The pot has no bottom. When the trunk grows, I'll break the rest of the pot and remove it. For now I like having the plant roots slightly raised for better drainage. The soil in that area of the yard is heavy clay.
Nursery catalogs describe Dahlia imperialis as rare, but you can buy a stalk like this at the San Francisco Botanical Garden plant sales for $10. It to grows up 10 feet in one growing season (winter in California). When it goes dormant, you whack it back to 8 inches and start all over again. Eventually, the base gets broad and multi-trunked, and it will obscure the cement foundation behind it--hopefully without causing a structural issue.
Echium candicans, "Pride of Madeira".
This grows all over the place in California, but I don't often see it containerized, especially in this small a container. I have root pruned it once--reducing the root mass by about 30%--and it seems to be doing fine. The plant has remained a nice, small size. It gets verrry thirsty on hot, windy days here on my roof. The flowers are starting to open.
Salvia spathacea, "Hummingbird Sage", sometimes called "Crimson Sage".
One of my favorite California natives for the smell of the foliage. Some native sage enthusiasts find the fruity smell a little overwhelming and prefer Salvia clevelandii 'Winifred Gilman' above all others. I don't disagree too much.
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