Back on March 27th I came to terms with the fact (and then confessed) that one of my Magnolia laevifolia was going to be done away with. Sad bent thing that it had become...
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Wrong plant, wrong place with winter issues compounding it all. The shovel came out on May 9th and that was that. I did wait long enough to enjoy the blooms indoors — these photos are from March, I didn't take any photos the day I did the dead.
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As these things go...the fact I'd already decided what would go in its place did help the process along. You see my original Agave dish planters were looking a little tired, not having been refreshed since 2015, and the Nolina ‘La Siberica’in front of them had grown up to the point they were barely visible. Photos from 2015...
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Back then the Nolina just sort of caressed the edges...instead of hiding everything.
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The day I dug the Magnolia, I decided in addition to the dish planters this long suffering Agave (NOID, a pup from my brother's plant) would join them in the corner. The poor thing had been sitting in this nursery flat in the basement since early December. It usually spends winter in the stock tanks along the drive but this winter was just too much...
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Planted! And the moving of the dish trio completed.
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These are new tops, extras I picked up awhile back. That's why they're so shiny.
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My assistant helped, as usual...
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After that initial push I was distracted by other things that needed to get done and it wasn't until May 26th that I tackled the fun project of planting up the dishes. I'd decided to take advantage of my Mangave wealth and work some of them into the design.
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And then I went full crazy and mixed it up with spikes and shiny black leaves.
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I've learned to stop the soil where the rim flattens out, letting the gravel top-dressing cascade down and fill in.
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The finished "dishes" in place...
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I'm happy with the result.
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Raoulia australis, Aeonium arboreum 'Zwartkopf', Mangave 'Man of Steel' and Agave salmiana ferox. Obviously this is not a long term planting, I'll be changing things up as the plants outgrow their space.
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Around back a couple of Kalanchoe tomentosa 'Chocolate Soldier'. Oh, and I love that I accidentally captured the fern dish planters in the background of this shot, against the garage.
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Aeonium 'Kiwi', several cuttings of Echeveria setosa 'Arrow Shaped' (I think), Mangave 'Bad Hair Day'...
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And (back row) Mangave 'Catch a Wave', Agave angustifolia 'Marginata', Opuntia erinacea 'Browse Cherry' and hiding around behind that some chocolate Sedum.
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To my eye they look good from every angle...
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A nice replacement for a less than happy Magnolia laevifolia.
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Weather Diary, June 4: Hi 68, Low 53/ Precip 0
All material © 2009-2017 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.
Wrong plant, wrong place with winter issues compounding it all. The shovel came out on May 9th and that was that. I did wait long enough to enjoy the blooms indoors — these photos are from March, I didn't take any photos the day I did the dead.
As these things go...the fact I'd already decided what would go in its place did help the process along. You see my original Agave dish planters were looking a little tired, not having been refreshed since 2015, and the Nolina ‘La Siberica’in front of them had grown up to the point they were barely visible. Photos from 2015...
Back then the Nolina just sort of caressed the edges...instead of hiding everything.
The day I dug the Magnolia, I decided in addition to the dish planters this long suffering Agave (NOID, a pup from my brother's plant) would join them in the corner. The poor thing had been sitting in this nursery flat in the basement since early December. It usually spends winter in the stock tanks along the drive but this winter was just too much...
Planted! And the moving of the dish trio completed.
These are new tops, extras I picked up awhile back. That's why they're so shiny.
My assistant helped, as usual...
After that initial push I was distracted by other things that needed to get done and it wasn't until May 26th that I tackled the fun project of planting up the dishes. I'd decided to take advantage of my Mangave wealth and work some of them into the design.
And then I went full crazy and mixed it up with spikes and shiny black leaves.
I've learned to stop the soil where the rim flattens out, letting the gravel top-dressing cascade down and fill in.
The finished "dishes" in place...
I'm happy with the result.
Raoulia australis, Aeonium arboreum 'Zwartkopf', Mangave 'Man of Steel' and Agave salmiana ferox. Obviously this is not a long term planting, I'll be changing things up as the plants outgrow their space.
Around back a couple of Kalanchoe tomentosa 'Chocolate Soldier'. Oh, and I love that I accidentally captured the fern dish planters in the background of this shot, against the garage.
Aeonium 'Kiwi', several cuttings of Echeveria setosa 'Arrow Shaped' (I think), Mangave 'Bad Hair Day'...
And (back row) Mangave 'Catch a Wave', Agave angustifolia 'Marginata', Opuntia erinacea 'Browse Cherry' and hiding around behind that some chocolate Sedum.
To my eye they look good from every angle...
A nice replacement for a less than happy Magnolia laevifolia.
Weather Diary, June 4: Hi 68, Low 53/ Precip 0
All material © 2009-2017 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.