Let's see your fall garden in action!
First set here is mostly BC natives... giant cardón winks on for fall after its summer hiatus (plant is about 15" tall), Dudleya attenuata dreaming big, D. brittonii grown from a cutting. Mostly Dudleyas in the group shot (right 2 from cuttings, bottom 2 from seed).
This message was edited Oct 21, 2014 9:48 AM
A few aloes perking up with the changes in light, a couple of group shots. Plants in the last picture are growing in day-long sun (rooftop patio). I cut almost all the original heads off the first plant for propagation, but it's already growing back.
Euphorbias.
Bromeliads (honorary succulents). Two red pots in last picture are plants I recently repotted (not so fun... very spiny!).
A couple of Echeverias.
Baja: All your plants look wonderful and so beautifully cared for. I so enjoy seeing them!
Baja, how do you keep your plants so beautiful? Mine get chewed on by critters and insects when they are outside. I had several knocked over, pots broken ending up looking pretty banged up. cll
Thank you for the kind words. The Dudleyas actually succumbed to a wave of mealy bug attacks in the summer. Pretty ugly business, but I caught it early. A couple of them lost their growth centers and probably will end up branching. You don't get to see those plants because I don't take pictures of them. :)
The good looks are mostly a tribute to the kindness of autumn light. The plants were all out in the summer sun and look very much better with some relief.
To add to the rodents who visit the patio and snack on the succulents (especially the babies), I recently found out the birds are doing it too. Fortunately they have found one plant they prefer and are totally decimating it without doing much damage to the rest.
I have lots of bird problems, mostly thrashers. They dug up lots (at least 20) plants and some of my bulbs in the ground. I have been putting bird netting around because otherwise I lose too much stuff. Drives me crazy!
Your plants do look really lovely Baja. I might add as usual.
I have fought the rodent battle for years. One thing that seemed to help was to reposition the bird feeder away from the porch so the seed husks and stray seed don't land on the porch. It almost eliminated the knock overs as cactus lover reported. Plus I have left the top rail all the way around free of pots so they have a straight shot and don't climb over plants. The squirrels et al don't come onto the porch much anymore since there isn't any seed to scavenge. And it could be that the varmints have gotten all the tasty ones and whats left they didn't want to begin with. :-) ^_^
This message was edited Oct 31, 2014 8:19 AM
Thinking along those lines, maybe I need to put some water out there for the birds. It might help. We're 6 months into the annual drought and they may be drinking as much as they are eating.
A couple of ravaged plants here, first by birds and rodents, second by mealy bugs.
Flowering aloes and a Euphorbia in bud. I am hoping to get some pollen from the last plant before the wind blows it all away. I like the way it grows, and it's really a survivor.
Baja: Your Euphorbia looks like one I just bought: Euphorbia suzannae. Do you know what the first aloe is? I love the leaves and low growing flowers.
Yes, that is E. susannae. A reliable fall bloomer in these parts.
The aloe is a small growing variety of A. krapohliana, or possibly a hybrid. It branched after flowering last year. Comes from a part of South Africa that corresponds to where we are here (arid/winter rain), which is why I selected it. A very dry-growing (unthirsty) plant, probably rot-prone if you're not careful or it's not in the sun.
What a difference a shower makes. Same aloe from above now looking a little cleaner, Echeveria flowering late, squirrel food (grrrr).
Thanks for the info on the Aloe Baja! I think yours is Aloe krapohliana var. dumoulinii. They are hard to go and get to bloom. Likes it in a very dry environment and hardly any water. I have one that has never bloomed (plant on the right in photo). I'm afraid it will die before I ever see any flowers! They are quite difficult in cultivation.
I'm surprised you have squirrel problems. Aren't you gardening on an upper floor patio?
Yes, that's the one. Yours looks great. I give my plant a few hours a day of midday sun and that may have something to do with the flowers. It just sent up another spike, actually. I am loving the show. I put one of these in the ground and it has not flowered, but life has been pretty rough out there the past couple of years.
Most of my plants are indeed located on the upper floor patio. The one the squirrel ate was at ground level. I actually found the den not too far away and filled the opening up with rocks. That seems to have solved the problem, for now at least.
More pictures here of flowering succulents (Dudleya and unknown cactus) plus a few shots of patio plants in the sun (all about 1 year old propagations). The rosette Dudleyas are gearing up to flower for the first time. You can barely see a small bud to the right of center in the last pic.
Oh, yes, I see it! I just can not keep Dudleya alive, even the one native to AZ! I love the cactus-its spines and unusual color of the bloom! Fantastic!
I'm guessing you're not alone in having trouble growing Dudleyas in AZ. They have a pretty narrow temperature range where they really thrive, plus they love super humid air, like 80% average humidity.
It's pobably best to pick your battles, if you know what I mean... I am gradually giving up on a few plants I love that just don't do anything without high temps. Some Pachypodiums for example just sit there.
This message was edited Nov 11, 2014 1:01 PM
I think you are right Baja! I am learning the hard way that some plants are just going to drive me crazy and not work well here. Phoenix is especially difficult between dryness, heat and cold in winter. It's probably just as well because, if I lived in a place where about everything grows great, I'd be going crazy trying to have it all!
Agree that picking your battles is a good approach. I have finally let some die without a thought of replacing. The plants that survive are the ones I want.
That said, with regards to Pachypodiums
they need lot of water and fertilizer during the growing season to do much. Thats what I found this year by really pouring both on mine. Most bloomed and grew. Also last winter I watered more than I had before which probably made a difference with this year's improvement.
I have had a series of Dorstenia gigas. I was determined to find a way to keep one. But the last one is still hanging on - I have been keeping it warmer and watering regularly - it actually had more new growth this year than ever before. So I have my fingers crossed but I won't replace it if it dies.
Nancy, I definitely would suffer from the same affliction if more things were possible, but I have limited myself to the plants that can handle some sun and a little bit of neglect. That's the filter. My operating principle has always been to aim for drought-tolerant, exposure-tolerant succulents and just let natural selection sort the details out over time.
I agree about the Pachys, Helen. As one nursery guy told me, you kind of have to "throw water at them". As time goes on, I have given them more water and fertilizer, once I got a sense of how they like it. But no miracles yet for the problem cases.
It will be interesting to see what the Dorstenias here do when winter comes along. This is their first one. They are not supposed to enjoy cool weather but then again our cool is more a lack of warmth. I have one on a windowsill that's going gangbusters, probably a little help from the greenhouse effect indoors.
Speaking of sun-loving, dry-growing succulents, here are a few Mammillarias that are just starting to flower in day-long sun. Second one is actually 1/3 of the clump that was formerly growing in the same pot (recently divided and repotted). Sort of a relief actually to see it flower.
A few winter growers kicking into gear... Agave shawii, 3 summer-deciduous succulents back in leaf, closeup of two such plants, and aloe in bloom. We are still in drought conditions but the aloes apparently have enough reserve to do their thing.
Love the Mamms, especially the first one with the long spines. Those summer dormant succulents look wonderful. They appear happy in their location. So much fun to watch them come back now.
Helen, I am so so enjoying the plants you gave me and they are doing really well. I think of you when I look at them!
Aloes in the sun. This is actually the "refreshed" look, photos taken the day after I watered them.
As always, love seeing pictures of your plants Baja. Here is my E. fire stick before I brought it in for the winter. It was just starting to get good color. And my Agave Blue Glow that is too big to put in the ground now. It hit both sides of the door facing when I brought it in this year. And another Agave that I purchased earlier this year that I have already lost the tag on.
Gary, I love your Agave 'Blue Glow' It does better there than many I've seen here. I had a Euphorbia 'Firesticks' in the ground here that got over 5' tall. It died in a heavy frost a few years ago. Watch out for the milky sap on that one!
Wow, it looks like that Blue Glow might be flowering one day soon. :) Amazing plant.
Flower pictures here of Cotyledon, Echeveria, aloes. Last shot shows more squirrel food. New hole, now I'm playing whack-a-squirrel. Grr.
The previously light starved E. grandicornis is BLOOMING! My inner "Baja" is shinning through! Thanks for the guidance!
The lighting doesn't seem flattering. I will take a better photo when the sun is better!
YAY !
Kiley
Looking good! Keep an eye out, those flowers may self pollinate, in which case you'll see fruit and eventually seed (which shoots everywhere when the capsules dry out and explode).
The bottom portion of the plant looks so differently than the top portion, although the entire body was expose to more light. At times I consider loping off the nicely developed portion of the plant to see if I can propagate a new, specimen. Maybe when it warms up....
What are ya'll's thoughts on this? It will always be a container plant. It was a purchase I made before I became "old and wise." :)
Are they difficult to root? I've had multiple successes with E. lactea. Am I placing too much value on aesthetics?
Unfortunately the effects of low light are usually irreversible, so the stretched out portion will stay that way. If you want to start a cutting and grow a new plant I would recommend waiting until spring, as the plant goes semi-dormant in winter. It should be really easy.
Make sure the cut portion has dried out (no "open wound" exposed to wet soil) and start it in a 6" azalea pot. When you see new growth on top (spring-summer) you can safely pot the plant up to gallon size. Within the first season it will outgrow that pot if all goes well.
Unfortunately these plants are good in containers only up to a certain point, at which they become spiny, top-heavy plants and demand either a restart or a spot in the ground.
Sorry for the delay in response. 'It's the season.... The hectic busy has begun in earnest.
No doubt will wait until Spring to do anything. May give it to my sister or mother in zones 9 and 10. I've already taken back a palm and a Cereus griseus I brought up here before I became more informed and less impulsive.
As you know, container culture has its limits. It is very important to account for the plant's mature height when deciding on whether or not it is feasible for a plant to spend its existence in a small container..... Or even a huge one sometimes.
Lots to be thankful for this day. Grateful for you DGers!
Peace~
I enjoy your curiosity and it's always fun to see your plants.
Well put about pot size. There is a certain fetish in the C&S world about growing plants in tiny containers, especially for display. I don't really see the point of doing that myself. My plants are probably in pots that are too small, but that's just because I'm too lazy to repot all of them exactly when they need it. It's not on purpose. :)
Once the container gets over a certain size, though, I have to find the plant a new home. Bad back. Over 10"/3gal and it has to have wheels. Your Euphorbia could get to that size in 2-3 years from a cutting.
Here are some nice E. milli blooms. Bought the very light pink at an outdoor flea market in S. Texas. It had been light starved. Delighted to see it flourishing. I have never seen such floppy leaves!
Apologize for inverted photos. Correction next time.
Yes, that plant is doing great.
Here are some fall garden shots from mother nature's garden on the Pacific coast not far south of here. Agave shawii just starting to flower.
A little blue in the picture.
A few pictures showing the drought stressed succulents out there waiting for rain. The red Dudleyas are pretty dramatic. The ones with the bright green centers will bounce right back. The little blue fingers are shrunk down to a fraction of their former size, but they too will come back when it rains. The twiggy stuff on top in that last picture is all the flower stalks from previous years.
Had no idea Dudleyas stressed that way! Beautiful. It never ceases to amaze me how rain rejuvenates. I've become far more appreciative since moving to the Permian Basin from the Rio Grande Valley.
Harvesting rain...... What? Never would have occurred to me! Now my entire property is situated for it!
That's where wheels come in very handy! ;)
Yes, I noticed there were no stressed plant pictures in Plant Files, so I added one. Plants that have been spoiled in a garden setting never look so savage. Here's a green one for comparison.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/fp.php?pid=9972611&extraimg=2
Photo below shows a pair of agaves from the same clump flowering together. Probably genetically identical clones derived from the same (now deceased) mother plant. Cactus in the background is a pitaya (Stenocereus).
This was a pretty good year for agave flowers, maybe 5 or 10 times as many as we saw last year. Which makes no sense at all given how dry it's been. I think these decisions might be made years in advance.
The rainy season is finally underway as we speak. Plants are getting scrubbed clean.
