Ice Plant Idiosyncrasies

My luck with ice plants (Delosperma) this year is poor. According to plant web sites, they are getting exactly the kind of conditions they would like.

The one that is looking good is 'Ocean Sunset,' but it doesn't really count as far as me doing anything right because the original did not survive the winter, and I had to buy another one.

I have two other varieties. Each had one little attempt at blooming in early June, and then nothing. This is 'Granita' orange. It was new last fall, and isn't very well established, but it's alive. Just no flowers since this one two months ago. These plants should bloom all summer long.

And the one that was really well-established last year, 'Red Mountain Flame.' It still has a good patch of the fleshy leaves, but has not bloomed again at all this year.

The heat was bad again today. It was already 75 degrees at 8 am. That was tempered by a strong breeze so it didn't feel as bad, but it sucked the moisture out of everything.

The weather forecast had said rain this evening, but now they've moved that to Monday. The gardens are looking very stressed, so I am watering everything this evening. Some of the rock garden plants, like the dianthus, are in danger of not surviving. They got too little water in June, and are looking bad. Hopefully the roots are OK.

I managed to pace myself better today and got a lot done on inside tasks. Did a LOT of sorting on my clean-up project. Worked on plant records.

See Rock Garden June 2025

Rock Garden (mostly) Report- June 2025

June is bustin' out all over!

This is going to get too long, but it will be the last garden post for three weeks. First, to keep the same reference views going for comparison, here are the top and bottom of the rock garden. The far side of the bottom section has more rocks and fewer plants for two reasons. Some of that is as new as last summer. Also, when I built the first part, I didn't put in enough rocks. I've been contemplating if I should try to fix that. Not a priority.

Sure has filled in from last year! Of course a lot of that is the Bloody Geranium which I rip out by the shovelful when I get something better to put in its place.

Before you get bored and leave, I want to show you the Lewisia again. The lower clump has never stopped blooming since April 25 when I planted it. The upper clump is reblooming. The dark patch in the middle is Sempervivum 'Black,' and I hope the Wandering Jew above it (not hardy) starts to get larger soon. Sedums and Vinca in the foreground.

Let me show you the Lewisia up close. It is stunning! You may recall I tried one of these long ago, and it didn't live. I sure hope these decide they are happy because right now they are my favorite rock garden purchase of this year.

Here's another success and survival story from the original rock garden. This is Sedum kamtschaticum 'Weihenstephaner Gold.' It was almost as robust when I recovered the garden in 2023 as it was originally, but it didn't bloom that year or last year. It's going to this year!

I'll miss the full bloom, but I'm just happy to know it's happy again. In fact, I even split off a chunk and put it in a second location last year. Look at those nifty flowers.

Dianthus has continued to be one of my best-blooming genera. Here are two that also looked good last year. This one is 'Kahori' which tolerated my disturbing it a lot to remove grape hyacinth bulbs that were under it. Still a couple more to dig out, as you can see.

And this one is 'Eastern Star' with foliage friends

Not everything is a success story. Two years ago I bought a 'Coral Reef' Dianthus. It got chewed severely that fall. Looked like it might recover last year. All gone this year. I never even took a picture of it. Oh well. A couple of weeks ago 'Olivia Wild' was half price, so I've added that to the mix. I like the dark bands on the petals. Shown here with 'Dream Dazzler' sedum and some of the Bloody Geranium.

Speaking of the geraniums, here's some of the Bloody one with the pink one which may be cinereum. They do look nice together.

The pink one really has nice detail seen up close. And it's not nearly so invasive. It's also shorter which is good.

The creeping thyme is also blooming. It looks nice with the 'Oddity' Sempervivum. It's another plant that you have to rip out by the handful or it will take over. But I'm getting good at ripping.

Thought I was going to miss these blooming. Nope! They started today. This is the 'Siskiyu' primrose. This is another plant that goes nuts spreading everywhere. But it's easy to rip out where you don't want it. This was one of last year's favorite purchases. 'Lime Twister' sedum behind it.

I can't stop until I show proof that the two Ice Plants that overwintered are starting to bloom. This is 'Red Mountain Flame.'

And this Ice Plant I bought at the Garden Club sale last fall, and I wasn't sure it was going to make it. But here is 'Granita' orange. It's surrounded by Sedum sexangulare, another plant that I really regret. It's only redeeming factor is that it fills in around other plants well. It's getting ready to have yellow flowers which are nice. I will miss those. But its ability to fill in means that you have to keep ripping it out all the time. And after it blooms the long stems are ugly and have to be cut. (Not as bad as Sedum acre- I removed all of that one!)

I have to throw in one picture that isn't the rock garden. For several years now, I've either had the salmon poppy bloom or the red-orange poppy bloom, but never in the same year. Look what happened! I thought they wouldn't open for me to see before I leave, but here they are. And that dumb pink fleeceflower just keeps looking good for weeks while the poppies only last a couple of days.

Speaking of leaving... I have just a few little packing things to do and wash the dishes. Better get at it. Tomorrow morning, I'm on my way east! This is really going to happen.

See What's In Full Bloom?

A Few Notes from the Rock Garden

 The 'Autumn Joy' sedum still isn't in full bloom, but it looks like it's going to be a dusky deep pink. The other tall sedum, the one with the light purple blossoms is still lovely.

Calico asters have started coming up along the edge of the rock garden, and they are going to get to stay. I think that would look nice if they would establish themselves.

This is the last of the plants I bought at the Garden Club sale. It's another ice plant. This one is 'Granita Orange.' It may be a little less hardy than the other two, but I guess I'll know in the spring. I tore out some of the Sedum sexangulare to put it in. There's way too much of the other.

Finally, just something I never noticed before. I'm pretty sure these are grape hyacinths. They are sprinkled hither and yon all over the rock garden. But I didn't realize they can put up leaves in the fall if the weather is mild. It doesn't hurt them at all. Actually, I'm glad to see some here, because I also added some crocus bulbs to this space earlier this summer. Those should look nice together in the spring.

In other news: I finished marking the edits to How to Hike... Tomorrow, I'll start actually making changes in the file. I have one more week to get this done without a fee. Shouldn't be a problem.

I walked to the Post Office.

Miles walked in 2024: 439

See Sunshine Between the Sprinkles

What's Blooming Today

 The late-season sedums are looking very nice. I won't do comparison pictures because the post would get very long, but I think most of what I'm showing you are at the peak of bloom.

First is the 'Dazzleberry' sedum. This has spread decently, and the color is rich and vibrant.

This is the sedum from Betty, which I think might be S. seiboldi 'October Daphne.' Much brighter than 3 weeks ago when I showed you.

This is the tall sedum from Margaret. It's not yet in full bloom, but it's going to have pale lavender flowers. I think this is the only flower I have with this color, especially at this time of year. It's probably some variety of Hylotelephium spectabile. (Formerly a sedum)

Here is the CoralJade sedum. This feels like a magical find to me. I stumbled on one plant at one nursery. I'd never heard of it, but it does a lovely job of filling the space. I think some of the flowers are past prime, but I like how it always seems to have a variety of soft, dusty colors going at the same time. The foliage is that way too.

This is one that Betsy gave me last year. I'm pretty sure it's a hybrid called 'Thundercloud.' Just starting to bloom. I have it in two locations.

I couldn't just call this a sedum update because one thing to show you is the 'Ocean Sunset' Ice Plant. The other one is healthy, but it seems to be done blooming for the year. This one is still going strong.

One more little treat. A happy bumble bee with its pollen baskets filled to the brim! I'm happy to make them happy too.

In other news: I worked on Long Distance Hiker records, some of my own record keeping- including plants, worked in the front garden some more (almost all cleaned up), and took a 3.7 mile walk around Scottville.

Miles hiked in 2024: 388.4

See Sedum Odds and Ends

What's Blooming Today

 I've been working on weeding the front flower bed. Not done yet, but this one is much easier than the rock garden. The Fleeceflowers are still looking good, two weeks after the first picture from this year. Wow. I don't care for this very much, but if it's going to be this nice, I'll call it a winner. You can see that things behind it are somewhat weeded.

Also in the front bed is the white deadnettle I got for free a long time ago when someone threw a planter from the cemetery into the gully. This only thrives when it's weeded, but I guess it decided I'd done an adequate job last year. I like it for the white leaves, but the white flowers are nice and bright too.

Of course, the best of the front bed at this time of year is the poppies. This year, both the red and the salmon ones bloomed. This one skipped last year for some reason. When it blooms, it has three flowers. Always... three.

The really good news is that the other Brunnera that I thought hadn't survived the winter was just hiding. Hooray! The leaves aren't white when they first come up, so I just didn't see it in the weeds. It's smaller than the one I've been showing you, but fine.

Now we'll go out to the bed that only was partly weeded last year, and hasn't been touched yet this year. There are two perennial Salvia, also called Meadow Sage, out there, both purple. I had a pink one too, but I think that's gone. If you deadhead it, it will bloom a long time.

This is not an actual rock garden report, but there are a few things blooming. The magenta and pink geraniums are all over, but they keep blooming a long, long time. They kind of provide a backdrop for other things.

First, I want to show you the Red Mountain Flame Ice Plant again. I am SO excited that this is happy. What a burst of color.

I decided to get another, but this one is 'Ocean Sunset Orange Glow.' It's not as well established yet, but I have high hopes. Can you tell that the flowers are orange in the middle, but magenta on the margins?

This is another new plant. I've killed one before (maybe not this variety), but this was inexpensive, so I decided to give it another shot. This is a Sea Pink, "Armeria maritima." variety 'Dusseldorf Pride.' It's supposed to be a rock garden plant, so perhaps this one will shape up. It only grows about 6" tall.

And we will end with a rock garden surprise. The last time I saw this plant was in 2016 when I blogged about it (link below). This is supposedly a perennial Dianthus, but mostly it just self-seeds and comes up wherever it wants to. The variety is 'Brilliant.' The flowers are tiny, about 1/2" across, and this picture is in dappled light, but they are bright, deep pink. There are two patches of them in the rock garden. They are just starting to bloom. You can see there are lots more buds.

The thing about plants that are pretty but self-seed all over is that you never know where they are going to come up, and it may not be in a suitable place. I used to have California Poppies all over the rock garden too. When I was happy to have anything at all blooming, they were OK, but I'd rather have plants stay where I put them. Anyway. I'll take them. If the other Dianthus like this one, 'Arctic Fire,' ever shows up again, I'll be really happy. Also last seen in 2016.

The Dianthus 'Kohari,' and 'Red Dwarf Eastern Star' are also blooming. Some of the sedums are just beginning.

I edited about 4 hours, and worked on the gardens. I still have some things to get ready for the vendor event tomorrow. I have to get cracking and get them done because I need to leave here at 7:30 in the morning.

See I Used to Have Nice Plants

What's Blooming Now

 I have to lead with the stunner, the oriental poppy. This is a great success story. I rescued this nearly shaded-out and dead poppy from the hedge down below when all that was left was a tiny sprig. That was only a few years ago, and look at it now!

While we're in that front flower bed (which I have begun to weed), let's look at the Heuchera. I really don't care much about the flowers, but they are the reason that the common name is "coral bells." The wonderful 'Peach Flambe' plant has light pink to white bells. You can barely see them on that tall stem. Remember the song, "white coral bells upon a slender stalk?"

This Heuchera I got from my friend Margaret. I don't know the variety, but it's similar to one called 'Firefly.' The flowers are actually attractive in a darker pink. Behind it is the dwarf Solomon's seal. I've shown you that quite often.

Now let's move to the totally un-reclaimed flower bed out behind the house. Much to my surprise, the Star-of-Bethlehem has survived. I think a few of these might get moved to the rock garden. They are not supposed to like shade, but that's about all they are getting where they are now!

This is one of the Dianthus I bought last year, 'Kahori.' I discovered this year that it was in the same space with all the N. canaliculatus daffodils. Not an attractive plan as the daf leaves linger. The dafs were too tall for that space anyway, so I've dug all the blubs from under this and will move them. Despite the disturbance, this is very happy. It's covered with buds.

Here's a plant I wish I'd never bought. It's everywhere, and I have to just keep ripping it out. I've left a few clumps. It's variegated vinca. The flowers are twice the size of the regular vinca (creeping myrtle, periwinkle), and it's not quite as invasive, but it's a pest.

Speaking of nuisance plants, I'm working on keeping the Bloody Cranesbill geranium controlled to certain areas of the rock garden. Meanwhile, I have to admit that it does fill things in beautifully with color. The flowers are the magenta. The lighter color is a pink geranium I got years ago for free. Maybe G. cinereum. It's not nearly so invasive. Right now, the rock garden is primarily magenta and pink with these plants. I have put a few plugs in the new section because I want it to look balanced in the long run. Even the pink one that was a tiny sprig I moved last fall is blooming already this year. They all look brighter in person.

Finally, this is one of my last year's purchases that is making me very smiley. This is the Red Mountain Flame ice plant. Instead of one reluctant blossom at a time, it's going to just bust out with color!

There are several other plants with buds on them. Very exciting!

I edited other people's stuff and my own stuff today, and went shopping. Big vendor event tomorrow and Sunday.

See The Rock Garden Eats More Plants and Rocks