It grows were it wants!

I've got a grudging respect of californian poppies, I like them alot but they simply will only grow where they want to grow.

And not in the places you most want them in . Like this one which has seeked safety in the leaves of a Yucca Linearis .

Translucency ..the sign of Echeveria Agavoides root rot !

I don't like posting about negatives, but if you can learn from it, then its going to make you a better and more observant gardener.

Here was my prized seedling of a red edged Agavoides that was before the recent monsoon of rain, it was romping away with good growth.

Now after spotting signs off it being over watered I thought maybe we could save it, but alas as you can see from the colouring once it turned that translucent colour in the leaves, its a goner unfortunately !

So it begs the question, how do you recreate the ideal conditions of a Echeveria from Mexico to withstand the english climate?  For us soil for plant means growth, but if the plant in it's native habitat it grows on a rocky outcrop it will not enjoy literally drowning in a pot. 

Looking at the internet literally had me spinning in a circle, so many opinions but no firm answer. My recent import from Germany arrived in just pumice and lava rock, no soil at all. But I've also had bought plants in soil, dry soil mind you, but soil never the less.

With that in mind the experiment is to provide a fast drainage system, whilst lightly drenching th roots and providing minerals from the substrate to feed the plant.  

Easy eh ? No, but I'll find a suitable potting compost one day!

So disappointed to lose this one, as one of a kind. I'm hope the nursery grower has some more seedlings in the future.

Red Edged Agavoides..a new arrival

This is a recent arrival from a good nursery in Germany that thankfully isn't connected to ebay. Just a straight forward purchase, its quite refreshing to just know the price and pay.

Anyway after losing two quite special Agavoides to the monsoon of rain we had recently, this has been potted up to my soilless, yes soilless potting mix. 
I've decided its better to remember to water than to lose a succulent to root rot. 

Not on my watch!

Time will tell if I've done the right thing with the potting mix, and its always a learning process as I refuse to keep them under glass. I like the way the sun affects their coloring and blotching of the leaves.

Delosperma Copper bursts into life

After losing last years blaze of  purple Delosperma  , we decided to go with another colour and as the bed has Californian poppies with their burst orange colouring, we thought we'd go with copper.

Watsonia ..Best Red..sums it up nicely !

Our Watsonia Best Red is doing very well this year..sending up multiple spikes of  bright red flowers

Started off like this

Opened out to this

Fleabane ..Erigeron Karvinskianus

Let's call it Fleabane , it's less of a mouthful.

It's from the daisy family, but for us its reminds us of greek holidays with it's pink and white flowers that sprawl over pots and raised beds. It seeds itself happily everywhere and were happy to let it do so.

The Xeric Bed..more colour!

The idea was to grow mainly succulents and spikies of various hues of green with the odd splash of colour. 

But when it comes to delosperma, Lampranthus and Californian Poppies they just do their thing and its a pleasure to watch them grow provided that don't invade .

Anyway, its was always the idea that Angie and myself would have somewhere to sit on a sunny day/warm night that felt like perhaps somewhere else.   Of course there is always improvements we could do, but were getting there.

They really zing in the sunshine

The copper Delosperma

Our Agave Ovatifolia is looking happier 

This Aloe Striatula is thriving in the bed, at the expense of blocking out a large Agave Montana behind it. So next year it will have to be moved, but meanwhile we'll enjoy the flowers.