Sharp plants look sharp in summer
Recently I posted about my summer garden-book reading list, and Sharp Gardening was one I’d picked up. I haven’t read it yet, but I’m already doing some sharp gardening myself. Pictured above: purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea ) and softleaf yucca (Yucca recurvifolia ).
I love sharp plants like this ‘Whale’s Tongue’ agave (Agave ovatifolia ) because they don’t require anything of me in the summer. They don’t wilt under the punishing sun. They laugh at drought. And they look fantastic in contrast with fine-leaved, flowering, drought-tolerant perennials like Mexican oregano (Poliomintha longiflora ).
Mexican oregano isn’t sharp, but it sure does look pretty—and its foliage smells good too.
Sharp combos are smart combos for those of us in hot, drought-prone climates. The payoff continues in the winter, when their evergreen, architectural forms provide the backbone of the garden.
All material © 2006-2008 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
Beautiful pictures of your garden. It made me feel good to see that I have yucca planted next to my purple coneflower….all by accident though. My neighbors purple coneflower spread over to my garden next to my yucca that another neighbor gave me. The two must like to be planted next to each other. 🙂
Hey, accidental happy pairings are the gardener’s friend. No one needs to know! 😉 Thanks for your comment, Laurie. —Pam
We’re deep in our “growing pause” part of the year, aren’t we? I’d never seen the Mexican oregano, but I think I’ve got a couple of places it would do well in.
Gotta hold on ’till September…
Or October. We Southern gardeners will have to hold on until then. By the way, happy birthday, Nancy! Hope it was a good one. —Pam
Although I like sharp dressed men 😀 I’m not that keen on sharp plants in my garden. Some of yours look so sharp you could cut yourself. To each her own, I guess.
It would be more of a stab or puncture wound than a cut, YE. But yes, they can be a pain in the butt (or elsewhere) if you’re not careful. I felt as you did when I first moved to Austin, but sharp plants are naturals here. Literally. They grow in the greenbelts around town. They contrast so well with our short, scrubby native perennials. And they like our long, hot summers. Plus they add so much drama to the garden that no other plant can provide in our harsh climate. I wouldn’t be without them now. But I do give them respect when I garden around them. —Pam
Those coneflowers are so showy, but the bench makes the garden! Wonderful!
Thank you, Nancy! I love my cedar bench. It’s comfortable too, though it doesn’t look it. —Pam
I love your sharp gardening… I ASPIRE to such great plant combinations! But you must already know that, since I mention it every time I drool over your posted agave pictures. *grin*
I am rather amused right now, though, that the first picture shows a “softleaf” yucca. That just doesn’t seem right somehow.
Well, we’re drooling over each other’s plant combos then, Kim, because yours are already wonderful. I just wish you could find a cold-hardy agave for your garden because I know how much you love them. As for the softleaf yucca, you are right! It is ironic that I chose that one to lead off my “sharp” post. However, it does have sharp terminal spines, though its leaves are droopy and flexible rather than stiff and swordlike, as with many yuccas. —Pam
Sharp and beautiful…coneflowers just seem to die in my garden….they must not like the overhead sprinkler spraying :(….what is really thriving in my yard is Bat Face Cuphea and my Lily of the Nile flowers — this rain is just wonderful, don’t you think?!?!?!
Pamie G. in San Antonio
I’m sorry about your coneflowers. I use an overhead sprinkler too (not ideal, I know) and mine don’t seem to mind. But I love the bat-face cuphea too, especially next to purple coneflower. Talk about vibrant! Ironically, Lily of the Nile is what I’ve killed several times. I need to give it another try. Are you growing the traditional blue or another kind? —Pam
Your garden is still looking in tip top form. I don’t have the Mexican Oregano but I think I’ll have to find a spot for it next year. I’m not sure I can find space for 3 though! Your cone flowers look as though they are still going strong. Over here I have cut them back hoping for a later blooming.
I confess I took these pictures about two weeks ago, Jenny. They seemed a good illustration for a post about sharp plants. I think the Mexican oregano would be a nice transition plant for your spring-into-summer garden. —Pam
Love the Yucca recurvifolia. It’s one of my “go to” plants in my designs. Can you grow Agave vilmoriniana? It’s about the most voluptuous, sensual agave around. My absolute raving fave. Thanks for a stimulating post.
Are you growing your octopus agave (A. vilmoriniana) in an octopus’s garden, Billy? If I find it anywhere in Austin, I will buy it for its name alone. Love it, and the form IS gorgeous. I am growing squid agave (A. bracteosa), which is readily available here. It’s one of those that will happily take some shade in our climate. —Pam
Sharp is good, and works well in your garden. I like your plant combinations!
Thanks, Carol. Sharp is fun. —Pam
You are sharp in choosing the right plants for your garden Pam. The bench in the first photo
looks so inviting.
Thanks, Lisa. That’s exactly what I was going for. —Pam
Pam,
Very nice combinations indeed. Your coneflowers are still magnificent!
Meems @Hoe&Shovel
Thank you, Meems. —Pam
I like a combination of foliage shapes providing a nice contrast in the garden. Your sharps look wonderful! And your coneflowers are beautiful!!
Thanks, Chey. Sharp plants often have such interesting and dramatic foliage, plus I love their silvery color. —Pam
Agaves can take heat and drought, but our intense sun always burns the leaves. Come fall, they usually recover, but my Whale’s Tongue Agave has some serious damage this year because we’ve had absolutely no cloud cover for months. Our coneflowers are gone by April 1. Yours look wonderful!
Aiyana
Sunburning of the ‘Whale’s Tongue’ was a concern of mine when I first planted it in my west-facing, shadeless garden. But it seems to be weathering our summers just fine. Of course, if global warming gives us hotter summers (like this year), that may become a problem for me too. My coneflowers definitely benefit from supplemental watering, else they’d be mostly gone by now. —Pam
Yuccas and agaves are beautiful in their own right, but I think their foliage just makes whatever else is around them look better. Your first shot with the bench is magazine worthy.
Yes, they make great foils for blooming annuals and perennials, as well as striking centerpieces. So versatile! Thanks for the compliment on my photo, Les. —Pam
Really excellent shots Pam…the garden looks delightful and the coneflowers are perfect.
Thank you, Gail! —Pam
Love the photos. We are entering our pause too when I need to deadhead everyone to be pretty for when it’s cooler. Love your coneflowers. I used to kill them too until I realized they want very little water, definitely not overhead, and they like gravely soil.~~Dee
Hi, Dee. It’s true that coneflowers don’t want a lot of water, but they are some of the thirstier plants in my xeric garden, ironically. Here in Austin, where it’s hotter for longer than in northern Oklahoma, where you are, I’d suggest a little more water or afternoon shade for them. —Pam
Sharp indeed! You know how I love that agave, and the coneflowers are so sturdy one cannot be without them! Starting to really warm up here but not like Austin!
Coneflowers are sturdy as well as cheerful, aren’t they, Layanee? I’m glad we can both grow them. —Pam
I’m with Yolanda Elizabet, sharp is not for me. It does look good though, especially setting off something more soft looking. I read the book “Sharp Gardening.” You’ll like it. It’s not for me though. BTW – I’m not the only one having trouble with your feed on Google Reader. You might want to check on that.
Thanks for letting me know about the feed problem. I haven’t had a chance to get my guru on it, but I will as soon as possible. 😉 —Pam
Hi Pam, it seems no one commented on the *shape echo* of the yucca and the design on the bench back in the first photo. Were you waiting to see if anyone noticed it? Brilliant. You should give photography lessons. Like the others, I steer clear of the sharps, having bad memories of yucca sword fights as a child in Oklahoma. Ouch, and they have a poison on the tip that causes the wound to get infected, sort of like rose thorns. That said, they are perfect for your climate with that semi arid landscape. Hauntingly beautiful.
Oh, Frances, you made my day. Not because I was waiting to see if anyone noticed that shape echo between yucca and bench, but because I hadn’t consciously noticed it myself until you mentioned it. I say “consciously” because I believe we often appreciate such echoes unconsciously without ever analyzing why. This echo was a serendipitous accident, which I’m owning up to because I want you to know how pleased I am that you pointed it out to me.
As for yucca sword fights, yikes! As kids I remember having a few bottle rocket fights on the 4th 0f July, but I think yucca sword fights might be more dangerous. —Pam
Good for you-growing what suits your climate and soil, and what’s waterwise. That’s why your garden is looking great despite the heat! I also have that soft leaved yucca, along with a new yucca “silverstar”. Did you ever try Yucca Do Nursery http://www.yuccado.com/
They are a leading nursery for unusual agaves and succulents.
That ‘Silverstar’ yucca sounds intriguing. I’ll have to look for it. I haven’t been out to Yucca Do yet, but I’ve visited its online catalog. One of these days I’ll make a pilgrimage to Peckerwood Garden, and when I do I plan to visit Yucca Do as well. They are located a few hours east of Austin and are open to the public only a handful of days a year. —Pam
I must say your garden is looking fabulous this summer! I’m impressed and jealous 😉 Ours is still plodding along. I just got back from a month in Colorado and left my husband to tend the yard. I’m beginning to find that my 2 hobbies (travelling and gardening) may be a little contradictory to one another. It’s hard to tend home and hearth while trying to be a carefree traveller. In the end my husband did a great job with the yard and I only lost 3 plants. So, I’ll continue to try to maintain both hobbies for as long as it works!
I think you are right, Chandra. Frequent travel means the garden usually suffers. I have that same problem in the summer, when I like to get out of town to escape the heat, and yet that’s when the garden requires more attention to keep it alive and/or kept from looking jungly. I’m fantasizing about a sprinkler system to make summer travel worry-free. Good luck with your traveling and gardening too! —Pam
I keep coming back to your blog, over and over, hoping to see more photos of that Whale Tongue agave – it’s spectacular. And then today, there was the gorgeous combo of purple coneflower and yucca in such a pretty composition with your bench. Your blog is always a visual delight!
Well, thanks, Kim! I’m glad you like the Whale’s Tongue, since I’m always posting pics of it. At this point, I figure only those who love agaves are still visiting Digging. 😉 Thanks for your comment. —Pam
That whale’s tongue always makes me jealous!
Well, your pool makes me jealous, Bonnie, especially at this time of year. 🙂 —Pam
Yummy yummy yummy pictures!
You HAVE to have an A. vilmoriniana! If one of mine ever makes a pup or two, I’ll send them your way … they are such superstars in my garden, and one of the interesting things I’ve noticed is that they seem to grow faster and better in containers than they do in the ground! Extra sharp drainage must be the key…
I fell in love with them when I saw a full grown specimen at the Huntington Gardens. Pam, you would LOVE to hang out in their desert plantings. When I was first flirting with succulents, I went there every week to soak in the glory.
How about a pilgrimage to The Huntington? I’d be so honored to accompany you….
OK, I am now officially on the lookout for Agave vilmoriniana! I would go see Huntington on your recommendation alone, Germi. If I’m ever in L.A., I will be sure to give you a call and would absolutely love to tour the garden with you. —Pam
Pam – lovely contrasts in color and texture in your garden. I so admire all your little vignettes and how perfectly natural (yet manicured) they look next to one another. Your oregano is stunning.
Diana, thanks for your kind compliments. I’m glad my garden seems well groomed and not too wild or scruffy, especially since this is in the front yard. Speaking of scruffy, I just returned from a long vacation, and the garden is in definite need of a trim, despite the lack of rain. I must get out there tomorrow. —Pam
Love the purple coneflowers, and the yucca to give winter architecture looks great. I’ll have to keep my eye open for something similar here (New England!)
Hi, Joanne, and thanks for commenting. I can’t quite imagine yuccas in New England, but I know it must be Xmas-card lovely there in the winter. Actually, I was just in New England on vacation and sure did enjoy the cooler summer weather! —Pam
I stumbled upon this site while doing a search for a Natchez Crepe Myrtle. Just wanted to comment that you have a WONDERFUL website that I am adding to my favorites! Cheers and Tanks from Southern California Zone 9/19!
Thank YOU, Skrip. I’m glad you dropped by and liked what you saw. Please come back again soon. —Pam