Volleyball anyone! No, spiky love of course. I have zone envy when it comes to spiky plants like Agave, Aloe, Cacti, succulents etc. Especially the blue foliage varieties. But I also struggle where to place them in my never ending always changing design themes. Am I Cottage, Prairie, Xeric, Mediterranean, contemporary, Japanese, country, industrial, masculine, feminine, texan, californian, blue, white, silver, green, native, exotic, tropical or just plan plain cornfused? Or is it ok to be ADHD? Or is it Garden Attenion Disorder, GAD? I don't know but I love to spike it.
Yucca rigida at left with Nasella tenuissima. The blue yucca was planted last October having purchased it in west Texas during my sons wedding and has fulfilled my spiky lust.....some of it anyway.
Yucca rigida at left with Nasella tenuissima. The blue yucca was planted last October having purchased it in west Texas during my sons wedding and has fulfilled my spiky lust.....some of it anyway.
The Agave(Manfreda) Collection-the two on the left (orange pots)came from a Dallas Nursery from my son for a fathers day present(Manfreda 'macho mocha ' and Agave-unknown. Plant three (center) is Agave parryi 'truncata', found last weekend on a clearance shelf in Wichita, Kansas(can I have an amen!) cold tolerant(zone 6) and I've been lusting after this one forever. Last agave I have no idea on ID? Anyone, I'll enlarge below.
Agave parryi 'truncata', look at the pups.
Agave ? My guess is straight species parryi? I know, the picture is lousy.
This last Agave, no label on plant? Same as the one above?
Now the Yucca's: Yucca gloriosa 'variegata' and Yucca filamentosa 'Color Guard'(small plant) below in temporary positions.
And finally an image from this spring of Hesperaloe funifera, another plant purchased in West Texas during my son's wedding.
Well how's that for spiky love? Two days ago I planted three of the agaves in the ground in the corner hell strip.
Ha! I like the GAD acronym. I know nothing about Agaves, but you have some healthy, impressive specimens there. The view of your gardens along the sidewalks is lovely.
ReplyDeleteYes the view is very early in spring.
DeleteSpiky love...cool. Agaves = gateway drug to Opuntia spp.
ReplyDeleteBut Agave parryi var. truncata z 6 - not sure on that. I think they freeze with any winter moisture below 10F, or dry about 0F. Based on many used in Abq, I'll give it a 7b or 8a. But I will wish you well...yours' could always be a special selection that is tougher, too?
Let's hope it will winter over. Yes, I brought back a spineless optunia last winter, and tried to start. Didn't succeed. But I know there are quite a few native optunias west of here.
DeleteLove your spikes! Nice collection. I can't hazard a guess for your unlabeled plants but they look like good ones. Hopefully you've got another son to marry off someday soon? Weddings seem like great plant buying adventures for you!
ReplyDeleteYes about the wedding thing, because the other son lives in Colorado. I wonder what spiky love I could find there?
DeleteTry having Agave lust and living in zone 4---I'm envious of your Agaves. I've found some zone 5 ones, but nothing that will survive 175" of snow annually. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photographs, beautiful garden, fantastic plants. I am greeting
ReplyDeleteI kind of agree with David. I had an A. parryi freeze down here in Central Texas. I replaced it with an A. lophantha, and have had success with it. Not as pretty, but more hardy.
ReplyDeleteI like that GAD....I think there are a lot of us with that condition.
Your garden looks great, by the way.
I hope you both are wrong, we'll see.
DeleteVery nice! I have that same agave. Have no idea what it is but we brought it with us from Texas. It had pups like crazy and now we have 50+ plants. We pulled some out this spring and moved them to a location where they can spread as much as they like. I love their blue/green color.
ReplyDeleteNo question, the color is a big drawing point for me.
DeleteAgaves are too spikey for me but I do love how tough they are. Is that big fluffy thing in the middle of the bottom photo a bronze fennel?
ReplyDeleteYes that's a bronze fennel in early spring. It doesn't look as pretty right now. It's on it's third year, so I'll have to replenish it this fall. Have plenty of seedlings around.
DeleteWish I could grow them other than as a houseplant.
ReplyDeleteThat paveside display looks fabulous Greggo! Spike away!
ReplyDeleteSpike it! I like your growing collection, and those fab orange pots remind me of Danger Garden. Your son did good! I didn't see the Hesperaloe funifera in your last picture. Where is it? I'm thinking of trying one myself if I can just find a spot for it. Need to rip out more grass soon...
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid if my Heperaloe funifera survives another winter it will become too large and take over the focus of the garden. There are 2-3 pups popping up also. I labeled the H. with a text box. Thanks for stopping by.
Delete