In part 1 of this post, I showed you the “private” part of the front yard, i.e. the area inside the low fence. For part 2, let’s venture out beyond the confines of the fence and look at the “public” face. Since we’re on a corner lot, this is essentially an L-shaped planting bed, with a shorter section on our street and a much longer section on the cross street (see red arrows in the illustration below).
While the mounds inside the fence are primarily succulents, with just a few smaller non-succulent companion plants, the sidewalk bed combines succulents, perennials, and even a few shrubs. The idea is for this area to look more like a garden and less like a plant collection. That doesn’t mean it follows any kind of design scheme, like repeating the same plants for a unified appearance. With some exceptions (usually small groundcovers), all my plants are one-offs. It’s their overall shapes, textures, and colors that creates a measure of cohesion. As with the rest of the garden, serendipity and just dumb luck deserve as much credit as any kind of vision on my part.
So much for a disclaimer. Now on to the pictures!
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| Puya coerulea var. coerulea in a tall Corten planter. The yellow-flowering shrub is Senna phyllodinea, much more compact at the moment after a vigorous trimming. |
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| Aloe barberae × speciosa etc. |
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| Echinocereus coccineus × Echinocereus triglochidiatus ‘White Sands’ from Donnie Barnett/Ethical Desert, now flowering for the first time |
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| ×Mangave ‘Spotty Dotty’ is a good 3 ft. across now |
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Aloe karasbergensis (top), Cephalophyllum stayneri from San Marcos Growers (front). The latter has been blooming nonstop since last summer.
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| Cotinus ‘Winecraft Black’ has leafed out. This dwarf smoke bush from Proven Winners grows to 6 ft. and retains its purple color throughout the summer, something other purple smoke bushes don’ t manage to do in our heat. |
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| Green = Acacia cognata ‘Cousin Itt’, blue = Felicia aethiopica ‘Tight and Tidy’, pink = Oscularia caulescens |
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| Succulents from left to right: Aloe ‘Apache’, Agave sebastiana ‘Silver Lining’, Echinopsis ‘First Light’, Agave mitis ‘Chocolate Edge’ |
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| Euphorbia ‘Tasmanian Tiger’ (back), Yucca ‘Bright Star’ (front) |
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| Left to right: ×Mangave ‘Black Magic’, Agave zebra, Aloe distans, ×Mangave ‘Sponge Paint’, and dogweed (Thymophylla pentachaeta) |
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| Canary Island daisy (Astericus sericeus) and ×Mangave ‘Life on Mars’, a variegated sport of ‘Mission to Mars’ |
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| Cyprus ironwort (Sideritis cypria) is one of my favorite Mediterranean perennials. I think the flower spikes with bright green calices are a showstopper. |
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| The blue-purple succulent on the right is ×Mangave ‘Night Owl’ |
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| Aloe wickensii is almost done flowering, but the shrub on the right, Alyogyne ‘Ruth Bancroft’, is just getting started |
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| Alyogyne ‘Ruth Bancroft’, semi-open flower and many buds. This is a hybrid between A. huegelii and A. hakeifolia. According to the Ruth Bancroft Garden website, “it came up spontaneously…in a spot where A. huegelii and A. hakeifolia were growing alongside each other.” |
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| Alyogyne ‘Ruth Bancroft’; the flowers open in the late morning and close in the late afternoon |
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| Agave macroacantha and Cantua volcanica |
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| Eriogonum umbellatum var. aureum ‘Kannah Creek’, Aloe capitata var. quartziticola, ×Mangave ‘Kaleidoscope’ (which has started to flower) |
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| ×Mangave ‘Kaleidoscope’, Agave palmeri (dwarf form from Soinoita, AZ) and dogweed (Thymophylla pentachaeta) |
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| What’s eating my ×Mangave ‘Pineapple Punch’? This happened within the last week! Something similar happened in the winter with a ×Mangave ‘Pineapple Express’ in the backyard. We do have rats, so they are the most likely culprits. There’s no sign of the chewed off leaves, so I assume they were eaten. |
And finally, some excellent news: We had a total of 1" of rain over the last couple of days. That’s the most we’ve had since last November. The plants are as happy as I am!
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The street side garden is beautiful, really coming into its own: lush and vibrant. Mangave ‘Night Owl' is a star every time you feature it; always getting accolades, it's a standout plant. I love Alyogyne ‘Ruth Bancroft’ even more after realizing its a natural hybrid. Gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteI love everything about Alyognye 'Ruth Bancroft''. Even when it's not in flower, it's a beautiful plant with its ferny foliage.
DeleteThe sideritis and 'Night Owl' are stunning together. And I never did get 'Kannah Creek' to bloom in SoCal, so wonderful to see that doing well for you. Great color and form on 'Kaleidoscope' -- too many other good things to mention (that alyogyne!)
ReplyDeleteI've heard from other people that 'Kannah Creek' can be temperamental. I guess I was lucky because it flowers beautifully in this hot and dry spot.
DeleteI think your eyes did a fine job of designing the sidewalk bed even if they overlooked a formal check-in with your brain. I look forward to the day some of my Mangaves look as great at yours. As to the chomped 'Pineapple Punch', are you sure you don't have rabbits? The damage looks just like what "my" rabbits did to my Astelia.
ReplyDeleteNo rabbits, but it could be squirrels. I never know whether to blame squirrels or rats. Fortunately, 'Pineapple Punch' is a fast grower and is already pushing new leaves.
DeleteI envy you your mangave collection immensely, Gerhard. I wish more were winter hardy in Austin. But I'm giving that cotinus a try based on your info that it can stand up to the heat of your climate. And dry conditions, I take it? Hopefully it'll do well in Austin too!
ReplyDeletePam, yes, dry conditions, too. It gets a bit of water from a drip line every 10 days and seems perfectly happy. I think 'Winecraft Black' is a real winner, esp. for smaller gardens.
DeleteThe way you have combined succulents and perennials is skillful, even if it’s a happy accident as you claim!
ReplyDeleteDon’t know of sideritis, but will keep an eye out for it after seeing your plant. It looks great next to Mangave ‘Night Owl’.
Sorry about your eaten ‘Pineapple Punch’. As its name might suggest, it was clearly quite tasty!
LOL, maybe I create my own happy accidents?
DeleteSideritis cypria (and other species in the genus) are tough perennials. I love them!
Such a Mangave collection you have created. Other choice plants, too. Well done!
ReplyDeleteThank you! This is a good time of year to be both grateful and optimistic.
DeleteYour gardens are magnificent, Gerhard! I wondered if Mangave 'Kaleidoscope' will live after flowering. And I wonder if the Cephalophyllum stayneri and Alyogyne ‘Ruth Bancroft’ will live through the Phoenix heat. I have to say that I am sure jealous of your plantings.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Nancy! I'll take a few cuttings of C. stayneri and send them to you. That way we'll know for sure :-).
DeleteYour neighbors are so lucky! That Echinocereus coccineus × Echinocereus triglochidiatus ‘White Sands’ is dreamy, and the ×Mangave ‘Pineapple Punch’ damage painful to see.
ReplyDelete