FALL 2012
Fall is really here after a glorious late summer that seemed like it would never end. At Rare Plant Research and Villa Catalana Gardens we had no rain from late June until mid October.
The succulent plants loved it. They got watered about once every two weeks or less. The photos in this blog post are all from our terrace garden which is a bed about four feet wide and 90 feet long and filled with hardy and non-hardy succulents and xeriphytes. The hardies such as Yucca thomsoniana, Dasylirion wheeleri, Tradescantia 'Purple Heart', Delasperma, Semprevivums, and sedums are the backbone of the garden and non-hardies such as Echeveria, Aeoniums, Senecios and Kalanchoes give a little seasonal drama to the the bed. They get lifted and go in the greenhouse for the winter, usually after we get some frost.
We have had a number of very light frosts which the non-hardies can endure, but when it drops below 25*f, they suffer significant damage. Now that we are on standard time there is no light in the evenings after work to enjoy the terrace garden so it is time to pull the plug on the non-hardies.
It is a sad time of year as they get put to bed, but after a winter rest, they join their hardy friends in the spring and they look even better. When seen in a pot, they often surprise me because they have grown so big during the warm months. It is time for time by the fireplace in the evenings and the less hectic time of winter. Ahh, a little winter nap sounds pretty good to me after a very busy spring, summer and early fall.
