This is where the plants from Annie's Annuals went

As May is drawing to a close and daytime temperatures are climbing into the upper 80s, the planting window is about to close for summer. As it is, putting new plants in the ground now is pushing things. But can you do when you have a tray of new acquisitions (a.k.a. the plants I bought at Annie's Annuals & Perennials last Saturday) to find a home for?

Here is what I did with them:
The purple-flowering Geranium maderense went in the backyard. This is the spot that used to be occupied by Borinda papyrifera, a bamboo I removed in June 2014. The small potted tree is the cut leaf emperor oak (Quercus dentata 'Pinnatifida') I brought back from Portland last summer. It has put on quite a bit of growth even though it's generally a slow grower. The agave on the right is Agave montana, the one on the left Agave victoria-reginae.

Geranium maderense


The 2nd Penstemon palmeri I bought on Saturday went in the desert bed to the right of the 'Sonoran Emerald' palo verde (behind Aloe 'Erik the Red')


The original Penstemon palmeri (bought in February 2014 at Annie's) is to the left of the same 'Sonoran Emerald' palo verde. It put on quite a show this spring and is pushing a 2nd wave of flowers (much smaller, though). To the left is Agave ovatifolia.


Asphodeline lutea went in the planting strip outside the front yard fence between Aloe excelsa and Grevillea plurijuga ssp. superba


Glaucium grandiflorum, so small it's hard to see, is now behind ×Mangave 'Macho Mocha' outside the front yard fence


Glaucium grandiflorum. It's reputed to be a fast grower, not that you can tell at this point. This was the largest plant I could find at Annie's.


The red-flowering Channel Island buckwheat (Eriogonum grande var. rubescens) went in the planting strip inside the front yard fence. This spot here looks quite bare at the moment, but I have high hopes for Athanasia pinnata (left) and Caesalpinia pulcherrima (behind the light). Both should have filled out by the end of the summer.


The vegetables went in these two vegetable beds in the backyard, together with some fennel my mother-in-law shared as well as sweet hot peppers and basil I'd bought elsewhere


Not all the plants I bought at Annie's went in the ground. Mimetes cucullatus, Leucadendron sessileAeonium glandulosum, Echeveria diffractens, and Euphorbia bravoana are in pots for the time being. I want them to put on some size before deciding where they'll go. I won't make any decisions until the planting window reopens in October.


While not related to my recent plant purchases at Annie's Annuals, here are some recent odds and ends from around the garden.



This slipper plant (Pedilanthus bracteatus) came to me from Rancho Reubidoux via my friend Luisa of Crow and Raven. I planted it behind the 'Sonoran Emerald' palo verde where it has room to spread.


Rebutia krainziana is a small cactus I bought in 2012. Despite my best efforts to neglect it, it has survived.



The water meter cover you see in the photo above and below was covered by dirt and rocks until last Sunday. My wife and mother-in-law dug it out and built a frame of composite lumber to keep it accessible.


The only thing I contributed is the potted Agave americana 'Lemon Lime'. Hopefully it'll become fierce as it grows and keep nosy folks out.


Comments

  1. That's quite a clever solution to the water meter cover. Impressive that you immediately found homes for most of your Annie's annuals purchases. And I thought I recognised that quercus ;)

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    1. I was very proud of my wife and mother-in-law. Personally, I'm much better at coming up with ideas than implementing them.

      I'm so pleased that cut leaf emperor oak is doing well. I wasn't sure it would, considering it's native to a cooler and moister climate.

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  2. And in a month all of these tiny arrow-assisted plants will be 2' tall! Hard to relate to the "planting season is over..." statement...

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    1. Hopefully! I'm keeping them well hydrated for now. The rewards of capturing water from the showers and kitchen sink :-).

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  3. Will you ever plant your Quercus dentata 'Pinnatifida' in the ground?

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    1. I was considering planting it right where it is. But it's such a slow poke, I still have time. How is yours doing in the ground?

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  4. What a planting window May has been, and good for you to exploit it to the max. Your Athanasia pinnata looks like it's well on its way. And I think I spy your Sonchus congestus looking fine too.

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    1. May has been epic. But now it's starting to heat up. I can feel summer nipping at our heels. It won't be long now, and we'll be holed up inside from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m.

      Athanasia and Sonchus, grow, babies, grow!

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  5. Looks like many great additions. I love it that you are happy to buy little babies and patient enough to watch them grow. I am not quite that patient.

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    1. I would prefer buying larger plants, but virtually everything Annie's carries is in 4-inch pots. So I'm forced to be patient, whether I like it or not.

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  6. So many interesting plants! What is the tall green treelike thing behind the pot of Rebutia, with the fascinating foliage? The Rebutia looks super happy. I have the buckwheat--had to corral it because the rabbits think it delicious. Seems to need a little water--not a lot, but a little. Mine is maybe a foot wide, after a year.

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    1. The plant behind the pot of Rebutia is an Echium wildpretii. I'm ready to cut it down before it goes to seed because I have so many volunteers already.

      I have high hopes for the buckwheat. Glad to hear it doesn't need much water. Right now, it gets overspray from the lawn (every Sunday) but after we take out the lawn, it'll be on its own.

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  7. Everything looks great now and will look terrifically great, given a little time. (I can hear my mother's voice: "When you pay more for a bigger plant, all you're paying for is time.")

    I love that Rebutia! It's been so cool here that things are just beginning to blossom, in the new hot temps.

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