MY WAGON WHEEL FLOWERS FOR AUGUST GBBD

If you took a vote for least favorite month to garden in Texas, August would win by a landslide. We are all tired of the heat 

as the hope of cooler weather is only a distant whisper.

Yet, the wagon wheel flowers in the sunflower family (and other families) seem to enjoy the endless heat. 

After your visit, roll on over to Carol at May Dreams Gardens to see the entire wagon train.
Let's see what's blooming this month.
Wagons Ho!

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Vinca Nirvana 'Cascade Burgandy'

Zinnia angustifolia 'Crystal Orange'

Plumbago auriculata beside blue bottles

Zinnia angustifolia paired with burgandy Vinca

Osteospermum 'Voltage Yellow'

Red Pentas with Sun coleus 'Versa Lime' (I think) and silver Spanish lavender (Lavandula stoechas).

This silvery lavender has done surprisingly well in our Houston humidity. I keep it in a raised bed with excellent drainage. I will grow this one again!

Rudbeckia hirta is seeing its last days for this year.

Another view of the red Pentas with Spanish lavender.

Zexmenia hispida is a tough little Texas native.

The Whole Enchilada

Cora Vinca 'Deep Lavender'

Coreopsis 'Route 66' is a new one for me. I love it!

Not a wagon wheel type flower, but so pretty. It's a lavender sage.

Rudbeckia triloba holds the record for most blooms with over 50 at one time!

This was given to me by my friend Cindy at My Corner of Katy.

Thanks! :0)

Zinnias with variegated Yucca gloriosa.

Some fun foliage.

Agave x 'Mr. Ripple'

Agave x 'Sharkskin'

One of my many species of Aloes.

A nice scene with Mexican Feather Grass, windmill palms, agaves, and flowers.

I'll have more of this grass next season.

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And there you have it!

I had to sneak in a little foliage at the end since the agaves and the grasses are having their hay day just now. (get it....grasses..HAY day...bad pun) 

Hope you are having a much cooler August where ever you might be.

Here it's 98 degrees each afternoon.

Thanks for stopping by to see the wagon wheel flowers.

David/:0)

Verbena

THE UNTOUCHABLE PLANT ~ AGAVE BOVICORNUTA

Well, you might think by seeing all those daggers and thorns, that I mean unTOUCHABLE. OUCH!
What I really mean is the price. Until this week, this plant was out of reach...another type of OUCH!

For two years I've watched this plant go down in price. It was 36.00 US at one point!

It was $20 this past Spring. But I had already purchased enough plants and I had to pass.

Then it happened; 50% off! But off of what starting price?

Usually the table is filled with rejects. But not this time. This time it held 4 or 5 of my beloved Bovis!

For agave collectors, Agave bovicornuta holds a special charm.

Rather than the regular single set of teeth, Bovi has a double row.

And as it gets older and bigger, these will get more pronounced.

I've really started paying attention to what types of clay pots I use for special plants. Hope you like it!

And, hey, who needs a bulldog when you can just guard your house with a bunch of these. LOL

The details: Agave bovicornuta means cow horn agave. It is from the higher mountains of Mexico and grows in rocky terrain beneath pine and hardwood forests. That means it can tolerate a bit of frost; perhaps down to 25F. It also means that it might bleach out in full sun. Not all agaves HAVE TO HAVE FULL SUN. In fact, this one would appreciate some dappled shade under a high tree canopy. I have a number of these types of agaves and they thrive and grow just fine in shade.

Well, that's it for today. Happy Hunting. Oh, and the price?

Gee, I almost forgot.

It was $4.00 US.

Not bad.

David/:0)



AROUND THE FRONT YARD TO START OFF FEBRUARY

It was perfect gardening weather this weekend with high temperatures around 70 and lows in the 40s. I'm working on a major project in the front yard, but took time out to find some nice things to photograph. I'm funny that way; I get distracted by beauty. The projects get done.....eventually. I enjoy the journey and try to not stress about gardening projects. Goodness knows there's enough stress in our lives already.

"Fiery Bloom"

(shrimp plant) Justicia brandegeana

Harvey the Monarch Caterpillar (I only have one so I named it)

A pretty weed in the carrot family.

Two leaves make another leaf between them. Can you see it? (Loquat tree)

Gravel for the project. I scrape it from the road gutters before it washes down the storm drain.

Healthy root system of an agave plant.

Transplanting a new agave.

Agave 'Sharkskin'. This is a cross between two agaves to form a beautiful hybrid. It is one of the most beautiful agaves I've grown.

More info on this agave:

http://www.smgrowers.com/products/plants/plantdisplay.asp?plant_id=2874

The first phase of the project is complete. The second phase will get rid of the carpet grass. This will be replaced with drought tolerant ground covers and gravel. I'll plant about 5 blackfoot daisies around these agaves. I can already envision the little white flowers intermingling and contrasting with the spikes. I have looked forward to this day for a long time.

It's going to look really good by summer if all goes well and nobody runs over it with a car.

 Have you ever had one of your flower beds run over by a car? I have...twice!

Thanks for stopping by. Hope you get some nice gardening weather soon.

David/ :0)



MY AGAVE COLLECTION PART 1: THE SOFTER SIDE OF AGAVES

I divide my agave collection into 3 kinds according to what happens when you fall on one:
Soft Agaves ~ You say 'oops' and keep gardening.
Specialty Agaves ~  You say 'Ouch!' and get a bandaid.
Serious Agaves ~ We don't let small children or pets near these. Burglar deterrent.

SOFT AGAVES
These are my favorites. You will have a difficult time finding them in nurseries along the Texas coast. Rarely offered and some are mail order only. Austin, Texas will have some and so will California and Arizona. You will need to protect most of these from freeze damage and some from excessive watering.

Agave attenuata

The beautiful, oval powdery green leaves are almost surrealistic. Very frost tender and brittle leaves are the downside to this one. Rarely offsets here in Houston. I've read it grows commonly in San Diego, California. Mine is in dappled light and a clay pot with quick draining, sandy loam soil. Forms a stem over time. Likes to be pot bound. Stays in a sunny southern window in the winter. A similar plant called 'Nova' is shown below.

Both versions are worth all the fuss!

Agave celsii

Similar to attenuata but armed with a harmless row of tiny teeth. Likes to grow in bright shade. Can take frost down to 26 degrees here. Offsets slowly. Turns yellowish and less attractive in Houston's full sun. Prefers more water than most. I lost this one to the agave weevil, but will try to grow this again. Very beautiful in clusters or as a single specimen. There are some growing along Sunset Blvd across the street from Rice University.

Rarely offered in Houston, but found mine at Wal-mart.

Agave celsii 'Nova'

One of the parents of this hybrid is celsii; the other is unknown. Notice that it has a tiny row of teeth. A bit stronger than the parent and less susceptible to frost damage (still, I'm taking no chances). Looks very delicate, but grows quickly and can take temperatures up to 109. Not sure if it offsets, but I hope it does.

The other parent is a subject of discussion by Agave experts and plantsmen.

Loves dappled light and water if in a well-drained clay pot. Very similar to attenuata.

Agave 'Unknown'

I took lots of these little plantlets off  a bloom stem in my brother's yard in College Station, Texas.

It was a tall bloom stem with many yellow sessile buds opening a few at time all the way up to the top.

It might be close to an A. bracteosa bloom spike, but not sure.

Very slow growing and really needs to be kept from frost. I let mine fight it out both winters and they took an entire year to regrow.

Agave bracteosa ~ Squid agave

Can grow in dappled light under a tree. This one took temperatures down to 25F with no freeze damage.

Leaves are very brittle, so leave lots of space around it. Slow growing, but keeps adding those cool leaves year round.

Agave desmettiana (Regular version)

I lost my beautiful, full grown plants during the heavy freezes. All I have are these little ones. I'll try to find a picture of the full grown parent.

Agave desmettiana (toothed cultivar)

I have seen these offered in Houston. Offsets freely. Protect from frost. Nice blue green color.

Agave desmettiana variegata ( usual variegation pattern on edge)

Agave desmettiana variegata (highly variegated patterns)

This is one of the most beautiful desmettianas I have and I was lucky to find it. This one offsets freely, but the variegation patterns of the babies are not set until they grow older. I'm not sure if this parent transfers its bold pattern. I hope so.

Agave 'NOT SURE' 

I thought it was Agave weberi until I found a weberi for sale. It's a beautiful plant, takes heavy freezes with NO damage, and offsets like there's no tomorrow. Can tolerate flooding, but prefers it dry.

Never for sale at nurseries, but passed along from people in Mexico to their friends. Found in many parts of Houston.

Agave weberi

Agave desmettiana 'Joe Hoak'

Very beautiful and rare here in Houston. I had to buy it mail order from Florida. Grow it in bright shade the first 3 years. Grows very slowly. Beautiful variegation patterns make it stand out from a distance.

For comparisons: Regular variegated desmettiana on top, 'Joe Hoak' on the bottom. It looks whitish green.

Agave 'Nova' on the right.

Whew! So there you have it. Hope you enjoyed the tour.

Thanks for stopping by.

David/ :-)