Plant Notes

October 2007 Plant Notes

Plant discussion table in October with our fellow member Dick Dunmire

Amsonia ciliata or hubrectii (APOCYNACEAE) Blue Star
Grown by Barbara Worl in Menlo Park:
These are very similar species of deciduous, herbaceous perennials native to the southern US and Barbara is not sure which she has. Clumps of feathery stems are about 2.5 ft tall with long, very narrow leaves that turn bright yellow in fall. In spring, they have terminal clusters of starry, pale blue flowers. It is easy to grow in sun to light shade with good drainage and moderate water.

Barberry

Berberis spp. (BERBERIDACEAE) Barberry
Grown by Betsy Clebsch in La Honda:
Berberis is a large genus found throughout the northern hemisphere. Betsy is growing 2 China natives, B. aggregata and B. wilsoniae var. ghutganica, and one of their best hybrid offspring, B. x carminea "Pirate King". In spring, yellow flowers bloom in clusters along thorny stems. Right now they have clusters of small, delicate looking, coral-pink berries that the birds love. The leaves also can provide good fall color. They are easy, slow, 5 ft x 5 ft shrubs for full sun or light shade, any soil, and moderate water.

Cuphea llavea (LYTHRACEAE) Bat Face Cuphea, Tiny Mice, St. Peter Plant
Grown by Kerry Barrs in Woodside:
This is an easy, mounding, 2 ft H x 3 ft W, perennial subshrub native to streamsides in Michoacon, Mexico. It has tubular flowers late spring into fall that, when viewed face-to-face, look like dark purple bats with big, scarlet ears. It is hardy into the low 20's and wants sun with maybe a little afternoon shade in hottest areas and regular irrigation.

Eucomis bicolor (HYACINTHACEAE) Pineapple Lily
Grown by Bill Kurtz in Santa Clara:
This S. African bulb blooms in fall with a 1ft spike of densely set, greenish cream, star-shaped flowers edged with maroon with a tuft of leaf-like bracts at its crown. It prefers high shade and wants to be kept dry during its winter dormancy. Bill's flowers had no maroon margins and were whiter than cream, so he questions that it is truly bicolor.

Fothergilla gardenii (HAMAMELIDACEAE) Dwarf Fothergilla
Grown by Barbara Worl:
Native to southeastern US, fothergilla is a deciduous, compact, ~4 ft x 4 ft shrub. In spring, just before or as leaves emerge, it blooms with bottle-brush like spikes of white, honey scented flowers. But the best show is in fall when the leaves turn all shades of red, orange, and yellow. Slow but easy to grow, it tolerates part shade and wants moist, well-drained, humus rich soil. Propagate by cuttings or air layering in summer or by fresh seed in fall.

Haemanthus albiflos x H. coccineus (AMARYLLIDACEAE) Blood Lily
Grown by Bill Kurtz:
Also from Bill's nearly endless supply of South African bulbs comes this hybrid with prostrate, strap-shaped leaves and a gorgeous blossom of deep rose pink bracts surrounding the many stamens that give it the look of a shaving brush. Like its H. albiflos parent, which Bill also showed, it is evergreen. It likes high shade and is hardy to about 26 F.

Heteromeles arbutifolia (ROSACEAE) Toyon (Ohlone name), Hollywood
Grown by Richard & Bracey Tiede in San Jose:
They are growing the common red-berried Toyon and "Davis Gold" a select form of H. a. var. cerina, the yellow-berried form with softer textured, lighter green leaves that is rare in the wild. Interestingly, Richard says the birds definitely prefer the yellow berries Native to most of California, it is a large, evergreen shrub; slow to establish, but then it is tough, drought tolerant, and long-lived. As Kerry pointed out, Toyon is the plant that gave the town of Hollywood its name.

Osmanthus fragrans aurantiacus (OLEACEAE) Golden Sweet Olive
Grown by Dick Dunmire in Los Altos:
Everybody loves it when someone brings a branch of this shrub with its VERY fragrant, tiny, orange flowers. It blooms for 3-4 weeks, usually during October. It is a hardy, evergreen shrub to 10 ft tall, but can become tree-sized. It likes afternoon shade but older plants are more tolerant of full sun.

Plectranthus "Mona Blue" (LAMIACEAE)
Grown by Elizabeth Garbett in Los Altos Hills:
This newly introduced Plectranthus is a compact, 2 ft x 2 ft, herbaceous, perennial with glossy, dark green leaves and many long spikes of 3/4 inch, pale blue, tubular flowers with darker stippling on the flared upper and lower lips. It wants part shade, regular water and protection from frost. This is clearly related to P. "Mona Lavender", a complex hybrid (possibly involving P.hilliardiae) bred by Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens in South Africa and introduced in the late 1990's. It has a darker flower color and purple stems and leaf reverses. Mine died back completely in last winter's freeze but came back from the roots and is in full bloom now. There is also a "Mona Lisa" which I have not seen. These are excellent new plants for late summer and fall bloom in the shade garden.

Prunus ilicifolia (ROSACEAE) Holly Leaf Cherry
Grown by Betsy Clebsch:
This is one of my favorite California natives. It is infinitely useful in the landscape as a densely branched, 6 ft-8 ft shrub or a single-trunked, modest-sized (to 25 ft) tree that is quite beautiful and the perfect size for smaller gardens. It even tolerates being sheared into a formal hedge and you can see many of these in older sections of Palo Alto. It is evergreen with glossy, prickly leaves and bronzy new spring growth. It has dense, 2 inch long clusters of fragrant, white flowers in late spring followed by large, red-purple fruit in fall. There is not much pulp, but what is there is very tasty if you can get to it before the jays, robins, etc. It wants full sun but tolerates some afternoon shade; will grow in clay soil that drains; is drought resistant but best with occasional water; and is resistant to oak root fungus. It can sometimes be hit with fire blight which is controlled by pruning out the affected stems. Native Americans ate the fruit; used the leaves, bark, and roots medicinally; and made bows from its wood.

Quercus spp. (FAGACEAE) Oaks
Grown or collected by Nancy Schramm In Gilroy:
Nancy showed a group of eastern oaks, Q. alba, coccinea, macrocarpa, nigra, and palustris and the English Q. robur, all of which have good fall color. She also had a sampling of native oaks, many of which are experiencing an acorn mast this year. The Q. kelloggii, our native Black Oak, had not taken on its gold and russet fall colors yet. Watch for it in the spring, as well, when its velvety, new leaves emerge in shades of fuchsia and pale rose-absolutely stunning.

Salvias

Salvia spp. (LAMIACEAE) Sage
Grown by Bracey & Richard Tiede:
S. chamaedryoides, Germander Sage, a 2 ft tall, Tex-Mex, high desert species with blue flowers almost year round and grey-green leaves. S. coahuilensis from the mountains of Coahuila, Mexico is a 2 ft, sort of wispy, small leaved sage with violet-blue flowers. S.darcyi, Red Mountain Sage, is from the mountains of Sierra Leon, Mexico, grows about 3 ft high, and has soft red flowers. S. x "Purple Majesty" is a gesneriiflora "Tequila" and guaranitica cross by Fred Boutin at Huntington Gardens. It grows about 4 ft high and has 1 inch purple-blue flowers over a long bloom season.

Tricyrtis "Empress" (LILIACEAE or UVULARIACEAE) Empress Toad Lily
Grown by Virginia Kean in Redwood City:
Native to Asian woodlands from the Philippines to the Himalayas Tricyrtis grow in evenly moist, acidic soil rich in organic matter. They are easy, hardy perennials that multiply quickly from fleshy rhizomes. They die back to the ground with the first heavy frost, put up new stems in spring and bloom late summer into fall. "Empress" is thought to be a hybrid with T. formosana as one of its parents. It has smooth, shiny leaves on upright, 2 ft tall stems with terminal, starry, flowers that remind some of small orchids. Its flowers are large for the genus and have narrow white petals with dark purple, irregular spots and mottling. Chris Wilson of Hallson Gardens in Michigan thinks he has evidence that this irregularity may be due to a virus that can infect other Tricyrtis and alter the patterns on their flowers. Propagation is easy by division or by root or stem cuttings.

Zygopetalum x blackii "Negress" (ORCHIDACEAE)
Grown by Dick Dunmire:
This is an evergreen, fall-blooming orchid that grows in plain potting soil and survives year round on Dick's covered front porch. Its lower lip is heavily mottled with inky purple and the upper petals and sepals are green with wide brown bands.

Sorry to have to leave out some plants, but the 2 page limit forced some omissions and some very short notes on others.

Jackie N. Doda

References: Am. Hort. Soc. A-Z Encyclopedia, Botanica, Flora, Sunset Western Garden Book, and various websites.