Late to the Garden Party

I'm in a fall planting frenzy. I've made repeated visits to my local and not-so-local nurseries in my search for items on my planting list, plants to complement the items on my planting list, and, well, anything else that strikes my fancy to fill the current vacancies in my garden beds. My focus has been on the side yard but I've also picked up plants for my dry garden and my back border. (So far, my front yard, slope and vegetable garden have been woefully neglected.)

A little over a week ago I went to Roger's Gardens, an Orange County nursery, on my second visit in 2 weeks. I usually wander the nursery without a cart first to assess the stock, then cycle back with a cart to pick up my final choices, assuming I can remember all of them. This time, I brought my camera as an aid in my selection process. I snapped photos of things I liked as I went along.

I bought quite a few plants, some of which have already appeared in recent posts. But there were also a lot of plants I passed up (at least for now). Here's what I didn't buy:

This well-priced agave would work on my back slope but clean-up is needed before I get started with any planting there

Angelonia would be nice as a complement to Acanthus mollis 'Summer Beauty' in the side yard but this is a summer-bloomer so it's already past its glory days

This Echeveria would look good with the plants surrounding the side yard patio but it was pricey

Talk about pricey! This Euphorbia would add height in one of the hanging baskets of succulents in the side yard but I couldn't bring myself to spend $30 for a novelty item.

I loved this Gaillardia but I'd already committed myself to Ursinia 'Solar Fire' as the floral accent along the side yard patio

For some reason, I'm always attracted to Geum, even though I've had little luck getting any of these to bloom. This one was described as a "wild form."

The price on this Gomphrena 'Fireworks' was marked down 30% but it is the end of its season...

I've already killed Hibiscus acetosella 'Haight Ashbury' once

I was looking for some Lomandra but this variety only came in 1-gallon containers

I'm a sucker for pansies but it's too early in the season to plant these - a good Santa Ana wind, like the one that whipped through our area this past weekend, can take out newly planted pansies in no time

I'm still thinking about this Penstemon digitalis 'Mystica,' a spring bloomer that develops purplish foliage

And this Salvia 'Waverly'

Passing up these double-flowered snapdragons, offered in 6-packs, was difficult

I was looking for Stachys byzantina but I wanted the 'Big Ears' ('Helen Von Stein') variety and this wasn't that

I considered several low-growing foliage plants to complement the Coprosma repens 'Plum Hussy" and Ursinia 'Solar Fire' in the new side yard bed. I passed on these:

Hebe, I don't remember the variety but I liked the foliage and neat shape of this plant

Dwarf mondo grass also would have presented a neat appearance under the Coprosma

Seslaria caerulea - the blue tones on the reverse of the leaf blades weren't right for my application

I also steered clear of the Halloween displays, although I was tempted.

Entrance to the special Halloween display

Gargoyle fountain

Lots and lots of pumpkins

Rogers does a good job with decorations but, as we had only 2 trick-or-treaters last year and none the year before, decorating for the holiday is a low priority. And I already have a perfectly nice bat and skeleton.

So, what did I buy?

Celosia argentea, which I featured as my favorite plant of the week last week

Phormium 'Dark Delight'

5 Talinum paniculatum 'Limon' (aka Jewels of Opar)!

Close-up of the seedpods that form on the Talinum - aren't they pretty against the lime green foliage?

5 Carex testacea (aka orange New Zealand sedge)

5 Crassula lycopodioides, my choice to accent the Coprosma repens 'Plum Hussey'

I have a 3-nursery trek scheduled with a friend in less than 2 weeks. I hope I can steer clear of garden centers in the meantime...

At least I think this Yucca is Y. elephantipes (aka Y. gigantea). It's another plant that came with the garden. It grows all over the hills in this area of Southern California. At the moment, it's also in bloom everywhere I look so it's hard to ignore. The flowers, some of which I can see from my home office window, are downright spectacular.

Not that it's easy to get a close-up picture of the flowers. The pictures above were taken from a distance. The yucca sits on the side of our slope, dividing our property from that of one of our neighbors. Actually, it may be more appropriate to say that it sprawls along the side of the slope.

Yucca, photographed from the top of the stairs that run down to the bottom of our slope

The tree has multiple trunks and appears to have spawned progeny, although it's hard to make out where one tree stops and another starts. Ivy covers the base and lower portion of the trunks.

Thicket created by ivy and other plants grows up the trunks of the Yucca

Cleaning up this area is a future project. A neighbor told me that there are a lot of squirrels and rats living in the area surrounding the yucca, which is off-putting. And the fact that the tree borders the property of a neighbor complicates things - it's not even 100% clear to me which one of us owns the yucca as the property line is fuzzy.

In the meantime, I enjoy the flowers. Yucca elephantipes is hardy in USDA zones 9b-11 (Sunset zones 12,13, 16, 17, 19-24, H1 and H2). It's native to Mexico and Central America and grows fast to 15-30 feet tall and 8 feet wide.

This is my contribution to Loree's favorite plants meme at danger garden.

I haven't cut flowers for a bouquet in a few weeks but I was prompted to spend a few moments doing so when I saw a perfectly formed white rose on a trip to take out the garbage. There are 5 rose bushes arrayed in a semi-circle along the pathway leading to the trash bins. Not an optimal placement in my book but they were there when we bought the house. None of the 5 are particularly vigorous either - they get too much shade and are prone to rust. However, I'm committed to do what I can this year to improve their condition because I do enjoy the sporadic blooms they produce.

I put together a bouquet of purple and white, with a touch of pink.

Rose, Cuphea, Nandina, Plectranthus, Salvia

Here's what I included:

Rose (no ID)
Cuphea ignea 'Starfire Pink'
Nandina berries
Plectranthus ciliatus 'Zulu Warrior'
Salvia leucantha, aka Mexican Bush Sage

I have a dozen shrubs of the Cuphea, all currently badly in need of pruning. The Salvia recently sprang into bloom in my garden and, seemingly, all over town. I featured the Plectranthus as my favorite plant of the week last month. It has developed more and more blooms every week since, although last week's Santa Ana winds flattened the shrub for a time. I don't think I've ever used its flowers in an arrangement before and I'm not sure how well they'll hold up. Although the plant is tough and resilient, the blooms are very delicate (and hard to photograph).

Close-up of blooms on Plectranthus ciliatus 'Zulu Warrior'

I'm joining the Seasonal Bouquet Project with this post. You can read about the project here. In brief, it's sponsored by Erin and Jennie, 2 flower farmers and designers working on opposite coasts. Click here to see their floral productions this week, as well as the contributions of participating gardeners.

In addition to putting in new plants, I'm taking advantage of the cooler temperatures to begin moving plants around. In fact, I spent a good part of Saturday doing just that. The biggest change involved digging, dividing and replanting 3 large Arthropodium cirratum (aka Renga Lily) I'd originally planted on our lower slope. The summer sun was more intense there than I'd anticipated and, while the plants soldiered through the heat and dry conditions, they didn't look their best as the summer drew to a close.

Arthropodium cirratum in February

Arthropodium cirratum at the end of September

The plants tolerate dry shade but dry soil in full sun was asking too much of them. I moved some daylilies from the backyard border to replace the Renga lilies. As the Renga lily clumps were large, I decided to divide them and spread them around the upper level of my garden. The plants divided easily with just a tug.

Now I have Renga lilies in the garden bed bordering my neighbor to the northwest, where I installed 3 of the divisions.

The foliage of the Renga lily looks like a smaller version of the Agave attenuata to the right of it

Another division was added to the bed on the other side of the house near 2 existing plants of the same variety.

And the last 2 went into a nearby dry shade bed, where I haven't been successful in getting much of anything to grow. I put 3 Renga lilies there this past spring so the additions make 5. This may be overkill but, until I can come up with an alternative as tolerant of dry shade as these plants, they'll have to do.

I'd moved one Acanthus to a moister end of that bed earlier. More recently, I transplanted cuttings of peppermint geranium (Pelargonium tomentosum), foxglove seedlings (Digitalis purpurea), and a mint bush (Prostanthera ovalifolia 'Variegata').

The area's looking a little better but I could still use some drought and shade tolerant plants to fill in the bed's mid-section, which is exceptionally dry (probably due to tree roots). I've tried Geranium catabrigeniense, Geranium macrorrhizum, Hellebores, various Heuchera, and Francoa sonchifolia with little success. I'm open to any ideas!

Purple and blue flowers are making the biggest statement in my garden this Bloom Day. Plectranthus ciliatus 'Zulu Warrior,' Salvia leucantha and Pennisetum setaceum 'Rubrum' are the chief attention-grabbers.

Plectranthus ciliatus 'Zulu Warrior' continues to produce new blooms

Salvia leucantha is in bloom in my garden and many others in my area

Pennisetum setaceum 'Rubrum' catches the light in my front border

But other purples play strong supporting roles.

Cuphea hyssopifolia (aka false heather) isn't flashy but it makes a great groundcover below the fountain

Hebe speciosa 'Variegata' has bloomed since spring with regular dead-heading (although I think it might be happier with a little less sun)

Some deserve acclaim for sheer perseverance.

The only time Osteospermum ecklonis '3D Silver' hasn't been in bloom is when I've hacked it back but it clearly likes October's cooler temperatures

Acanthus mollis 'Summer Beauty' has been in bloom continuously since late April! One of it's 2 current bloom spikes has faded but the newer one still looks good.

Bright blues are making a showing too.

Salvia 'Mystic Spires' likes regular dead-heading

This Salvia macrophylla is still a small plant but that blue color is something!

Close-up of bright blue blooms

An Agapanthus flower has made an early return visit

Pink blooms are everywhere but, with one exception, they keep lower profiles.

Angelonia 'Angelmist Dark Pink" provides a bright accent in my dry garden

Arbutus 'Marina' is producing a steady supply of new blooms

Okay, these aren't pink but, in addition to the new blooms shown above, the Arbutus 'Marina' trees are producing berries too

Celosia argentea var. spicata is the least demure of the pink bloomers

Cuphea ignea 'Starfire Pink,' another continuous bloomer, makes a nice combination with Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold' in the front border

My potted fuchsias responded well to extra water. I think this one is 'Deep Purple,' which opens with a purple/blue corolla that fades to pink.

Fuchsia 'Bella Rosella'

A hoya (no ID) I've had in a pot for years has finally produced it's first waxy bloom!

These double pink Lisianthus look pretty in a picture but I still don't like them in the back border

The Nandina berries start green, turn pink, then orange and finally red

This Nerium oleander leans into my garden from the neighbor's property

The ivy geranium (Pelargonium peltatum) and Calibrachoa are heavy bloomers in a pot on the sunny front porch

More ivy geranium in bloom in a border alongside the raised vegetable planters

Of course, there are a few white, yellows and oranges too.

Argyranthemum 'Elsa White' in bloom since their installation in March in a side yard bed created as a result of removal of a tall Eucalyptus tree

The white form of Centranthus ruber, a virtual weed in my garden, is entering a new bloom cycle in the dry garden

Some Coreopsis 'Big Bang Redshift' are still blooming in the backyard border

Euryops 'Sonnenschein' is both drought tolerant and shorter than the the Euryops I commonly find in local garden centers, reaching just 2 feet tall at maturity

Gaillardia 'Arizona Sun' is still going strong

I'm hoping that this Helichrysum italicum, new to my garden, will do as well as the other gray-leaved Helichrysum

This dwarf Tagetes lemmonii (aka Copper Canyon daisy) is also a recent addition to the garden

I think that's all that's fit to highlight this month. Please visit Carol's May Dreams Gardens to find links to other gardeners' presentations of the plants currently in bloom in their gardens.

We don't get much in the way of a seasonal foliage color change in Southern California, at least not by comparison to the northeastern parts of the United States. The only plant in my garden that's showing a definite color shift right now is the coral-bark Japanese maple planted in the vegetable garden alongside our garage. Its tips tend to burn when the temperatures soar but, in its current placement, it gets full sun only in the morning, which helps to reduce the leaf scorch.

Acer palmatum 'Sango Kaku' in the morning sunlight

Close-up of the Japanese maple's leaves, now shifting from light green to an apricot color

Other plants showing similar coloration unrelated to the seasonal changes in temperature and day length include:

Agonis flexuosa 'Nana,' with new growth in an orangey pink

Euphorbia tirucalli 'Sticks on Fire,' which develops a bright salmon-pink color in full sun

The gray-leaved plants look good regardless of the season.

The artichoke in the half-barrel in my vegetable garden is finally gaining size

I still have some reservations about this combination of Helichrysum petiolare 'White Licorice' and Festuca glauca 'Elijah Blue' - the Helichrysum constantly threatens to overwhelm the grass and other nearby plants

I have no reservations about Stachys byzantina 'Helen Von Stein,' my favorite form of lamb's ear

Other foliage that caught my eye during my garden rounds included:

Coprosma repens 'Plum Hussey,' which is at risk of being swallowed up by the rampant growth of the Pelargonium tomentosum (aka peppermint geranium). I think the latter is enjoying the extra water I've been giving the new plants nearby a little too much.

Pseuderanthemum 'Texas Tri-star,' in the border along our living room windows - this slow-growing plant looks identical to a plant I saw labeled as a Strobilanthus at a nearby nursery

Schlumbergera x buckleyi (aka Christmas Cactus), showing the beginnings of tiny flower buds

Solenostemon scutellariodes 'Electric Lime Coleus' and 'Mocha Mint Coleus,' which made it through the summer heat relatively unscathed

That's it for this month's foliage round-up. Please visit Pam at Digging to view her foliage picks for the month and to find links to other gardeners' selections.

This weekend, a friend and I had plans to visit a couple of nurseries in Carpinteria, a coastal California community more than 100 miles north of where I live. For various reasons, we delayed that trip until mid-November; however, we did make it to one of my favorite nurseries. Sprawling over 11 acres in Calabasas, Sperling Nursery isn't fancy but it's always well-stocked with a diverse collection of plants, including California natives and a seemingly ever-expanding selection of succulents. When I was visiting the San Fernando Valley one or more times a week to see my stepfather, who passed away in 2011, and my mother, who passed away earlier this year, I would often pay a visit to the nursery before getting on the freeway to head home as a way of centering myself. I haven't been there often since March of this year.

The nursery has always had a friendly, family atmosphere, probably because it's family-owned and operated. The staff, even those who work the check-out counter, know plants. Founded in 1971 as a sod outlet by Joe Sperling on one acre of land in what was then a largely undeveloped area, it was expanded it to 11 acres in the late seventies, creating a full-service nursery. When I pulled up the nursery's website, I discovered that Mr. Sperling passed away in August. I sincerely hope Sperling will continue as an independent nursery - I still remember what happened to my beloved Begonia Farms Nursery when the founding patriarch died and the land was sold to a developer. Calabasas has been growing at a wild pace for decades so I'm sure there will be pressure on the family to sell.

It was sunny and hot in Calabasas. That didn't stop me from thoroughly checking out the plant stock but I'm afraid that it did negatively impact the quality of my photographs. Sperling doesn't have demonstration planting beds but there are always nice collections of pots arranged near the entrance to show possible planting schemes.

Succulent prices have sky-rocketed in the last few years, here and everywhere, but Sperling offers a nice selection.

Aloe plicatilis (Fan Aloe) could be be yours for $200

This large Aloe ferox was offered for $400

More than any other nursery I can think of, Sperling always entices me to buy garden ornaments I don't need. I somehow managed to avoid such purchases on this trip, although I was tempted. (I didn't even set foot in the gift shop.)

I've admired this cast iron crow before but he goes for $120

This little frog might look nice with the orange plants off the patio in the side yard

I have a peculiar affection for gargoyles and dragons

This photo screened onto wood planks was interesting but I didn't even bother to look for a price

My friend was attracted to this rhino pot containing an interesting succulent (but she resisted too).

I was tempted by a beautiful Grevillea. I passed on it because I couldn't think where to put it but I'm still kicking myself. Maybe I need to move other plants to make room for it?

Grevillea 'Superb'

Here's what I did bring home:

Tulbaghia violacea, Aster frikartii 'Monch,' Perovskia atriplicifolia 'Little Spire,' and Allium 'Graceful' bulbs

I was happy enough with my Sperling purchases - they'll fill some empty spaces in my back and side yard borders - but I have to admit that they weren't that exciting. So, after leaving my friend in the Valley, I decided to stop at another of my favorite independent garden centers on my way home. Marina Del Rey Garden Center is conveniently located right off the freeway, not far from the ocean. I once worked nearby and I've been going there for years, although it's a little more out of the way for me now. It generally offers a good selection of plants but the staff doesn't always seem as well-informed as I'd like to find.

The garden center had a Halloween pumpkin patch and jumper/bouncey house thing going for kids. I skirted around that and headed straight for the small-sized perennials.

Alternanthera tenella 'Crinkle Red'

Pennisetum setaceum 'Cherry Sparkler'

Salvia 'Wendy's Wish'

Solanum xantii

I took a stroll through the larger plants in the back.

Lots of Leucadendron

Lots of Phormium and Cordyline

Lots and lots of Salvia

A garden cat who just wanted to be left alone

I spent a lot of time perusing the center's wide selection of succulents.

A very large Agave 'Blue Glow' with multiple pups (yours for $140)

Unlabeled succulents - some kind of Kalanchoe?

I searched out help to get the name of this small tree-sized succulent. The horticulturist told me it was called 'Copper Leaf' but she didn't have the species name and it wasn't Acalypha wilkesiana.

I passed on most of the uber-expensive succulents but I did splurge on a large Agave 'Blue Glow' even though the center offered budget-friendly $10 plants in 4-inch pots. Here's what I took home:

Agave 'Blue Glow,' Alternanthera tenella 'Crinkle Red,' and 3 small assorted unlabeled succulents

All things considered, it was a good shopping day.

My favorite plant in the garden this week is a tree, Arbutus 'Marina.' I inherited 5 of these trees with the house, 2 along the south side, another 2 in the backyard, and the last on the north side. Given the size variances among the trees, I suspect they may have been planted at different times.

The largest and most well-developed tree is shown in the rear of this picture. The smaller tree sits next to a "snorkel spa," used as a storage bin for garden furnishings until my husband gets around to converting it into something more useful.

Back view of the largest tree

The other large Arbutus Marina, located on the southwest side of the property

The trees have beautiful ornamental bark.

They flower throughout the year with the heaviest flower production occurring in the fall and the spring. Hummingbirds are attracted to the light pink, urn-shaped flowers.

The flowers are followed by fruit that turns orange, then red. At this time of year, the fruits that fall from the tree look like miniature orange pumpkins. The birds seem to prefer the fruits when they turn red and become soft. The squirrels, which eat everything else in the yard, appear to ignore these fruits completely.

Arbutus 'Marina' is drought tolerant once established. It grows up to 50 feet tall and nearly as wide. It's hardy in USDA zones 7-9 (Sunset zones 8, 9 and 14-24). It's said to be susceptible to Sudden Oak Death root rot (phytopthora ramorum), a condition I dread as it killed an Arbutus unedo at our last house seemingly overnight. One half of a dual-trunked tree on our current property also died off suddenly shortly after we moved in. I had concerns that it may have been infected; however, as the other half is still hanging in there a year after the dead half was cut away, I'm hopeful that I was wrong as to the source of the problem (although the trunk's cracks and gray coloration make me wonder if I need to consult an arborist).

Half this tree was cut back to the stump after it died suddenly

San Marcos Growers has an excellent write-up on Arbutus 'Marina,' including the history of its arrival in the U.S. You can find this summary here.

This is my contribution to the weekly meme sponsored by Loree of danger garden. You can find Loree's favorite plant of the week here, as well as links to other contributors' favorite selections.

Walking through my garden late yesterday afternoon, I didn't see much of anything I thought could be used to construct a bouquet (unless I duplicated the last one I created, which you can see here). I clipped some short stems off the Lisianthus in the back border anyway, then walked about the garden picking up a piece of this and a piece of that until, voilà!, I had the making of a hodgepodge bouquet.

Here it is:

Front

Back

And here's what I included:

Angelonia 'Angelmist Dark Pink'
Lisianthus 'Echo Pink'
Centranthus ruber
Cuphea ignea 'Starfire Pink'
Leucanthemum x superbum
Pennisetum setaceum 'Rubrum'
Pentas 'Kaleidoscope Appleblossum'
Persicaria microcephala 'Red Dragon'
Salvia leucantha 'Waverly'
Strobilanthus dyeranus (aka Persian Shield)

Sometimes it amazes me what you can create from seemingly nothing.

The title of this post suggests that my fall planting frenzy has just begun. In actuality, it began much earlier. You could say that it kicked off before the official start of fall when I began planting the area surrounding the new pathway on one side of our house in early September (as described here). It continued as I began to fill in the expanse of open area on the same side of the house, where we'd removed a large section of lawn (as described here). I've been haunting nearby nurseries and garden centers ever since looking for the plants on my list for the side yard, as well as plants to fill in vacancies in my backyard border. To complicate matters, last week, in a fit of disillusionment with the back border, I began tearing out plants there. It started with this:

3 lavender plants grew together to form a troublesome mass in the middle of the border

I put in 3 lavender plants (Lavandula x heterophylla) in the spring of 2012. In the fall of that year, I placed a mint bush (Prostanthera ovalifolia 'Variegata') behind them, mainly because space was available. The lavender plants subsequently grew together to form a single mass, which I saw out the window every time I sat on the couch in the living room. The mass obscured the pretty mint bush, which began to bug me until, this past week, I tore the lavender out, leaving a big hole.

Space after removal of the lavender mass

This area bi-sects the backyard border, separating the warm-toned plants on the right from cooler-toned plants on the left. While I haven't come to terms with the perfect planting scheme for that area, I did pick items to fill in the space for now. Some of these came by mail order and others were picked up at a nursery this weekend. I'll post on that reconfiguration in the near future.

While I was staring at the backyard border trying to decide what it needed, I reached the conclusion that the left side also needed substantial work. I've been looking for burgundy foliage plants for that area since my 2 failed attempts to grow a purple-leafed Loropetalum there. I recently added one Phormium 'Dark Delight' and decided, what the heck, I'd add 2 more. These went in this weekend, along with some bulbs, 3 society garlic (Tulbaghia violacea) and a new thyme honey myrtle (Melaleuca thymifolia). The new arrangement required me to dig up and reposition several of the surrounding plants as well.

Left side of border after the addition of 2 more Phormium and some rearranging

Melaleuca thymifolia

I can't say that I'm thrilled with this section of the border yet. It still looks a bit hodge-podge to me; however, my hope is that its appearance will improve as the plants fill out and grow to their anticipated heights.

Work on the side yard continues as well. Some of last week's purchases, including the Agave 'Blue Glow,' have been added there, along with Helichrysum italicum, and Euphorbia 'Ascot Rainbow,' which was moved from a nearby area.

With the exception of the Arbutus, Phlomis, Acanthus, and 2 of the Arthropodium cirratum, everything in this area was recently planted

I still need to add a path through the middle of this space to the backyard beyond but the other side of the area, adjacent to a small patio, is coming together. I added some Iceland poppy seedlings (Papaver nudicaule) this weekend just because I love them.

All the plants in this area were introduced in late September or October

View of side yard bed from patio area

Fall is unequivocally the best time to plant in my area of Southern California. It's still warm enough to give roots time to establish but, more importantly, we have a reasonable chance of getting rain. We got our first rain since March on October 9th. Although that yielded less than a quarter of an inch of rainwater, another rain event is forecast for today and tomorrow. I'm looking forward to it. The view this morning is auspiciously cloudy.

What constitutes a planting frenzy? In my case, it means more than 6 hours in the garden in one day with scarcely a break, preceded by one or more expensive trips to nurseries or garden centers, and followed by exhaustion and painful joints. It also means doggedly facing unplanned planting obstacles, which in my garden usually means digging out pockets of rock, apparently left over from the 1940s when this property was part of a large quarry. Sometimes I think I should give up gardening altogether and just go into the rock quarry business.

The planting exercises I described earlier (in Frenzy-Part I) and now here were preceded by trips to 2 nurseries the weekend before last, another one this past Saturday, and a mid-week mail order delivery. The buying is the easy part - reckoning with one's spouse about one's seemingly out-of-control spending habits can be another matter. Arguments about the importance of fall planting and the value of planting prior to a forecast of rain don't seem to carry as much weight as they should. I fully expect to receive one of my husband's infamous pie charts showing how much I've spent on plants this year any time now.

Annie's mail order delivery

My plant purchases from Saturday's trip to Rogers (minus the 2 Phormium and a few other things)

Many of the plants shown above went to fill vacancies in the backyard border created when I tore out a mass of lavender. I'd also torn out an overgrown patch of common lamb's ear (Stachys byzantina) but, in that case, I'd like to note that no purchases were actually required to fill the area. I managed this with divisions from Stachys byzantina 'Helen Von Stein' growing elsewhere in my garden and yarrow (Achillea 'Moonshine') relocated from an adjacent area. (I can only hope the lamb's ear transplants take - they were looking a little bedraggled when I finished.)

Lamb's ear transplants up front with relocated Achillea 'Moonshine' in the upper left

Nicotiana alata 'Lime Green,' purchased by mail order from Annie's, and Digitalis x mertonensis "Polka Dot Pippa,' obtained from Roger's Gardens, filled in the larger mid-border gap, along with some Euphorbia 'Dean's Hybrid' moved from another area of the border. A Salvia mexicana 'Limelight' from Annie's was tucked into the back area (in front of the Agapanthus in parallel to the mint bush) just to try it out.

The mint bush is no longer obscured but I hope my new additions gain size quickly so the area doesn't look so bare

Phygelius x rectus 'Salmon's Leap' replaced a Chorizema 'Bush Flame' on the right side of the border; however, now think I could use 1 or 2 more to fill in holes created by moving the Euphorbia.

Phygelius 'Salmon Leap' complements the Abelia 'Kaleidoscope' on either side much better than the poorly performing Chorizema

For the most part, I stuck to my list in making my recent plant selections, at least as long as the Phygelius counts as the "orange flowering perennial" on my list. However, spouses must forgive the occasional deviation to pick up plants you don't know you need until you see them. Such was the case with Uncinia uncinata 'Rubra,' a low-growing grass-like plant grown by Annie's but purchased through Roger's Gardens. Look at the pictures below. You understand, don't you?

3 Uncinata placed near the front of the border, where they should get the moisture they need

Sure, it's small, but look how the sun already lights up the foliage

I still have vacancies to fill in both the backyard and side yard borders. I need more Phygelius and perhaps more Euphorbia for the back border, as well as additional succulents and some low-growing grass for the side yard. Oh, and I think I've found a good space for that Grevillea 'Superb' I've been coveting. Luckily, my friend and I have rescheduled our nursery trip to Carpinteria for early November...

I looked around for a scary plant I could feature in this week's favorite post in a toast to Halloween but I couldn't come up with anything truly sinister (unless you count the mimosa tree that's on a march toward world domination with its relentless self-seeding but I'm tired of giving it attention it doesn't deserve). Instead, I picked Senna (Cassia) bicapsularis 'Worley's Butter Cream' as my favorite because it finally sprung into bloom just when I'd about given up hope that it would. Last year, it began blooming in late summer. I thought that the failure to bloom this September might be due to getting too little water this year. It was a very dry year and the Senna is planted at the top of the stairs leading down the slope at the back of our property, an area that gets watered haphazardly by hand. However, in examining on-line sources regarding this tropical shrub, I discovered that it commonly blooms in late fall or winter. In fact, some of its common names are Christmas Senna and Winter Senna. So apparently it actually bloomed very early last year and it's blooming somewhat early this year.

It isn't a particularly easy plant to photograph, though. Its position along the fence between us and our neighbor at the top of the slope stairway makes it difficult to find a good vantage point from which to take a picture. It has also gotten quite tall - over 7 feet tall at my rough estimate. It can grow 8-10 feet tall and 6-8 feet wide so its current placement isn't optimal. I may try pruning it to a more manageable size following the current bloom cycle.

Picture taken from the far end of the dry garden, In a happy coincidence, the neighbor's Brugmansia, sporting similar floral color, is blooming again on the other side of the fence.

Picture taken from one of the stair steps below the Senna bicapsularis

Taxonomists have yet to agree on whether this shrub should be considered part of the Cassia or Senna genus. There also seems to be some confusion as to whether or not it should be classified as an invasive plant. One source holds that its invasive label is undeserved and attributable to confusion between this plant and Senna pendula var. glabrata. I can only say that, after 2 years in my garden, I've seen no sign whatsoever of rampant self-seeding.

This evergreen plant is native to the northern part of South America and the West Indies. The bright yellow flowers attract butterflies and bees. It provides larval food for the Sulphur butterfly.

The flower buds look like small yellow marbles

It prefers regular water, although in my experience it can tolerate a little drought. Reportedly, it can be grown in USDA zone 8 as a perennial. It is winter hardy in USDA zones 9-11. Senna (Cassia) bicapsularis is my contribution to Loree's favorite plants meme at danger garden. You can check here for her choices for plants of the week.

Oh, and from my home to yours, Happy Halloween!

I'm participating in Heather's meme at Xericstyle featuring wide shots of the garden on the first day of each month. This month, I've got pictures of the backyard border, the side yard, and the front yard. All the photos were taken in the early morning, which means that some were shot into the sun, while others show areas still in shade.

The back border, which I've shown in my previous wide shot posts, is first up. I've pulled some plants, moved others, and introduced some new selections since last month but there are still some empty spots to fill, as well as other moves to make.

View from the backyard doorway

Side view of the back border from the left side with the plants in the very bright morning light

Back border photographed from the right side

Next up is the side yard, which I've been working on since we finished tearing out the lawn in that area in early September. We still have to lay some more stone to create a pathway across the area.

View from front lawn area

View from small side yard patio

View from backyard lawn

This month I've also included a photo of the front beds. I'm afraid there's not much to see there as I recently cut back most of what is in those beds but here you are.

Front yard, still in shade

For Heather's own wide shot, please visit Xericstyle by clicking here. You'll also find other gardeners' wide views.

My husband and I finally completed the last leg of the flagstone pathway in the side yard this weekend. He's been busy with a project of his own for the last month but, with that behind him, I was finally able to get his help picking up and laying the additional stone. To be honest, he did most of the work with the stone. That rock is heavy! (And I apparently could use some weight training.)

Stone before "we" dug it into place

When the stone was laid, I began filling in the empty spaces on either side. Here's what went in this weekend:

2 flats of Thymus serpyllum (minus thyme)
3 Sisyrinchium bellum 'Rocky Point' (dwarf blue-eyed grass)
2 6-packs of Koelaria glauca "Coolio' (blue hair grass)
Another 6-pack of Papaver nudicaule 'Champagne Bubbles' (Iceland poppy)
3 Osteospermum ecklonis '3D Silver'
1 6-pack of Armeria maritima 'Nifty Thrifty' (a variegated thrift)

Most of the plants went into the area on the right side of the path.

The new plants, with the exception of the Iceland poppies, were added to the plants installed during an earlier planting frenzy

There are still a few holes to fill here and there on either side of the new path but I probably won't get to that for another week or more. My hope is that, by spring, the area will look much fuller.

Newly planted area photographed from the front lawn

Photo from the side yard patio

Photo from the backyard lawn

So what so preoccupied my husband that he didn't have time to help with the stone pathway? He was preparing his beloved electric car for transport to a new owner, our nephew in Washington state. Those who know my husband also know how important this car was to him. It was a gas-powered Mazda RX-7, originally owned by my father-in-law, which my husband converted to an all-electric vehicle a little over 20 years ago, doing all the work himself. The conversion involved, among other things, installation of a new electric engine and 18 batteries. He replaced all 18 batteries before sending it off to our nephew by truck. It arrived in Washington this weekend and should be in the hands of its new owner today. We hope he'll enjoy it as much as my husband did.

The electric car's last ride in California, on its way to the transport truck

I've been enviously admiring all the wonderful fall foliage photos posted by other bloggers over the past month. The color changes that accompany colder weather and shorter daylight hours in northern areas aren't as prevalent in southern California. However, as I sat on a stationary bike running through my morning exercise routine earlier this week, a mirror in the room caught the reflection of colored leaves outside. I'd almost forgotten that, in addition to colorful fruit, the persimmon trees on the northwest side of the house produced rather pretty fall foliage.

This is Persimmon 'Fuyu':

The leaves on Persimmon 'Hachiya' are running a little behind 'Fuyu' but the color changes are just as pretty.

The foliage on our Japanese maple (Acer palmatum 'Sango Kaku') is rapidly turning from yellow to brown.

The ornamental pear (Pyrus calleryana) is just beginning to take on some color but there's little in the way of leaf drop yet.

The toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia) is also producing masses of bright red berries, another hallmark of fall here. This tall evergreen shrub, also known as California holly, was designated as the official plant of Los Angeles last year. Yes, Los Angeles has its own official plant (as you can read about here). We lost one toyon as collateral damage when the Eucalyptus tree was removed from the side yard earlier this year but there's another very tall specimen at the border of our property.

I also found some small-scale color changes:

'Bountiful Blue' blueberry

The color change on this Euphorbia 'Dean's Hybrid' may be due to transplant shock rather than a seasonal change but it's pretty nonetheless

Trachelospermum jasminoides

This is fall, southern California style.

It surprises me that I haven't featured Coprosma repens 'Plum Hussey' as my favorite plant of the week since I began participating in the meme sponsored by Loree of danger garden. I now have this shrub in 3 separate beds in my garden. I found that I've featured it in no fewer than 5 foliage follow-up posts. Most recently, in responding to a query presented by Hoover Boo of Piece of Eden, I identified it as my best new plant of 2013. So why hasn't it shuffled to the top of the deck when it came to identifying a favorite plant? Maybe it's that it isn't a plant that jumps up and demands to be noticed. It doesn't flower. It's growth is steady but not dramatic. It's relatively short in stature. However, it's undeniably a beautiful foliage plant.

New leaves are a yellow green color and older leaves are a wonderful burgundy.

The bright leaf color dominates in this young plant

Darker burgundy colors becomes more evident as the plant matures

I think it looks particularly good surrounded by plants with uniformly bright green foliage.

Coprosma repens 'Plum Hussey' accompanied by an aggressive peppermint pelargonium

Back side of same Coprosma

This Coprosma (aka mirror plant) was introduced by a New Zealand grower. I initially picked it up because I was amused by its name but the variety is correctly identified as 'Plum HussEy,' not 'Plum Hussy.' Still, it's a compact shrub that struts her stuff, albeit in a somewhat subtle fashion.

It develops the strongest burgundy color in full sun and it's hardy to 15 degrees (Fahrenheit). Most sources say it grows to be 2-3 feet tall and wide (or 1.2 x 1.2m), although, in my dry garden (where it was largely ignored for several months), it grew taller but skinnier. It responds well to tip pruning to promote outward growth and it's reportedly wind and salt tolerant.

Please go to Loree's danger garden to view her favorite plant of the week and to link to other gardeners' selections.

Even by my own standards, I've spent a lot of time at plant nurseries and garden centers over the past couple of months. This weekend, a friend and I made our previously delayed trip up north to Carpinteria to shop 2 of our favorite nurseries there, Island View and Seaside Gardens. I posted on both back in early April so I won't cover either one in any great detail in this post. (You can find coverage of the earlier visit here.)

Both nurseries had lots and lots of rusty metal stuff for sale, of which the following are just a small sample.

Island View Nursery is still emphasizing succulents and indoor plants. They had some beautiful bromeliads but they were pricey.

However, the prices on the smaller succulents were good by local standards. The 4-inch pots were priced at $3.25 each and the 2-inch pots were $1.50 each. They had a good selection, although nothing really unusual.

I picked up 3 ferns and a few succulents.

My Island View purchases, 3 mother ferns (Alpenium bulbiferum) and assorted unlabeled succulents

At Seaside Gardens, I took a look around the demonstration gardens before making any plant purchase decisions. Whereas California poppies and flowering succulents made the biggest statements at the time of our April visit, on this occasion grasses, Salvias, Tagetes lemmonii and Leucadendron dominated the landscape.

Salvia 'Purple Magesty' (unfortunately unavailable for purchase)

Tagetes lemmonii (aka Copper Canyon daisy)

Here's what I took home from Seaside this trip:

Prostanthera ovalifolia 'Variegata' (available in a 1-gallon size!), Phormium 'Tiny Tiger', Dampiera trigona 'Purple Wire', Sollya heterophylla (an Australian native I grew years ago and have rarely seen since) and a solar gazing ball (it was 1/2 price)

I also stopped back at the Marina Del Rey Garden Center on my way home from my friend's house to pick up some more Alternanthera tenella I wasn't able to find elsewhere plus some other items I felt I "needed."

Alternanthera tenella 'Crinkle Red', Salvia 'Wendy's Wish', and assorted unlabeled succulents

And I haven't even mentioned the side trip I took to Roger's Gardens on my way to another appointment last week, or my trip to Armstrong to pick up general supplies. The good news is that I'm reaching critical mass in my backyard border, the new side yard area, and my dry garden. However, I haven't done much of anything with the front border, the vegetable garden, the garden beds on the other side of the house, the slope...

Hemerocallis 'For Pete's Sake'

Hemerocallis 'Persian Market'

Hemerocallis 'Russian Rhapsody'

Hemerocallis 'Spanish Harlem'

Southern California has been saved the cold that is sweeping other parts of the US. In fact, recent temperatures have been more reminiscent of summer than fall. Our thermostat hit the upper 80s on Wednesday when downtown Los Angeles reached 92 degrees Fahrenheit.

Temperatures have been slowly falling since Wednesday and there's a rumor of drizzle in the forecast but I think real rain is still a pipe dream.

Perhaps as a response to the warm afternoons, some spring/summer bloomers have made a reappearance. I posted pictures of reblooming daylilies earlier this week but other plants that generally flower during the first half of the year have also made walk-on appearances.

Pale blue Agapanthus bloom

Pink Alstroemeria (no ID)

Ruffled Leucanthemum x superbum (Shasta daisy)

Fresh bloom on Papaver nudicaule (Iceland poppy)

Another Iceland poppy

However, the biggest show-offs at present are a few of the fall bloomers.

Camellia sasanqua (no ID)

Close up of the Camellia blooms

Correa pulchella 'Pink Eyre' looks better in person than in my photos

Senna (Cassia) bicapsularis is making a bigger splash now than she did when I featured her as a favorite plant at the end of October

A few of my recent purchases are also flowering.

Grevillea 'Superb' (Yes, I finally found an acceptable place for her!)

Phygelius x rectus 'Salmon Leap' is settling in bordered by Abelia 'Kaleidoscope'

Argyranthemum frutescens

I broke down and put in a few pansies right before our most recent mini-heatwave

A somewhat fuzzy picture of the first blooms from Salvia mexicana 'Limelight'

And some of the plants that have pumped out flowers for months are still going strong.

Celosia argentea var spicata is turning tawny but still has presence in the back border

Osteospermum ecklonis '3DSilver' has bloomed all year but the blooms have become more prolific as the weather cools

Pelargonium 'Pink Blizzard' and Calibracohoa 'Cherry Star' have provided non-stop blooms in pots near the front door

Even my beloved Plectranthus ciliatus 'Zulu Warrior' still has some blooms.

Plectranthus ciliatus 'Zulu Warrior'

All in all, I'm not doing half bad in the bloom department for mid-November. Please visit Carol's May Dreams Gardens for bloom connections from around the world.

I've added quite a few foliage plants to my garden this year (and the gardening year's not over for us yet in southern California). One of my most recent acquisitions is Dampiera trigona 'Purple Wire.' It blooms, as you may be able to detect from the picture below, but the foliage is what landed it in my cart during a recent nursery trip to Carpinteria. It's a relatively low-growing, clumping plant suited to a rock garden environment so my hope it that it'll find the soil of this former rock quarry hospitable.

It's hard to get a good picture of this Dampiera. The foliage really is wiry.

Another recent acquisition is a diminutive Phormium, 'Tiny Tiger,' which I picked up on the same nursery trip up north last week. It gets just one foot high and one foot wide so it should do fine in its location along the pathway of my dry garden.

I've also added a mass planting of Alternanthera tenella 'Crinkle Red'along the pathway in my renovated side garden.

10 Alternanthera tenella 'Crinkle Red' line the pathway

Close-up of Alternanthera

As of last week, no fewer than 3 Prostanthera ovalifolia 'Variegata' have taken root in my garden.

This Prostanthera ovalifolia, placed in the side yard in late September, is getting by on morning sun only so far

My newest Prostanthera ovalifolia, purchased for a bargain price of $8.99 last weekend, is seated in front of a Ceanothus hedge in the back garden

I've posted about my use of Coprosma repens 'Plum Hussey' in the garden many times (most recently here) but I've also added the smaller-leafed Coprosma 'Evening Glow' to my collection

One of 3 Coprosma 'Evening Glow,' all still relatively small

But the foliage plants making the biggest impact in the garden right now are still the 2 Persimmon trees we inherited with the house (previously featured here), which are in their full fall splendor.

Persimmon 'Hachiya' in the dry garden

Persimmon 'Fuyu' in the vegetable garden

What foliage is lighting up your garden at the moment? To see other foliage picks, please visit Pam, the host of the monthly Foliage Follow-up at Digging.

What I didn't buy...

My favorite plant this week: Yucca elephantipes

Early Fall Bouquet

Renga Lilies Everywhere

October 2013 Bloom Day

October 2013 Foliage Follow-up

Twofer Nursery Trek

My favorite plant this week: Arbutus 'Marina'

Bouquet: Something from Nothing

Fall Planting Frenzy - Part 1

Fall Planting Frenzy - Part II

My favorite plant this week: Senna (Cassia) bicapsularis

Wide Shots: November 2013

Project completed (almost)

Fall Foliage Envy

Favorite plant of the week: Coprosma repens 'Plum Hussey'

Reaching Critical Mass

Almost Wordless Wednesday: They're back!

Bloom Day: November 2013

Foliage Follow-up: November 2013