5/25/09

Memorial Day garden

Actually, I think Memorial Day is Sunday. Monday is just the holiday..?

I used to have a chair over here where the 'Mandan' squash is, but I'm pretty happy sitting on the upside-down flower pot.

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What I see when I'm sitting there:

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I was sneezing a lot today, and I blame this guy, Bartlettina sordida.

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Wouldn't you?

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It's hard to get it in a picture, but I've been enjoying the bright green runner bean foliage growing up braided twine ropes in front of Bartlettina.

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Planting Crinum bulbispermum so close to Beschorneria rigida was an error. The gray strappy, bladed foliage is much too similar to be juxtaposed like that. I don't know what I was thinking.

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I'm not as offended by the dahlia coming up next to the Beschorneria, but I would still be happier with a dark-foliaged dahlia, which is what I thought I planted. Not so much, apparently.

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On the other side of all that is a spreading orange Senecio that I'm loving.

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It has gray foliage. Or white, or silver. Whatever.

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Speaking of gray foliage, I kinda like the Campanula portenschlagiana trailing into neighboring Kalanchoe beharensis that caught my eye here in the nursery area. Those two might be nice in a pot together.

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There are some exciting seedlings here too that I will have to do something with some day. Banksia seminuda:

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Delphinium californicum:

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Eriogonum grande

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And another kabocha squash. I'll need to come up with a plan for this one soon.

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Once upon a time (not very long ago) this Fuchsia boliviana 'alba' was a seedling in my nursery area.

Fuchsia boliviana 'alba'

Now it's a mature woody plant with an exfoliating trunk.

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Here's a younger Fuchsia boliviana that I also grew from seed, next to a potted begonia tuber that hasn't sprouted yet. There's a flower market near the courtroom where I have jury duty. I bought a few bags of tumbled glass there last week ($2.49 ea).

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Mostly tho', I grow small things from seed, like this blazing star (Mentzelia lindleyi)

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Or this birds eye (Gilia tricolor)

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with turquoise-blue pollen.

Gilia tricolor

I did some clean-up work around the octopus agave (Agave vilmoriniana). It was all covered with dried grasses and spent wildflowers.

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Nearby, I see some daffodil seeds were dropped, or maybe eaten? Or both.

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8 comments:

Bonnie Story said...

The very lovely Fuchsia boliviana 'alba' is pushing my Brugmansia buttons! That's so pretty and I love the pendant form. Delphinium is on my "must-plant" list here, because I understand that it is poisonous to deer. So it will stand a fighting chance in this big salad bar that I call my garden. Also lots of euphorbia, sedum, etc. Fuzzy stuff that can take a couple feet of snow. I like your idea of taking pictures from one vantage point. What a wonderful garden you have. I really enjoy all the diversity!!

Laurene said...

Hey, congrats to you & your partner on today's decision. It's sucks on one hand, but I'm happy for you two as I know this had to be a source of frustration for you. Now to change the laws for all...

CiNdEe's GaRdEn said...

The fuchsia is so beautiful! Wow I wish they would grow here. Your plants look like they are all doing great!!!!
I love the tumbled glass too!!

Anonymous said...

Wow- I had no idea you did most of your planting from seeds! An awesome accomplisment!

Unknown said...

I would blame that guy, too. I have no idea whether he has a lot of pollen or not, but he just looks fuzzy enough to make me want to sneeze! :)

I'm stealing the braided twine ropes idea, by the way. I've been trying to figure out what to use to get my grape vines to continue to climb around on my arbors, and those look way cooler than anything I've come up with. I assume that they're braided, and knotted occasionally along the length?

chuck b. said...

Yeah, I'm using the word braided loosely. Not really braided at all. What I did was unspool a length of twine about 1.5-1.75 times longer than the final product (estimated), and then three times that length again (so four lengths altogether). Then with two lengths in both hands, I started tying what I call square knots--the first half of tying your shoelaces--over and over again, leaving about 4-6 inches of twine between each knot...then I hung it up in place, and cut off the excess from the bottom. If that makes any sense.

Unknown said...

That makes perfect sense--and I appreciate the details. I wouldn't have thought to make it longer than I needed, but to account for the knots/braiding you would certainly need to... thanks for saving me a little frustration there! :)

lisa said...

Isn't it fun to take in the view down at "plant level"? I usually sit on an old lawn chair cushion when working in the flowerbeds, so I get that view a lot.