Plant Notes

March 2008 Plant Notes

Berberis x stenophylla "Corallina Compacta" (BERBERICACEAE) Dwarf Coral Barberry
Grown by Kerry Barrs in Woodside: Since his first purchase in a 1/2 gallon pot 10 years ago, Kerry has traded up to 1-gallon and now 2-gallon sizes of this very slow growing clone of Rosemary Barberry. It makes a compact, 18" x 18", evergreen mound of thorny branches with dark green, rosemary-like foliage. Drooping clusters of yellow-orange flowers open from red buds in spring. In full sun and any well-drained soil, it is a choice plant for rock gardens or as a focal point in a low border.

"Camellia Chrysantha Chang" Photo by Nikki Muller

Camellia chrysantha (C. nitidissima) (THEACEAE) Yellow Camellia
Grown by Niki Muller in Portola Valley: A friend gave this rare camellia to Niki 9 years ago and it has come into bloom for the first time. The flowers are 2" across with 9-11, clear yellow petals that curl back at their edges and a dense, central cluster of dark gold stamens. Its large leaves are glossy, bright green, and quilted with deeply impressed veins. The shrub can grow to 16 ft with an open, lanky habit. Native to streamsides in moist forests of China and Vietnam and threatened by habitat loss, it was introduced in the 70's when China opened up. It was used mainly in hybridization programs with an aim to making large, double camellias with yellow and, hopefully, even orange, apricot, and peach tones. But the yellow color washed out in the hybrids and better progress is being made with some strongly yellow species found more recently in Vietnam.

Coprosma repens "Rainbow Surprise" (RUBIACEAE) Mirror Plant
Grown by Virginia Kean in Redwood City: When Virginia bought this last year at a WHS meeting, its gleaming, little leaves were edged in cream with a little touch of pink. But with cooler fall temperatures, the variegation intensified to deep orange-red and the shrub became a garden diva through the fall and winter. It is a New Zealand native and easily grown in any well-drained soil with regular irrigation in full sun or with some afternoon shade. It is a 4ft x 4 ft, evergreen shrub with a dense, rounded habit that may need a little pruning during fall or winter to keep it dense. It also can be sheared for an outstanding short hedge.

Gentiana sp. (GENTIANACEAE) Gentian
Grown by Kerry Barrs: Kerry brought another little blooming Gentian grown by the SF Botanical Garden. Rock gardeners love these alpines with their gorgeous blue flowers. Kerry stressed that they require full sun but temperatures below 75F to bloom and that aficionados grow them on refrigerated tables. They like the cool SF climate and will often repeat bloom in the fall, but I have to wonder how these plants can imagine they are living in full sun anywhere in SF!

Lepechinia spp. (LAMIACEAE) Pitcher Sage
Grown by Kris Montague in Los Altos: Lepechinia are very aromatic sage relatives. They have large foxglove-like flowers that hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies love. They are pest and disease free, easy to grow in any soil, in full sun or a little shade, with little to occassional irrigation. They put on lots of large, fuzzy leaves during winter and spring and replace them for summer and fall with smaller, grayer ones. Kris is growing 2 species. L. fragrans is native to Santa Cruz Island and blooms in spring with lavender flowers hanging in 1"-2" racemes. It tends to be a lanky, 6 ft shrub that needs early pinching to induce bushiness. L. hastata is native to Mexico and/or Hawaii. It is a little shorter and more upright, and blooms early spring into summer with red-purple flowers in terminal spikes. In case youíre wondering, L. calycina, with white to lavender flowers, is the one that grows in our own chaparral and woodlands.

Loropetalum chinense (HAMAMELIDACEAE) Chinese Witch Hazel

Loropetalum chinense (HAMAMELIDACEAE) Chinese Witch Hazel
Grown by Dick Dunmire in Los Altos: Dick is growing the original, fragrant, white-flowered, green-leaved Loropetalum. You know, the one you can actually see in the garden, especially at dusk and in moonlight. It is a graceful, evergreen shrub with distinctly horizontal branching that is perfect in a container or spilling down a bank in sun or shade. It subtly draws attention with an occassional red or yellow leaf. Dick's is 40 years old and 10ft tall by 25ft wide. He has heard of very upright ones growing to 50ft in Japan and theorized that propagatiion from seed accounts for the difference in form. Our nursery plants are propagated from cuttings of side growth that results in a lax, spreading habit.

Osmanthus delavayi (OLEACEAE) Delavayís Osmanthus
Grown by Barbara Worl in Menlo Park: This slow-growing, evergreen shrub has the largest flowers of all the Osmanthus. It grows about 7 ft x 10 ft with graceful, arching branches and produces profuse clusters of fragrant, white flowers in early spring. It is easy to grow in sun or shade, in any soil, and with little water.

Pimelea ciliata "Snow Clouds" (THYMELAEACEAE) Rice Flower, White Banjine

Pimelea ciliata "Snow Clouds" (THYMELAEACEAE) Rice Flower, White Banjine
Grown by Patricia Knight in Los Altos Hills: This is a new introduction from Australia. It is an evergreen, dwarf shrub 1ft-2 ft tall and 3 ft wide. Small, dark green leaves are in 2 ranks along upright stems that terminate in a cluster of flower buds. The outer buds open in turn until the stem is topped by a 1.5" sphere of small, starry, white flowers. It blooms late winter into April. It will grow in full sun or light shade; wants well-drained soil, little or no fertilizer, moderate to low irrigation; and is hardy into the low 20's. Google UCSC and Koala to learn about the interesting collaboration of a few nurserymen with UCSC and their plant introductions.

Rosmarinus officinalis "Mozart" (LAMIACEAE) Mozart Rosemary

Rosmarinus officinalis "Mozart" (LAMIACEAE) Mozart Rosemary
Grown by Nancy Schramm in Gilroy: "Mozart" is a particularly fine rosemary selected by Ed Carman, outstanding nurseryman, plantsman, one of WHS's founders, and Nancy's father. It is named for the street his nursery was on in Los Gatos. It is a nice, compact shrub to 4 ft x 5 ft with dark green, aromatic foliage and bright blue-purple flowers, the best flower color of any rosemary.

Verbena lilacina "De La Mina" (VERBENACEAE) Cedros Island Verbena
Grown by Judy Wong in Menlo Park: An endemic of Cedros Island off Baja, this is a gorgeous, loosely mounding, 3 ft x 4 ft, evergreen subshrub that blooms almost year round with dense heads of mildly fragrant, purple flowers that are irresistible to butterflies. The medium green leaves are finely divided giving the plant a lacey texture. It takes full sun or a little shade and needs little water in heavy soils but will tolerate irrigation in loose, well-drained soil. It is pest and disease free and only needs a yearly light shearing to keep it compact and dense. Technically, this is considered a California native since, rather than using botanically meaningless state boundaries, botanists put us within a biodiversity hotspot called the California Floristic Province. It is the area west from the Sierra and extending north into the southwestern corner of Oregon and south to include the chaparral and forest areas of northern Baja. You might want to look it up and see how special our little part of the world is.

Viburnum x burkwoodii (ADOXACEAE) Burkwoodís Viburnum
Grown by Barbara Worl: Barbara has been growing this beautiful shrub for 45 years. It is 10 ft-12 ft high and wide with periodic pruning. In late winter, It produces 4 inch, domed clusters of pink buds that open into tubular white flowers with a wonderful, spicey fragrance. It has glossy leaves that are semi-evergreen or completely deciduous in some years. The deciduous leaves turn purply red before falling. It is tolerant of most soils but prefers moist, humusy sites in full sun.

Barbara also brought us Helleborus "Blue Lady" with very dark purple flowers; a mix of yellow, pink, and white hyacinths and white/pink "Katie Heath" daffodils from Brent and Becky's Bulbs in Gloucester, VA; a group of white-flowering Tassel Grape Hyacinth, Muscari comosum "Album"; a mix of very pretty, double-flowered Primula polyantha from Annie's Annuals that Barbara finds very easy and reliable; a stem from an unknown Spirea that has grown in her garden since a friend gave it to her 20 years ago; and, finally, a little, groundcover Veronica sp. that blooms nicely in blue in early spring.

JND

Sources: Am. Hort. Soc. A-Z Encyclopedia, Botanica, Flora, Sunset Western Garden Book, Ca. Native Plants for the Garden, and lots of websites.

Jackie N. Doda

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