Gardeners in cold weather climates don't plant in mid-winter when there's snow on the ground or the risk of freezes in the forecast. In hot, dry summer areas like mine, it's similarly inadvisable to plant in mid-summer. Frankly, I believe it's inadvisable to plant anytime between the end of April and mid-September here, not that my self-imposed rule has ever stopped me. Even when I take precautions - deep-soaking planting holes prior to placement, watering more often, providing shade during heat spells - plants added within that window frequently fail. As our recent monster heatwave once more reaffirmed, established plants struggle when temperatures shoot up into the stratosphere and new plants don't usually stand a chance. But what's a plant addict to do? In my case, I try to focus on planting up pots and, more specifically, planting succulents in pots. It's easier to move pots in a heatwave emergency and, if a potted plant dies, the empty container can be tucked behind the garage or in some other innocuous location, eliminating a constant reminder of the loss.
So 'tis the season for planting and replanting succulent containers! Last weekend I replanted a large metal wok on my side patio. It'd looked pretty sorry for months and needed a fresh start. I picked up 4
'Lemon Ball' Sedums at my local garden center and filled in with succulent cuttings from elsewhere in my garden.
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| Sedum 'Lemon Ball' is supposed to handle heat better than 'Angelina'. I hope that proves to be true. |
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| The variegated succulent is Aeonium haworthii Kiwi'. Cuttings of it and the noID smaller succulent came from elsewhere in my garden. |
Aeonium 'Kiwi', which I've previously described as my "gateway succulent," is everywhere in my garden so it wasn't hard to find pieces to cut.
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| I brought cuttings of Aeonium 'Kiwi' with me from my former garden when we moved 7 years ago |
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| It's a great edging material |
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| It's good at forming colonies |
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| Unlike other Aeoniums, it holds up fairly well against the summer sun |
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| Although it appreciates a bit of shade |
The larger
Aeonium arboreum shown with
'Kiwi' in the photo above is another of my go-to succulents when I have gaps to fill; however, it's more sensitive to strong sun exposure and goes semi-dormant during the hot summer months, closing itself into a ball shape to protect its central leaves. Do you have a go-to plant you use to fill vacancies in your garden? Do tell! I need to accumulate more of them.
All material © 2012-2018 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
