With the rain and generally inclement weather I have not been out in the garden as much recently. Luckily we did have several days of sun last week + ago and this was enough to get me out looking at what's new in the local nursery.
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| Recent plant purchases including four Aloe 'Eric the Red' |
I've been looking for several larger Aloe I could plant along the drive where I'd recently removed a bank of juniper bushes. When I saw that
Half Moon Bay Nursery had four Aloe 'Eric the Red' with no price I asked at the front desk - 'how much?' I was pleasantly surprised when the answer (seemingly improvised on the spot) was $29.50. "Hmmm" I thought, "why not just buy all of them?" They were nice plants but not with out fault a they'd clearly been left for too long in the same pots, were root bound and top heavy.
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| Root bound Aloe |
I can live with a root bound plant - easy enough to ameliorate.
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| Mangave 'Mayan Queen' |
Probably like a lot of gardeners these days I'm a fan of Mangaves. It's exciting to see new hybrids emerging - my only complaint is I kind of wish they'd grow bigger. Speaking of Mangaves, 'Mission to Mars' is happy in my backyard and two feet across now - imagine if it would grow to 6' x 6' !
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| Making planting progress - adding Lamb's Ear and Aloe |
Ok, so by planting Lamb's Ear I'm putting in plants that will require a bit more water to look healthy during the hottest part of the year. That's breaking with my original plan. Oh well.
In the background you might notice an 'Eric the Red' looking a bit stressed. Give it time. Below is the same plant that's been in a different part of the yard for roughly a year.
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| First bloom on an Aloe 'Eric the Red' after just a year in the ground. |
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| Blocking a new deer path |
What you can't see just out of frame are several deer tracks through un-planted portions of this new front bed. I want to 'nip this in the hoof' so to speak :) It just so happens I had a few spiny plants looking for a home just hanging out on my back patio. In the background is an Agave sisalana also a strategically placed deer path deterrent.
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| Agave parryi v. truncata ready to go in the ground |
The Agave parryi v. truncata hadn't been in this 15 gal bucket for long; according to the tag I'd upgraded it back on 3/17/18. I'm always curious how aggressively a plant puts out new roots. This guy seems to have been busy. There had previously been an 12" offset growing out a drain hole in the pot.
If you are wondering - yes I will eventually put down a rock mulch once I have the space fully planted. With all the rain lately I'm not in a hurry to add mulch.
Until next time - happy planting dreams!
Root-bound they may be but I think you got a very good deal on those aloes, Hans. The prices I see on large succulents like that here always make me choke, which is why I have a plethora of smallish agaves and aloe. Only a couple of my smaller aloes (A. rooikappie and 'Johnson's Hybrid') have bloomed to date. I hope your spiky deer deterrent works.
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