New Succulent Hanging Basket

My mother-in-law gifted me with a large wire-frame hanging basket which I filled with some succulents.  My past non-succulent hanging baskets have suffered, so I'm trying these drought-loving specimens.

The central plant is Aloe brevifolia.  I had this Aloe species before, but a plugged drainage hole led me to drowning it.  I'm looking forward to trying it again.

Surrounding it is Sedum spurium 'Tricolor'.  I really like its variegated foliage combined with pink highlights.  It should cascade over the edges as it grows.

Planted in the Ground:

• Soft-leafed yucca (Yucca recurvifolia): Added to the rear of the top level of the Three Tiers Garden behind the Cast Iron Plants (Aspidistra elatior).
• Soap Aloe (Aloe maculata): Finally transplanted from the backyard garden to the middle level of the Three Tiers Garden; smaller sprouts added at the base of a Red Oak in the front garden.
• Sempervivum species: Added to the bottom level of the Three Tiers Garden, one between each of the Agave 'Blue Glow'.

Flower Power: GBBD May 2012

Sponsored by May Dream Gardens

Established Plants

Rock Rose (Pavonia lasiopetala)

 Pink Rain Lily (Zephyranthes rosea)

 Mexican Honeysuckle (Justicia spicigera)

White Shamrock (Oxalis crassipes 'Alba')

 Pink Shamrock (Oxalis crassipes 'Rosea')

Lily of the Nile (Agapanthus africanus)

 Oakleaf Hydrangea 'Alice' (Hydrangea quercifolia 'Alice')

 Aztec Arrowhead (Sagittaria montevidensis)

Red Yucca's (Hesperaloe parviflora)

Wall Iris (Iris tectorum)

Crinum (species unknown)

Potted Plants

Peanut Cactus (Echinopsis chamaecereus)

 Ground Orchid (Spathoglottis plicata)

Annuals

Begonias (Begonia semperflorens)

Indoor Plants

Moth Orchid (Phalaenopsis sp.)

New Succulent Pots

Put together a couple of succulent pots composed of plants bought on visits to East Austin Succulents, Austin Cactus & Succulent Shows & Oracle Gorge Nursery sales.  Some of the plants have been patiently waiting for me to find the right pot or the right combination of specimens.

The first consists of Aloe 'Franco' (back), Aloe pictifolia (left) and Crassula perforata 'Variegata' (right).

The larger second pot contains five different Aloes: unidentified Aloe species (back left), Aloe kedongensis (back right), Aloe haworthioides (left), possibly Aloe 'Vito' (center) & Aloe 'White Cloud' (right).

This pot really shows the amazing variety of coloration that can be found in the Aloes.

Still need to get some gravel for top-dressing, but really like they way the pots turned out.

Name That Plant

Picked up a couple of plants today from East Austin Succulents - but sadly they lacked identification (a common occurrence at this nursery...grumble).  I usually pass when plants lack names, but I really liked these two specimens.  The staff said both of them were hybrids but could not positively identify them.

The first looks a lot like an Aloe 'Franco', but I bought one of those on the same trip and it has smoother leaves (though I've seen online pictures of Francos with lots of ridges).

Love the coloration. The leaves are thicker and stiffer than is typical for most Aloes (including the Franco I bought) - more like those of a Gasteraloe (a possible hybridization?).

The second is another Aloe species which shows some faint variegation with lengthwise striations and vertical growth. 

If anybody can identify (or give clues), please let me know.

Phalaenopsis Repot

Have never attempted to repot any of my Phalaenopsis before - thus they would typically play out after a few years.  But after seeing this video on how easy the process was, I decided to give it a go.

This specimen only produced a small spray of four blooms this year, so I figured it was a likely candidate for repotting.  The leaves appeared pretty healthy and there were several aerial roots.

After removing the potting mixture, I discovered most of the lower roots were in pretty bad shape - hollow, collapsed or decaying.

So snipped off almost everything except the aerial roots.  Later I even removed the two lower leaves that had started showing some wrinkling.

Placed it back into its original pot, pushed the aerial roots back inside and packed it all in with some pre-soaked Phalaenopsis potting medium.

Time will tell if the repotting proves successful.