Little green men
Watering new plants is pleasurable because it gives you a good excuse to be out there with them, making sure they’re settling in, admiring them once more. But watering established plants is a chore, and an increasingly expensive one at that. So I like to use drought-tolerant and heat-tolerant plants, especially when I’m planting a container. To some people, these xeric, non-leafy, often spiky plants may look alien, but I enjoy their unusual shapes, especially in juxtaposition with more familiar—and softer—plants. Pictured above is a kalanchoe, whose red, paddle-shaped leaves pick up the color of the chunk of glass below. I don’t know the name of the toothy, little green men behind it.
I just planted this Sedum ‘Blue Spruce’ in the ‘Whale’s Tongue’ agave bed, adding to the blue-green mix of foliage there.
A charmingly odd-looking squid agave (A. bracteosa ) writhes its alien arms under the Texas persimmon.
Like a stiff-armed, spiny-tipped flower (or an artichoke), the Queen Victoria agave (Agave victoriae-reginae ) is a masterpiece of symmetrical design.
No self-respecting Texan would call this little guy a stranger. It’s a Texas bluebonnet seedling, one of several I brought over from my old garden, where the pink bluebonnets grew. Lee at The Grackle told me they revert to blue, which is just what I’d prefer.
I’ll be watching for their arrival come spring.
All material © 2006-2008 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
They are very cool Pam! I especially like the combo container. That kalancho looks great with the red glass and the little green men!
Thanks, Linda. I bought this arrangement several years ago. It’s been easy to maintain and trouble free. I just snip the succulents in half when they get leggy. —Pam
I have a bad case of agave envy. I just love all your xeric plants Pam. Their alien look is what I find most charming about them. That and them not being fussy about water. If I had a place to haul them in to during winter here I would have a whole lot more of them.
It must be frustrating to want more and not be able to have them, Lisa. Then again, there are lots of northern plants I’d like to have but can’t because they’d melt. At least we can enjoy them through blogs! —Pam
Hi Pam, your use of the xerics in containers is the way to go, especially if the container is not a large one, just too hard to keep watered as you say. You seem to be having fun with the new garden. I am so glad you got some baby bluebonnets. It will be fun to see what color they turn out to be!
Frances
I linked to you today, but you probably can see that on our lovely wordpress feature!
F
Thanks for the link, Frances. And yes, I’m looking forward to seeing the blue (or pink) bonnets reveal themselves. —Pam
Love the way you complemented the xeric with the red glass. I keep telling myself not so many pots but I guess I’m weak!
I get suckered in by beautiful glazed containers. But with cacti in them, they’re very easy to maintain. —Pam
I seriously need to collect more xeric plants. I’ve lost many plants due to not being able to get water to them in good old hot Texas summers. Great photos! Now I just need to start my list. 🙂
I don’t switch out annuals, so my pots always contain tough-as-nails (though sometimes frost-tender) plants. It’s just too much work otherwise. —Pam
“Toothy little green men…” Sounds rather creepy, but the container is lovely! All your plants look as though they’re settling in nicely in their new digs.
I just love that simple, white pot, and the alien-looking plants do seem at home in it. —Pam
I love succulents and other drought tolerant plants, especially in containers. I just can’t keep up with watering container plants when it’s hot and dry. If it’s over 90 degrees you can water a container and it can be dry again in a few hours, specially on the West Coast since we get the “dry heat.” Just thinking about the heat makes me feel wilted.
I hear you, GardenGrrrl. Thank goodness fall’s cooler weather is finally here, right? —Pam
Watering certainly can be expensive. I was expecting our water bill to be down this month and it was the most it’s ever been. Maybe next month. 🙂
I hope so, Randy. I’m working on keeping my water bill low during the next several months, when our usage rates for summer are calculated based on winter usage. It pays to be water-thrifty right now. —Pam
Pam, I like what you are creating and it has been fun to watch! Thanks for sharing. Gail
It’s my pleasure, Gail. One step at a time. —Pam
Great ideas with the succulents in pots. Here’s hoping you get some BLUEbonnets this spring! (I guess it depends on whether or not the reds actually crossed with the native blues in your old hood.)
I’ll be watching with anticipation, Lee. —Pam
I love that Queen Victoria Agave. It’s so photogenic.
This has to be one of the most beautiful agaves. Mine has been such a slow grower, but it’s nice to have a small one that doesn’t demand an entire planting bed. —Pam
Succulents quickly became my favorite. Your whale’s tongue is infamous! I especially love raindrops on the sedums. Such rich texture!
Brenda
And there is such variety among the succulents. I need to explore them further. —Pam
Great containers. I think I overwater my blue spruce sedum.
Sometimes a succulent just isn’t as easy as they’re supposed to be. I had an ‘Angelina’ sedum that struggled in my last garden, and I suspect it got too much sun. Succulents can be burned in central Texas’ blistering summer. Midday shade is best. Maybe your ‘Blue Spruce’ would benefit from a better-draining soil mix. Could you add a bunch of crushed stone? —Pam
Thanks for the suggestions, I’ll see what I can do. Drop by and see if you would like any of the seeds I’m giving away.
Thanks for the offer, Darla. I’ll stop by soon. —Pam
I’m with you 100% on planting drought-tolerant plants in containers, Pam! I planted up my urn this year with cordyline, lotus vine, plectranthus, salvia and a succulent-looking coleus, and didn’t have to worry about watering it much at all. And I love the way that real succulents look in containers, too… kind of like the wild has been tamed into a pot, somehow.
By the way, I thought of you last week. One of the guys who works at the botanical gardens where I now volunteer brought me two little variegated agave pups in a 4″ container a while back, then noted a few weeks later that he had a “slightly larger” blue agave waiting for me in his office the next time I came in. Slightly larger is an understatement–this monster is trying to outgrow his 3 gallon pot! And darned if I haven’t scratched my leg on its rough edges a few times already as I work my way around it in the kitchen… makes me wonder how you ever transplanted that huge agave into your new garden without losing an eye, or at least a lot of skin!!! lol.
I wonder that too, Kim. But remember, I was wearing my agave-wrestling outfit of thick safari jacket, leather gloves, safety goggles, jeans, and a hat. You should have seen me. —Pam
When I see agave now, I think of Pam in TX! Your handprint is getting deeper on the landscape and it is such a pleasure to be along for the journey.
That’s so funny! I’m developing a prickly reputation, I guess. 😉 —Pam
I sure love all the rock you have Pam. Although our place is mostly rock it is the kind that isn’t good for anything. I’ve hauled in over 80 tons of rock to get the “look” that I wanted. Thank goodness I know lots of places to get it for free. I think your gardens will be lovely when you get done. Isn’t it hard to make a new garden trying to visualize it as it matures? I know I’ve made some mistakes along those lines.
Whew—80 tons? I’ve only moved a couple of tons for this new garden, but I know that much more rock hauling is in my future. The nice thing about making a new garden—or remaking any garden—is that when you make your inevitable mistakes, you can just get out the shovel to fix them. A garden is never permanent and never done—hooray! —Pam
Hi,Pam–This post gave me a good giggle to hear your pink bonnets will “revert” back to blue! I remember how much this meant to you and I’m glad you will have your way with those plants! Tradition!
(Think the movie!) Kathryn xox
Bluebonnets, by virtue of their name, should be blue, by gosh! 😉 I will have to wait until spring to see whether my transplants agree. —Pam