One of my pandemic projects was a wholesale renovation of the planting scheme on the moderate front slope in the southwest corner of my front garden. I started it in early November 2020 and continued working on in at intervals into March 2021. I recently noticed how well the succulents I planted there have filled out, especially after our heavier-than-usual rainy season. I decided it was time for a closer look at that slope and the area surrounding it, including the lath house.
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| This is the path that leads from the main level of the front garden down to the lower level area sandwiched between a moderate slope and my street-side succulent bed on the southwest side of our property |
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| View from the pathway looking down into the area |
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| Wide shot of the slope, loosely terraced using rocks |
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| Another wide shot from a different angle |
Views of the area by segment offer a little more detail.
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| This is the eastern end of the bed, dominated by Aeoniums. The south-side succulent bed is visible in the background. |
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| This is the mid-section of the southwest-facing slope. The small tree in the middle is a pineapple guava (Feijoa sellowiana). The larger tree in the background at the top of the slope is an Arbutus 'Marina' (aka a strawberry tree). The shrub surrounding the base of the Arbutus is a noID self-planted Cotoneaster that I'm constantly cutting back. |
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| The western end of the bed turns the corner and runs parallel to the Xylosma congestum hedge that flanks the street. The low dry-stacked wall runs the entire length of the area shown here and the front driveway. |
There are a lot of plants crammed onto that slope. Here are some closeups:
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| I took down 2 variegated Agave desmettiana after they bloomed out in September 2019, harvesting multiple pups and lots of bulbils. I planted 6 of the pups on this slope, all of which are now larger than the parent plants were at the time I harvested them. The photo on the right shows one of these paired with an Aloe vanbalenii x striata. |
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| I planted 3 of the many Agave desmettiana bulbils I harvested on the slope. They show varying degrees of variegation. |
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| Other plants with a prominent presence on the slope include, clockwise from the upper left: a mix of Aeonium arboreum and A. haworthii 'Kiwi', Crassula falcata (aka propeller plant), Sedeveria 'Fanfare'with Agave bracteosa, Graptopetalum 'Fred Ives' with Lomandra 'Platinum Beauty', Mangave 'Kaleidoscope' with Pelargonium peltatum 'Pink Blizzard', and Mangave 'Pineapple Express' |
The lath (shade) house, built by my husband in December 2019, is still the centerpiece of the area.
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| I caught a photo of the lath house with its glow on |
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| Various exterior views. The 2 bottom views show the "windows" in the structure, both featuring window boxes filled with succulents. |
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| Various interior views. Plants in pots line the ground level and 2 levels of shelves. |
Not all the plants inside the lath house responded to the cooler, wetter weather as well as the garden in general has. Some essentially drowned in their pots when I wasn't paying attention. I've replaced a few but many more deserve additional care.
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| One of several noID Rex Begonias (left) and a tuberous Begonia |
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| None of the 4 fuchsias inside the lath house are currently blooming but these 2 are among the most interesting: Fuchsia 'Autumnale' (left) and F. procumbens (right) |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Discocactus anguiliger (aka zig-zag cactus), Fatsia japonica 'Camouflage', and Platycerium veitchii (aka staghorn fern) |
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| One of the upper shelves is entirely occupied by orchids of different types but none of those are currently blooming (and most could use repotting). However, Epiphyllum 'King Midas' (left) currently has a very flashy bloom, as does a recently purchased miniature Phalaenopsis (right). |
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| I wired moss and assorted Tillandsias to a a dead branch last year (left). Other Tillandsias include T. 'Spirit' (upper right) and T. xerographica (lower right). |
There are plenty of potted plants in the area surrounding the lath house too.
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| These are just a few of the plants I have in pots outside the lath house. Some are succulents, some aren't. Those shown in closeups in the middle column are Echeveria 'Afterglow', Dyckia 'Tarzan', and Pilosocereus nobilis f. cristatus. The plants in the column on the right are a Fuchsia arborescens and Begonia luxurians. |
Sometimes I'm surprised at how many plants I've crammed into this area - and at other times I wonder how many more I could squeeze in. The same could be said for the street side succulent bed that fronts this part of the garden.
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| View from the southwest corner area looking toward the street |
All material © 2012-2023 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party