A Mind of One's Own

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This Four-Winged Saltbush did not look like this a month ago.  It looked boring and grey and lackluster, its twiggy branches barely covered with puny and brittle leaves.  Nothing a little pruning by an amateur with dull tools couldn't fix! I cut half of it off (the dead-looking part) and almost right away it leafed out beautifully.  It has even started to take on the contour of the irregularly-shaped plot of soil in which it sits! Jim Borland says not to plant these, and especially not to prune them, lest you have an untameable beast on your hands!  My interpretation of this was "Great, I'll put one of those right next to the front door!"  I guess part of my emerging philosophy is that one must throw caution (and good advice) to the wind and try things out for oneself...

Three Dryland Favorites

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Gutierrezia sarothrae (Broom Snake Weed) is bright green, waves in the breeze like an ornamental grass, and is especially lush-looking this year with all the spring rain.  Tiny yellow flowers will arrive mid-summer.

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Though Amsonia jonesii is also known as Colorado Bluestar, its blooms are decidedly lavendar, especially in contrast to neighboring Linum (Blue Flax), below.

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Emergence of Color

Penstemon alamosenesis, Artemisia filifolia,
Eriogonum corymbosum (still just a youngen!)
and Amsonia  jonesii

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Space

The temptation to fill up the space is ever-present, both in life and in the garden.  For now I'm practicing delighting in the openness in the front yard, the brand new extra three hundred square feet of it, rather than rushing out to empty my wallet at the local garden center (this sort of emptiness is all to familiar...).  Today I went to the May Day celebration at Harlequin's and had enough self restraint to walk away with three plants.  Tomorrow I'll plant Amelancheir alnifolia, Zinnia grandiflora and another Gutierrezia sarothrae, my favorite native as of late.

Forgetfulness

I can't worry about this too much, the fact that the agave appears to be dead (the leaves are white and floppy at the base). It didn't appreciate having had snow heaped on top of it for several days.  I've known this about agaves, but temporarily forgot.  When I came out of my amnesia, I'd had enough sense to carefully remove about six inches of snow from the top.  The crown did not care for the snow that remained there for several more days, ending up ruined. Good thing the plant had sprouted several pups last summer.

Himalayan Fleece Flower

Some of the most gorgeous color I've seen this fall was spotted a couple of Sundays ago at DBG. Polygonum affine (Persicaria affinis) glowed like fire in the morning sun! I would love to see this plant in its natural habitat (China, Tibet), but of course would settle for a clump of it in my own garden.

Smiling Asters

Next year I will cut this Aster plant back several times to avoid the legginess seen this year, which I've lassoed in with a thick piece of twine. Bees are still afoot in my garden thanks to it. The above shot was taken in the late afternoon shade, the below one in mid-morning light. What beautiful little faces in those flowers!