This year's vertical garden(s)...

Last year I took advantage of a mostly bare trellis (the vine has migrated to the other side, the "sunny side") and used the metal grid to hang Bromeliads and a few Tillandsia.

I liked it so much that I've done a Version 2.0 this year.

The rusty planters filled with Sarracenia are from summer 2017. They spent time here, and time on a sunnier trellis. That trellis is currently holding up a Clematis recta 'Purpurea Select' gone wild, so the Sarracenia are making do with a touch more shade than they might ideally like, so far so good.

Did you notice the HOT Bromeliad?

A kind friend gifted me a pup from her mama Vriesea.

It got pride of place in a most obvious location next to the pathway. Can't have anyone missing it!

I know those pitchers (from the Nepenthes) have caught your eye. Hang on just a moment though, I want to talk about the Tillandsia recurvata, aka ball moss.

Like this one...
And this one...and so many more tucked in here and there...

They were everywhere in Austin, TX, little balls that fell to the ground. Of course I kept picking them up. I ended up bringing quite the haul home with me. Here's what they looked like in the trees there...

Okay, that Nepenthes! Andrew gave me a nice gift certificate to Pomarius Nursery last Christmas. I'd spent a bit of it, but went shopping last week and took care of most of the rest. This fabulous Nepenthes was one of the purchases, along with the container it's in, and the one you saw previously, with the Vriesea.

Within about an hour of my hanging it up the ants had found it.

I think that's good? Well, for the plant, not so much for the ants.

I pray I can keep this beautiful guy alive.

And no, it's not your imagination. There are a few other Tillandsia worked in, here and there.

And on the other trellis are two more Bromeliads.

One in a larger container that matches the smaller two triangular ones.

And one in a kokedama ball. Thanks to Evan and his internet shopping ways I've got a couple other kokedama prospects on the way from this company.

Those of you who know me on Facebook might have recently seen a (somewhat panicked) post about the state of my oldest Schefflera taiwaniana (which grows right next to the trellis plantings we've just been looking at). It was not looking good and I was worried. Root rot and verticillium wilt were the two most mentioned culprits.
Thankfully it's looking better now. I trimmed off all the droopy foliage and everything else seems to be holding its own.

Those bare sticks to the left are the Schefflera trunks, it's been losing its old foliage every year and just keeps growing taller and taller. On the right you can see the "bulletin board" planter that went up in 2016. Last summer I planted it up with Begonia 'Curly Fireflush' and what do you know? They lived through the winter, indoors of course.

The Dichondra argentea (silver ponyfoot) looked dead when I hung this piece back up in the garage wall, but it's making a comeback too. Joining last year's plants are a couple of Callisia fragrans cuttings from Lori of The Gardener of Good and Evil and Kelly from Floradora, both noticed me admiring the plant in Austin and offered up pieces of theirs (there are other bits sprinkled throughout the garden).

Also from Kelley are these Tillandsia secunda.

How fabulous are they? I dropped a couple on top of the Adiantum venustum and that's where they've stayed. They just look so good...

Moving on...early this spring I was working hard to come up with some sort of decorative pond (aka stock tank) cover I could have fabricated, one that would keep the evil raccoons out. Last summer they were a nightmare and my temporary solution was to put chicken wire over the tank to keep them out, but it was ugly so I removed it almost every day. If I forgot to put it back on at night I could be guaranteed to wake up to pond destruction. Lily pads shredded, plants tipped over and their soil pulled out. My inspiration cover ideas were largely based on this one I saw during the 2014 San Fransisco area Garden Bloggers Fling (at this garden)...
And this piece I found online.

The problem was everything I looked at laid flat over the water and I like my water plants to have some height. So instead of covering them I constructed a fence up the back side of the tank. There's a short retaining wall back there and I think that's how the little buggers were launching into the water.

Once the vertical grid was in place I realized I'd created another surface for plants! (really, the thought had not previously crossed my mind) So in went a few Bromeliad "branches".

And a few more Tillandsia.

The orange blooming Passiflora 'Sunburst' is also working its way around the fence.

I think I'll be adding to this assortment.

And so far (knock on wood, throw salt) the racoons haven't made their way in. I'm counting on the spiky Agaves on the "not fenced" half of the tank to help keep them from scaling that side.

On the other side of the patio the metal wall pocket with the danger sign is back again this year, on the fence.

Stretching the title of this post a bit, I couldn't resist sharing the fabulous foliage of this Begonia ‘Jurassic Silver Point’, which fills the chartreuse hanging pot this year (and there's "danger" in the background).

Stretching a little more... my brother bought me this metal can when he was visiting in April, at the Portland Auto Swap Meet, can you guess why?

It was originally used to add oil to a car's motor, he thought it would make a great watering can. Instead of tipping to pour you...

... swing the spout down. I haven't cleaned it out enough to feel good about watering with it. Instead I just stuck a few things in the top.

So, that's it for vertical gardening (and then-some) here in 2018.

Isn't that Bromeliad gorgeous?

Weather Diary, July 2: Hi 71, Low 55/ Precip .02"

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