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Sunday, April 08, 2012
Spring Arrives to Our Midcentury Yard
SPRING is HERE!
I was enjoying the yard today, and sharing pics with Wendy, and she thought I should be posting some photos. And I realized, I haven't done that in far too long. Our yard is happily in full bloom and swing, maple trees and succulents thriving.
I was enjoying the yard today, and sharing pics with Wendy, and she thought I should be posting some photos. And I realized, I haven't done that in far too long. Our yard is happily in full bloom and swing, maple trees and succulents thriving.
As you will see, I may be slightly addicted to succulents, esp. the Echeveria variety.
Ginkgo trees leafing out!
Big green guy there: Agave Attenuata.
Echeveria Afterglow... some of my favorites.
These are Morning Light and another I'm not sure of. Not sure how he ended up so pink... he's in the shade more, so that may be it (getting less sun)... but I think he's still an Afterglow.
Echeveria Imbricata. One of my faves, because they remind me of Lotuses. Some people call them Hens and Chicks, I'm told (cuz they propagate with clusters of babies).
Little Johns, aka Callistemon
Click on this to view larger. Such a pretty shot. Echeveria Afterglow, in a bed of Mondo Grass and bark.... Agave Desmettiana in the background.
Our mini kumquat tree produced at least 150 fruit so far. They're yummy. BUT, if you don't roll them in your fingers, releasing the sugars, they are bitter. And you eat them whole, no peeling. :)
Japanese Maple. Happy and Healthy this season after a shock of being water-starved last spring. Bounced back beautifully.
These little pink Dr. Seussy pompom flowers are Armeria. We had them at our previous house too. Echeveria Imbricata as also pictured.
Our yin yang rock (naturally formed that way). Some Ech. Imbricata and Ech. Afterglow also.
Heavenly Bamboo (Nandina) is an evergreen shrub that keeps red, green and yellow through most of the year. Great for color and variety. Behind it, some sort of agave that shoots up a thick stalk that fills with BRIGHT cantaloup-orange bell-like blooms. It held the blooms about a month and a half. And now it's sending up another stalk.
Agave Attenuata, I think the variegated variety.
Above: an Ech. Afterglow and an Agave Blue Glow
First thought this variety of Echeveria was Imbricata, but according to a succulent grower up north, it's more likely Blue Wonder or Blue Moon.
Echeveria Afterglow... magnificent color. The key apparently is that they need great drainage, and some shade during the day as well as direct sun.
The blooms on this Echeveria Dondo range from gold to orange on the same stalk as they age on this small... tho you can't see the Dondo in this photo. :) I believe the Echeveria in the background is called Blue Curls.
Nandina... Heavenly Bamboo... see what I mean... look at the range of color!
I was out there taking pics of the succulents, and saw the mid-day light coming thru the colored bottle-glass.. had to take a couple photos.
Ech. Afterglow... this one gets plenty of sun and shade, the color range is nicer. I just love the color...
Agave Victoria... pretty huh
Ech. Blue Wonder or Imbricata... not sure.
The fireglass in our firepit...
Aoneum (might be cyclops variety)
Imbricata and Afterglow.
Seating!
We did a pretty big renovation on the yard. Decking, walls, fences, fountains, landscaping. Here are a couple before and afters.
Before & After: Side Yard
Above: BEFORE
Above: AFTER
Before and After of the back yard:
Above: BEFORE
After, day and night
Lots of challenges along the way. Figuring out what would grow well, what wouldn't. We learned our water was so hard, the fountain would be ruined by hard water and minerals, so we had to put a softener on it to preserve the powder-coating color, and the metal tray colors. We have experimented with lighting and plants.
Happy Spring! :)
Shephard
(footnote... I didn't buy most of these... they were bought for me, and installed... so I can't be sure... some of the imbricatas might be secundas or elegans, etc... when I buy plants, I always write down what they are in my iPhone and keep a record)
Labels: yard
posted by Shephard @ 
