{"id":100499,"date":"2022-02-28T22:27:13","date_gmt":"2022-03-01T02:27:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/agrowingobsession.com\/?p=100499"},"modified":"2022-02-28T22:27:13","modified_gmt":"2022-03-01T02:27:13","slug":"garden-miscellany-2-28-22","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/agrowingobsession.com\/?p=100499","title":{"rendered":"garden miscellany 2\/28\/22"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A quick garden report then we can all get back to doomscrolling. (Here’s a list of solid, experienced relief organizations that can help<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Another atmospheric river is hitting the Oregon coast, but here in coastal Long Beach we’re climbing into the 80’sF. The plants that bloom off and on throughout the winter, like Passiflora vitifolia, know what to do with that warmth. I was trimming back straggly growth on this vine, which sounds fairly straighforward. But vines are tricky and complicated, and it can be difficult to trace what’s actually being cut. One misplaced snip, and before you know it yards of healthy vine have been severed. If this passiflora were a dainty thing, I’d be more angry with myself. But seeing as I’ve already had to cut an exploratory shoot out of the acacia tree quite a distance away, getting heavy handed with the pruners is not much cause for remorse. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Solitary flower of non-clumping Aloe conifera <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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flowers opening on Aloe marlothii<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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I’ve been simplifying and streamlining the Long Beach garden, resolving not to add any more plants or containers. And that’s holding true with some minor exceptions, like that enormous pot of Lomandra ‘Lucky Stripe’ on the far right. It was a discounted plant I intended to bring back to the Oregon garden to pair with the one already planted there, but changed my mind when I saw how it transformed this area. (If you’re game for more info on the subject than seems reasonable, possible or necessary, it’s provided at the end of this post.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I’ve planted countless Lophomyrtus x ralphii here in Long Beach and none of them have “stuck.” Maybe a little too dry, a little too crowded. I grabbed a couple ‘Red Dragon’ to trial in the Oregon zone 8b garden, where they’re very<\/em> borderline (to 20F), but lost my nerve at the prospect of potentially sacrificing both of these gorgeous New Zealander shrubs, and split the difference by keeping one in Long Beach. And that’s the last of any new planting in Long Beach, I swear!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Monocarpic Agave vilmoriniana ‘Stained Glass’ is making plans to leave this earth, sending forth an end-of-the-line bloom stalk which will hopefully become studded with lots of bulbils for new plants. I’m not expecting most of them to be variegated but hoping for just a few with this coloring…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In determining what Long Beach plants might potentially be candidates for the Oregon garden, I’ve run into the limits of memory — which astelia is this? A handy search of this blog tells me it’s Astelia banksii<\/a> (20-25F). A small piece of it is being rooted for a northern trial, possibly container only so it can be protected in winter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In the front garden, Agave titanota ‘Lanky Wanky’ continues its spotless performance<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Also in the front garden, the trunk of the triangle palm is being colonized by a fatshedera. If I used netting or some other support it would have better odds of hanging on in heavy wind. For now I’m letting the fatshedera figure it out on its own.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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buttery new growth of Fatsia ‘Spider Web’<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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new developments on the mystery euphorbia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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“flowers” forming on mystery euphorbia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Coronilla valentina ssp. glauca — I’m going to trial a seedling of this in the Oregon garden<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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and the ongoing reshuffling of pots continues — presumably this is a form of Agave americana labeled ‘Northern Lights’ that wants neither full sun nor too much shade<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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I love all stages of Leucospermum ‘Tango’ in bloom<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As promised, more reading on the pot of Lomandra ‘Lucky Stripe,’ the long and short of it:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

short version:<\/p>\n\n\n\n