I noticed some of my Sempervivums were blooming, which means they are preparing for their final exit. Hopefully to leave many pups in their memory. This one stuffed into a crevice of a boulder is a favorite.
and some more in a back bed. They've proudly sent their blooms up for all to see. I've grown to be fond of them, the way they clump and slowly creep. I do remember scraping them from the concrete stairs at our first house, convinced they were "old lady" plants. Now that I am an old lady, I like them.. so maybe I was right.
The Sempervivum growing in shadier areas look a heck of a lot better than the ones scorching in full sun.
Off topic, but noticed the Crassula perfoliata v. falcata were beginning their summer burst. Somewhat matching the bracts on Pedilanthus bracteatus behind by the fence there.
Back to the monocarpic (flower, set seed & die)
Credit to
Loree for starting the Agave watch trend. I still think she hides away a map with gold stars marking every agave in the greater Portland area. Just a few houses away, from June 2025.
And today.
Beautiful! *I'm assuming the huge cactus in front of the agave is a Cardon. It's more blue-green than the green of a Saguaro.
Speaking of agaves, I saw this on my run this morning. Hmmm, um just an idea but you could actually plant real agaves in those full sun south facing planters? Oh well, you do you! 💚
Another cute clump.
A few things of note. I wanted to update on the status of Schefflera schizophylla. It must have been greenhouse grown, it suffered quite a bit after I got it set up in the shade house. Now 3-4 months later it is looking so much happier.
And, looks like Drimia maritima has decided to send up blooms this year. I swear I looked at these yesterday and didn't notice any signs of life.
And one of my favorite little weirdos, Leuzea conifera, pinecone thistle has it's nice to squish after bloom papery cones.
I need to gather bids for the front fence repair or redo, and getting the massive street tree trimmed & laced up. It's getting ridiculous. It seems like a good idea to do it before all those leaves fall.
Any projects in the works for you?
Most of your plants are so exotic to me, but Sempervivums are grown locally in rock gardens, which I do not have and actually do not see outside of a certain nursery.
ReplyDeleteThe rock garden sounds nice, with the hens&chicks creeping into all of the crevices.
DeleteOld Lady Plants ... Ha Ha ... oh my you are fun.
ReplyDeleteI always dislike when people say gladiolus are funeral flowers, they are one of my favorites. Ha!
I agree Carla, they are bold & fantastic!
DeleteI didn't realize that Sempervivium were monocarpic. They don't do well here so I've never had many. They do have very nice flowers (by succulent standards) and at least it looks like they reproduce well in your garden ;) I love the Schefflera schizophylla!
ReplyDeleteI don't really think of them as monocarpic, because they put out so many pups. Not as dramatic as an agave! I'm really enjoying the Schefflera. Hope your air is better today.
DeleteI'm a sucker for Semps! I tend to like the hairy, fuzzy or velvety ones. I love how you plant them in rock crevices and I'm determined to try it one day, as soon as I find the rock.
ReplyDeleteI've not seen a Schefflera schizophylla before: it's jaw drop gorgeous: Wow!
Chavli
So agree, the hairy ones are favorite! Thank you Chavli, the leaf shape is so fabulous.
DeleteOh man! I love Leuzea conifera but have never had success with it (twice killed, perhaps the third time is the....). I am impressed with your ability to keep the old lady plants alive in your non-alpine climate. Finally, nice job on the agave hunting, that first garden looks like it might need a little agave intervention however. Maybe they could donate pups to the second one?
ReplyDeleteSome of those old lady plants are looking no so fine, lol. The neighbors really have a lot going on in their side garden. And it's their driveway - loaded with Opuntia and Agaves, lol. Then again, they moved in 4 or so years ago. Those plants are OLD. Ivan tried to sweet talk them into getting an arm off that Cardon (unbeknownst to me). They told him it was against the law. Soooo, I don't know about sharing. ;)
DeleteAgainst the law? Oh my...
DeleteYes, a weird thing to say. But they do share their persimmons with everyone, so ?
DeleteWhen did we become the old ladies? Yikes. It looks like many of your plants are looking happy lately.
ReplyDeletelol, seems like overnight?
DeleteIn my little indoor succulent garden I had a plant that flowered and died - now I know why. I had no idea about mnocarpic plants, and you introduced me to cardons. My New York State climate is so different, which is why I enjoy reading about your gardens.
ReplyDeleteI feel the same Alana, it's so fun to see different regions!
DeleteYou have such amazing plants, and so many of them are unfamiliar to me.
ReplyDeleteThank you Jeff!
DeleteBeautiful blog
ReplyDeletePlease read my post
ReplyDeleteAfter seeing your semps, I've decided to give them another try. They look so happy in your garden!
ReplyDeleteMetal agaves: The Costco online store has them! Look for Desert Steel.
Leuzea conifera: Where did you get it? I must have one LOL.
Ha ha, I like the metal stuff, but in the planters it looked silly to me? The Leuzea is from Far Reaches, I ordered online a couple years ago. You should totally get one, it asks for nothing & gets a little larger each year.
DeleteSempervivums are so pretty but they don't seem to like SoCal. Impressed you can grow them in such a hot summer climate, and what a beautiful rock to give them a home. My Drimia are sending up stalks now as well. The Schefflera is lovely--congrats on getting it going, and the Leuzea is very cool!
ReplyDeleteThe ones with some shade look much better. I can't be too picky about what things look like in August, lol. Thanks!
DeleteWow so beautiful! I love all the cacti & succulents. They are some of my favorites. My friend actually just got me a mini succulent planter for my kitchen to celebrate finally getting my kitchen cabinets painted. Your garden is much more impressive haha. Thanks so much for sharing!!!
ReplyDeleteOh perfect! I hope you're enjoying your new kitchen.
DeleteOur sempervivums are increasingly unhappy with our longer, hotter, drier summers. I remember a time when I thought they were drought tolerant - now I realize it's only up to a certain point.
ReplyDeleteThey are looking scorched now, but they look so nice in the winter -I think they can be forgiven ;)
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