Plant Notes

WHS Plant Notes for November, 2008

Agonis flexuosa 'After Dark' (MYRTACEAE) After Dark Peppermint Tree
Grown by Barbara Worl in Menlo Park: 
A. flexuosa is an evergreen, small tree that's native to Western Australia. Its common name refers to the strong fragrance of its bruised foliage. 'After Dark' is a gorgeous, burgundy-leaved form that occurred as a single, spontaneous mutant in a flat of seedlings in 1985. It has long, drooping, willow-like foliage that is narrower than in the species and keeps its dark burgundy color all year round. The new growth is brilliant scarlet and the whole tree glows red when backlit. It blooms with clusters of small, white, burgundy-centered flowers along its stems from late spring into early summer. It is smaller and slower growing than the species. Expect a large shrub or small tree to about 18' tall and 12' wide with an open, billowy canopy and a somewhat weepy habit. It tolerates any soil, full sun to light shade, and moderate irrigation. It's a great choice for a lawn tree and works well as a hedge, privacy screen, or as a container specimen. Its hardiness range is still being debated with some reports of young plants being killed at temperatures just above freezing. Credible reports on plants in coastal areas of California say there's some tip damage below 28°F and stem damage at 20-25°F. Recovery was quick. Plants that are stressed or not well established aren't likely to fare as

Luculia gratissima RUBIACEAE)

Grown by Tina Dreyer in Woodside: 

	Luculia gratissima

This beautiful shrub is covered from early fall into winter with very fragrant, shell pink flowers in dense, terminal, viburnum-like clusters up to 8" across.  Each flower is a slender tube that flares into 5 rounded petals. Their fragrance has been described as somewhere between gardenia and vanilla. It has glossy, distinctly veined leaves that can show some dark red fall color. Without protection, expect leaf damage at about 30°F. Tina grows hers in an interior patio where it has grown to 12' tall and will experience some leaf damage only when nights drop into the 20's. She prunes it back by half each February and finds it easy to propagate from cuttings at that time. It's native to forests on the lower Himalayan slopes in Nepal. It likes woodland conditions with moist, well-drained, humusy soil and protection from hot sun. It is very susceptible to root rot and doesn't tolerate root disturbance. So, as you can see, it requires very careful siting, but is certainly worth the trouble. It's often available at plant sales at SF Botanical Garden where it grows very happily.

Phytolacca americana (PHYTOLACCACEAE) Pokeweed, Pokeberry, Pigeonberry, etc.
Shown by Mary Kaye:

	Phytolacca americana	Berries

Pokeweed is a good-looking, shrub-like, herbaceous perennial that can grow 12'H x 6'W or more. It's native to most of eastern North America and into Mexico. From early summer to fall it blooms in 10" racemes of small, cream to pink flowers on pink stems. They produce berries that ripen from green to blackish purple. These will stain almost anything and have been used to make a crimson dye. The leaves take on purple-red and pink fall color before the whole plant dies to the ground for winter. In spring, it quickly regrows from a very deep taproot. It seeds readily or can be propagated by root division. Though all parts of the mature plant are dangerously toxic, leaves and stems of young shoots less than 8" tall are eaten after being boiled 3 times with 2 changes of water. The taste is similar to asparagus. Pies are made with cooked berries that have been strained free of the seeds that remain toxic after cooking. The berries are an important food source for birds and other wildlife unaffected by its toxins.

Punica granatum (PUNICACEAE) Pomegranate
Shown by Nancy Schramm:
Nancy went to a pomegranate tasting at Wolfskill in Winters and got to taste ~18 of the 164 known cultivars.They vary greatly in color, acidity, and seed hardness. She preferred the more complex flavor that comes with some acidity and thought the very sweet ones were bland in comparison. This wasn't true of all tasters. She brought samples showing an amazing color range in both rind and flesh. Pomegranates have been grown in California since the Spanish brought them here in 1769. Give it the sunniest, warmest spot in the garden; and, after it's well established, it just needs monthly deep watering and an annual mulch with compost to fruit well. They're long-lived, trouble free, and usually grow to 12'-16' tall, though capable of growing much taller. They are self-fruitful. They bear after just 3 or 4 years with fruit produced on new wood. It will keep for 7 months at fridge temperature. Nancy hears about these tastings through CA Rare Fruit Growers at www.cfrg.org. To learn about the National Clonal Germplasm Repository who grew all the fruit, go to www.ars-grin.gov/dav.

Rosa x (ROSACEAE) Rose
Grown by Virginia Kean in Redwood City:
Virginia brought a few of her Old Roses-3 Teas and a Polyantha. Teas have elegant, spiraled blooms in a wide color range and are usually fragrant. They love our mild climate and usually bloom all year here. 'Baronne Henriette de Snoy' (1897) is a 5' x 4' shrub with open clusters of large, very full, soft pink blooms with deeper reverse on wine-colored stems. 'Général de Tartas' (1860) has been widely used in rose breeding and so is best known for its offspring. It's large, 8' x 5', with strongly fragrant, mid-pink blooms. 'Rubens' (1859) is a graceful, 4' x 4' shrub with white blossoms that last well in bouquets. 'La Marne' (1915) is a large Polyantha. It's a neat, dense, erect shrub that makes a great hedge. It blooms all year with loose clusters of 2", cupped, semi-double, pink flowers shading to white in the center.

Salvia madrensis (LAMIACEAE) Forsythia Sage
Grown by Betsy Clebsch in La Honda: 
This is a large, impressive sage that starts producing whorls of soft yellow flowers on 3' to 7' tall spires in September and can continue through some light frosts. The stems are clothed with big, rough, heart-shaped leaves. It's native to the Sierra Madre Oriental range in Mexico, likes light shade, tolerates full sun, needs regular irrigation, and is hardy to at least 25°F.

Terrarium plants 
Grown by Kerry Barrs in Woodside: 
Having acquired plants that need to live in a bubble, Kerry has learned about terrarium building and care. It's tiny inhabitants include Begonia prismatocarpa 'Variegata' from tropical Africa. It forms a cute, 4" x 6" mound of green leaves edged with pinkish white and blooms constantly with tiny, 2-tepaled, yellow/orange flowers. There's a Brazilian gesneriad, Sinningia concinna, a micro-miniature that can grow to 1? to 2" across and has pretty, purple/white, tubular flowers. And finally, there's a Cryptantha sp., a Brazilian bromeliad. It's barely visible to the naked eye but still manages to be variegated with dark stripes.

Vitis californica 'Roger's Red' (VITACEAE) Roger's Red Grape
Grown by Elizabeth Garbett in Los Altos Hills:

	Vitis californica 'Roger's Red'

'Roger's Red' is a rambunctious, deciduous vine that can quickly spread 40'. Roger Raiche collected it along a roadside west of Healdsburg where it was climbing in redwoods and bays. It's hardy to 15°F, tolerates any soil and full sun to light shade, and wants occasional to moderate water. It's large, gray-green leaves and shreddy, cinnamon brown bark make it a handsome cover for walls, arbors and fences. And then, in fall, its leaves turn the most amazing, glowing shades of crimson. The whole plant can be cut to the ground each year; but, if pruned as you would table or wine grapes, it will set prolific, dense clusters of small, dark purple, very tasty fruit. They're beautiful hanging among the crimson leaves. Large seeds make them hard to eat out of hand, but use them for killer juice and jam. Raiche and most experts now suspect that this is actually a chance hybrid with some nearby wine grape variety and not purely V. californica. Regardless, it's beautiful and delicious.

NB:  November's table was overflowing with goodies, so hard decisions were made to fit the 2 page limit. I'm sorry if your favorite(s) are on the cutting room floor. -JND-

Jackie N. Doda

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