Labor Day Planting

I headed over to Summerwinds over the Labor Day weekend (see this great labor day memorial). I had a muhlenbergia capillaris 'Lenca'  Regal Mist Pink Muhly that died, so I took it back and bought a lot in return! I know these pictures are actually pretty boring, they are small plants and not "doing anything" yet. This blog just helps me remember when I planted what and where.

Red Baja Fairy Duster - calliandra californica

Sandpaper Verbena, a suggestion from AZPlantLady - verbena rigida.

Blackfoot Daisy - melampodium leucantham

Another great suggestion from Noelle, Angelita Daisy - tetraneuris acaulis

Some salvia species, I'll track down specifics.

My agave lophantha quadrocolor sent off multiple pups. I planted them in various places around the yard.

Four along the west strip of the yard, one under the mesquite.

I hope to fill, and I mean pack tightly, this strip with compact sized species, like a. lophantha, a. titanota, a. parryi, a. geminiflora, a victoriae-reginae.

Also one Zinnia seed of dozens planted bloomed. 

On to the backyard plantings. If you're still with me here, bless you.

Red Mexican Bird of Paradise, caesalpinia pulcharrema in the mid-ground and Pink Baja Fairy Duster, calliandra eriophylla near the boulder. Near the rock feature in the fresh dirt are 3 banana pups from the banana trees.

Red Mexican Bird of Paradise, caesalpinia pulcharrema, next to the remains of a too delicate red hibiscus, that broke my heart by dying after serious attention for months. I still haven't fully given up, unrealistically. I left the roots hoping something resurrects.

Rain Lily, zephyranthes near the pool.

Pink Baja Fairy Duster, calliandra eriophylla

Guara, guara lindheimeri. I love this little guy, looking forward to watching it grow.

Black Knight Butterfly Bush, buddleja davidii. This was a steal I found at Lowe's, in the deep discount section. It's a mess, barely alive, but it will be a beauty next summer.

As mentioned above, I replanted the 3 banana pups over by the pool rock feature. I'm not sure of the exact variety, hopefully we'll get bananas someday and I'll know. In the last big wind storm the bigger banana broke, but it's still putting out new leaves.

I relocated the desert senna, senna covesii, from a pot to the yard. It was looking a little restricted in the container.

In the neighborhood, a lot of the agave vilmoriniana, octopus agave, bloomed. Over the months on my morning walks I have collected and potted more than a dozen bulbils. I've also guerrilla gardened dozens around the neighborhood. Everywhere I've seen an empty drip emitter. This week I planted 9 of them around the backyard. I've noticed that the octopus agaves in full sun struggle through the summer. Those in partial shade are magnificent. So I've planted these in partial shade.

New agaves planted.

I finally decided on a good spot for the a. bovicornuta. Centered on the window, where it can be a specimen piece.

My cow's horn, a. bovicornuta. Notice the slight variegation.

Here's a picture with most of the view of the front. On the lower level, a. murphyi, the golden barrels, a. colorata, a. macrocantha, a. guingola, and lantana. The deer grass muhlenbergia capillaris 'Lenca' Regal Mist is peeking out behind the rock wall.

It was interesting to read that the Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum discourages any grasses except Muhlenbergia.

A. colorata views. I love the leaf impression patterning of this species.

My current favorite agave, a. guingola "creme brulee". I hope it gets specimen sized, however for now it's under shade cloth.

My yard guy Todd had another house he does that had an a. macrocantha with pups galore. So we grabbed 2 a few weeks ago and planted them (left photo). On the right is a picture of the a. murpheyi. I don't think it's a beautiful species, but it was important to the Hohokam people as a food source. So for historical and heritage reasons I wanted to plant it.

Now on to the upper level of the front yard.

There are 2 a. parryi truncata 'artichoke' by the window, a. bovicornuta in the middle of the window, Mexican honeysuckle, a. lophantha 'fatal attraction' on the right by the small rock and landscape light. The bottom right agave is a. potatorum 'verschaffeltii'

A better view of the a. potatorum 'verschaffeltii' on the left, and a. potatorum 'lucky crown' or 'kissho kan' bottom right.

Potted are a. lophantha 'quadricolor' left and 'blue glow' agave hybrid of a. attenuata and a. ocahui on the right.

This little fighter is a desert milkweed. Hopefully it fills out.

A. desmettiana.

Now all I need is to squeeze my a. gentryi 'jaws' somewhere in the front, not a pot.