No gardening blog year would be complete (I know we did skip blogging a year or two) without us giving an update on our tiny front garden at least once. It all started in 2014 when we finally sorted out our front garden and several changes have happened since. Fast forward to now, the plants are much bigger and we have added more pots to the mix
Agave salmiana is the star of the bunch, for obvious reasons
The three nolinas have all done well but the one that remained in the smallest pot unsurprisingly had the slowest progress so we gave it a bigger pot earlier in the year and underplanted it with a few echeverias. We chose Echeverias that have done well and usually sail through winters in our garden unprotected and expect them to do even better at the front of the house which has the best microclimate for succulents.
Nolina parviflora in bondage
Pardon the bins on the background! Nolina parviflora and co.
There used to be only three pots in this group but we added another pot and planted a small Agave geminiflora. The echeverias we used for underplanting are Echeveria pulidonis, agavoides, and rosea.
Like all the other agaves at the front, they started out small like this Agave geminiflora
A more recent photo of this group
Trichocereus terscheckii with oxalis weeds that I can't get rid off so reduce every so often. And you can spot a weed fern too
Opposite this group on the other side of the door step are the big agave group. Not much recent changes here apart from the addition of a small blue pot with Echeveria pulidonis.
Echeveria pulidonis
Nolina nelsonii
A stressed and pot stunted Agave ovatifolia
L-R Agave ovatifolia, Agave salmiana, Agave montana, Agave parryi var. huachucensis Back Nolina nelsonii
On the other ide of the drive towards our neighbor is another group of succulents/xerics...
Nolina nelsonii at the back and above them all
Aloe polyphylla
Aloe polyphylla
Agave parryi var. truncata
Cactus NOID (Echinopsis sp.?)
Another Aloe polyphylla shot
And another group photo. Back Nolina nelsonii L-R Cactus NOID, Aloe polyphylla, Agave parryi var. truncata, Agave parryi var. neomexicana, Aloe polyphylla
Last but not the least are the group under the purple cherry tree Prunus cerasifera 'Nigra', underplanted with Mahonia eurybracteata 'Soft Caress' and two pots of Nerium oleander and a pot of Echeveria rosea.
As it's the front of the house none of them gets extra protection during winter, they stay as they are all year round. The plants that are sited here are chosen for their tolerance of heat and drought, as well as benefit from the special microclimate of this spot. The area gets winter sun and radiant heat from the bricks and paving.
Mark :-)