Taking advantage of yesterday's slightly cooler temperatures, we dug up the overgrown plants: a large Agapanthus with its massive network of fleshy roots that could wrap around Earth several times, and a Salvia elegans 'Golden Delicious' whose rooted stems formed a small colony that dwarfed everything around it. S. elegans will be moved to a shadier spot in the yard with plenty of space to roam. The Agapanthus, well, it went straight into the Big Green Dumpster in the Sky, and I'll be spending the coming week removing its remaining roots.

Removing these two plants opened up the rose and gives a much tidier look to this space. The Rose and Clematis are currently between bloom cycles but have numerous buds. One of the remaining plants near the lower right is the popular purple Verbena ('Homestead', I believe) that likes regular water but is very tolerant of drought and a heavy bloomer all year.

Here are the before and after pics, starting with a picture I took in April this year showing what the Salvia looks like after pruning, followed by 2 'after' shots I took yesterday.

April 2012:

Yesterday morning. My how it's grown! The waaaaay overgrown S. elegans steals the show and looks completely out of place. And that poor Agapanthus, clearly in need of more water next to a hot stone path. Off with their heads!

And 'after', a new blank slate for low-growing waterwise plants. That variegated plant on the far left is Liriope 'Silvery Sunproof'; I'm considering adding another in that open spot next to the fence on the rose's right. It has similar water needs and will not mind the additional water given to the rose and Clematis. Other plants in front will need to thrive on much less water.

Now I am on the hunt for waterwise plants for the foreground.