Aug 9 2014

Agapanthus Snow Pixie

Whilst browsing through the multitudes of stock at Bali Hai nursery last year I decided to give a small variety of Agapanthus a go for a Kusamono. I actually got 3 varieties but this one has come out the best. It’s Snow Pixie. I’m hoping that with a few years in a pot the flower will produce a shorter stalk but if it doesn’t, I think I’m happy with the result. Maturity will help. Not quite open yet, I’ll post again when in flower flower.

Jul 29 2014

This weeks Accent Selection

Sedum and Leptinella

Mixed fern and grasses

Hosta Venusta

Chaenorhinum Glareosum

Arthropodium candidum purpureum.

Jul 11 2014

Image

Shamrock Accent

Jun 17 2014

Two More

First one has a fern, Saxifrage Mount Nachii, Hosta Iced Lemon and leptinella.

Sedum sp. and leptinella

Jun 11 2014

Accent – Gunnera!

No, not one of the hugh leafed Gunneras that we see blotting the landscape. This is one of the small varieties that hails from New Zealand I think. I don’t have the full botanicial name for it and if one of you plant nerds can ID it, I’d love to know. I can’t remember seeing one as an accent before but I’d love to be proved wrong on that point. I got this one from Pat in Waterford in a plant swap session. Cheers Pat, I love it. Pot is a Wallsall Ceramics creation.Again, it’s going to take a while to fill out but I’ll keep you posted with how it matures.

Jun 10 2014

Kusamono – Juncus, Papyrus, Hosta,Sisrinchium

Another Kusamono made up for a new pot, this one by Stone Monkey. I love this pot with the green glaze in the rim. I wanted to plant something that would allow this to be seen but still match the planting.

I opted to go for a cool feel to the planting using light greens in the foliage to link in with the pot colours. I added a Sisrinchium to add just a splash of darker colour but still a cool feel with the purple flower. The other plants are, at the higher level, Juncus effusus, then a middle level with a mini Papyrus and sisyrinchium E.K. Balls, and a hosta Iced Lemon at the bottom level.The hosta will grown to break the line of green around the pot but the majority should still be visible.

Jun 9 2014

Kusamono -Rose, Epimedium, Astilibe.

I wan’t to get this new pot planted up and I opted to do a little combo kusamono using a white flowering rose, Epimedium akebono and a dwarf Astilbe. It will take a while to mature but I think it should make a good mix.

This is the pot, made by Alberto Vignori from Milan I believe, I just loved the quality of the finish and the colour.

And this is what I put together. I was aiming for the three levels within the planting, ‘Heaven, man and earth’ as tends to be the aim with these. The rose is the tallest element and is light enought to look the part. I then picked the Epimedium akebono for the middle level, again it’s got a small leaf and I love the form of the plant. Last is a little Astilbe that can hardly been seen at the moment but it will grow. It gives me the lowest element. I topped off the pot with some moss just to give it a more finished look and to keep the soil from washing away until the plants bind together. I look forward to seeing this one when the rose is in flower. I feel that all elements flowering at once would be too much but I think that each should flower at a different time allowing this to be used multiple times in the year.