Embracing the unembraceable

I did it. I dug up all the bicolor iris and replaced them with Yucca. No regrets, except not having done it sooner!

And that's not all. I replaced all the plants in pots with cactus or other low-water plants. The theme is blue plants, and I think it works to make the space feel more cohesive:

Blue Sotol and something pokey and an Artichoke Agave.

Yucca Rostrata 'Sapphire Skies'.

Maybe this is Agave Gypsophila? I don't know why I throw away the tags thinking I'll remember the names.

That's a Bismark Palm, and I love it. It's the only one that couldn't withstand the winter we just had. I've got about 8 months to figure that out, though.

And last but not least, I got me an Agave! This guy with a cactus nursery let us take it home for $55 if Jason dug it out! That would cost $100 or more in a nursery!

Have I completely gone over to the st[d]ark side? No way, but I'm willing to skirt the edges. Really really sharp, stabby edges.

The bad before the good

I finally got around to uploading the pictures from this past Winter...just as bad as I remembered!

My poor aloes. I was able to rescue a few of the pups so someday we might get back to where we were:

And Jason's beloved bamboo:

But then Spring comes and things stop looking so hopeless!

Winter:

Spring:

I've planted a new rose next to the Indigo Spires: it's a Veilchenblau, like the ones I planted against the back fence last year. Jason is going to build an arbor for it to climb, which should also give that center bed some height.

Winter:

Spring:

More of the new bed:

(No, that Cordyline didn't come back from the dead. We got a new one. But the pineapple lillies are coming back on their own!)

And my bearded irises. I haven't seen the wine-colored one (Merlot?) in a few years.

Unfortunately none of the ones I planted that I'd left in a box all Winter have done much yet. I haven't declared them legally dead, but I did encourage them to make out a Last Will and Testament. I dream of dozens of simultaneous iris blooms but it has yet to manifest.

On the bright side I found a website for Louisiana Irises since those seem to be the ones I have the best luck with. I'm going to order some late Summer. I'll have my masses of iris blooms one way or another!

I've given up trying to get rid of the Henry Duelberg Salvia. I've tried to pull it up for the last two years and the result is always the same:

Yay Spring!