It's been cold here of late. No, not cold by the standards of those of you awaking to frost decorating your plants or snow blanketing everything in sight, but cold compared to what we're used to here in my area of coastal Southern California. The color I seek from my garden is largely lacking now too but, buoyed by recent rain, my succulents offer a bright note.
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| I was surprised to see several Aeonium arboreum this morning suddenly preparing to bloom |
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| This birdbath-style planter I renovated in August is looking better and better |
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| The same could be said of this one, also replanted in August |
We got a little light rain last night and expect more this afternoon and tomorrow and, while every rainstorm brings vague hopes of a flower-filled future, I remain mindful that we're still deeply entrenched in drought and likely to remain so as our world's climate leans toward increasing extremes. In that vein, I've been steadily increasing my reliance on succulents in my garden. After meeting a friend for lunch yesterday, I took the opportunity to stop in at a nearby nursery specializing in succulents. Officially, my objective was to find a few Christmas gifts on my list but you will note that I'm not selfless enough to ignore plants that scream "buy me!"
I've been thinking of creating a feature to hold succulents and bromeliads in one area of my garden so I was immediately drawn to the impressive pieces of driftwood lined up near the parking area.
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| Can't you just see succulents, airplants and other bromeliads tucked into those crevices? |
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| This piece was wider but shorter |
Then I checked the price tags and my dream of using something like this in my garden rapidly evaporated - or, more accurately, exploded. The $720 price tags on these pieces obliterated my half-formed plans.
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| You will never see anything like this in my garden |
However, I did find 2 of the 3 items I had on my Christmas gift list. And, yes, I did purchase a few things for my own garden too.
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| This nursery is woefully short on labels but I think what I brought home included, clockwise from the upper left, Echeveria 'Blue Atoll' Haworthiopsis attenuata (aka zebra plant), a succulent I can't identify, what may be Echeveria 'Violet Queen', and Echeveria agavoides 'Tippy' |
Holiday gift shopping can get expensive!
All material © 2012-2018 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
