After an absence of more than a year, I've visited Roger's Gardens in Corona del Mar three times since April following my Covid-19 vaccination. My most recent trip, just over a week ago, was prompted by an opportunity to connect with blogger friend Gerhard of Succulents & More. He'd come to Southern California for the Inner City Cactus & Succulent Society Sale & Show and we arranged to meet at Roger's Farmhouse restaurant between stops on his whirlwind tour of local nurseries. I arrived early to give myself time to walk around the exterior garden areas of the garden center I'd missed on my July trip.
I didn't have time to explore the entire exterior area so I focused on one end. As one might expect in midsummer during an exceptionally dry year, the landscape was muted, with shrubs, grasses, and succulents carrying the show. (More vibrant displays can be viewed here in posts from November 2016 and January 2019.)
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| The Leucadendrons (possibly 'Safari Sunset'), Grevillea 'Scarlet Sprite', and Westringia 'Morning Light' do a fine job of covering a slope here |
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| Just a few feet away, there's a grouping of Leucadendron 'Ebony, a Grevillea in full flower ('Robyn Gordon' or 'Superb' perhaps), and more Westringia, which looks like it had been sheared to form a hedge |
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| This display at the intersection of two large streets was my focus. I was surprised by the shrub roses planted in front. |
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| I think the low-growing grass in the foreground on the left is Seslaria, at least it bears a striking resemblance of the Sesleria 'Greenlee's Hybrid' growing in my own garden. I can't identify the grass in the background. |
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| The large Aloes and Agaves were here the last time I checked out the area in January 2019. The Aloes are winter bloomers. |
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| This is a closeup of the grass I wasn't able to identify. A Miscanthus perhaps? I photographed it from inside the gazebo with Leucadendrons and Grevilleas in the background. |
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| Several very large hanging planters are attached to the gazebo's roof. They're filled with Phormiums, Pelargoniums and what I think is Sedum. |
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| These large clumps of Agave attenuata and Aloes were also here at the time of my last tour of the area |
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| Chondropetalum tectorum (aka Small Cape Rush) is used extensively, including in the parkway area adjacent to the street. Unlike the specimen fronting the street in my own garden, this one is a true dwarf. |
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A nice specimen of what I think is Agave vilmoriniana 'Stained Glass' identified as Agave salminana var ferox 'Medio Picta' with Aloes I can't identify |
Although I'd shopped the garden center a month earlier, I still had to check the plants on sale to see if there was anything else I "needed." I came home with a Dahlia 'Cafe au Lait' and an Agastache 'Kudos Mandarin' but there were a few other things that caught my eye.
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| I've been frustrated by the delayed blooms of my tuber-grown dahlias so I've been tempted to bring home plants already sporting buds. This Dahlia 'Creme de Cassis' appealed to me but I decided a 'Cafe au Lait' with buds but not blooms was a better buy. I was amused to see a number of dahlias with tomato cages to provide support. I started using those a few years ago to support my own dahlias and now this seems to be a common practice. |
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| This Leucanthemum x superbum 'Real Gold Cup' was new to me |
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| This big but simple basket filled with a red-flowered Mandevilla was impressive |
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| I've been enamored with Senecio ficoides 'Mount Everest' since my last visit and purposefully looked for plants for sale during this visit; however, the potted specimens ranged from $20-30. I've ordered specimens in 3.5-inch pots from a mail order provider instead. |
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| This octopus hanging from the ceiling in the indoor plant area captivated me for some reason. My guess was that it's intended to become part of the Halloween display slated to open in early September. There appears to be a price tag on its lower tentacles, though. It'd be great in my lath house if that space were only taller and a whole lot larger. |
Gerhard and I had a great lunch with lots of time to talk before I headed home mid-afternoon, just beating the commuter traffic that plagues our Southern California freeways.
All material © 2012-2021 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
