On a recent trip to Roger's Gardens in Orange County I took a stroll of the demonstration garden that borders the busy streets on the far corner of the property. I've yet to get any of my friends to take the brief hike up that way but I've walked the area twice when visiting the garden center on my own. The first visit was in
early January this year and my second visit was just over a week ago. The mixture of succulents and grasses appeals to me as I've been considering doing something similar with my miserable back slope. All plant names provided in the captions below represent my best guesses rather than definitive identifications.
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The largest succulents here appear to be Agave americana 'Variegata'are Agave vilmoriniana 'Stained Glass'(thanks for the ID Hoover Boo!), accompanied by Agave attenuata and Aloe dorotheae |
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| The scale many not be evident but those Agave ovatifolia are huge (at least by comparison to the 2 in my garden) |
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| I didn't recognize the grass in the middle of the photo here as Muhlenbergia capillaris back in January but the pink color here gives it away. The large clumping "grass" in the foreground on the left may be Lomandra and the low-growing grass on the right may be a species of Carex, possibly C. praegracilis (aka California field sedge). |
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| Chondropetalum tectorum and Yucca, shown in the foreground here, mimic the grasses in form |
I also took some photos of the large borders along the sidewalk and the narrower strip along the street.
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| In addition to succulents like Aeonium and Aloe, the sidewalk borders used Leucadendron, Westringia 'Morning Light' and Grevillea 'Scarlet Sprite' |
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| The parking strip (not actually permitted for parking by my recollection) is lined in what I believe are Chondropetalum tectorum and Aloe 'Rooikappie' |
I took few photos of the garden center's interior area on this visit but the area surrounding the new Farmhouse restaurant at the back of the property was an exception. Like the front area of the property, this area made extensive use of succulents and grasses.
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| I've yet to eat at the Farmhouse but my understanding is that it's run by the chef who previously operated Sage, which was one of my favorite restaurants when I worked in the Orange County years ago |
I like the contrast between the color and sculptural forms of the succulents and the wispy grasses, including the grass-like substitutes Roger's has used in its landscaping. Succulents benefit from the softening effect of grasses. With the right selections, both can get along with minimal care once established, making them good prospects for my ugly back slope.
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| The upper portion of the slope above the concrete stairway, planted with ivy and honeysuckle by prior owners, hasn't recovered from the devastation caused by the untimely June heatwaves despite increased irrigation |
My husband is amenable to hiring help to renovate the back slope, although he might be less so once he sees a quote. I think the area needs terracing to make it more usable and, as it's accessible only by a steep narrow path, I don't think it'll be easy to get material and equipment down there. But I can dream. We agreed to hold off a while to see if the plants on the upper portion of the slope miraculously recover with the winter rains. As the season-to-date rain total is just over one-third of an inch, I have my doubts that'll happen but I have other projects to keep me busy in the interim.
All material © 2012-2016 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
