Out with the old, in with the new

Leucadendron "Safari Goldstrike"

Matt and I did our usual Sunday morning garden trip today in the lovely warm sun, with clear skies above and a mockingbird warbling in the Monterey pine tree at the garden. Ah!

I decided to plant a Yucca rigida (Blue Yucca) by the steps. I cleared out a load more yarrow (Achillea) and carved a hole in the steepish slope, uncovering several daffodils just sprouting, as well as some hyacinths going for their third year "in the wild" and still flowering!

Yucca rigida gets planted

The Yucca should get great drainage in that area - we had a small Y. rigida specimen near there years ago that died but I'm hopeful this one will make a go of it.  That spot is also where we have the rest of our small Yucca collection, with a Y. recurvifolia, a Y. linearifolia and a Y. elephantipes "Silver Star."

While I was admiring that scene Matt cut back a Salvia leucantha, some grasses, an Artemisia, and the Matilija Poppy (Romneya coulteri). Whack!

I wanted to plant some Calla lilies (Zantedeschia) donated recently by Michele so decided to take a look at the three lavenders in the middle back bed. Those were some of the first plants we ever put in, back in early 2009, and they're not long-lived. These three now have a distinctly dried-up look to them and I decided their time had come. Before I knew it I was enthusiastically ripping two of them out completely.

Entwined in them are a couple of Plectranthus argenteas so it was a bit of work to cut those back appropriately too, as well as the neighboring rosemary plant. I put the Callas in, looking a bit rough - with a bit of luck they'll bounce back - and decided to leave the third lavender for another day.