I like the strawberry. The birds like it even more. The strawberry can stay.
I can't remember the sedum's name. I snipped a bit of it from my granddad's garden (which means dear don't eat it, otherwise they would have--not a problem for me in the city, but fyi). Anyhow, I have more of it now than I know what to do with. Since the sedum has some sentimental value coming from granddad, and I've been composting an awful lot of it lately, it also stays.
So... death comes for the Calibrocha and whatever that other thing is. Some Gilia, I think. What do I replace it with?
These aren't even up yet.
The ones that are up won't work.
The fuchsia and cineraria are shade-lovers, and this pot goes on the roof. The two seedlings with compound leaves are Calliandra eriophylla. They would work, but they're still very small, and I have other plans for them. Note: I sowed eight Calliandra seeds, and got only two germinations.
These plants are all too blurry to use.
Ah! I just remembered I recently found a Berberis wilsoniae on the freebie pile at the Botanical Garden. In fact, that plant came to me right after I started loving it. How nice. I was obviously meant to have this plant, and now I finally have a place for it.
Berberidaceae commonly have bright yellow roots.
I forgot that until I pulled this one out of the pot. They're yellow like that just under the bark too. People used it as a dye.
I stick in the Berberis, with a little clump of bunch grass that divided in two, a top dressing of compost, and voila. This is what I end up with. Nothing fabulous, but it will be fine on the roof.
Why is my yard so muddy? Because it was sloping and I leveled it and didn't sow any grass seeds where I took up the old sod. I'm planning to go lawnless. It's a work in progress. It's all a work in progress.
Dahlia imperialis buds.
Do you think less of me for having a Brugmansia? Sometimes I think less of me for having it.
What about the bamboo? Do you think less of me for having bamboo?
In my defense, the Brugmansia was at least supposed to have pink flowers. Wayside Gardens sent me one with yellow flowers. I generally don't like ordering plants from catalogs or online*, but that's what happens when you drink and web-surf. (And the bamboo was my boyfriend's idea.)
*Unless it's Annie's Annuals, then I don't have any problem with it.
UPDATE: The Brugmansia flowers are pink-tinged after all. I didn't notice it until today. I'm sorry I disparaged Wayside Gardens for sending me the ordinary yellow when in fact I got the pinkish white just as I ordered.
6 comments:
Your "what the hell is this" looks like it could be some type of Asparagus Fern.
Is there some social judgment of Bamboo and Angels Trumpet in California that I am unaware of?
Yeah, Brugmansia are really easy and common. Also, I think some people might disdain the showy brugmansia flowers ("Do you really need that huge flower? What are you compensating for?"), or note that it's a pest attractor. You know, some people don't like hibiscus and bougainvillea. You just never know with people.
I've definitely heard the sentiment expressed, "Bamboo is so over." I don't have a particularly special variety of bamboo to offer in response.
Not that I would care necessarily what other people think--neither the bamboo or the brugmansia is going anywhere anytime soon--but it's fine with me if people want to say they don't like something for whatever reason. It doesn't bother me and it won't hurt my feelings.
And, as you can see, I'm conflicted myself about what should or should not be in my garden and I wanted to share that.
Regarding leonotis, I have softened my anti-opposition to yanking it. I can see how it would look wrong in the company of certain plants, Lapageria, for example. On its own mertis, however, I think leonotis is perfectly respectable--rugged, orangey, hummingbird attractor.
Yesss! It's asparagus fern. Or something like it. Not Asparagus densiflora, but the thin, trailing one that will twine its way up a trellis. I bought one on discount a couple years ago, had it die, and forgot about it.
Well, being from the upper midwest, I like the brug AND the bamboo...I have a bamboo of my own outdoors, surviving in zone 4, and it makes me something of a local celebrity. As for my brug...I get only leaves, only in summer, and when I bring it in for winter it's a naked stick the rest of the year. So I have "brug-envy" for yours...wonder what Freud would say about THAT! ;) But around here, the barberries are kind of "ordinary", but I love those, too. Good thing you kept yours potted (which looks cool with that other stuff, BTW), cuz' my old BF had one he tried to kill-they are nearly indestructible once in the ground! He poured gas over it and burned it...came back. Tried fuel oil and fire...came back. Tried to dig up roots-those yellow fiends go on forever, gave him a horrible rash, he cut all he could find with an axe-IT CAME BACK! Last straw...he tried to hook a chain around the surviving roots (5' down) and pull them out with his 4x4 truck-the barberry won!!
Oh, and if you want to check out a huge variety of barberries and other stuff, try http://forestfarm.com/
they treat mail order customers really well! Shipping gets pricey for me way out here, but I've had great luck with the plants/trees/bushes I've bought over the years.
I never really thought much about barberries until we went over them a few weeks ago in my plant ID class. In fact, until then, I'd never even heard the word barberry before. I know a few of the west coast natives, but noone calls them barberries--just mahonia or berberis.
I bought seeds of the west coast native Berberis nevinii this year, and it will be interesting to see if I can get them to germinate and grow. I can't have it in my yard (no room for it) but I can donate the plants to the Botanical Garden and I'm sure someone will buy them. We sell out of the native Berberis every time we have any to sell.
But that B. wisoniae...the berries are so pretty and translucent. I hope it'll do okay on my roof.
Thanks for the link here and in the other post; I'm eager to look at both of them.
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