Bletilla striata (ORCHIDACEAE) Chinese Ground Orchid
Grown by Liz Calhoon in Los Altos Hills:  
This terrestrial orchid from China and Japan has been cultivated in gardens since around 1794. Each plant has 3 to 5 lance-shaped, pleated leaves that are about 1’ tall. They are attractive all year until they disappear in late fall. For about 6 weeks in late spring, it blooms with pretty little rose-mauve flowers like mini cattleyas with a ruffled and furrowed lower lip that’s often striped with white. The flowering stems are about 18” tall and carry 6 to 8 slightly nodding flowers. They are best in cool woodland conditions with morning sun or bright shade. They prefer humusy, moist, well drained soil but will tolerate clay. They’re hardy to 20°F, or lower if protected under mulch. With time, a sizable colony will develop by short rhizomes.

	Carpenteria californica (SAXIFRAGACEAE) Bush Anemone

Carpenteria californica (SAXIFRAGACEAE) Bush Anemone
Grown by Jean Struthers in Los Altos Hills:  This native is a rare endemic found only in a tiny region of the Sierra foothills near Fresno; but  they are abundant in gardens, especially in England. It’s a formal looking, 5-10 ft. tall, evergreen shrub that blooms with terminal clusters of 3”-wide, white flowers with lots of bright yellow stamens. They are lightly fragrant and bees love their pollen. It has attractive ivory and tan peeling bark. In our mild summer climate, it tolerates full sun and will bloom better there. It’s drought tolerant, but looks best with occassional summer water. Old, dead leaves will hang on forever. Remove them and prune back the top growth after bloom to keep it looking tidy.

Cornus kousa x nuttallii ‘Venus’ (CORNACEAE) Dogwood
Grown by Jon Craig in Watsonville:  Production and evaluation of this new introduction spanned 30 years. In 1983, Dr. Elwin Orton, of Rutgers, crossed a bunch of C. kousa and a bunch of C. nuttallii and grew up the seeds. Ten years later the best seedling was selected and crossed with a C. kousa ‘Rosea’. Venus has been selected as one of the best from that cross. It has exceptionally large, beautiful, white floral bracts like our native C. nuttallii but is easy to grow. It’s a vigorous, dense, low-branching tree with a rounded head that’s wider than tall. It may be 18’ tall x 21’ wide after 20 years. It has good drought tolerance, great resistance to powdery mildew and anthracnose, and Jon swears it will not go crispy in full sun. Venus has a sister named ‘Starlight’ whose growth habit shows some of the graceful, tiered form of C. nuttallii but is more upright.

Fremontodendron x ‘El Dorado Gold’ (STERCULIACEAE) Fremontia, Flannel Bush
Grown by Jean Struthers:  Jean has been growing this gorgeous, native shrub for about 15 years. It’s a hybrid of the very floriferous ‘California Glory’ fremontia and the low, spreading, rusty-orange-flowered Pine Hill fremontia. It’s makes a mound 4’-6’ high and twice as wide with small, dark green leaves. It blooms for several weeks with 3”-wide, yellow-orange, downward-facing flowers. It’s said to be the most garden tolerant of the fremontias but its preference is for neglect, summer drought, sun, and very well-drained soil. The leaves and stems are covered with very irritating, golden brown hairs so you’ll want to site it away from patios and paths. It’s perfect spilling down a slope or over a wall.

Lapeirousia laxa (IRIDACEAE) False Freesia
Grown by Liz Calhoon:  Botanists have tried to fit this plant almost everywhere within the iris family. Now they seem ready to drop it into the Freesia genus which means something has to be done about its common name. It’s native to winter rainfall areas of several countries in southern Africa where it’s a winter growing, spring blooming, summer dormant corm. It has fans of 8” tall, slender, light green foliage. The flowering stems are 12” to 18” tall and have about 6, bright scarlet flowers with a dark red blotch at the bases of the 3 lower tepals. They go dormant after flowering and setting seed. I need to admit to feeling an involuntary shudder of revulsion whenever I see this little thing. I took one home from WHS many years ago; and when it started seeding freely in irrigated and dry areas with nearly equal ease, I decided it needed to go. I think I was able to eradicate Bermuda Buttercup quicker. Liz’s experience has been very different with it spreading politely in just one area. I would love to hear from others who have had experience with it and can maybe convince me that I’m over-reacting.

	Phygelius x rectus ‘Blacher’ (SCROPHULARIACEAE) Cherry Ripe Cape Fuchsia

Phygelius x rectus ‘Blacher’ (SCROPHULARIACEAE) Cherry Ripe Cape Fuchsia
Grown by Bill Kurtz in Santa Clara:  It was great to have Bill back and he brought a cape fuchsia created recently in England. It’s a hybrid of P. x rectus (P. capensis x aequalis) crossed with P. aequalis ‘Sensation’. This one has 1½” long, deep red, tubular flowers with pale, yellow-green throats on maroon stems. The hybridizers say each panicle can have up to 65 flowers. Bill’s had just started blooming and the hummingbirds were already excited about it. It will continue blooming to frost. It’s evergreen here, but may look a little ratty in winter. Compact, upright growth to 2’ tall makes it perfect for containers. In the ground, it will spread by suckering roots. Give it full sun or part shade and regular irrigation.

Ribes sanguineum ‘Brocklebankii’ (GROSSULARIACEAE) Golden-leaved Currant
Grown by Michelle Bond in Redwood City:  This cultivar of our native red-flowered currant is about half the size of the species and has golden foliage that lights up shady areas. It originated in England where it is much more available than here and has received the Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society. Its foliage is bright, golden-yellow when young and ages to nice spring green that’s doesn’t look sickly or chlorotic. It is deciduous; but, here the old leaves are pushed off by the emerging new ones, so it’s never really leafless. It blooms with rosy-pink flowers in short, plump, hanging racemes just as the new leaves are emerging in late winter or early spring. Most sources say it should grow about 4’ tall and wide. They also say it’s very slow growing, but Michelle’s has grown vigourously and even needed pruning. For good flowering and best leaf color without risking sunburned foliage, morning sun with bright afternoon shade works best. It’s tolerant of any soil; give it moderate to little water once it’s established. Hummingbirds and bees love it.

Rosa spp. (ROSACEAE) Rose
Grown by Virginia Keen in Redwood City: Virginia brought us a little taste of her roses that are in full bloom right now. ‘Claire Rose’ (Austin/English, 1986) blooms from April to November and has large, beautifully cupped, soft blush pink roses that fade to almost white with age. Like many Austins, it’s an arching shrub that can be trained as a small climber. ‘Edith de Murat’ (Bourbon, 1858) is a sport of ‘Souvenir de la Malmaison’. It blooms from spring to frost with clusters of very fragrant, very full, white blossoms blushed pink at the center and a little bit of fringing on the outer petals. ‘Fair Bianca’ (Austin/English, 1982) blooms May to October with clusters of fragrant, snowy white, cupped flowers that open from fat, pink buds. It’s a nicely rounded, small shrub. ‘Madame Hardy’ (French Damask, 1832) blooms 5 to 6 weeks in spring with fragrant, pure white flowers that are beautifully quartered and cupped. Some rosarians consider it to be the most perfect 0ld Rose.

	Syngonanthus chrysanthus ‘Mikado’ (ERICAULACEAE)

Syngonanthus chrysanthus ‘Mikado’ (ERICAULACEAE)
Grown by Kerry Barrs in Woodside:  A few year’s ago these plants were rarities and Kerry killed one that he had picked up at a specialty shop. Now they’re at Home Depot and Trader Joe’s so he’s trying again. It’s an oddly elegant little plant that’s native to swampy places in tropical Brazil. There’s a 4” basal rosette of thin, grass-like, velvety leaves. Several, foot-long, very upright flower stems rise from the center and each terminates with a single, small, yellow bud that opens to a white, papery, pin-head-like flower. Each can last 10 weeks. It’s strictly a houseplant with very exacting needs: bright, indirect light; 60%-80% humidity; 66°-82° F; loosely packed peat that drains well but stays moist; and purified water since it’s sensitive to mineral concentration. The name Mikado refers to the european name for the Pick-Up Sticks game, not to the Emperor of Japan.

Jackie N. Doda

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