February is about the time of year when the little reminder notes really start to pile up, when sending a barrage of e-mails to myself seems an inefficient system compared to the search capabilities on my blog, a feature I use constantly. So just a warning that any future posts labeled “Journal” will most likely be scattershot to-do lists, seed orders, and garden musings of a very narrow range, applicable to my little zone 10 garden. Planting ideas I’m working out, etc. Of course, any and all input is more than welcome.
Ready, Evie?
1. Ongoing investigation, no verdict yet, on pairing cannas with the big, winter-blooming salvias, like S. iodantha, wagneriana. The idea is cannas for summer, cut back in fall, when the salvias will take over for late winter/spring. Water, compost, and light needs similar. Looks like S. iodantha just might bloom in February before the Bengal Tiger canna takes off, fingers crossed. It’d be better if these two were further apart, something to consider if the salvia doesn’t bloom. (First salvia bloom noted 2/5/11.)
2. Keep an eye on interplanting kangaroo paws with sedums, grasses, and slim, tap-rooted eryngiums. Not sure if anigozanthos wants to get this chummy. Moved a couple Sedum ‘Frosty Morn’ from too much shade to this sunny spot this morning. Interplanted small cuttings of tansy ‘Isla Gold.’ No more plants here.
2a. Remove some bricks and pavers under pergola for more planting space?
3. Planted Gloriosa rothschildiana at base of grapevine yesterday. Grapevine may be too vigorous. Watch for snails.
4. Dicentra scandens climbing up fatshedera — flowers too subtle for impact here?
5. Water garden research. Would still like to corral summer tropicals in one tank. Get to Echo Park for lotus bloom this year/onion soup at Taix. (‘Michael O’Brien, landscape architect and certified arborist, says that the lotus of Echo Park Lake are not the same as the Egyptian plants and are not water lilies. “Nelumbo nucifera,†he says, “is native to South Asia to Australia and is grown in tropical climates around the world.”)
6. Bulbs from McClure & Zimmerman:
Iris versicolor var. Gerald Darby (thank you, Nan/Hayefield!) Maybe for the water garden?
Gloriosa lily ‘Wine & Red’
Tropaelum tuberosum ‘Ken Aslet’
7. Still need seeds for Ammi visagna. J. L. HUDSON carries it and Atriplex Magenta Magic and Purple Savoyed.
(Ebay has sellers for both too). No self-sown orach coming up yet.
Also need seeds for Celosia argentea. Why does one source never carry all desired seeds?
8. More agapanthus research, maybe ‘Graskop’?
9. Start seeds of Mina lobata. Will it really climb through Verbena bonariensis here and not just for the magicians at Great Dixter?
9a. Geranium harveyi under tetrapanax? — something needed under rice plant’s skirts.
10. Watch germination of Crambe maritima sown 1/30/11.
11. Planted Melianthus ‘Purple Haze’ yesterday deep in the back of the border among the cannas and grasses. Selection of Roger Raiche/Planet Horticulture, the leaves do have a lavender wash to them. Said to be more compact than the species, lower growing.
12. Clean/rake out feather grass in parkway.
13. Both Cotinus coggyria and ‘Grace’ already leafing out. Scilla peruviana under ‘Grace’ in bud by early March last year.
14. Zillions and zillions of Helleborus argutifolius seedlings coming up and not a bit of room left for another plant. In old age, make a garden of this hellebore for winter, agaves/aloes, perovskia and grasses for summer.
15. Dormant tropicals showing growth, tipped pots up and watered lightly yesterday.
16. Tulips almost here!
17. Interplant Aster divaricatus with Scilla peruviana (added 2/5/11)
18. Interplant Allium cernuum with golden carex (added 2/5/11)
19. Belamcanda or Blackberry lily (Growing With Plants 2/5/11)
20. Alliums and wood aster available from Barry Glick/Sunshine Farm & Gardens (ordered 2/12/11)
21. Iris x robusta ‘Dark Aura’ (Plant Delights/Iris City Gardens) – similar to ‘Gerald Darby.’ Best of the xrobustas with dark leaves.
“Remove” and “more room for plants” , pretty sure that would be in my journal too, though removing bricks would be psychologically troubling. I dream of every piece of concrete being covered over by brick-wish I knew a mason who owed me money ..
I like this post style, good for you and I found it educational. Of course, now I want you to follow up on all these little “watch this spot” notes with updates and photos, especially the climbers.
Kathy, you should see my stack of bricks, all former paths and patios now given to plants. It’d be nice if masons accepted payment in plant cuttings.
Ryan, what a nice comment for such a dry post! I’ll follow up, success or failure.