One of my main focuses in our hygge garden is to go vertical. It is actually surrounded by walls on 3 sides, as a courtyard. I would never have a room in my house have 3 bare walls. If this is going to feel like a garden room, all the interesting stuff can’t stay on the floor.
One of the first things we did in this direction was the addition of olive trees, which I showed you last week. These will also hopefully help with shade.
But, Anglophile that I am, I want an abundance of pretty flowers. Armfuls of them. I want it to smell pretty. I love an olive tree, but it doesn’t contribute on these fronts.
After the inspiration from the Mediterranean, I knew I wanted vines. We had vines in our last front yard. And back yard and side yard. English ivy. Anyone who has done battle with English ivy is shuddering right now in horror. Let me be clear – I agree – it looks great – but in a coastal town where gales regularly blow trees down on houses, having an insatiable self-attaching climber choking the trees to death was not helpful. It’s so very English, but the ivy was not a friend.
We decided to head out and check a new nursery and they have both a huge variety and reasonable prices (I hadn’t found these two things in one place before). So my elusive star jasmine from St. Paul-de-Vence, France is finally at my house, planted carefully, shaded as it needs to be in Phoenix, and smelling beautiful.
To be 100% honest, I might be allergic to it. But I’m giving it time. The container we used was recommended because it’s double-walled resin. This creates an air gap between the plant and the portion of the pot exposed to the sun. The roots stay much cooler.
Does anyone remember what I said about bougainvillea not being for me? Umm – well – it was really pretty. So I bought it anyway. The color was what made me crack. I can resist fuchsia. But I couldn’t resist purple bougainvillea like in Portofino. I killed two bougainvillea last year, so I’ve been careful. One thing I found in my research is that they want to be much drier than people think. Their number one issue is overwatering. So I made the soil mix suggested: 50% perlite, 40% small pea gravel, 10% coconut coir (or potting soil).
This is DRY. I’ve never seen a mix anywhere near this dry. So far, so good though. As predicted, it “sulked” for a few days. But I also purchased a handy moisture meter so I can actually tell when things need watering. It might be one of the best things I wind up doing in terms of water conservation. It didn’t cost much and also measures soil pH and temperature. I’m hopeful about this one, as most of the plants are clustered near the front door and umbrella while things get hotter. The bougainvillea is out there in the sun, soaking it in.
And lastly – snail vine. Don’t knock it if you haven’t seen it. We saw it for the first time thriving on trellises at a local brewery. After lots of research to find out what it was, I ordered snail vine seeds (also called corkscrew vines). The flowers are really cool. Here’s what the one at the nursery looked like:
These are some of my few seedlings that did well. I read that growth is slow at first as the plant establishes a taproot, then it can grow inches per day. I’m excited! It should be perennial in Phoenix. We have this very inexpensive obelisk for it to climb and I’m checking on it every day. I had three healthy, planted seedlings. But I also have an English doodle. So now I have two. Did I mention they are nontoxic for dogs? Oh, Humphrey.
The bougainvillea will need to be tied but the jasmine and snail vine climb in that amazing way true vines do, finding their own way up and around until there’s a beautiful display and flowers at eye level. I love to watch them do that.
“Instinct is a wonderful thing.”
-Agatha Christie
There’s one more vine in the works, but it hasn’t arrived yet. More next week!
Once more unto the breach,
🌿 Ruby