You won’t be rushing home from work to check on how these plants are holding up on a hot, dry summer day. Just forget about them.
Aeonium with a nice, snaky curve, ballota, sedum, golden sedge, and a little pelargonium with tiny white flowers, similar to the scented geranium known as the “nutmeg geranium,” really all species pelargoniums. New purchase from Robin Parer’s nursery Geraniaceae, Pelargonium x fragrans ‘Joanne’s Spring Clover.’
These little scented pelargoniums are as tough (but as tender) as succulents.
The woody undergrowth of this old stand of ballota (top photo, on the left) was cleaned out last fall and just a few rooted stems left in place to rejuvenate the evergreen planting. There’s a non-plush, pale green variety called ‘All Hallows Green’ (now Marrubium bourgae) selected by Valerie Finnis that’s just as wonderful as a small, textural, herbaceous evergreen, or subshrub as they’re often referred to. I’ve always thought my ballota was B. acetabulosa, but I think it’s sold interchangeably as B. pseudodictamnus. Photo references seem to show the same plant, the Grecian Horehound or false dittany. Hardy to 0-10 F.
Hardiness being an issue with most of these, your photos make me long for a warmer climate. Gorgeous!
Grace, winter wet especially being a problem with ballota, which otherwise tolerates fairly low temps. But the pelarg. and aeonium make good size every summer — then spend winters in your basement, right?