When It Gets Hot...

On Saturday, for the date of June 29, Austin set a new high temperature of 108 degrees.  So, obviously, it was the perfect time to plant some succulents into pots!

I filled a narrow, rectangular pot with Aloe deltoideodonta on the left, Silver Dollar Plant (Dudleya brittonii 'Super White') in the center and Gasteraloe 'Flo' on the right (have not been able to find any online references for the latter).

A small round pot received Gasteria bicolor var. carspetosain in the front, Variegated Indian Corn Cob (Euphorbia mammillaris var. variegata) on the left, Stapelia incomparabilis (very little online information) in the back and a variegated Sedum species on the right (can anyone identify?).

I added Tiger Jaws (Faucaria tigrina) to the pot already containing Golden Tooth Aloe (Aloe perfoliata) as that Aloe has a tendency to lean outwards, leaving most of the pot looking empty.  Hopefully the Tiger Jaws will fill in (and I like the matching toothy appearance).

This squarish pot seemed to compliment Flapjack Plant (Kalanchoe thyrsiflora) very nicely.

The pot includes a couple of Ice Plants (Delosperma congestum) which will hopefully survive under the broad leaves of the Flapjack Plant.

Still Planting

Summer has arrived and temperatures are breaking into triple digits, but I'm still trying to get some plants into the ground and then hope to baby them through the remainder of the summer.

A couple of years back, I had planted several Autumn Ferns (Dryopteris erythrosora) between the Cast Iron Plants (Aspidistra elatior) and the bed's rock border, but the ongoing drought hammered them into submission.  So I decided to try planting five Wavy Scaly Cloakferns (Astrolepis sinuata) as they are rumored to handle low water conditions better.

Before

After

Then I transplanted four Soap Aloe (Aloe maculata) pups along the highest point of the top level of my Three Tiers Bed.  I had originally planned on placing a couple of Agaves here, but tree roots prevented me from replacing the original soil with enough good drainage for them.

Instead, I placed one of the Variegated Thread Leaf Agave (Agave schidigera 'Shira Ito No Ohi') into the front of the lowest level tier where one of my Agave 'Blue Glow' had died.  I have one Agave left and will likely place it into a pot.

Flower Power: GBBD June 2013

 Sponsored by May Dream Gardens

Established Plants

Chinese Indigo (Indigofera kirilowii)

 Pink Rain Lily (Zephyranthes rosea)

 Rock Rose (Pavonia lasiopetala)

 American Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana)

 Red Yucca (Hesperaloe parviflora)

 Texas Betony (Stachys coccinea)

 Lily of the Nile (Agapanthus africanus)

 Coral Nymph Sage (Salvia coccinea 'Coral Nymph')

 Jerusalem Sage (Phlomis fruticosa)

 Texas Bindweed (Convolvulus equitans)

New Plants in the Garden

Pam's Pink Turk's Cap (Malvaviscus drummondii 'Pam Puryear')

Annuals

Begonias (Begonia semperflorens)

Potted Plants

Haworthia attenuata 'variegata'

Indoor Plants

Moth Orchid (Phalaenopsis sp.)

Tardies

Grannie's Crinum Lily (species unknown)

More Planting

I wasn't planning on doing much planting as we are certainly into our hot summer months, but a 75% off sale convinced me otherwise.  Only got seven of the seventeen purchases into the ground today, so more is still on the schedule.

I added three Milky Way Cast Iron Plants (Aspidistra lurida 'Milky Way') around the base of a Mahonia (Mahonia aquifolium) to add some greenery amongst the rocks.

Another bare spot fit this Ascot Rainbow Euphorbia (Euphorbia martini 'Ascot Rainbow') perfectly.  Have not tried this species before, so I'm hoping this locale gets enough light for it to do well.

The three Echeveria setosa were added to my Three Tiers bed, bracketing the center Calamar Squid Agave (Agave bracteosa 'Calamar').  Several of the remaining purchases are planned for this bed also.