Yes, I think the damage will fade from view soon enough.

Bursera microphylla! Cool plant. Native to most of Baja California, but not here. They are incredible when they get old and fat like that. The youngster in the public garden here can only dream... sorry, it's hard to get a good picture on a sunny day.



These plants are called "torotes" in Mexico (among other names), which means something like a big bad bull and strikes me as very apt. To distinguish Bursera from Pachycormus, another gnarly BC fatty, the latter may be called "torote blanco" (big white bull) because of the flaky white skin; or copalquín. More random trivia that you didn't need to know...

Phew! What a relief. O.K. I feel better knowing I'm not going to have to launch bio-chemical-nuclear warfare against the bugs in my back yard and burn more holes in the ozone.

Bummed out about the damage to my plant though but glad it will heal. Sure about that as it looks to be spreading the last few days. I mean you guys know more than I so I shouldn't doubt but I can't help but worry. I loooove this plant.

I have an old sheet I use to cover it with during the cold snaps. I guess I should have babied it a little more when it dropped to the mid 30s. I thought that was warm enough for it but I forget about the dew and condensation collecting on the plants and the fact they can still get chilled from this. Also A. sisalana is a hardcore zone 9-11 plant and really doesn't like anything below 40 (F) at night. I assumed---wrongly, that since the plant was so big and mature this wouldn't be an issue. I'm a bad plant mommy. I guess I'll have to cover it still until we are safely in the mid 40s every evening.

Any good fertilizers to suggest and 'preventatives' since we are on the topic of bugs?

I found a swan planter a couple weeks ago and have been fighting with different plants, trying to figure out what would be best long term in the planter.

If finally decided on Sedum 'John Creech,' as I figured it wouldn't outgrow the space as quickly (or if at all) like a "normal" perennial and I really didn't want something I'd have to dig out because it died (an annual). Here's to hoping it works!

It looks pretty! Will it eventually mound up a ways, too, after it fills the pot?

I've read that it's more of a ground hugger. 'Angelina' may have been better suited, but I could only find it in a rather large pot (about 6 inches deep). But, it has pink flowers in summer (I think summer, maybe it's fall), so that should be interesting!

The flowers will make it really nice! Please post an update after it all matures. I've had a heck of a time trying to match planters and plants. It's not easy at all.

:thankyou:, I will! I feel ya! My collection consists of clay pots and somewhat attractive plastic pots; I can't imagine having more than one fancy planter.

Taking advantage of the lovely weather today and finally got off my butt to pull weeds. Rained the other day so plants are happy and the ground still wet. Weeds came up easy but boy there were a lot of them.
Spent and hour and a half outside and got most of the yard done. Still a little more to do tomorrow. Aside from that things looking o.k. and will take some pics.

Care to come help me weed?

Hamwild, just what I was thinking.

Yeah....I'll get right on that as I've been real motivated. Let's see it only took me 2 months to get off mv butt and get outside to do some yard work and I still have some to do today.

While out running errands day before yesterday did stop into the local BB store. Have to admit they have a huge selection of very tasty Agaves and Aloes in stock at some very nice prices. Didn't bring anything home with me as I didn't have my back yard lake of fire ' plant shopping list' with me (or any extra money in the budget this week ) but it was nice to see the stores are gearing up for spring planting. Need to check the sale racks too.

Anybody have a new project in the works for spring or pick up a new goody lately?

AG, At least you got off yours. I'm still sitting on mine.
Have you thought about one of those large car port tents to cover the 'back yard lake of fire'? Similar to those hoop green houses I see so often around here. At least for the hottest months of the year. I think Harbor Fright sells them reasonable. I was thinking of buying their Green House kit. As soon as my ship comes in. (Funny, I didn't send one out!)

Landscaping once the weather cooperates! I can't plant anything interesting like you and Baja, but I do have four 'Adam's Needle' Yuccas coming. Going to rip out some Hollies that the previous owner planted (that aren't doing too well) and replace those with Yuccas.

We call Yuccas the plant from Hell. Roots seem to go that far I think. Tried to remove several that I planted way back in the 70's and cut and poison and cut and poison and every year a new one pops back up. Funny the variegated one doesn't do that. Wish it did.

To be honest, I need something like that, lol. Our clay soil is hard to work with. Either too wet or too dry.

I finished the weeding today! Yeah, bit of a difference in temps and climate right now between AZ and PA and even GA so I can see why you are all still inside.

Outside of pure laziness, I have no excuse not to take advantage of our nice weather right now and get stuff done. Summer is our version of 'winter'. Come the end of May through October I will be locked inside with the air conditioning running overtime and avoiding the laser beam sun and 115+ days!

As for the 'lake of fire' well I pretty much plant what grows in it as there are enough things that will. I had toyed with the idea of a tent like shelter or green house but I have a few technical/logistical problems. I have a small yard with really poor soil, a dog that needs some room to use the back yard and husband that commandeered half of it for his BBQ grills.

Neither the husband nor the dog were thrilled when I started planting in the back yard to begin with and I was.... ahem... 'told' not to go crazy with it like I did up front. So I'm behaving and just keeping things back there on a small scale. It is also easier for me to just plant what grows in our full sun, not to mention cheaper. Luckily there are plenty of things that will and I manage to find stuff I like.

Your yuccas sound like quite the treat. Why is it everything we want to die doesn't and the things we wish would die just thrive to spite us? Sounds like you are going to have a chore digging that up. I don't envy you.

While I was out weeding I spotted my neighbor's agave! Wow! Like this literally happened overnight and has grown 3 feet in the last 2 days. I know it is the end of this plant's life but the good news is it will be producing bulbils to carry on. Does anyone know the ID on this plant and how to care for it so I can tell my neighbor? It was planted in 2005 or 06 but was already a decent size when she bought it.



A close up of the parent plant.



This thing is getting taller by the day! I'm having fun watching it. More so since it isn't mine and I won't have to dig it up when it dies.


Thanks,
AG

You know, they could always do what those folks did with that huge Agave. Just stake up the bloom stalk and let the dead plant sit there! I still need to see if it's still there.

It is Agave vilmoriniana that is about the right time for it to bloom.

Yes, that one will make a lot of bulbils. The stalk does not get too crazy in terms of height but it will be very beautiful in how the very yellow flowers will open sequentially along it.

There is a plant like you describe in my neighborhood, Hamwild, where they cut the stalk away. It looks OK, but it is clear that the plant is slowly be surely deteriorating.

O.K talk about missing the obvious on the ID of the plant. Now I should have known better and caught that it was A. vilmoriniana. I guess because it didn't look very 'Octopus like' I didn't make the connections. Hers looks different from the two I have in my yard. Guess it has to do with the vast amount of shade they had been getting from the p.pear and bushes over the years.

I'll post pics as it blooms so we can enjoy the pretty flowers.
And obviously if anyone wants bulbils well I'm sure my neighbor will be happy to share. I will ask her. I can't imagine her saying no to passing some along as I don't know what she will do with all of them and I'm certainly not going to need them all.

I know what you guys are talking about with the dead agaves too. Several in the roadside medians out here where the stalks are dead and cut off and the plants are just turning all these weird colors but they won't dig them out because they think they will 'green up' again with some heat or more sun. Ewwwwwwww.