Wednesday Vignette – all the options

Last summer, something odd happened. My big, beautiful Edgeworthia suddenly collapsed. Just like that. For a while, I simply let it be, made sure it got some water here and there – just to see if it would bounce back. For the most part, it didn’t, so one weekend not too long ago, I ventured out there and started cutting it back, starting with the most dead-looking branches. One by one, the shrub shrunk. I soon realized that I didn’t even really need to cut most of them – they just broke off at the base with minimal prompting. – it had rotted. So, I kept breaking them off, until there were only two big, still healthy branches left. They had nice, fat flower buds, so I let them be. Three are already blooming – something I noticed today of all days – on the day we got this winter’s first snow.

This photo is from September. Here you can see the collapse on full display – or should I say full splay? I have no idea what caused the collapse to happen, but heard that several others had the same thing happen to theirs, too. Probably some kind of environmental change it didn’t like, we were guessing, as none of us had made any real changes in treatment or care. It just up and died.

Anyway, until my rough treatment of its spready girth, this was a big shrub. In summer, its blue green, oval leaves made a perfect privacy screen for my hammock. Not having it there will no doubt make next summer’s lounging experience far less protected unless I fill that hole quick. But with what? I’m leaning toward moving my Shefflera delavayi into this spot. Or, I could put a Mahonia eurybracteata there. I have one in a pot I have been nursing along for a while. My only worry is that it might not get enough sun to be happy there. (It gets some filtered southern light, but is also shaded from above by a windmill palm.) Besides, the Shefflera is bigger, and would provide a more instant gratification.

Another available option is a Sarcococca orientalis – which may not sound all that exciting, but I like its skinny, pointed leaves. Plus, it’s not overly happy where it currently is, and it’s fragrant. I also have a somewhat suffering Kiringeshoma that might enjoy that spot. Except, it’s not evergreen. Moving an Abutilon or a Fuchsia into that spot is another deciduous option that might work too – except deciduous. Either sure would look fab spilling over the wall… As would a really, really big fern. Ferns look good anywhere. What would your choice be? A combo of some of the above? Or something completely different? I’m getting lost in all the fabulous potential…