Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, June 2016

On this bloom day I am going to focus on the most exciting bloom in my garden, the one that I catch passerby snapping photos of on their phones.

On May 1st I noticed that my Dasylirion texanum was starting to form a bloom spike. I didn't even realize that they bloom!

I planted it in May of 2012, when it was just a wee thing. I got it at the Rare Plant Research sale. It's sited in a sharp-draining gravel berm in full sun, facing dead south.

Dasylirion is polycarpic so, unlike agave, it should be able to survive after blooming. Reports on the internet are sparse but it seems these can bloom every four years or so. Lance at Garden Riots reports that he has lost dasylirion after blooming, so my fingers are crossed. This is probably my very favorite plant in my garden and I'd be so bummed if I had to replace it.

On May 7th, one week later:

Here we are on May 19th, two and a half weeks after I noticed the bloom stalk. It grew quickly, adding noticeable height on a daily basis.

On June 5th the blooms began to emerge.

June 8th.

June 12th

And June 15th, about six weeks after I first noticed the bloom spike.

The bloom spike topped out at just over 12' from the base of the plant. The base of the plant is showing some yellowing, which I hope is normal and not a sign of the plant dying.

The hum of the bees covering this thing is audible from the driveway, which is pretty cool.

Happy bloom day! As always, a big thanks to Carol, our host at May Dreams Gardens.

This is how it starts

I've always told myself that I can't be bothered with plants that aren't hardy to my zone. We have such a forgiving climate and we can grow so much, there's no point adding plants that I'd have to schlep indoors during the winter. Not because that isn't a noble pursuit but because I am forgetful and lazy and that would be wasting money when they eventually die.

But.

I went to Rare Plant Research a few weekends ago. It was my second year attending and my resolve broke. "It wouldn't be so bad to bring in a couple of plants in the winter," I thought. "Just one or two is doable." I imagine this is how it starts for everyone. I didn't help that Patricia and Megan of Plant Lust were there with Loree and any time I'd wonder internally "Do I need this?" Patricia would magically appear at my side and say, "Oh, you need that." Loree would nod sagely and into my box it would go. (She got the most beautiful bromeliad I have ever seen. I'm still regretting not buying one.)

I gave in to an Agave attenuata, which we saw all over Maui. I think they are one of the most beautiful plants I've ever seen. The color, the shape . . . okay, some of it is probably the memory of Maui. And no pokey parts! (If anyone is wondering, that agave spike that I had embedded in my fingertip did eventually make its way out.) I also picked up an Aeonium 'Salad Bowl', seen below in the orange pot.

Aeonium 'Salad Bowl' and Agave attentuata

I also purchased two black aeoniums: 'Zwartkop' and 'Moonglow.'

'Moonglow'

'Zwartkop'

Aeonium tops the list of things I wish were hardy in Portland also: echeveria). I also bought some cheapo blue Senecio.

Lastly I picked out an Aloe Dorotheae. As if I didn't spend enough money already, now I need to buy nicer pots.

I guess I need to pay attention to frost dates now, huh?

Rare Plant Research sale

So. The plan for the front yard has always been to have a lot of evergreen elements so the yard would look nice in every season. I wasn't going to use a lot of perennials. I really meant it. And I was only going to buy things that were drought tolerant so I wouldn't be watering every day in the summer. I swear I meant it.

But then I went to the Rare Plant Research sale.

Does it remind you of Italy? Greg asked me. No. California.

It started out okay. I bought Lewisia! These will go in the berm with the agaves since they both like sharp drainage and full sun. Good job, me! These will probably look pretty sad and soggy in the winter but they are technically evergreen.

Ditto this Dasylirion. Sharp drainage, full sun, great in the berm. I've wanted one of these since I saw a mature specimen in the Amsterdam Botanical garden.

Dasylirion texanum

Then I saw the cannas. I loved this one with the red-rimmed leaves so much I didn't even grab a tag! But I know it wants consistently moist soil.

Seriously, anyone know what I am?

And then I saw these lovely red cannas. They make orange flowers "all summer long." BOOM. Now I have Lionel Ritchie stuck in my head.

Canna durban

Cannas are neither evergreen nor drought tolerant. But they are so pretty and colorful. And Greg really liked them and he doesn't get excited about plants, ever. I put them next to the house where I can run over them with the hose, which is very likely since I'll be watering them every day. I'm going to blame my non-plan following on the enormous glass of wine I had (I think it was 10 ounces at least--I had to take a nap when we got home) and the fact that I was kind of amped up because I ran into Ryan and Patricia (and her daughter Megan). I have never felt so warmly embraced by a community as I have by the gardeners in Portland and online. Gardeners are the best.

I also bought a castor bean plant, an annual which can get seven feet tall . . . in very hot locations. I'm just hoping for three or four to fill in this blank spot next to the Mahonia x media 'Arthur Menzies'. Fine Gardening featured it this month and just the night before I had earmarked it and showed it to Greg. The next day he had no recollection of this. It's almost like he's not listening when I natter on about plants!

When I warned him that all parts of the plant are poisonous, he asked why I put it in the front yard, when a child/dog/goat could wander up and . . . eat it, I guess?

Ricinus communis

I may just park an agave in front of it as a warning. Get off my not-lawn!