Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Winter Garden Projects: Removing Texas Sage in the front yard

Winter is a great time for major garden projects in south Texas.  The mild weather allows us to enjoy working outside longer and most plants are dormant making them easier to move.  Back in November we removed a Texas sage from the mailbox bed near the street and this weekend we pulled out two more sages in the driveway island bed.  They had outlasted their value in the front garden and even with frequent trimmings they just didn't look right with the new landscaping.  The sages are the tall gray shrubs in the center of the bed.

Before

This looks so much better and leaves room for a new plant.

After
When we pulled out the sage near the street a few months ago I posted that the sages had helped hide our sad landscaping for a few years.  Now we prefer some of our newer plants like the Bismarck palm to have higher visibility.   Lindheimer's muhly ornamental grass has temporarily replaced the sage in the bed.  We are currently looking for a hardy columnar cactus as a permanent replacement.

Before
With two more sages removed it's easier to see the improvements we have worked so hard to implement.
After

There's a more open view from the street and better visibility of the driveway from the house.

After

In the photo below you can see the newer Silverado sage along the driveway has a better form and deeper color compared to the ones in the island.
Before


After

We still have several sages along the north property line and in the back yard so these tough natives will remain a part of our landscape plan. 

So now I have two spots for different plants.  The Dayslerion wheeleri in the back yard needs a new home and it would not block the view.  I have several opuntias available to transplant or that nice New Mexico Agave I saw at the garden center today would work.  I could plant another Color Guard Yucca there instead.  Any thoughts?

20 comments:

  1. I almost went, "already?" Then I saw what you mean by front. Voting here - nay on Dasylirion, yay on lower stuff like that A. neomexicana. To me, the only plant that's taller that would look great out there is the Bismarckia palm, and I guess you need to protect that one there...

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    1. Oh, no, no, the new Silverado sages are not going anywhere. We took our time making that decision and are quite pleased with the result.

      Thanks for jumping right in with your expert advice and recommending I purchase a new plant for this project. I will be heading back to the garden center to pick up the agave which is labeled "New Mexico Agave". It appears to be A. neomexicana so I guess that's the same.

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  2. Wonderful planting and al the better for the removal. I also am toying with the removal of 3 Texas sage which just don't so well on a north facing wall. Will I be as brave as you?

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    1. I appreciate this very much Jenny and I think I remember you mentioning the sages in your blog. It was not an easy decision but I'm so glad it's done after a year or so of considering.

      Be brave, they are not too tough to pull out.

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    2. We had one that had definitely seen better days and thought it was going to be a bear to remove, but it was incredibly easy and what a relief!

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  3. My thought was also the agave you mentioned. I'm sure it will look good, because it already looks nice now!

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    1. Thank you Renee, I'm pretty sure that's the direction I'll go.

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  4. Change is good, especially when it means buying a new agave!

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    1. Of course, the Desert Dweller said so!

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  5. I love the changes. It's amazing how the sight lines improved. And because of how much I love the bismarkia, anything to highlight it is great to me!!!

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    1. An even bigger improvement than we thought. The bismarckia gets its turn in the spotlight.

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  6. Beautiful photos!! I have always wanted to see sagebrush :)

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    1. Thanks for stopping by. I have posted the sages a number of times, including this special tribute.

      http://rockoakdeer.blogspot.com/2012/09/texas-barometer-bush-shows-off-rare.html

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  7. Great decisions - everything else is set off now. So so visually pleasing...all that texture you can now see even more. LOOKS SO GOOD! :)

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    1. I'm glad you approve Heather. It's not easy saying goodbye to plants that have worked so well in the past.

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  8. You set a good example for one who has difficulty taking out anything, even if it is obviously not working. I must cultivate the art of editing. Thanks for leading the way.

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    1. And I thought I was dragging my feet on this decision which seems so obvious looking back.



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  9. I agree with everyone else not only because it means buying a new plant but also because the architectural lines of the agave will contrast so nicely wth the more whispy grasses and leafy shrubbery.

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    1. I'm on my way to plant shop now and a new plant post to follow I'm sure.

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  10. Love how it's all coming along Shirley!!! You really have taken those spaces and transformed them nicely.

    I'm still here....just catching up on your work. Things have gotten busy here so I apologize for not stopping by sooner. I have some major work ahead of me at our gardens here and I'm looking forward to trimming everything back once the threat of our freezes are over. We had a nasty bit 2 weeks ago! Terrible!

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