South African Succulents at the Safari Park Garden Amazing tips

In my latest video, we explore the Old World Succulent Garden at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. Here succulents small and large look good year-round, need minimal care or water, and offer inspiration for dry (but not desert or frost-prone) landscapes. You'll see noteworthy specimens I hope inspire you when planning or refreshing your own garden.

Location

The Safari Park is in Escondido, an hour's drive NE of the main Zoo. The 18,000-acre outdoor destination has thousands of animals on exhibit. Located just past the condors, the Old World Garden occupies a south-facing, decomposed granite hillside in the park's northwest corner.

To the southeast of the Safari Park's Old World Garden is Tiger Trail. Foreground: a tiger tail.

What you'll see

Old World Succulents are mainly from South Africa. They prefer hot summers, low humidity, and winter rainfall. Because demand for these easy-care lovelies has surged, they've become more widely available.

Aloes bloom in the Old World Garden in midwinter.

San Diego Cactus and Succulent Society volunteers maintain both Old World and adjacent Baja California gardens. The Old World garden is noteworthy for aloes, euphorbias, senecios, and pachypodiums in a garden-like setting. The emphasis is on species rather than cultivars, but as you'll see in the video, there are a few interesting crosses.

Climate and Season

The main downtown Zoo also has a lovely succulent garden, but that location is nearer the coast. I prefer the Safari Park’s because it has more specimens, occupies a larger area, and like my own garden, has an inland climate with colder winters and hotter, drier summers.

Aloe chabaudii (Dwala aloe) normal and stressed

This video is a compilation of past visits. Of course no garden is exactly the same on subsequent visits. Seasons bring on flowers or dormancy. Rain and cooler temps refresh the plants; dry summers and triple-digit heat stress them.

In the video I take you plant-by-plant, introducing them and giving their merits. You'll also find them ID'd in the Gallery below.

Explore at your leisure

Do make this renowned public garden a destination when you're in the area. If you're a local, become a member so you can explore the Zoo and Safari Park at leisure, as my husband and I do.  

A warning to spouses: Jeff (who is eager to see the gorillas, which I'm not) waits patiently while I pursue plant-nerd stuff. Occasionally, alas, we miss the great apes altogether.

Above: In another garden I'll soon show you. Stay tuned!

Gallery of South African succulents at the safari park

*Nearly all are succulents except for a few noteworthy, nonsucculent companion plants indicated with an asterisk.

*Acacia xanthophloea (fever tree)

Adenium obesum

Adromischus cooperi var. festivus (Plover eggs)

Allauadia procera in bloom

Aloe 'Rooikappie'

Aloe acutissima

Aloe bainesii

Aloe cameronii, *Encephalartos horridus

Aloe camperi 'Cornuta'

Aloe chabaudii (Dwala aloe)

Aloe dorotheae

Aloe elgonica

Aloe ferox

Aloe lateritia

Aloe lineata

Aloe marlothii

Aloe melanacantha

Aloe mudenensis

Aloe perfoliata (A. mitriformis)

Aloe petricola

Aloe picata (bottlebrush aloe)

Aloe porphyrostachys

Aloe rubroviolacea x flexifolia

Aloe spicata (bottlebrush aloe)

Aloe striatula

Aloe tauri

Aloe vanbalenii

Aloidendron tongaense

Cotyledon orbiculata

Cotyledon tomentosa

Crassula perforata and shark's fin dracaena (sansevieria)

Crassula arborescens

Crassula congesta, Aloe camperi 'Cornuta'

Dracaena (sansevieria) shark's fin

*Encephalartos horridus

Euphorbia abyssinica

Euphorbia ammak 'Variegata'

Euphorbia canariensis

Euphorbia cooperi

Euphorbia ingens, weeping form

Euphorbia makallensis

Euphorbia mammillaris

Euphorbia milii, Senecio barbertonicus

Euphorbia xylophylloides

Euphorbia flanaganii

Kalanchoe luciae

Lampranthus deltoides

Orbea variegata

Pachypodium lamerii

*Plectranthus neochilus

Ruschia crassa

Ruschia maxima

Senecio crassissimus

Stapelia gigantea

RELATED INFO ON THIS SITE

Euphorbia or Cactus? How to Tell

How can you tell a spiny euphorbia from a cactus? Observe key characteristics: the type of spines, flowers and leaves (or lack thereof). As I compiled my site’s new Euphorbia page, I happily acquired the ability to tell at a glance which is which. Sure, you can scratch a plant, and if it drips milky sap, it’s

Read More

See Josh Allen’s Rare Aloe & Cycad Nursery Near San Diego

Josh Allen is making his dream come true: Developing a nursery and botanic garden specializing in rare succulents and cycads. “There’s a big market for beautiful, hard-to-find plants,” he says, adding that creating new hybrids and “playing with plant genetics” are what he does best. He especially enjoys Aloe hybridizing and  breeding rare and desirable…

Read More

Succulent Ice Plants, Gallery and Video

The brilliantly beautiful succulent ice plants you’ll see in my new page and video thrive in Zones 8-11. They come in eye-popping hues of purple, pink, lavender, rose-red, bright red, gold, orange and yellow.

Read More

The post South African Succulents at the Safari Park Garden appeared first on Debra Lee Baldwin. Copyright © Debra Lee Baldwin.

from Debra Lee Baldwin https://ift.tt/5SR26uk
via IFTTT

See a Landscaper’s 45-Degree Succulent Slope Amazing tips

When I learned that a member of my Cactus & Succulent Society chapter was a landscape contractor, I was keen to meet him and see his garden--especially when I found out his home’s for sale (time's a-wastin').

Interested? Here's the listing. 

Bernie Mases and wife Linda graciously welcomed my spur-of-the-moment visit. I quickly realized it merited a YouTube video. How Bernie landscaped the back yard's steep, 45-degree upward slope is, well, brilliant.

Before

"Before" photo, Bernie and Linda Mases' slope

Two decades ago Bernie, now retired, sat behind his new house and pondered how to transform the immense slope into a practical, interesting garden. The area is 160 feet long, and ranges from 38 feet wide on the south end to 80 feet on the north. "I didn't want an ordinary bank," he says.

That's an understatement.

Clever erosion control

After adding serpentine retaining walls that range from 3 to 4-1/2 feet high, Bernie came up with an ingenious erosion solution: He wet and compacted the soil, then use the compactor to pound small pebbles into it. (He chose a polished river rock mix sold then as "Palo Verde.")

Bernie shows the bank's river-rock "crust"

This formed what he refers to as a "crust" that has stabilized the soil and prevented erosion for 22 years. For decorative purposes, it's also top-dressed with additional river rock.

About the irrigation

The video doesn't go into detail about the irrigation, but if you're doing something similar: Bernie used bubblers, which put water at a plant's roots, as opposed to sprayers that send it into the air. Nozzles of "stream bubblers" radiate water like the spokes of a wheel.

Rainbird bubbler

Bernie recommends "Rainbird's stream nozzle. It comes in 1/4, 1/2, and full. No clogging or maintenance. Easy adjustment on top of nozzle head after it's placed next to a plant. Easy to position and lasts 40+ years. It's not like a drip head that gets buried by mulch and is impossible to find."

Moreover, "roots may crimp flexible plastic drip tubing, leading to dead or dying plants over time. The stream spray system uses PVC pipe to each sprinkler's 6-inch riser."

Design and succulent selection

To give the slope a visually pleasing "flow," Bernie added horizontal swaths of rounded rocks heavy enough to anchor themselves (no compacting needed).

A swath of rounded stones enhance a steep bank

Low-water, easy-care succulents and lacy trees provide intriguing shapes and textures, and are enjoyable seen face-on or viewed from below. One example is star-shaped Agave lophantha 'Quadricolor', which fills blank spots with offsets, is striped green-and-yellow, and stays comparatively small.

Mixed planting with Agave lophantha 'Quadricolor' at left, Graptopetalum 'Superbum' at middle and a dwarf Euphorbia milii at lower right.

When summer temps rise into the 90s, many soft-leaved ornamental succulents (like Linda's favorite, lavender Graptopetalum 'Superbum') need protection from searing sun. Bernie created an ideal microclimate for small ornamental plants and for the patio sitting area by planting Chilean mesquite trees (Prosopis chilensis) mid-slope.

Mesquite provides filtered shade for Agave americana 'Mediopicta Alba' and other succulents

These desert trees thrive closer to the coast if given excellent drainage and minimal water. Their roots help stabilize steep slopes by knitting together and going deep. When pruned, the trees have an airy above multiple trunks. Small leaves are feathery, and in spring the trees produce fluffy yellow flower sprays.

Where does runoff go?

Per Bernie: "There's a 3” French drain behind the retaining wall. Water from the bank and the home's roof flows directly into a main drain underground and then into concrete culverts below the property. All rain gutter downspouts connect to the drainage system. Only patio runoff ends up on the concrete pad. Drains on the pad collect any excess water during heavy rains."

50-mile view

The couple belong to the Palomar C&SS north of San Diego, and coincidentally from their home's front they can see Palomar mountain in the far distance. It's lovely in winter when the mountains are snow-capped, Linda says.

View of Escondido, CA from the Mases' driveway, looking northeast

The half-acre property has a 180-degree, 50-mile view to the northeast and southeast. It's tranquil despite the bustling city of Escondido spread out below---and beautiful at night. The only sound is the distant hum of Interstate 15.

Bernie and Linda are moving to Arizona for a new adventure and to be closer to grandchildren. Although matter-of-fact about it, he adds, "This place will be hard to leave."

Interested in the house?

The realtor with the listing is Cindy Waasdorp, Berkshire Hathaway, cwaasdorp@aolcom, (619) 987-1656. More info and virtual tour.

great plants in the garden

Aeoniums below mesquite trees

Agave lophantha 'Quadricolor' and yellow jade

Aloe maculata

Agave nickelsiae and Lophocereus schottii

Agave potatorum

Agave 'Sharkskin' and A. bracteosa

Agave stricta

Agave tequilana, variegated

Alluaudia, pachypodium in pots

Aloe rubroviolacea

Aloe tomentosa

Aloidendron dichotomum (Aloe dichotoma)

Aloidendron 'Hercules'

Chamaerops humilis (Mediterranean fan palm)

Crassula ovata 'Gollum'

Dasylirion wheeleri (desert spoon)

Dyckia fosteriana

Echinocactus grusonii (golden barrel cactus)

Euphorbia milii 'Golden Crown' (yellow crown of thorns)

Euphorbia milii red

Euphorbia tirucalli 'Sticks on Fire'

Graptopetalum 'Superbum'

Plectranthus sp.

Prosopis chilensis (Chilean mesquite)

Podocarpus sp.

Senecio cephalophorus (Kleinia cephalophora, K. galpinii)

Yucca rostrata

Yucca 'Bright Star'

Yucca, variegated

Related info on this site

Jim Bishop’s Steep, One-Acre Garden

Jim Bishop’s steep, one-acre terraced garden in San Diego is unlike any other, except perhaps Jardin Exotique d’Èze near Monaco, overlooking the Mediterranean. “But there, they have to dig basins into

Read More

Succulent Slope Before & After

See a problem-solving, terraced succulent garden landscaped on a budget. Challenges include hillside erosion, large area, and steep grade. Before-and-after photos, video and plant gallery.

Read More

The post See a Landscaper’s 45-Degree Succulent Slope appeared first on Debra Lee Baldwin. Copyright © Debra Lee Baldwin.

from Debra Lee Baldwin https://ift.tt/kVHJDqY
via IFTTT