While most of my end-of-summer/early fall cleanup has involved clearing debris, pruning overgrown plants, and removing plants that are dead, dying or unappealing, filling waste bins in the process, I've also divided plants, harvested succulent pups, and taken cuttings. This post focuses on some of the latter activities.
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I pulled 5 healthy pups of the large Aloe striata x maculata planted at the top of the slope on the southwest side of the garden. I'm planning to plant 2-4 of the pups near the mother plant in the area now occupied by Aeonium arboreum (shown in the bottom 2 photos). I've used that Aeonium as a filler all over my garden and it's time to switch things up with other plants.
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In the street-side succulent bed, I discovered that a large Crassula ovata (jade plant) had tipped over the short wall that divides the bed from the upper level occupied by the lath house (left photo). I took weight off it by cutting it back. Cuttings of the Crassula and tall Senecio amaniensis that had also toppled over are shown on the right.
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I potted up 2 small cuttings of the Crassula, one of the Sencio, and 5 of the tiny Agave mitis 'Multicolor' bulbils I harvested in July, now rooted. I'll hold onto these for now for possible placement elsewhere in the garden once the plants are ready to be transplanted.
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I texted the head of the local Cactus & Succulent Society to see if they might have an interest on taking 2 flats of rooted Agave mitis 'Multicolor' bulbils, a 6-pack of Agave 'Blue Glow' bulbils, and maybe the remaining Crassula and Senecio cuttings. If not, I'll put the lot out for neighbors. I fear the bulbils may not find a home in the neighborhood...
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I've identified some plants that probably need to go, as well as a couple that might benefit from being moved.
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Clockwise from the upper left, the plants that I'm currently looking to remove include: Psoralea pinnata, Salvia lanceolata (growing up through the middle of an Acacia 'Cousin Itt'), and Trichostema 'Midnight Magic' (shown in the 2 bottom photos). I like 'Midnight Magic', a cultivar of California's native woolly blue curls, but the right half of the woody plant has died. Rather than chop it in half, I ordered a replacement as part of Annie's Annuals California native plant sale.
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The 2 plants that may qualify for a move to boost their bloom potential are Dais cotinifolia (aka pom-pom tree, left) and Protea nerifolia 'Pink Ice' (right). Neither has ever flowered and I think both want more sun.
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Of course, while I'm cutting back and removing plants, I haven't been able to stop myself from adding new ones at the same time.
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On Annie's last mail order sale, I picked up 2 more Eryngium planum 'Blue Glitter', only to discover that the one I planted in 2022 appears to have self-seeded (see photo on the right). On the same sale I got Achillea millefolium, an Anchusa capensis, and another Echium webbii (not shown).
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Gerhard of Succulents and More introduced readers to Steve Super Gardens in a recent post and I ended up ordered 2 Aeoniums, 'Dark Star' (bottom left) and 'Octo Ink' (bottom right), as well as a Pelargonium gibbosum (not shown). In addition, they sent me an intriguing Aeonium hierrense (bottom middle).
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Aeonium hierrense (aka tree houseleek) reportedly gets up to 3 feet tall. I'm considering the 2 areas shown above for its placement. I couldn't find a photo of a mature specimen on Steve Super Garden's site but you can see it here.
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Instead of culling out, cutting back, giving away, or moving plants, some deserve notice just for being where they are.
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Hippeastrum 'Luna' surprised me with an out-of-season bloom
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Gaillardia 'Arizona Sun' has maintained a steady mass of flowers all summer with just occasional deadheading
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material © 2012-2023
by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
