In November 2020 I moved a couple pups of Bilbergia ‘Violetta’ under Grevillea ‘Moonlight,’ along with a large astelia and other odds and ends. Only the bromeliads and Callisia fragrans survived. (The callisia aka Basket Plant or False Bromeliad, also multiplied like crazy.) Because I knew this would be a nasty, scratchy job, this was the last area to be cleaned up a couple days ago.
Those two ‘Violetta’ pups expanded into three large clumps, 3′ in height, with numerous offsets, all moved to the east side of the garden.
Cleaning up the broms filled with grevillea leaves and seedpods took hours. Other than cleaning, the clumps were left intact. Their new location on the east side of the garden will no doubt result in debris raining down on the broms as well, but hopefully a lesser amount. Judging by the vigor and health of ‘Violetta,’ in habitat broms must be pigs for debris-filled conditions.
Two more large clumps of ‘Violetta’ were moved in front of the African Spear Lily (Doryanthes palmeri) and Giant Crinum (C. asiaticum), and the step-down in scale they provide looks right to me. Lots of Callisia fragrans were moved here as well. The plan is to rework the garden with the plants with the proven toughest bonafides. Geranium palmatum and Sonchus palmensis are seeding into the rock spine, which is fine by my new laissez-faire attitude. Covering the ground and keeping out weeds are paramount.
Initially I planned to paint the CMU wall one color, specifically a pea-green color similar to the panel in the above photo. Marty leans toward painting the entire wall grey to tie into the metal fence on the east side. But then I found the above photo of work done by Terremoto with panels of color, and I think this is my preference. One of the panels would be grey to link to the metal fence. Too institutional for a home garden? Opinions welcome!
The middle of the garden has been emptied out of weeds, dead or dying plants. A lanky Strobilanthes gossypinus was beat up but still alive, so it’s been pruned and retained. The ‘Golfball’ pittosporum on the right was also retained and will be cut back fairly hard. The clump of Eryngium pandanifolium seen against the CMU wall was thinned to two rosettes. Amazing how this eryngo tolerates the wet of the Oregon garden as well as the dryness in Los Angeles.
Variegated St. Augustine’s grass spread into a large bright patch, clambering over possibly agapanthus, giant fennel, and who knows what else. It’s earned a place in this part-time garden. Flicker of magenta on the left comes from Salvia chiapensis, found locally, something for the hummingbirds in addition to the grevillea and pedilanthus/Tall Slipper Plant.
Like the St. Augustine’s grass, Carex ‘Feather Falls’ didn’t even require any cleaning. Yucca rostrata finally developed a bit of a trunk in my absence, which still needs some cleanup. Let me know your thoughts on painting the CMU one color or multiple panels of color. Input, please!
Bromeliads certainly do better in your garden than mine, Denise! I love that Carex ‘Feather Falls’ and wish I could find more locally. I say give the color treatment of the fence a try – you can always repaint it if it proves to be distracting.
What about going with a deep grey blue to compliment the grey and then adding another panel with a lighter colour such as a softer grey/blue or a dove grey? Would have a very moody look and really set off the plants. Your broms are quite impressive. Only get to enjoy them as houseplants here.
That bilbergia is quite the performer! Likewise the A. ‘Ray of Light’.
It’s hard to know whether panels of color will work in your garden without seeing a really inclusive shot of the whole wall. I wonder if a color wall will draw too much attention to itself and take away from the plants in the foreground. Maybe grayed-down colors would feel less trumpeting? But gray feels a bit drab. Maybe all one color, but brighter, like your initial pea-green plan?
Is your path material decomposed granite? Do you like it as a walking surface and a path surface?
You are going to get a lot of contradictory advice from all of us. Hope it doesn’t make the decision harder. Green CMU might make the garden feel deeper. Are you concerned some plants might fade into the background or is there enough contrast that it isn’t a big deal. Green also seems to be the color of your door – so a good echo there. Grey might make the plants pop out more, but could be gloomy if the entire enclosure is gray. Of the two, I would probably try green first. Odd thought – what about the orange or yellow of the Terremoto photo? I maybe see yellow trim around the window on the green door? I only suggest for the contrast.
Not surprising, there are as many opinions as there are comments 🙂
I considered what you said about it being “Too institutional”. A limited color pallet and painting un-even sections could help with the ‘institutional’ bit.
Also you may consider what’s growing in front of each section to create a nice contrast.
And as Kris said, “you can always repaint it if it proves to be distracting”.
@Kris, I’m really surprised how the broms held up too — and they are not in full shade. And thanks for the vote to go adventurous with paint — it’s only paint!
@Elaine, I’m going to get out my colored pencils and play around with the colors I’m leaning toward — I think you’re right that there needs to be a way to bring in the grey metal fence too. Thank you for the input!
@Jane, it’s a long wall that I’d hate to paint entirely gray (drab!). Weird coincidence, I stumbled on this video yesterday and it’s so good about backgrounds, false fences, etc, highly recommended (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnC0g0ugXw8). The path material as usual is a mix, mostly pebbles in the newish open area. It’s fine as a path and packs down well. Thanks for commenting!
@Jerry, I do like including some mustard, soft yellow. The painted wall is going to be topped with corrugated panels for privacy and those will probably be grey. Thanks for your ideas, I need them!
@Chavli, I really want to backdrop the plants maybe with another screening device a few feet forward of the painted wall in a few spots, not the entire length — check out this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnC0g0ugXw8). Thanks for your thoughtful comment!
I enjoy Michael McCoy’s take on all things gardening and look forward to giving the video a watch. I think colored panels/sections on the CMU wall will be fabulous. I think maybe a little repetition of one or two colors would be fun. As for the bromeliad and Callisia fragrans, yay! I remember when Lori Daul gave me cuttings from her garden, when I was in Austin for the Fling, she said it was the closest thing to a plastic plant that she’d ever grown. As in, it will survive anything. Well, not a frost of course.
I can see the teeth on those bromeliads, I can see why that took a while! Everything really does look so fresh. I love Strobilanthes gossypinus, the picture with the rocks is lovely.
Color, if the corrugated panels are going to be gray – I vote no gray on the wall. I bet when you start experimenting, you’ll have a couple favorites right away. Isn’t that how it goes with paint, it’s either “Yes that looks great!” or “I hate it”.
Oh my, that video is a dreamy masterclass. I think it took me almost a hour to watch it because I kept pausing and studying every inch, then rewinding and watching again. Thanks for linking to it!
Amazing video with gorgeously illustrated examples. Thanks, Denise!