I finally got back to work on the bromeliad bed I've been slowly renovating over the past 2 months. I can't say I'm completely done with it - is any garden bed ever done? - but it has a more finished look now with the changes I made earlier this week before our second rainstorm of the season moved in. I used rock from the indoor barbecue we demolished during our home remodel in an effort to dissuade the raccoons that visit my garden all too often from digging up the entire area as they've done in the past. I replanted the bromeliads I'd saved after their last rampage, adding a couple that had previously occupied pots elsewhere. I also added succulents and filled in here and there with cuttings.
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| This is the best long shot I could manage of the renovated area. The large shrubs on the right (Auranticarpa rhombifolium) mark the property line. The driveway visible here belongs to my neighbor on the north side. She's planted ornamental bananas and various succulents on the slope adjacent to her driveway. |
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| This is the view looking back in the opposite direction. I filled the area between the flagstone I laid 2 years ago and the salvaged stone I installed in September with dwarf mondo grass (Ophiopogon japonicus 'Nanus'), supplementing the plugs I'd planted here previously. |
As you can probably tell, the bed is narrow and it winds around a bit, making it difficult to photograph in its entirety. It's easier to view it in sections.
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| The first segment contains a Mangave 'Pineapple Express', 3 Echeveria agavoides and a portion of the Dyckia 'Burgundy Ice' I divided recently, along with assorted cuttings |
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| The middle section consists mostly of bromeliads with a few succulents used as accents |
The largest bromeliads are these:
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| Aechmea 'Mend': it needs more sun than it's been getting to brighten its pink edging |
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| Neoreglia 'Guinea' x 'Pepper': short in stature but among the most vigorous bromeliads I have |
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| Vriesea ospinae var gruberi: perhaps my flashiest bromeliad |
In addition to the bromeliads shown above, the bed includes
Aechmea fasciata, Billbergia 'Carioca', and
Quesnelia marmorata 'Tim Plowman'. I've got other bromeliads in the adjacent succulent bed and in pots, some of which may eventually migrate to this bed once I see how it stands up to the elements, and the raccoons.
The last segment of the "bromeliad bed" is comprised exclusively of succulents.
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| This bed includes Euphorbia lactea cristata, assorted Aeoniums, Mangave 'Falling Waters', Mangave 'Mission to Mars' and Crassula orbicularis var rosularis, along with a mish-mash of fillers |
I also moved the chiminea that formerly sat on the back patio to this area to provide a new focal point. As our back patio shrank by 70 square feet when we extended our kitchen, I needed to reduce the paraphernalia there and this was the best alternative placement I could find for it.
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| The old focal point (left) was a collection of pots. Three pots are still there but I gave the chiminea the prominent position, topping it with a large clump of noID Tillandsia. I may add more Tillandsias in time. |
While I was working in the area, I made an adjustment to the adjacent succulent bed as well.
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| I pulled the Leucadendron I'd had in a central spot in the succulent bed and replaced it with the Furcraea feotida 'Mediopicta' that's sat in a nursery pot since I picked it up back in July |
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| The Furcraea is still small enough to get somewhat lost in the bed when viewed from this angle but this photo gives you an idea of the relationship between the succulent and bromeliad beds. The flagstone path visible to the right of the tree, an Arbutus 'Marina', partitions off the bromeliad bed. |
Finally, on the other side of the driveway, I planted more succulent cuttings to fill the bare space left below the climbing rose when we had to replace a badly corroded gas line discovered in the course of our remodel.
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| I know the plants here look skimpy but I used cuttings of Euphorbia tirucalli 'Sticks on Fire', Aeonium arboreum, and Aeonium haworthii 'Kiwi' here previously and they quickly filled the space |
There's a lot more clean-up left to do in the garden as our remodel nears its conclusion but at least the plants and cuttings I installed in these areas should be off to a good start. With our second rainstorm of the season over the Thanksgiving holiday, we've accumulated 1.5 inches of rain thus far.
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| It rained off and on most of Thanksgiving Day but the clouds lifted briefly over the Port of Los Angeles in the late afternoon |
A belated happy Thanksgiving to those of you in the US and I hope you enjoy the rest of the holiday weekend.
All material © 2012-2019 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
