Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Summer in the garden

Most of the late summer action is going on in the front yard. Things are finally filling in. The castor bean is almost as tall as me (5'6"). I've given it ample water and fish emulsion, and of course the weather cooperated. I didn't think I believed in annuals but I have been converted. Totally worth the money.


Coreopsis 'Moonbeam' and Zauschneria californica 'Wayne's Select'

Sedum 'Matrona'

Happy agaves

This blue alkanet (Anchusa azurea 'Alkanet') may have been planted too late in the season to get blooming out of it this year (come on, Indian summer!) but I really like the form of the foliage. It's so cheerful.


Agastache 'Ava' has not disappointed. The form is incredible and I never have to water it. My only wish is that the color was hotter.


In the backyard it looks like we *might* get mature figs this year. Everybody cross all your fingers!


I tucked some agave pups into the wheelbarrow planter. So far, so good.


This sedum combo was sort of an accident and I'm digging it.

Left to right: Sedum 'Bertram Anderson, Sedum oreganum, NOID sedum

In bummer news, the stalks of Sedum 'Frosty Morn' that I Chelsea chopped didn't bloom. The long floppy stems are blooming but they look really leggy. I might chop all of them next year, since I prefer their foliage. Has this happened to anyone else? All of the other sedums that I pinched back bloomed normally.



Sometimes, when your boyfriend is very mischievous, he'll leave these creepy bamboo roots that look like creatures from a Guillermo del Toro movie lying around and scare the shit out of you. Punk.


11 comments:

  1. Wow...everything is really filling in! Sedums are weird that way...you can have a dozen of them...treat them all the same...and some will just pout.

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  2. I'm going to try shouting and shaming next summer. The carrot clearly isn't working with these ones.

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  3. Really filled in , lovely ! my Seeded Castor oil has reached a staggering 12 inchs ...boo. I'm not giving up on it reaching my height of 4'11 by first frost .

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  4. What zone are you in? That's such a bummer that it's still so small!

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  5. What a difference a single season makes. It all looks so much fuller than those early first photos at the start of the season. I could never get coreopsis moonbeam to grow for me --- yours looks so sunny and bright and happy!

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  6. Always good to have a guy with a good sense of humor around: first the eek, then the giggle, right? I'm especially loving the wheelbarrow planter, but everything looks fab.

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  7. HammeringOurWayHomeAugust 23, 2012 at 5:31 PM

    Pan's Labryinth- totally!!! EEK. It's so cool to see how your garden has bloomed since the spring. As always, looking completely lovely.

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  8. Hey, I tried Google Chrome and don't have that problem with comments now. So let me say that is a very impressive castor bean. Also I like those grasses and the sedum - nice stem color and so upright.

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  9. Looking great! At our house I'm the one who (in my defense, inadvertently) leaves weird root thingies laying around - doesn't stop me from running into them later and being surprised/weirded out by them!

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  10. I can't get over how much your front plantings have matured in just two seasons. The ricinus adds such a great hit of dark foliage and height. I'm needing more purple foliage in my garden after seeing it here. And I'm a sucker for a group of sedums.

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  11. I'm going to be so sad when the ricinus dies. My garden will be back to being super short again. :(

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