A few mid-August odds and ends

The peak of the cactus bloom (here and here) is behind us, but there’s rarely a week without at least a few cactus flowers. The two below, Echinopsis ‘June Noon’ and Echinopsis ‘Salmon Queen’, are repeat bloomers. For ‘June Noon’, it’s the fifth wave this year. The flowers are smaller this time, probably because of our summer heat (we’re heading into another mini heat wave above the century mark).

Echinopsis ‘June Noon’

Echinopsis ‘June Noon’

Echinopsis ‘Salmon Queen’

⤵ Aechmea fasciata is blooming – always a personal highlight. It lives outside all year, suspended in a hanging basket from our Japanese maple. What started out with one plant has grown into a clump of four. Last August, the two on the left flowered (see here); this year, it’s the two on the right.

Aechmea fasciata flowers

Aechmea fasciata flower

⤵ Over the years, I’ve killed more desert roses (aka adeniums) than I care to remember. According to expert adenium grower and hybridizer Mark Dimmitt (the genius who also gave us the ‘Desert Museum’ palo verde as well as Echinopsis ‘June Noon’, ‘First Light’, and ‘Apricot Glow’), adeniums “are easy to grow IF you pay attention to their few basic needs. Those needs are: They LOVE sun, heat, and water (together); and HATE being cold and wet. Cold + wet = root rot for most species and some hybrids.”

In my case, the killer was cold and wet: I watered them too late in the fall when they’d already started to go into dormancy. They want to be dry when they’re asleep.

Adenium arabicum hybrid

Somehow, one adenium has managed to survive my heavy hand. I bought it years ago at a Lowe’s in Scottsdale, AZ where it had been relegated to the clearance table. I’ve long lost the tag, but it’s an Adenium arabicum hybrid (Adenium arabicum is far more cold-tolerant than Adenium obesum, the other common parent for hybrids). And now it’s blooming. Not with the simple flowers of the species, but with very cool double flowers: cerise-colored petals with irregular streaks. Adeniums are related to oleanders and plumerias, as is evident from the flowers and the leaves.

Adenium arabicum hybrid

⤵ Thymophylla pentachaeta has finally established a strong foothold in the front yard. Its common names include parralena, fiveneedle pricklyleaf, fiveneedle fetid marigold, golden dyssodia, and dogweed (I call it dogweed because that’s the easiest to remember). Established clumps are about 10 inches tall. 

I originally got seed from Greg Starr in Tucson, but now my plants are producing plenty of seed of their own and volunteers are popping up in different spots. My goal is to spread it throughout the front yard and the bed along the sidewalk to tie the various areas together visually.

Dogweed (Thymophylla pentachaeta) in front of Aloe ‘Hellskloof Bells’ and Ferocactus herrerae 

⤵ I can’t remember when I planted Rudbeckia subtomentosa ‘Henry Eilers’, but it was years ago. It’s never been as tall as it is this year, probably because of the wet winter and spring we had. It provides a strong vertical accent against the fence and the dwarf smokebush (Cotinus coggygria ‘Winecraft Black’) on the other side of it. 

Rudbeckia subtomentosa ‘Henry Eilers’

⤵ As I mentioned a few weeks ago, our 25-year old sago palm (Cycas revoluta) is coning for the first time. The cone is male and it released its pollen in the past week. Unfortunately, there’s no receptive female Cycas revoluta nearby so the pollen is going to waste.

Sago palm (Cycas revoluta) with male cone

Looking at the cone at this stage of maturity, it’s easy to see why cycads are related to conifers (both are gymnosperms). Here is a brief introduction to cycads if you want to learn more.

Pollen released from inside the scales

⤵ In the “who needs flowers when you’re this pretty” department, our Agave vivipara is a stand-out even though it’s still a juvenile. This is highly variegated form called ‘Woodrowii’ or ‘Milky Way’. Because it has much less chlorophyll than all-green plants, it’s a slow grower. To see what larger specimens look like, click here (Rancho Soledad Nursery in San Diego County) and here (Huntington Botanical Gardens, San Marino).

Agave vivipara ‘Woodrowii’

⤵ On Saturday, my wife and I cut down the flower stalk of the bloomed-out Agave shrevei var. matapensis × guadalajarana. There wasn’t enough room left in our yard waste can for the actual rosette, but I’ll tackle that this coming weekend. In the meantime, we get to enjoy this sight:

⤵ In 2017, I bought a sea holly (Eryngium maritimum) at Xera Plants in Portland. What started out as a small single stem has grown into a clump that is larger than ever (again, most likely due to the extra rainfall earlier this year). Eryngium maritimum has stiff steel-blue leaves that are as prickly as any cactus or agave. Visitors are astonished when I tell them that this is a dune plant found along the coast of England and other European countries. I think Eryngium maritimum makes a fantastic companion to spiky desert plants. 

Sea holly (Eryngium maritimum)

⤵ Last month, I posted an update on our palo blanco (Mariosousa heterophylla). This acacia from the Mexican state of Sonora is one of my favorite trees. Since my post, the bark has began to peel off in sheets – a signature characteristic of this species. In the late afternoon, when the strips of bark are backlit by the sun, they positively glow:

Palo blanco (Mariosousa heterophylla), with more dogweed behind it

Stay tuned for more odds and ends from the garden.

© Gerhard Bock, 2023. All rights reserved. To receive all new posts by email, please subscribe here.