to have some blooms that you don’t really notice unless you’re up close.

  4. Denise says:

    Alan, it’s amazing that these tall varieties are still around. ‘Villandry’ is another good one.

  5. linda says:

    Oh Maderia ,the best plants ! I’ve got Emilia growing this year , I love her , she is the most adorable bloom , I’m going to have to check if she is bordering on red or electric. .

  6. ks says:

    E.padanifolium …oh god.

    Cindy and saw the tassel flower at two IU gardens back yonder. Blithewold gardens had it, as did Michael Gordons garden (The Gardeners Eye) in New Hampshire..It’s a pretty little thing.

    I am now officially in the late summer swoon phase here…wouldn’t about an inch or rain be nice now ?

  7. Musschia wollastonii…Wowsa! I bought one from Annie’s late last summer, you know, hoping for a mold winter. Dead. So very dead. Love the tall orange marigolds and yes, I would grow them in a heartbeat.

  8. Mark and Gaz says:

    Beautiful images of your garden Denise! And you have so many goegeous and unusual plants that has easily bumped up my plant desires list, especially that Cussonia. And well done on getting the Musschia to bloom!

  9. lynn says:

    Your garden is so lovely and mature. I’m just starting mine after years of neglect and this is quite inspiring. I also love all your agaves. Is the variagated agave in the fourth photo from the bottom (in the foreground) a cornelius or a regular americana variegata?

  10. hb says:

    So many treasures, all looking great–that’s a Eucalyptus even I could love.

  11. Heather says:

    I’ve found myself looking for dark agapanthus lately, too. Having grown up in California where agapanthus is used indiscriminately by every landscaper, I wondered if I was sick. I’m glad to know I’m in good company.

  12. David Feix says:

    A connoisseur’s garden of delights you’ve got going there, and I love the way you write about them! Probably not worth mentioning, but the Musschia is ridiculously easy and drought tolerant in my Berkeley garden, so it always comes as a bit of a surprise to hear how it isn’t so easy elsewhere. Summer fog and cool summer temps directly opposite the Golden Gate must make it feel right at home, being native to rare and endangered Laurisilva Cloudforest habitat back in Madeira.

    I’ve had similar sudden losses with that same Sideritis as well, after years of thriving in the same spot, with the same care.

  13. Denise says:

    @I know, Linda! Doesn’t it make you want to plan a trip to Madeira?
    @Kathy, I bought emilia seed from Thompson & Morgan years ago, when I was alphabetically making my way through their catalogue. I hope this orange one reseeds.
    @Loree, I think the musschia is supposed to get a lot bigger where’s it’s truly happy. See David’s comment.
    @M&G, I think I’m developing a cussonia habit!
    @Lynn, you’re right, that’s Cornelius. My garden goes from immature to overgrown and back again, and I bet yours will too very soon.
    @Hoov, it’s a beaut. If it doesn’t like summer planting and dies, then it’s just another reason for a road trip back to Jo’s nursery.
    @Heather, I’m so glad you admitted to secret agapanthus desire! I might truly hate the effect, but I’m curious to try now.
    @David, out of the two seedlings, just one of the sideritis has collapsed. That would have been some high contrast planted next to the ‘Ebony’ leucadendron!

  14. Lisa says:

    This is beautiful! There are so many plants new to me that I feel like I must start studying about them:) I had never seen that Madeira Giant Bellflower

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *