Plant of the Week: Britton's Liveforever

When the annuals start looking crispy, Dudleya brittonii stays cool as a cucumber.  A sweet rosette of gray-white leaves, this succulent glows radiantly when paired with grasses and small-leaved natives.  From Baja, she's sort of pushing the boundary of CA native, so not on the wishlist of the purists out there.  Pink tinged stems rise Winter to Spring, bringing little yellow flowers with them.

Sun:  Part shade or morning sun is ideal.
Soil:  very well drained, containers with lots of lava rock are recommended if you're worried about garden soil conditions
Plant:  Anytime
But it:  Cactus Jungle!  Great nursery with bonus whippets.  I also wonder if the Dry Garden carries them...
Good for:  rock gardens, succulent gardens, white & gray gardens, contemporary gardens, planting into rock walls, adding alternative textures

A Quick Bit of Ephemera

Remember those Halloween centerpieces I was so proud of?  I was struggling for a bit to figure out how to incorporate those plants into my client's garden, but also to carry on the found object-ness (it is too a word!) of the piece as well.  Out came the baling wire and a few twists and turns later, a tiny succulent cage emerged from the tangled pieces.

It was a snap to make- Take a small 4" square or round pot- the kind that herbs and veggie starts come in and loosely shape lengths of wire around the form.  Wrap a small piece of wire around them all in the middle at the bottom of the pot and shape the top pieces of wire as you wish.  I gathered them together and did some curly-cues.  Stuff green moss between the wire and the pot.  I highly recommend planting the pot before closing all the wires or better yet, using one empty pot to create the form and one planted pot to insert in the cage.  I made one this time, but I think the finished piece will feature three of these total hanging by fishing line from a small cherry tree.  (When hanging anything from a tree, be sure to have something cushioning the string so that it doesn't cut into the branch of the tree over time)

Speaking of time, I can't wait to see these when they've rusted to a lovely burnt orange.   

An Unlikely Oasis: Ein Gedi Botanical Garden

Ein Gedi sits near the Dead Sea amid the desert. Despite the vast expanse of the seemingly endless hills and rocks, the botanical garden here defies logic and swoops its visitors into a lush tropical paradise.  In the photo above, the Dead Sea is off in the distance.

This giant tree stations itself at the center of the resort, giving off shade on a warm day.

Those of us used to planting drought tolerant gardens will recognize characteristics of water-stingy plants:  spines, small leaves, gray foliage.  I love how architectural this guy is.

A less hostile drought tolerant succulent than its friend above.

A large branch arches its way into the landscape.  Apparently, the garden was planted only about 50 years ago.  Very impressive!  Like most of Israel's gardens, drip irrigation tubing snaked along the planting beds in neat rows.
While I don't see myself planting lush tropicals in my Oakland garden, I'm impressed and inspired by the ability of these folks to build what they envisioned despite the harsh conditions.  I have to admit, I'm also conflicted about their use of resources to create something so artificial to the area.  What are your thoughts?

Plant of the Week: Parry's Agave

Ok, Ok so it's not native to California, but I'm drooling over Agave parryii's dramatic blue and dark purple contrast and the spine imprints on the backs of the leaves. Hot! This fella is native to New Mexico and through much of the Southwest. As you can imagine, drought tolerance is an added bonus.
In a few years it will send up a very tall flower stalk, bloom some yellow flowers and leave a few children behind to start it all over before perishing.

Soil: well drained. Add small chunks of lava rock if your soil veers on the clay side of things
Sun: full-blast, South or West-facing
Height: gets up to 2.5' wide and tall. The flower stalks can tower to 12'!
Plant: in the late springtime, after root-rotting winter rains
Buy it: Cactus Jungle in Berkeley. It's beautifully curated and they have greyhounds!
Good for: contrasting color with plants like dudleya pulverulenta or eriogonum grande rubescens and for folks who are forgetful when it comes to watering.