Propagation graduates, and kindergarteners

I needed the four inch pots in use by a lot of bunch grasses I grew from local seed - Nassella cernua - nodding needlegrass. So I decided to graduate them to the garden instead of to gallon pots.

These bunch grasses are overstaying their welcome in the greenhouse
 I planted quite a few in this area, and have more to do. This is the succulent bed near the foundation, which I put in a few months ago. Surprisingly most of the succulents are doing just fine. Whether I put them in artistically or not - well that's a chance affair in my garden.

The succulent bed - with a lot of a very low plant growing between the succulent babies.
I'm not sure what the little low plant is that has spread among the succulents in this bed (along with weeds I've been removing). I don't know if it's a weed or a native - do you?

pretty little flowers and solid green foliage. What is this?
The bunch grasses don't look very - well - bunchy yet. But I know they can grow tall and full with wonderful long needle-like seed heads that do nod in the breeze. They look a lot like our state grass, Nassella pulchra. I think this genus has been renamed again, but I'm too exhausted to keep up right now.

These bunch grasses looked a lot more lush in their close-packed pots!
Last weekend I planted some as well, and put out some baby lupines with them too. Oh dear - something enjoyed those babies!

Look ma, no leaves! Something likes Lupinus arboreus.

This silver bush lupine, Lupinus albifrons, looks like it might make it, though.
I also tried putting out some very juvenile naked buckwheat, in another bed in the south garden, along with two other clusters of bunch grass teenagers. I'm curious to see how things do if they are planted very young - if nothing eats them. They are all within a rabbit fence. But there are lots of critter tunnels all over the garden.

A buckwheat baby, thrust into the big world, among some bunch grass kids.

Kindergarten lupines! Germinated in flats. I put some in very tall narrow pots.

Aren't these Lupinus arboreus babies cute? All soft and fuzzy.

Some of them were little cherubs with cotyledons for wings. I wish i had taken a photo of some of last year's graduates - large and green and lovely.


Lastly I just want to crow about the most successful graduate in the class of Heuchera micrantha, which I've planted all over the place. This is the first of the alum root that I've grown (all these are local wild natives) that has actually put out a flower stalk! I know many people would wonder how anyone could excited about this, but if you're a gardener, I'm sure you'll understand!

First Heuchera micrantha to flower, from those I've grown from seed!

Comments

Kaveh Maguire said…
Slugs perhaps eating the lupins? I put out Sluggo for all my new plants. I'm not taking any chances.
Sue Langley said…
Ah,...I love looking at all your new babies, Mouse. The succulent bed looks wonderful and lush.

Would your mystery pink flowers be Calandrinia ciliata, Redmaids. Hope so,..they are native.
Diana Studer said…
Redmaids are rather lovely. Hope they will prove to be welcome natives.
Country Mouse said…
I think you're right Sue - I thought it was something with maids in the name. And they are so very common - looking in calflora.org - and these are all over the bed for some reason! And not a lot of other places. Disturbed soil, I guess. Kaveh, I suspect birds are eating the lupine foliage - lots of sparrows been enjoying that part of the garden lately, gold crowned sparrows I think they are, not too sure. Migratory visitors. Slugs fortunately I don't see around here, just the banana slugs which are welcome!
Thanks for coming by!
Sue Langley said…
The redmaids, I bet, germinated when you cultivated, if you did. I really have become aware of how 'distubing' the soil unearths dormant seeds and how amazing, really, that is, good or not so good.

One year seeds, seven years of weeds, Judith Larner says.... :-)
Country Mouse said…
Yes, Sue - where we have not disturbed the chaparral soil in some years, fewer weeds are returning. Spurge is always bad, though, which is really a problem. It's so odd that only in this one bed do we see these redmaids. I like the saying you shared!
I think I lost our silver bush lupine this winter. Not sure if it was the cold, or if I'll find a gopher tunnel under the roots when I dig it up. The Nassella seedlings look great. I planted a few N. pulchra this winter, but everything in the garden at the moment looks like it's waiting for rain before it does too much. I do hope we get some rain soon!