Post Mortem Embrace

As I was tidying and removing some of the dead plants still dotted around the garden last weekend I noticed this in our utility area (i.e. where some dead plants are also stored to be sorted out later):

It's like the long dead Cyathea australis giving the newly dead Yucca thompsoniana a cuddle,  a post mortem embrace. Perhaps it is giving it commiseration or a welcome to plant hades.

The Yucca came to us many years ago bare root and needing TLC so it stayed in the greenhouse for quite some time. Not long after being repotted it flowered which took up a lot of energy from an already ailing plant. And instead of re-rooting, all pre existing roots that it had rotted away instead. It was a slow death for the poor plant as it lingered in the greenhouse for years, finally succumbing this spring despite being given special care all through those times. Nevermind. And so the remaining trunk is now stashed with other architectural lifeless plant bodies in the utility area.

And speaking of demise after flowering, one of my favourite bamboos in the garden, a very slow growing one yet so beautiful with its bright yellow culms with green stripe on its sulcus is flowering...

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Tale of Two Agaves

Herein lies the tale of two agaves and how their different treatment through the years have made a difference on their growth rate. 

I bought two small Agave ovatifolias in 2013, grown from the same batch of seeds, they were exactly the same size when I acquired them. Repotted into identical pots, they both grew at exactly the same size until in 2015 when one of them was transferred on to a blue glazed pot and placed at the front of the house. Since the makeover all the plants there were given extra attention, to keep the front garden looking smart (prior to that the front of the house was genuinely neglected and often a dumping ground for building materials for the back garden). So plants were regularly watered, fed, and kept weed free.

The second one was placed by the edge of the koi pond in a plastic white pot. It was a prominent spot but not a conducive one for the health and growth of the agave. Under the eaves of a pergola, it remained dry whenever rain fell, and by being on the edge of a koi pond it was rarely watered to minimise the risk of soil (and more bacteria) running into the pond.

So the first one got watered regularly and was placed in a bigger pot, the second one kept on the dry side and remained in a small pot for years. The result is going to be obvious, two years on the former is more than double the size of the latter.

Feeling guilty that I have grossly neglected the latter, it was time to treat it right by giving it a much bigger pot. It has then been placed away from the shelter of the pergola  in the open to bask in the sun and get watered much more regularly. So two weeks ago it was given a new home.

Where it is now gets sun all year round, sheltered but will get rained on, and much more likely to get watered when we have the hosepipe out and the entire garden gets supplemental watering.

Hopefully it will catch up in size with its front garden brother relatively quickly. With both being in a pot neither of them are likely to attain the size they can potentially do when planted out. But they can still attain a very good size even in a pot if watered regularly during the summer and given a sufficient sized container.

Mark :-)

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Blue Pots, Bricks, Bins, and a British Gas Van

I seem to be collecting pots now almost as much as I do plants. But then again each pot is a planting opportunity.

Now time to give an update on the plants growing at the front of the house...

Three years ago we had a makeover of the front of the house by adding blue pots with drought tolerant planting. Later on we have also planted out a flowering cherry tree and added some railings to demarcate our space complement the house (it used to have railings back in the day). This year, sensing that we could add more pots to the corner seen above without compromising parking space, we proceeded to add three more to make the display stronger. Prior to that we wanted more height at the back so the Nolina nelsonii was repotted to a much taller blue one.

With three new pots to fill, we had to select new plants that will go in them and do well in this area. Taking cue from the plants already, we bought a few more drought tolerant plants on our recent trip to Urban Jungle.

First to be planted was an Agave parryi var. truncata. Upon removal of the plastic pot it came in with, I was rather fascinated by the pups circling the rootball - they looked like snakes or slithering creatures of some sort.

Fascinating they may be, they still got snipped before being placed into its new blue home. Next to be planted was a Dyckia 'Nickel Silver' followed by Agave neomexicana.

We're really pleased with the end result, and love the way the greens and blues from the plants themselves mix and complement each other (if I may say so).

What about the other plants at the front house? Here they are now:

The backdrop of the photo above is far from glamorous, with it being a parade of rubbish bins. It does tell a story though, of the our neighbour finally getting a house extension done after mulling about it for years. So the bins were out at the time these photos were taken to keep the side passage clear so the builders can do their work.

On the other side the backdrop is a British Gas van. One can easily guess what our other neighbour does for a living. The van is actually very rarely parked in that spot but by chance it was there then, and I actually like the way the paintwork coordinates with the colour of the pots!

My favourite backdrop though are the bricks of our house...

Mark :-)

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Went Out For a Pot, Came Home With a Plant

Just typical isn't it? Especially if you're a plant lover and spot a bargain!

So today we went out in search of several tall glazed pots to go on the top patio. Not finding any suitable ones at a couple of garden centres near us we went further ahead to Savin Nurseries to see what they have at the moment.

Now this nursery we enjoy visiting regularly for their reasonably priced plants and ability to spring surprises, to suddenly have some rarities for sale with great prices too. And it proved to be just like that again on today's visit.

We may have been looking primarily for pots this time but since we were there we might as well peruse the plant polytunnels. And whilst browsing we spotted them by the corner. There they were, a group of large Agaves with prices that are very reasonable.

It's still quite rare to see large agaves for sale here so to see them there of all places was an extra treat and a surprise! Which ones should we go for when they are all very nice?

There were some minor flaws on all of them due to being transported to the nursery from continental Europe but overall they were in great condition. We didn't have the camera with us so only took photos using my phone.

I recognised the agaves as follows: A. ovatifolia, A. potatorum, A. tequilana, A. desmettiana 'Variegata', A. mitis, and A. geminiflora. One of them I couldn't recognise so perhaps anyone out there would hazard a guess?

The ovatifolia was very blue, almost white and was beautiful! Had to leave it behind though as it was heavy and had nowhere else to put one at that size. The potatorum was great too and just as beautiful but being a more tender agave it will need shifting under cover in the winter and at such a size would be a difficult thing to do. But there were two geminiflora there and one of them I was instantly smitten with...

Can you see the 20p coin for scale? Agave ovatifolia

And was the one I went for and took home with me. It is big but the leaves are pliable and would be much easier to shift in the winter. The way it was trimmed for transport and sale it looks more like a Dasylirion at the moment, which is nice in its own right too.

Agave geminiflora

So did we buy any pot? Nope, they didn't have what we were looking for either. But that agave more than made up for the effort of going there. Come to think of it I don't think we need but those pots now. All worked out well in the end!

Mark :-)

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Hail and the Jumping Agave

Do you have any gardening superstition? I don't but I think I'm starting to develop one. That is that I must be careful when cutting and repotting Agave attenuata for doing so brings hail!

It started last year when I chopped two Agave attenuata living in our conservatory that were leaning at an acute angle which I then repotted upright. One detail that I forgot to mention on my post about it then was that some light hail fell as soon as I did the deed. Just my luck, they remained pristine indoors (albeit leaning) and the short moment they spent outdoors it just had to hail, great! Fortunately it was only light and the blemishes it sustained was minimal and barely noticeable.

Fast forward to May this year. In a recent post I made about my favourite shed it featured a photo of the Agave attenuata that was on the table inside that shed. Just like the two specimens living in the conservatory this one also developing a lean but still seemed secure in remaining upright with its heavy terracotta pot. Or so I thought. Going back into the shed the next day I discovered that the agave had fallen on to the floor, some leaves broken and gravel mulch scattered all over the place making a royal mess. Sigh, the agave has just jumped! The lean was bad enough for it to inevitably topple.

The jumping agave (fortunately the other succulents weren't harmed when it jumped)

And what to do now that it is too top heavy and with a lean? Chop and repot of course, like what I've done to two others before. And so I did just that and it didn't look too bad at all despite the topple and the cut. But shortly afterwards, guess what, hail fell again! But this time it was a tad heavier and the damage and blemishes it has caused is much more visible.

Poor pockmarked Agave attenuata!

So is this variegated one

Even this Agave lophantha got blemished

Oh well, I'm sure I'll be chopping and repotting an Agave attenuata again at various points in the future. But perhaps do it under cover and let it stay there for a few days just in case it hails...

Mark :-)

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Sweet Little Treats

December and in the run up to Christmas, a period of indulgence! And I have been indulging over the past few weeks (way before December actually) with lots sweet little personal treats, but not the calorific kind.

The earliest batch went into colourful containers...

I have been buying little succulents over the past few weeks and have continued to do so even when the weather has turned noticeably colder than before. Every week a little parcel arrives which I always open with excitement, like a kid opening a box of sweets! Ebay is where I look for these little succulents, usually on a Thursday night and check out the ones that will end on the Sunday. If the starting price is low I put on a bid and if I win it then it usually arrives on our doorstep by the latter part of the following week.

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Succulents Away!

Packing up plants for the winter is not something I look forward to, as it means summer is over and the colder months are lying ahead. The perk of it though is I get to inspect the plants more more closely than I would when they are actually out on display.

Only a small fraction of our succulents made it in the sun room as both of us don't want to clutter it too much. The rest of the house will remain almost plant free (we're not going in the 'jam as many plants indoors' direction ever again). I mentioned on a previous post that I may put plants in our lounge but I retract that now, best not to start in case such action will cascade into having more plants in the house.

Fortunately there are the two greenhouses where most of our not so hardy plants will be stored for the winter and packing it up has begun. Agaves and aloes are usually the first ones to go in so they get a chance to dry out before winter sets in.

The first batch are in:

Aloe cryptopoda

Agave salmiana angustifolia marginata

Agave montana - this one has thin variegated stripes only on one side of the plant

Agave titanota - stayed compact for a couple of years but this year the leaves have elongated

Agave guadalajarana

Agave victoria-reginae

Agave ghiesbreghtii

A few more succulents that may or may not stay in here for the winter. Some of them will need more warmth to sail through so will be relocated somewhere else, a new garden outbuilding that we are constructing at the moment (more on that later).

This coming weekend I'll be putting in more plants in this greenhouse and start sorting out the other one. We've established a routine now and although it looks like we have a huge amount of plants to move in it's not really as much as other enthusiasts do and not as tiring as it looks. It's quite relaxing in its own right actually.

Although I still much prefer moving them out.

Mark :-)

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The Party Continues Indoors

Summer this year has been a blast and it seemed to have flown by so quick! It almost felt like a party that started early but was so good that before you knew it it was morning the next day already.

Philodendron 'Xanadu'

Well the party doesn't have to stop, it can continue indoors.

Boxes and plastic bags are two of Twinkles' favourite things! Here she is 'helping' me tidy up!

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Root and Run

Remember the these two Agave attenuata that I mentioned on this post a few weeks ago?

As mentioned there they were growing at such a low lean that they looked silly and were occupying too much floor space. So they had to be chopped low down their existing trunk and buried in the hopes that they will re-root and grow upright from there.

Ideally the cut part should be left to callous first before being buried in potting soil to minimise the risk of rotting. But I ignored all that and shoved them straight in a pot of soil as soon as I cut them off and hoped for the best.

Well they remained static after that with no sign of distress thankfully. But when I gave them both a closer inspection last weekend, much to my surprise it looks like they have already re-rooted...

So quick! That was the most impressive bit. And some of the roots look like they're already in a bid to 'run away' too.

A Graptoveria leaf fell on the table and sent out new roots and produced a new rosette growing on to nothing. I thought of giving it a chance by moving it on to the gravel mulch of one the Agave attenuata

Both plants are looking great again and with them obviously having new set of roots now I have been watering them as usual (they require more moisture than other agaves).

Just crossing my fingers now that they will grow upright this time!

Mark :-)

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Multiplicity

Isn't it nice when you come home from work and you have parcels of newly arrived plant goodies to open up?

Have to say they were all well packaged, much to my delight!

It may have turned rather unseasonably chilly here at the moment but it hasn't stopped me from planning for the garden and looking out for new plants that's for sure. In fact by going on a more indoor mode means it's more conducive to go online shopping...

Saying that I have been over the past few weeks, even before the dip in temperatures thinking about getting more succulents. However, instead of buying several individual types like what I used to do to 'tick the box', this time I bought multiples of the same plant or group of plants that I really like instead.

By having several of the same thing I feel I can be even more creative with the way I'll be able to present them.

Echeveria purpusorum

They look so cute in their tiny pots the size of shot glasses

Echeverias are a large group of succulents and there are some of them that I really like. Echeveria purpusorum were on the top of my list so I bought four of them. I also find the Echeveria agavoides group very attractive and a pot full of them do well in our garden so I bought a few more from the group.

Echeveria agavoides 'Lipstick'

Echeveria agavoides 'Romeo'

Echeveria agavoides (Pink Leaf Form)

They will keep our only pot of Echeveria agavoides company

An Aloe made it on my recent purchases and that is Aloe suprafoliata. The leaves are distichous when young but will eventually spiral as it matures. They look so unusual and attractive and one would not have been enough, so I got four instead.

Aloe suprafoliata

A couple of individual/lone plants did make it with the lot which are Agave 'Mateo' and Echeveria 'Giant Blue'. With the Agave it is a cross and one of the parents is Agave bracteosa, my favourite agave which made me more drawn to the plant. With Echeverias I tend to shy away with frilly pink ones. This one is looking frilly and pink at the moment but I have high hopes it will eventually become less frilly and more blue in time as its name suggests.

Agave 'Mateo'

Echeveria 'Giant Blue'

When I ordered these plants initially I was aiming to sort them out for display this year. Now I'm pondering whether to just re-pot and nurture them under glass and aim for displaying them out next year instead.

I have nice new plants, now I'll need nice new pots for them too. And this time I think plain terracotta just won't do...

Mark :-)

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