8/1/09

August 1st garden

(It's August already. Next thing you know it will be September, then October and November, and finally December!)

Here is a little area I'm happy with

2009-08-01 garden; squash + Atriplex hortensis

in the southeast corner of my garden. I'm totally sold on the virtues of Atriplex hortensis which I learned about from watching Penelope Hobhouse.

2009-08-01 garden; Atriplex hortensis

The dark red leaves really do help to blend different colors together.

2009-08-01 garden; Atriplex hortensis, Abutilon

This area has a lot of maturing to do, but I'm excited about it. I'll have to make sure some A. hortensis comes back here next year, and I'm going to pull out that Festuca glauca.

2009-08-01 garden

2009-08-01 garden; red dahlia, plus Atriplex hortensis

I got seed from the purple columbine and I'm growing more of it. The foliage is esp. nice with the caramel and burgundy heuchera I've recently started to collect.

2009-08-01 garden

2009-08-01 garden

Looking up and moving over, we have this scene.

2009-08-01 garden; Fuchsia boliviana 'Alba'

I'm really happy with Senecio cristobalensis.

2009-08-01 garden Senecio cristobalensis

I'm not sure what to expect from it down the road, but for right now, it's fabulous.

2009-08-01 garden; Senecio cristobalensis

I don't think this the Calif-native Oenothera I thought it was, but it's very pretty anyhow.

2009-08-01 garden; Oenothera

The spiky thing in the background is Echium pininana--the tall Echium that naturalizes on the coast. It's supposed to be quite hardy. Some of you might want to give it a whirl. I got seeds from Thomson-Morgan. I'm currently growing five of them.

2009-08-01 garden; Echium pininana

The grape leaves have a really nice color this time of year.

2009-08-01 garden; Vitis californica 'Roger's Red'

2009-08-01 garden; Vitis californica

The color harmonizes with Cobaea scandens' intermediate flower color--I wish someone would figure out how to arrest the color change at this point:

2009-08-01 garden; Cobaea scandens

Keckiella cordifolia's flower show is winding down quickly right now.

2009-08-01 garden; Keckiella cordifolia

This could be its last appearance on the blog in 2009.

2009-08-01 garden; Keckiella cordifolia

Until next year, my friend.

2009-08-01 garden; Keckiella cordifolia

Yes, I'm much happier without Dahlia 'Prince Noir' obscuring my view of Beschorneria rigida.

2009-08-01 garden; Beschorneria rigida

Obscuring is bad.

2009-08-01 garden; Beschorneria rigida

This is my favorite dahlia anyway. The camera can't quite capture the color of the petals which grow from a magenta-red near the disk to fuchsia-pink at the tips. And it's a 'Bishop's Children' hybrid, with dark foliage. Bellissimo!

2009-08-01 garden

As a comparison, here is the more common red-orange.

2009-08-01 garden

I grew another batch of Mentzelia lindleyi. For whatever reason, I'm always growing these guys in pots which does not do them justice. Next year I'm going to put some in the ground and see what they can do there.

2009-08-01 garden; Mentzelia lindleyi

Remember our conversation about mystery in the garden? I finally did something with those skeleton keys I bought.

2009-08-01 garden

I looped them on a thread of Satureja douglasii and draped them like tinsel on the Tibouchina.

2009-08-01 garden

Now I'm thinking that I need to add some mystery to this dark corner...something that draws you in, closer to the darkness...

2009-08-01 garden; Tithonia diversifolia

A quick visit to the nursery?

These Banksia seminuda seedlings are doing very well! I have five. No real plans for them, but I'd like to find a place for one in the garden.

2009-08-01 garden; Banksia seminuda

A half-dozen Lobelia tupa...I feel like I should plant a few of these in the garden, but there is no room even for one.

2009-08-01 garden; Lobelia tupa

Dendromecon hardfordii is doing well in a pot, even flowering! I am also not sure what to do with this guy. The foliage is very gray and my garden has so much of that already. Sigh.

2009-08-01 garden; Dendromecon

I have several Keckiella cordifolia. My Flickr friend Nhu will take some. Every California gardener should grow this plant. It's wonderful. Want one?

2009-08-01 garden; Keckilla cordifolia

And both of these Fuchsia boliviana 'Rubra' need to find a good home in Sunset zone 17.

2009-08-01 garden; Fuchsia boliviana 'Rubra'

Filoli sell dozens of different succulents in 2" pots for $2--a real bargain. I couldn't resist getting three Echeveria 'Topsy Turvy' the last time I was there.

2009-08-01 garden

Now we're at that awkward time when the blog post is over but I have no tidy conclusion so I just show you pictures of random flowers.

And flower buds.

2009-08-01 garden; 'Cornelia'

2009-08-01 garden; 'Victoria'

2009-08-01 garden; Senecio sp.

2009-08-01 garden

10 comments:

Tira said...

Lots of cool plants and flowers. Well I could take all those "extra" plants off your hands LOL. I stocked up on some succulents on my visit.

Christopher C. NC said...

The Senecio cristobalensis is a very funky looking plant.

Maybe for your dark corner you need an old fashioned coat rack stand to hang things on, shade tolerant living things or otherwise.

Pam/Digging said...

I love the 'Topsy Turvy' echeveria. And your use of the skeleton keys is cool. Maybe you need an old-fashioned door to attach to your back fence (in the shady corner?) and a path leading to it, as if you really could leave the garden that way. The keys could relate to it---which one would open the door... Fun, no?

Ann Atkinson said...

That Pam...so clever! Fun idea.
The photos and plants look great! Wish I was headed to SF soon -I'd take a Kekckiella off your hands. I like your Atriplex area, too. My garden needs work..

Unknown said...

Always happy to see your garden.

Catherine@AGardenerinProgress said...

I can't believe it's August already, it makes me kind of sad. Your garden always looks great, I feel like I learn about 4 or 5 new plants every time I visit. I really like how you used the keys!

Annie in Austin said...

Ooh, I like Pam's fantasy door idea - already have an old hatrack holding up the passionvine.

The photos are lovely, Chuck, but just one question - why is obscuring bad if mystery is desirable? Doesn't a bit of obscuring add to the mystery?

Annie

Frances said...

How funny you are, Chuck! Awkward moment indeed, so show a few more flowers! Always a good ending for a garden blog post. :-) So the flowers of cobaea are attached to long thingeys? Do the buds first show at the end of these, or do they grow as the flowers open? I am scanning for anything that looks like a bud and don't really know what to look for. Do they grow from a leaf axil? Is that even a word? What success you have with the potted stuff!
Frances

chuck b. said...

Yeah, the buds form in the leaf axil and it's pretty obvious when you see them. They flower stem elongates as the bud grows.

When is your first frost date?

Lola said...

Fantastic. Love the keys. Most of your plants I've never heard of. So good to learn.
Pam sure has a great idea.