Saturday, July 25, 2020

Some of the Plants growing in the Inner Garden Room in June

 one of the rocks with some character between the Cotula and a Saxifragia.
Saxifragia -  Paniculata ‘aizoon’  white encrusted full sun  X irvingii – 2” x $”  jenkinsae, 
well  drained  alkaline soil.
 Cotula hispida – blue green foliage, yellow ball blooms gravelly soil good drainage
       
Gentiana septemfida var. lagodechina  is a low-growing perennial to 10cm (4 in) tall, with trailing stems clad in paired ovate leaves and ending in 1 - 3 mid-blue, trumpet-shaped flowers 4cm (1.5 in.) long in late summer.  Grow in moist but well-drained, humus-rich soil.  Suitable for the front of borders. Performs best in sunny conditions. 
This gentian may not survive its move from the back little rockery.  It looks ok here but since its move it has not been recovering from the transplant.  Its very floppy and did not bloom last year, so I am not too bent about losing it.  There are nicer gentians. 
SEMPERVIVUM
This little red hens and chickens has had more chicken scratch added for drainage. (whitish color -  a no no in proper rock gardens, but it looks good with the red).
 Another good lava rock from the Clear Water area of B.C.   Not sure where I will place this rock just yet.  
The plants in the above photos are part of the Rockery/Alpines Room in the front garden.
The following photos are plants from the Inner Garden Room.
 CEANOTHUS
California lilacs
Ceanothus is a genus of about 50–60 species of nitrogen-fixing shrubs and small trees in the buckthorn family. Common names for members of this genus are buckbrush, California lilac, soap bush, or just ceanothus. 
with some of the Kinnikinnick, Sedum, tall bearded Iris and the leaves of the smoke bush
 A close up of the Ceanothus flowers.  The bees love this plant when its in bloom.  The Davey Tree guys did a hard prune on this shrub in the late winter this year.  It is looking very healthy with far more blossoms now.
 Leaves of the smoke bush that is under planted with the silver/red sedum.  
 the stone path that leads to the sun dial circle.  We see the Kinnikinnick,  Ceanothus and tall bearded iris on one side and the Sedum and some of the smoke bush leaves on the other side.
COTINUS Coggygria
Cotinus coggygria ‘Royal Purple’
is a large, upright shrub becoming spreading with age. In spring, the foliage emerges a rich maroon-red, darkening to a velvety purple as the summer progresses. Insignificant flowers mature into dusty wine-red feathery plumes, earning it the name Smokebush. The rich reddish-purple fall color completes the appeal of this fascinating colored shrub. An excellent choice for sunny locations needing year-round interest!
Mature Height: 10-15 feetMature Spread: 10-15 feet Form: Shrub, upright, spreading with age
Light Requirements: Full Sun Site Requirements: Tolerant of many sites except those with poor drainage Flower: Insignificant, yellow Bloom Period: June Foliage: Maroon to Purple Fall Color: Reddish Purple Fruit Notes: Reticulate drupe, wine-red, billowy
The sun dial circle has polygala and some short daisies (have to look up the name of the daisies) They have quite large flowers and seem to be tolerant of the clay soil.  The other plant is  excellent. 
POLYGALA chamaebuxus ‘purpurea’ (grandiflora) evergreen, pink, tiny, flowers -  Purple with yellow tips  (lovely)  Mine has purple and yellow flowers, evergreen foliage.
One edge of this little 3 foot diameter circle needs another plant to fill in the bare area. I am thinking of getting an ice plant (delespernum)   to grow here.
 This is a much neglected corner of the garden.  It is doing very well.  Maybe neglect is the practice needed in my garden.  The shrub in the "hedge" next to the Ceanothus is a star magnolia.  I removed some weedy little shrub from beneath it this spring and  gave it a bit of leaf mold.  It is doing wonderfully well, now.  It bloomed earlier in the year.  It grows next to the cedars along the property line, in front of the Boulevard Garden Rooms.  Also in this corner there is Campanula. - the blue one we see and now further along in front of the cedars there is a another white one in bloom.  The (red) valerine is spreading out a bit.  And the strange white bloom is the Gas plant.  
 Close up of the Gas Plant blossom
 The leaves of the Gas Plant.
GAS PLANT DICTAMNUS Albus 
Growing gas plants (Dictamnus albus) reach a height of about 4 feet tall with quite woody stems at the base. In the early summer, June and July, Dictamnus gas plant blooms with long, spikes of white flowers set off by glossy green leaves. Once the flowers have  faded, spectacular seedpods remain that are commonly used in dried floral arrangements.
Read more at Gardening Know How: Dictamnus Gas Plant Information – Tips For Growing Gas Plants https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/gas-plants/growing-gas-plants.htm
 Once gas plant has been established, it should not be moved or any attempt made to divide it.  At maturation after several years, the growing gas plant will appear as a clump with stunning stands of flowers poking from amongst its foliage. When it comes to gas plant garden care, the growing gas plants prefer consistent irrigation, but can withstand periods of drought  once they are established. Slightly alkaline soil is preferable for more vibrant and vigorous  plants as well as areas of cool evening temperatures.
This herbaceous perennial may also be listed as dittany or fraxinella, members of the Rutaceae family. Some patience is necessary when growing gas plants as they take several years to mature. The strongly citrus-scented flowers and foliage may cause an allergic skin reaction in some people and seems to be repellent to deer. Gas plant is a non-aggressive and non-invasive specimen. Gas  plants can be found in several different varieties such as: ‘Purpureus’ with its mauve-purple blooms and deep purple veins ‘Caucasicus,’ which is a taller varietal at up to 4 feet tall ‘Rubra,’ which blooms with lovely rose pink flowers
 Mine is white and grows in front of the cedar hedge by the sun dial circle.  There is a hebe, some valerine, and campanula all in this same area by the star magnolia shrub.  Its amazing that it survives at all.  It hardly ever gets watered in our dry summers.  
I am hoping to find a purple one to plant in the little rockery renovation where I might have room for it next to the cedars and the Kinnikinnick, in the autumn.
The sun dial circle borders on the 7 foot thyme circle.  The bench sits in its nook in the cedar hedge and has become a nice private spot to enjoy the garden.  The bamboo is next to the thyme circle.  It is a constant chore to pick the dried bamboo leaves off the thyme.  I will need to get a couple more thyme plants for the bare side of the circle, and give them more compost and sand, in the Autumn when the rains start.  




Monday, July 20, 2020

The Front Garden in June

 The Gertrude Jekyll English David Austin rose grows under the front sweet gum tree.  The crocosmias to the left have buds.  Beneath these taller plants there is a decorative oregano, dianthus, armeria, and a gentian cruciata.  The fern leafed peony is just behind the gentian.
 There is a pink flowering armeria under the fallen rose petals.  ARMERIA maritima (Sea Thrift) is a compact, evergreen perennial boasting round clusters of pink to lavender (or sometimes white) flowers borne atop slender stalks.  I have one white one and several pink ones.I cannot seem to get these plants to last very long - They need well drained soil.
        https://www.gardenia.net/plant/armeria-maritima-sea-thrift
        
        This compact evergreen plant grows only 6 to 12 inches high and from a woody tap root. The slowly expanding mounded tuft is composed of numerous stiff, linear (needle-shaped), dark-green leaves that usually have hairs along their margins. This dense rosette gives the appearance of a low-growing ornamental grass. In richer soils the leaves tend to fall outwards leaving an open center. Since it is evergreen, it should not be cut back to the ground in fall like many other perennials as that will affect spring bloom.  In mid-spring small pink to lavender (or sometimes white) flowers are produced in globular clusters subtended by purplish, papery bracts on the ends of slender, unbranched, leafless stalks that extend well above the foliage. Each flower has five petals joined at the base with five stamens and five separate styles. Deadhead entire flower stems to promote additional sporadic flowering throughout the summer. They can be used as cut flowers. The flowers are followed by papery seed heads with a single seed in each capsule.Sea thrift grows best in full sun in lean, very well-drained soil. The plants are drought tolerant and do not tolerate moist soils. They frequently rot in the center, killing the entire plant, in heavy clay soils that are too fertile, or after a prolonged wet and cool fall. Because of this they have a reputation for being short-lived. However, given the proper environment these plants can live for many years and require little maintenance.

 A close up of the Gertrude Jekyll rose.  Nicely fragrant.
 The stepping stones that lead up to the back of the little rockery, in the front garden.  After the fern leafted peony and gentian, we see the globalaria and the lithodara Grace Ward.  The bergenia and the mountain avens (dryas) surround the West Coast planter.  The planter has a primula auricola (I think) in it at the moment.  Behind the bergenias there are Japanese primulas.  To the right of the primulas there is a very nice hebe.  Along the little gold wall, at the back there is some wulfeni, and aubretia. Then there is the newly renovated part of this little rockery along the little gold rock wall.  Presently there are 3 saxifragias and a lewisia in this part of the renovation.  I am waiting for cooler weather in the Fall to move the saxifragias and their tufa rocks, out of the pots I have on the deck.  
 This is the gentian newly transplanted from the back little rockery.  The name on the gentian was 'depresso'.  Its the wrong name. GENTIANA Cruciata is the correct name.
Common Name: cross gentian  Height: 0.75 to 1.00 feet Spread: 1.00 to 1.75 feet
Bloom Time: August to September Bloom Description: Blue Sun: Full sun to part shade
Water: Medium Maintenance: Low  Flower: Showy, Good Cut  Attracts: Hummingbirds, Butterflies
Tolerate: Rabbit, Deer, Drought, Clay Soil 
Best grown in moist, well-draining soils in full sun to part shade. Easier to grow for the average gardener compared to other species of Gentian. Tolerant of drought and many soil types include clay. Plants do not tolerate root disturbance, and transplanting should be avoided once established. The best time to divide large clumps is in early spring just as new growth begins.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Gentiana cruciata, commonly called cross gentian, is a herbaceous perennial native to forest edges, rocky pastures, grasslands, and dry meadows in Europe and western Asia. This plant slowly forms a clump about 8-12" tall and 12-18" wide. The lanceolate leaves (1-3" long) are bright green, glossy, and oppositely attached to the upright stems. The truly blue, trumpet-shaped flowers emerge in a cluster tucked into the leaf axils on the upper part of the stems from late summer into fall. Attractive to hummingbirds, butterflies, and other pollinators
The specific epithet cruciata means "crossed" and refers to the shape of the leaves as viewed from above.
'Blue Cross' has a generally more compact and bushy habit compared to the species, and reaches 8-10" tall. The unopened flower buds are creamy white and intensify in color to a deep blue as they mature and open, creating a bicolor effect.
Problems
No major pest or disease problems reported. Deer and rabbit resistant.
Garden Uses
A beautiful accent plant for the front of a mixed border. Also suitable for rock gardens, woodland gardens, and container plantings. Makes an excellent cut flower.

This is the right one:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gentiana_cruciata#:~:text=The%20flowers%20are%20violet%2Dblue,The%20fruit%20is%20a%20capsule.   See the images 
Gentiana cruciata, the star gentian or cross gentian, is a herbaceous perennial flowering plant in the Gentianaceae family.
Close-up on a flower of Gentiana cruciata
Gentiana cruciata is a hemicryptophyte scapose plant of small size, reaching on average 20–40 centimetres (7.9–15.7 in) in height.[3] It has erect stems, the leaves are large, ovate-lanceolate, semiamplexicaul, about 3–8 centimetres (1.2–3.1 in) long. The flowers are violet-blue trumpets with 4 petals, clustered in the axils of upper leaves.[3] The flowering period extends from June to August. The flowers are hermaphrodite and pollinated by insects (entomogamy). The fruit is a capsule. The seeds are dispersed by gravity alone (barochory).
Habitat
This plant prefers dry calcareous soil in forest edges, bushy slopes, pastures, grasslands and dry meadows, at an altitude of 200–1,600 metres (660–5,250 ft) above sea level.
Host for Phengaris rebeli
Phengaris rebeli is an endangered butterfly which feeds upon G. cruciata. Female P. rebeli lay their eggs on the upper side of G. cruciata leaves and three to four weeks later, the P. rebeli larvae emerge and begin to feed on the seeds and flowers of this grassland plant. After the P. rebeli reaches its fourth larval instar, it drops to the ground to be picked up by Myrmica schencki ants and brought to their nests.
Female P. rebeli prefer to lay eggs on G. cruciata growing in clumps rather than individual plants, and on the taller plants, as they are less shaded and allow the eggs to grow and develop faster.

 Another view of the gentian.  It has two stems with tiny blue flowers, with four petals beginning to open now.  It seems to have been a successful transplant.
The iberis at the corner of the junction of the stone paths.
 I like this rock.  It is going to be the feature rock in the smoke tree bed.  It is surrounded by Armeria that need far better drainage.  There is a white one.  I must get some good drainage rock around them.  I need to keep the silver sedum from growing into their allotted space.
 The smoke tree looks good with its under planting of silver/red sedum with the red Mrs. Bradshaw geum in flower.
 This is the transplanted saxifragias from the back rockery, and the lewisia  down a bit from the saxefragias.

Saxifragia paniculata - Grows on the top level of the little rockery next to the 
 Mossy red saxifragia.  Have added chicken grit and pea gravel and a bit of compost from the back bin.
      *****Moved to front little rockery reno on June 11, 2020 

Saxifragia - Mossy Saxifrage  Alpino Rose– red – woodland edger
      Saxifraga Arendsii - Sun to part shade, height 4 - 6 ", Spread - 12 inches
 Blooms: April - June.  Saxifrage form a low evergreen cusion of tiny shiny leaves. Small star shaped flowers appear in Spring.  Excellent in rock gardens. 
        *****Moved to front little rockery reno on June 11, 2020. It is beside the paniculata on the top level with the gold small rocks and has a small pieces of tufa rock between this one and the above paniculata. They both have top dressing of the chicken scratch stuff.
Since this photo I have moved the Saxifragia that was in the Butchardt Gardens Cement pot, into this little back rockery.   I gave the pot to Paul S. along with other plastic and terra cotta pots.  He was happy to get the cement pot, as it has 'historical significance' in the alpine gardening clubs.  It came from Rex Murfitt's home before he moved out to the retirement home.  We have since lost Rex.  Paul is taking good care of his saxifragias.  
Saxifragia  in Butchart Gardens cement pot from R. M. Home:   
        Gerard Manley Hopkins'   clone burseriana
Certainly one of the better burseriana's, selected by H.L.Foster 1972.  Close to the typical var. but more dense and compact growing.  Like most burseriana's best in a very well drained soil because in our climate burseriana's suffer from too much moisture in autumn and winter.  Splendid of course in tufastone and in a through.  Slower growth and rooting.
        - I have a piece of this one in the big tufa rock with the Lilac Time
        - bloomed early Spring 2020 with large white flowers close to the foliage.The foliage looks rather like pine needles
 The far end of the little rockery showing the hebe, the wulfeni and the aubretia.
 The lewisia from Cannor.  There were 2 lewisias in the pot when bought.  Only one survived.  Not sure which color it is.  Hope it is the orange/gold one.   
Lewisia cotyledon 'Rainbow

Featured snippet from the web

This strain of our native Siskiyou Lewisia contains a stunning range of flower colors. Pink to orange to white to yellow and permutations in-between. ... Excellent, long blooming, easy to grow container plant but not difficult in the ground given rock garden conditions. Drainage is crucial, in average to enriched soil.
Saxifragia - Mossy Saxifrage  Alpino Rose– red – woodland edger
      Saxifraga Arendsii - Sun to part shade, height 4 - 6 ", Spread - 12 inches
Blooms: April - June.  Saxifrage form a low evergreen cusion of tiny shiny leaves. Small star shaped flowers appear in Spring.  Excellent in rock gardens. 
This mossy saxifragia and the others are doing much better since I moved them.  This one is even starting to bloom again.   
-Paniculata from the back rockery moved to the front in May 2020
Best planted in cool summer climates in part shade locations. Prefers moist, gritty, well-drained soils in part shade. Good tolerance for morning sun. Established plants have some drought tolerance. New rosettes form at the stolon ends or at the base of the rosette, resulting in plants sometimes expanding to form small colonies. Plants often struggle (thin out in the middle) in hot, dry and humid summers south of USDA Zone 6. Plants are difficult to grow well in the St. Louis climate.
Saxifraga paniculata is a circumboreal species that is native to rocky ledges and crevices in Europe, eastern Asia and North America south to New England and the Great Lakes. It is a stoloniferous perennial that typically forms a spreading basal rosette (to 6" tall) of flat, leathery, finely-serrate, oblong to obovate leaves (each to 1.5" long) with silvery encrustations on the margins. Flowers (each to 1/2" diameter) bloom in elongated clusters atop upright stems rising well above the rosette to 12" tall. Flower color is variable, ranging from white to creamy white to pink to yellow sometimes with purple spotting. Flowers bloom mid-June to August. Plants of this species are divided into three subspecies: S. paniculata subsp. paniculata (central Europe), S. paniculata subsp. cartilaginea (Causcasus) and S. paniculata subsp. laestadii (Norway, Iceland and North America).
Saxifraga paniculata is an alpine species of flowering plant in the saxifrage family, with native distribution in the temperate northern hemisphere. Common names include alpine saxifrage, encrusted saxifrage, lifelong saxifrage, lime-encrusted saxifrage, livelong saxifrage, White Mountain saxifrage,(aizoon) and silver saxifrage.







Sunday, July 19, 2020

Front Garden in June

 The ugliest spot in the garden is this water meter reading thing.  The meter maids come around to check the amount of water used.  They need something like 2 feet of space on all sides of the meter.  I once was fined for not providing this access.  I guess some fat ass couldn't get into the smaller area.  I really wish the thing had been put into the driveway where they would surely have enough space to read the meter. There is a little rock path leading into it from the grass path.  The Irish heather is in front of it, partly hiding it.  The lady's mantle, cement vase, moss rose and few other little plants are on the driveway side of it, under the magnolia tree.   The trillium bed is in behind it with pasque flowers, iberis, arabis and a few others to hide it from the driveway side.  On the left side of the photo there is the tall black bamboo,  an old heather and the start of the Siberian irises to hide it from the thyme circle and other inner garden beds.
 This is the view up the stone path, past the David and on to the smoke bush and the back of the inner garden.   We see the milkweed in the foreground.  Across the path from the David is a decorative oregano, some crocosmias, dianthus, and on into the little rockery on that side.
 A close up of the milkweed.  It is, I believe a showy milkweed.   Dave Dube sent this to me a few years ago.  It does not set seed, so it must be some kind of a hybrid.  I have started some 'soul mate' milkweed plants from seed.  At least there are 2 of them in pots now that look a lot like this plant.  Hopefully, I can get them transplanted to this area in the Fall.  I also have one growing in the cut garden, and another kind that blooms with orange/red blossoms.   This milkweed project has not been a great success.  The monarchs need this milkweed to feed the caterpillars, apparently.   I hope the ones in the pots bloom soon, so I know what I have.   If I ever get enough milkweed plants growing I will import some monarchs, and see if I can establish some of them on the Island.
 Showy Milkweed (Asclepias Speciosa) - This perennial plant can be easily established by sowing Asclepias seeds. It has up to 40 inch stems and large gray-green oval leaves that can be 5 inches in length. The flowers form on top of the stems and are rounded clusters of rosy-pink flowers. One plant can form a large clump by its spreading rhizomes. The Showy Milkweed plant, like its relative Butterfly Weed, prefers to be grown in full sun. It is quite drought tolerant after its second year of establishment as the root system is not well-established the first year after growing from flower seed.
 The French lavender that is in bloom behind the David.  Its a nice view past the lavender, over the chartreuse marjoram and the thyme circle with a bit of the sun dial circle showing.
 I have campanulas growing all over the garden.  This one is under the Magnolia tree, near the trilliums.
 Another view of the water meter.  If I keep it weeded it can actually look not too bad.
 The grass path that is the top border to the garden and goes between the two boxwood hedges.  I really must do something about the crocosmias flopping over the stone path.  
 The stone path with the campanula glomerata across the path from the iberis.
 The black bamboo has lost a lot of its lower leaves.  This year I cleaned out most of the dead canes.  It can be thinned out even more, I think.  But it is getting to look pretty good; and well worth the bother of taking out its runners, and picking up the leaves off the paths and thyme circle.  
 This little spirea has very nice chartreuse leaves with pink flowers.  It grows between the Siberian irises and the thyme circle.  I need to take better care of it, as it is a lovely little thing, in the spot where it hangs its blooms over the thyme circle.  
 Closer view of the campanula glomerata.  Just beside it in the photo is one of the newly transplanted gentians.  I believe it is the gentian acaulis.  
The thyme circle has had a bit of compost added to it, and I am paying better attention to keeping it watered.  A few bees have even found there way to the flowers.  It still needs more compost and perhaps drainage rock in a few spots, with new plants added.  

Friday, July 17, 2020

The front garden in June

 The old sidewalk path that runs along behind the old garage and changes to a chip trail right after the big fern.  The fern covers our view of the old compost bin. The tall bearded irises on the right side of the photo need some attention.  They are over crowded and never bloom.  The left side has daylillies and a few other plants.  Both of these areas of the woodland need some attention to planning for a nice display.
 This Western bleeding heart  is a new plant in the woodland.  Dicentra formosa (western, wild or Pacific bleeding heart)  I need to remove the large leafed plant next to it.  I do not know what it is.  At the moment it has racemes of little blue flowers.  Its very invasive.  It might be a less well behaved Brunnera than my other ones.

 In the front garden, June was the month for the roses.  This is Iceberg by the entry way.  Right now it needs deadheading.
 a close up of the iceberg.
 The grass path that goes along the top of the garden between the two boxwood hedges.  
 The start of the grass path from the driveway.  The wall flower has been in bloom for a month or more.  It is still in bloom now.   From this view of the grass path we see where it joins the stone path that goes to the inner garden.
A closer look at the entry to the grass path.  To the right is the edge of the Magnolia tree bed.  In this spot there is a milkweed (not yet in bloom) and foxgloves.  I am letting the foxgloves go to seed, here and hopefully at the back of the new little rockery reno.  Next to the foxgloves there is a french lavender and the david with the Siberian irises behind them.  The bamboo is further down in this bed and borders the cedar hedge, with the decorative golden oregano,  and the thyme circle on the other side of it.
 This is back at the top of the garden, again.; looking over the little boxwood hedge to the Bergenias and the Japanese anemones that are in front of the west coast planter, with a view of more of the stone path in the inner garden, and the burgundy smoke bush.  The little gold wall in the little rockery is visible  over the tops of the anemones.   The anemones now have buds and the inner garden will become more 'private' when they grow taller.
 This is the simplicity rose at the corner of my property, just behind the tall boxwood hedge.  You can see the neighbors garbage cans that they keep at this front corner of their house for all the world to see.  And clearly visible from the front entry to our home.
 A close up of the simplicity rose.
 The lovely wine colored clematis grows across the grass path and the boxwood hedges from the simplicity rose.  It stands by the cedar hedge and with some crocosmias and solomon's seal  screens most of the inner garden and little rockery from casual view.
POLYGONATUM
also known as King Solomon's-seal or Solomon's seal
Solomon’s sea is an elegant woodland plant that is native to North America. Although the dangling, white flowers and the black seed pods that follow are charming, it’s the arching stems and foliage that make Solomon’s seal such a favorite in shade gardens and woodland settings. Once established, Solomon’s seal slowly spreads out and creates a nodding blanket of foliage that turns a golden yellow in autumn.
Leaves: The slender, arching stems of Solomon's seal have alternating lance-shaped leaves that are either green or tipped with white.
Flowers: Small, tubular, white flowers dangle underneath the leaves. The species name of P. biflorum refers to the fact that the flowers grow in pairs along the leaf axils. Solomon's seal will bloom in mid-spring to early summer. The black seed pods that follow will persist into summer. More mature plants tend to have more profuse flowers and are a bit showier.  But it’s the plant form rather than the flowers that make Solomon’s seal such an interesting plant.
 There is a variegated form that is fragrant: Polygonatum odoratum, commonly called fragrant Solomon's seal, is a rhizomatous, shade-loving perennial that typically grows to 18-24” tall on low, gracefully arching, angled (as opposed to cylindrical), unbranched stems. It is native to shaded slopes and woodland areas in temperate regions of Europe and Asia.
 My plant grows in the front garden between the front little rockery and the cedar hedge, near the boxwood hedge.
 The vines of the clematis that have climbed up the cedar hedge seem to be dried out and dying.  I noticed this happening on the clematis by the back deck.  The part that is on the cedar has dried out.  I am not sure what is doing that to the clematises.
 This is a different view of the Gertrude Jekyl rose, and the west coast planter., adjoining this part of the little rockery.  The stone path divides both sides of the little rockery.  This rose is very fragrant.  It needs dead heading, watering and feeding just now.  As do all of the roses.
This little snapdragon comes up like a short-lived perennial.  It grows in the cement vase that sits at the grass path entry to the front garden from the driveway.  I need more of snapdragons!