S

Sabal  an interesting group of palms native to the American Southeast, Carribean, and Central America. Usually feature strongly descending frond midribs, forming a bilaterally symmetrical, folded leaf. They often have dramatic, distinctive shapes and  foliage plants. Some species will form trunks quickly but many spend years with fronds at eye level, hence their appeal and usefulness. They are quite drought tolerant and range in frost hardiness. All are rare in California. Palmae/Arecaceae. rev 1/2010

domingensis  HISPANIOLA PALMETTO  this is another slow growing fan palm with a stiff, distinctively folded "butterfly" frond that is grey green and usually less than semicircular in shape. The trunk tends to be bare and whitish, the fronds are held stiffly, and on plants that are old enough there is a good flower display with spikes scattered through the canopy and extending as far out as the leaf tips.  Good to about 20F, likes its heat and can take poor soils, alkalinity, etc. Native to  the island of Hispaniola (Haiti/Dominican Republic) and eastern Cuba. Nevertheless it has some frost hardiness and can be grown to Sunset zones 8-9,  15-17, 19-24/USDA zone 9. Very rare, we only have a small amount of these. rev 1/2010 *NEW for 2010!*

mexicana   TEXAS PALMETTO, MEXICAN PALMETTO  young   biggest plants, UC Berkeley Botanic Gardens   biggest plant, Huntington Botanic Gardens   a solitary grower with a moderately robust trunk, semipersistent leaf bases (some cross-thatching), and chunky, beautiful, stiff leaves featuring a strongly descending midrib and partially folded frond. This is a slow grower here, faster with heat and humidity. It can reach 50' in Florida but I have never seen one over about 10-15' in California. You can use it like a Washingtonia without getting the fast growth and ultimate height. The leaves can get 15' long and don't have sawtooth edges. This plant has an attractive, stiff, spiky attitude about it and is very tough. There are only about 30 acres left in the US of this species. It is notable for its extreme hardiness (about 10F), drought tolerance, and adaptability. Very rare, limited availability. Sunset zones 5-24/USDA zone 8. rev 1/2010 *NEW for 2010!*

mauritiformis  BELIZE THATCH PALM, SAVANNAH PALM, BAYLEAF  this is a weird one, and we have just a small experimental crop of this very rare species. It produces very large, light green to olive green fan fronds whose leaflets are usually split to the center and is quite dramatic. Often the leaflets are pendant, the undersides can be whitish. This will eventually form a very gracile trunk with green then brown thatching but only in the most favored Southern California climates. In other areas where it can be grown at all, feature it as a very unusual foliage plant close to eye level. Below 20-25F it is going to start looking real sad. Being from the Carribean and surrounding Central and South America, it likes its heat. The leaf petiole margins are very sharp and demand care. Hardy to about 25F, Sunset zones 21-24/USDA zone 9 or in colder zones with protection. rev 1/2010 *NEW for 2010!*  

Salvia    a really useful group shrubs and perennials, evergreen to deciduous, some completely so. I like them for their foliage fragrance, their attractiveness to bees and especially hummingbirds, their often long bloom seasons, their adaptability, and their toughness. Labiatae/Lamiaceae. rev 10/2008

argentea   at Pack Trials  a big, billowing fuzzy white thing with amazing, soft leaves to 6", growing as a basal rosette, eventually clumping. One of the ultimate texture plants. This is a deciduous perennial but it has the bad habit of dying after flowering. It is close to S. sclarea (Clary Sage) in this respect, and has a flower stalk quite similar, being branched and composed of white flowers, and reaching about 3' tall. It has found new application as a combo element or single subject to display with other plants of color or texture in containers. Sun to no more than half shade, likes warmth, average watering, good drainage is essential. Snails will put a hole in it quickly if you aren't vigilant.Very frost hardy, Sunset zones 1-9, 14-17, 21-24/ USDA zone 4. Eastern Europe. rev 4/2010  *NEW for 2010!*  

'Bee's Bliss'  foliage effect  a hybrid of two California native species, S. sonomensis with S. clevelandii, this species grows as a low, dense grey green to white grey mound and shows whorled clusters of lavender blue flowers in late spring. Makes a good ground cover or dry garden subject. Looks great against rocks. To 18" tall by 3' across. Good drainage. rev 9/2009 *NEW for 2010!*

‘Caviar’    closeup    light salmon pink flowers on a relatively compact, spreading, vigorous plant. A seedling of what is sold in the trade as S. greggii 'Salmon,' this plant shows a deep leaf veining similar to S. microphylla and signifies that its parent is, in fact, a hybrid. rev 1/2010  MBN INTRODUCTION-1998

chamaedryoides    closeup    very close    typical habit    grows as a compact to slightly sprawling mound of dense, small grey leaves covered with small, medium true-blue flowers. Often sprouts from vigorous shoots from below ground near the crown and spreads slowly by short underground runners to form small clumps. The flowers cover the plant for most of the warm season if it receives some irrigation. Its downside is that it tends to die out in the center and "travel" outwards via stolons. Looks great for two or three years, then should be replaced. Sun, average to little summer watering when established. Not that particular about soils but should not be expected to enjoy especially cold, wet, anoxic clays. Survived 15°F in the ground. Mexico.

chamaelaeagnea  CAPE OF GOOD HOPE SAGE  massed flowers  this species has strong stems to about 3' tall that bear masses of light lavender blue and white flowers in summer. It puts on a real show. It is tough and frost hardy. Sun, moderate summer watering, good drainage. Sunset zones 5-9, 14-24/USDA zone 8. rev 7/2009

chiapensis    closeup of flowers & foliage    mixed border    another    a low, evergreen (but tender) perennial to 12" tall or less by 18" across, with dark green, conspicuously glossy leaves to 1" long. Short, loose spikes of very narrow, dark rose pink flowers appear from late spring through fall. Sun (cool areas) to part sun, average to infrequent watering. Protect from moderate frost. Mexico.

'Sally Greenwood'  flowers  a low, spreading form with grey green leaves topped by dark purple blue flowers. A possible hybrid of S. coahuilensis or S. muelleri with perhaps S. chamaedryoides? Performs fabulously in the hot, hot, dry hot northern Central Valley and should be good to Sunset zones 7-9, 10-24/USDA zone 8. rev 4/2010 *NEW for 2010!*

clevelandii ‘Allen Chickering’    closeup    nice plant    a California native sage, usually seen growing as a stiffly upright evergreen shrub to 4-5’ tall and wide. Rounded whorls of lavender blue flowers appear in skewered clusters in spring and often again in fall. Leaves grow to 2" long, 1/2" wide, and are dark green when they emerge but age to light grey in the dry season. If completely unirrigated in very dry summer areas, the leaves will completely dry and curl up and turn tan but the plant will revive with fall rains. This species exudes a characteristic pungent, musky aroma from flowers and foliage, especially on warm days, especially when in bloom, a mixture of sweet sage with added characteristic pungence of California chapparal. For those of us for whom that scent brings pleasant memories of cruising about the hills it is probably the best plant to use to bring the wonderful fragrance into the garden. Best cut back after flowering to prevent seed formation and prolong the life of the shrub, especially where it receives supplemental watering, but don't cut back completely beyond foliage or it won't resprout. Sun, little or no summer watering. Needs good drainage. rev 7/2005

‘Winfred Gillman’    by far the darkest blue flowers. Dark burgundy red stems. Probably the only true example of unhybridized  S. clevelandii in the trade. Leaves are noticeably greener than ‘Allen Chickering,’ plant is more compact. rev 7/2005

coahuilensis    closeup    small dark purple flowers, low spreading habit, thin gracile habit. Formerly known in the trade as S. greggii 'Nuevo Leon'. rev 5/2009

disjuncta   stunning flowers, close up   mature plant at Cabrillo College salvia garden    a very showy, interesting species that bears brilliant orange red, tubular flowers against wiry, black, hairy stems and dark green, deeply quilted and veined leaves. The new growth and anything exposed to frost becomes tinted deep purple. This species first caught my attention when it survived untouched, blooming, in a container, the January 2007 frost to 25F that killed to the ground almost all of the 30 other new species and selections from the Cabrillo College collection I was trialing. It is a very strict, vertical grower to about 4' in its early years but the stems eventually arch over to form a large, satisfyingly weed-smothering shrub to about 6-8' across, upruned. The flowers are produced regularly and most heavily from late summer through winter and finally taper off in late spring or early summer, so this is almost certainly another Facultative Short Day initiator. Hummingbirds are sure you planted it just for them, as you might imagine. Sun to half sun. Quite drought tolerant. Yet another Chiapas cloud forest collection by Strybing Arboretum. Exact top hardiness is uknown but it should survive close to 0F as a deciduous perennial. Mexico rev 9/2009 *NEW for 2010!*

elegans    PINEAPPLE SAGE    nice flowers    nice plant    one of the most satisfying sages, really, when you consider its showy, intense red flowers, its ability to attract hummingbirds, and the delightfully fragrant foliage. Formerly  S. rutilans and has also sold in past as  S. gracilostyla. Very narrow, tubular, bright, intense red flowers are produced in short, loose terminal spikes under short day conditions. Spreads by short underground runners, and will form a network of interlocking stolons when established. Plants will freeze to the ground with very hard frost but were just singed at 28°F. They ought to come back from much harder freezes from their mat-like roots. Best in at least part shade except in cooler coastal locations, with supplemental summer watering. Mexico.

‘Honeymelon’    this variety is more compact than the “regular” version of  S. elegans.

greggii    this southwest native grows from 2 1/2’ to 5’ tall, depending on the strain. It proved to be far hardier than most California nurserymen thought in the wake of the frost of Christmas, 1990. Our plants were undamaged at 20°F in containers, and will survive at least 15°F in the ground. Most of these varieties will do best in sun to part shade along the coast, with at least part shade inland. Included in our list are hybrids (with S. microphylla) often elevated (but not by us!) to a separate artificial hybrid species, S. x jamensis:

'Diane'  this is very close to or identical with 'Purple.' rev 4/2010

'Lipstick'  our original introduction, and one of our first, found by then-grower Mike Irino, selected by me from a cloud of seedlings coming up in the gravel under 5 gallon cans out in Block 18. This was the one I hated least. Of course it has turned out to be very popular, especially back East. The parent was S. greggi "rose pink," the original hot pink form with dark calyces originally raised by El Modeno Gardens. It is compact and bears dusty light red to rose red flowers from spring through fall. USDA Zone 7, at least. rev 4/2010 MBN INTRODUCTION-1990
'Playa Rosa'  flowers  a  wonderful light pink, with a darker pink base, selected by Paul Bonine and Greg Shepherd of Xera Plants in Portland. Very upright, compact growth with medium green leaves and faint whitish hairs on the stems. rev 4/2010
‘Purple’    closeup    plant    dark violet purple flowers. Compact, spreading to almost trailing habit. rev 1/2010
‘Purple Pastel’    flowers    light pastel purple to lavender purple flowers, moderately compact habit. rev 1/2010

guaranitica 'Blue Black'    flowers    one of several forms of a very variable species, this selection grows as a short, compact, bushy upright plant to about 2' tall, with medium green leaves that have a characteristic yellowish or olive cast. In winter, the leaves become a rather attractive light lime green with a golden overtone. Short stalks of dark purple blue flowers are seen from spring through fall. Like several forms of this species it has very attractive black sepals, but this is a short herbaceous perennial version, not the tall (6' +), rangy, open, woody, tender form. Frost hardy, resprouting from a perennial rootstock after hard freezes, and is quite happy in Portland, Oregon. Its fleshy roots seem quite relished by gophers. This form is relatively resistant to bugs though, unlike some of its hybrid progeny. Like many Salvias, its stems break easily so plant it where it won’t be subject to traffic. Sun to mostly shade, regular watering. Sunset zones 5, 8-9, 14-17, 21-24/ USDA zone 7. Native to a wide area of South America. rev 10/2007 

lemmonii    LEMMON'S SAGE    excellent flowers    a wonderful, compact, long-blooming species from the mountains of Southern Arizona and New Mexico, sometimes classified as S. microphylla wislizeni. It grows as a low evergreen perennial to about 12-16" tall with shiny, quilted, deep green leaves and bears very erect, somewhat open, terminal stalks of light neon pink flowers (actually you would properly call this a blue pink) much like those of many forms of S. microphylla especially S. microphylla UCB, which we no longer raise due to its unruly production problems but nevertheless dearly loved for its landscape habit, unmatched color, and flower power. [73 words, just one period!!] Even the buds are attractive, pushing in late winter with their dark purple black colors. It can bloom from late winter through late fall. It is drought tolerant but experiences a summer monsoon rainfall pattern in its native range so will appreciate at least some watering during the dry season. Should be frost hardy for almost all of California. Definitely prefers good drainage. rev 4/2006

leucantha    MEXICAN SAGE    closeup    habit    another nice plant    more flowers    deciduous perennial to 3’ tall, spreading slowly by short stolons to eventually form large colonies. Narrow, pointed leaves are grey green, with felty whitish undersides and fuzzy stems. Long, distinctively fuzzy violet purple flower spikes are held above the plant for most of the year. This is the strain first introduced to the trade, and has small white flowers emerging from purple sepals. A favorite of hummingbirds and a favorite of people, too. Has survived 15°F in the ground. Mexico.

‘Midnight’ (“purple flowers”)    closeup    with cactus    more flowers    same as the regular form, but with violet purple flowers to match the sepals.
'Santa Barbara'    heavy flowering habit, at Cabrillo  a compact form of the purple/purple ("Midnight"), growing to just 30" tall and spreading slowly. rev 8/2007 

‘Maraschino’    closeup    medium size plant    with alstroes    a  S. greggii x S. microphylla hybrid, this bushy, fast growing selection to 3-4' tall and 6' across has soft green leaves with faint veining and numerous small, deep cherry red flowers borne over a long season. Very old unrestrained plants can reach over 20' across, but it is easily kept under 6' spread. The flowers bleach from sun or water, aging to light cherry red and often to pale pink before they fall, so the overall color of the plant in bloom is a medium cherry red. This is a very long blooming selection and can usually be seen in color almost all year. rev 4/2005

microphylla  this is a very interesting Central American species, ranging from semiprostrate, semistoloniferous forms through vigorous upright shrubs. Many have white hash marks on the upper sides of the lower petals and there are fully bicolored forms as well. Most will tolerate cold through at least zone 7, most are facultative long day bloomers to some degree. This is a highly useful group. The one growing point you need to remember with this species is that it really doesn't like to be cut back in the middle of winter when it isn't growing. The best advice is first to only cut plants when they need it, and if so then to cut it immediately following its first extended spring bloom, which usually means late May or early June, through August. You should get repeat bloom that then takes you into December. If you have to you can cut it as early as early March, but it will take a while to regroup and start spring bloom once its first flush of buds is cut off. rev 10/2008

grahamii    GRAHAM’S SAGE    closeup    this form has also been called simply S. grahamii. Grows as an evergreen shrubby perennial to 2’ tall and 4’ wide. Short, slender spikes of small light red flowers with dark calyces appear from late spring through fall. Small, short, dark green, glossy leaves give it a relatively formal appearance. Initially very open, this plant becomes much more compact with age or pruning back and eventually looks like a smaller, neater, more delicate S. greggii. Sun to part shade, average watering. Survived 15°F in the ground. Mexico. rev 4/2003

‘Belize Form’    closeup    nice plant    another nice plant, typical habit    dark colored stems (almost black) and bright green leaves easily distinguish this very popular, more erect form of S. microphylla. Intense red flowers cover the plant from late winter through fall. Vigorous upright growth to 5’ tall, 8’ wide unpruned. rev 4/2003

‘Berzerkeley’ TM    closeup    natural, unpruned, my yard    THIS IS A GREAT PLANT, and possibly our best introduction ever, a plant that makes me happy just looking at it. It was a completely serendipitous find, a chance seedling found growing in the gravel at our nursery between stock plants of  S. microphylla UCB and S. microphylla grahamii. It offers most of the outstanding compact habit of S. microphylla grahamii with a flower color closer to the incomparable S. microphylla UCB. This selection grows as a compact, dense, upright then spreading plant to perhaps 24" tall by 4-6’ broad. Almost all characteristics are just about halfway between its two parents. Leaves are deep blue green and moderately glossy, slightly quilted, and pungently fragrant with a characteristic musky component. Flowers are deep rose pink shaded toward blue (as opposed to salmon), but can be more salmon depending on temperatures. Bloom begins in March and can continue through December. Growth is very dense, very compact, and resilient (not brittle). It has just enough stoloniferous growth to survive being cut low to the ground (not in winter!), but doesn't spread noticeably except above ground. It attracts hummingbirds. It will grow in sun or shade. It is drought tolerant when established. And like other S. microphylla selections, it is hardy enough to be raised as far north as Portland. What more could you ask for?? Buy one now and let it bring joy into your life!! rev 1/2010 MBN INTRODUCTION 1997

'Berkeley Barb' TM   flower closeup   typical growth habit, flower power  a backcross of 'Berzerkeley' to 'UCB,' this is a lighter pink, more compact form than 'Berzerkeley,' with darker calyces. It is another very tight grower with durable, glossy leaves, a great low, dense habit, and very long bloom season. It cuts back well, of course. This is the second in the Berzerkeley Series to be released, as we expand the color range while preserving the same great garden attributes of the incomparable original 'Berzerkeley.' MBN INTRODUCTION - OCT 2008 rev 10/2008

'Flower Child' TM   flowers   first crop flowering   with its favorite friend, purple  a single branch sport I found growing on 'Berzerkeley,' this is a very compact, mostly erect grower with darker green foliage and a tighter habit. It sports intense, light lavender pink flowers, much closer in color to one of its parents, S. microphylla'UCB', but lighter, and with wonderful, contrasting dark purplish sepals and flower stems. Its color varies in intensity with temperature, being darker under cool conditions and fading to pale pink in summer. It is a much more compact variety, mostly upright, with great flower production. I think the flower color is an improvement over the already sublime 'Berzerkeley' but it grows with a more compact, discrete habit. MBN INTRODUCTION - MAY 2009  rev 1/2010

'Free Speech' TM   flowers   first crop, unpruned, growth/flowering habit  this is the fourth 'Berzerkeley' release. It is a wonderful plant that I created from S. microphylla 'UCB' x probably S. greggii 'Purple' (also probably a hybrid itself). It was selected for its outstanding, long display of bright, intense magenta purple, almost crimson flowers well displayed all over the outside of the canopy. Same outstanding growth habit and other desirable features as 'Berzerkeley.' MBN INTRODUCTION - OCT 2008 rev 1/2010

'People's Park' TM  flowers   the third in the series. Another backcross selection I did, very similar to its sister seedling 'Berkeley Barb,' but a little lighter pink, a little lower and tighter in growth, and a little less dark in the calyx. Both are lighter and lower than 'Berzerkeley' and are noticeable color breaks from the original, and overall great plants. MBN INTRODUCTION - OCT 2008 rev 1/2010

'Telegraph Avenue' TM   flowers   intense magenta violet, slightly taller than sister 'Berzerkeley,' but still with a very compact habit, to about 2' tall by 4-6' wide, unpruned. Larger flowers, faster growth, easy care, shears like cloth, easy to site. A great color, easy to work with, on a really satisfying plant. Lots of return for your money. Another outsanding winner in this exceptional series. rev 7/2010 *NEW for 2010!*

‘Hot Lips’    amazing flowers    blooming plant    an outstanding new variety found in the Chiapas area of Mexico by Dick Turner of Strybing Arboretum in San Francisco. This is an upright, fine textured, small leaved form that seems close to the ‘Belize’ form, with similar foliage and dark twigs. It bears clouds of striking two-toned flowers, pure white on the upper portion, hot cherry red on the lower lip to varying degrees. Usually at least half or more of the lip is red. Sometimes it produces all white or all red flowers, but these aren't reversions, the same branches will then produce bicolor flowers. The expression of color seems to be unstable. I don't know of another Salvia that is anything like it. Growing conditions probably like those for all other S. microphylla varieties. Leaves turn deep wine purple in cool weather. rev 1/2003

'La Trinidad Pink'  hot pink flowers   a compact, low grower with an intense, deep blue pink flower color, becoming darker rose pink in sun and under cooler conditions. Flower stems and calyces are dark burgundy. It has glossy, large leaves and displays a certain amount of purpling under cool weather. We got this plant from some friends in Oregon so we know it will take cool weather and cold to Sunset zones 5-9, 12-24/USDA zone 8. To about 2' by 3' wide. rev 1/2010 *NEW for 2010!*

'Red'  flowers  this is a hybrid I did  between S. microphylla grahamii and S. microphylla 'Belize Form,' looking for a plant with the habit of the first and the flower color of the second. I got close, but not good enough to be worthy of inclusion in the Turbulent Sixties series. It is not quite compact enough, or quite red enough, but it is the best compact red microphylla to date. About 3' wide, 2-3' tall, very dense, bush, blackish stems, medium true red flowers. rev 3/2010`

‘Rose’    flowers    a dense, spreading grower to 3' tall by at least 6' across uncontained, this variety bears clouds of intense deep magenta rose flowers in short terminal spikes. Soft green leaves are rather felty and show veins. This is a more compact, dense form than most versions of  S. microphylla. Foliage has some of the characteristic musky scent of this species, but also a hint of pineapple.

'Mystic Spires Blue' PPAF    new block   at Cabrillo   a compact spinoff of the outstanding but tall Salvia 'Indigo Spires,' growing to only about 12-18" tall (foliage) with deep indigo blue flower spikes, sepals, and flowers, just like the parent, but growing much shorter. The foliage has the typical purple hints under slightly grey green leaf color, with glaucous tones. It is incomparably more compact and smaller, which can be both good and bad depending on the application. It isn't a replacement for 'Indigo Spires,' just another version. Frost hardy, sun to part shade, rich soil, will take some drought. Hummingbirds and bees love these flowers. It appears to be cumulative long day initiation and began blooming in April of 2007, a very cold winter year. rev 4/2007 

namaensis  closeup   a study in feathery, light green foliage and pale lilac blue flowers. This is most valuable as a texture/foliage color item, very cute in a container or filling out to form a feathery green mound in a garden. It grows with rather long, wiry, eventually dark stems to get about 3' tall and 5' across, unpruned, and that doesn't take long. It has a fine texture but is a fast grower. It does well in the Cabrillo College Salvia Collection on reduced summer irrigation. Given its origin (Western Cape Region) it should survive in much of California on almost none. It is also grown as far north as Portland (source of our plants) and will survive there for 4-5 years, until temps go below 20F. Sunset zone 8-9, 12-24/USDA zone 9. South Africa. rev 1/2010

nemorosa 'Caradonna'  flowers  uniquely violet purple not blue purple, also has purple stems, heavy bloom, long bloom, compact, mostly evergreen. Sun, rich soils, average watering. Very frost hardy. Long day initiation. Sunset zones 1-9, 14-17, 21-24/USDA zone 5. rev 9/2009 *NEW for 2010!*

riparia  RIVER SAGE, FLORIDA KEYS SAGE  flowers   at Cabrillo   a light textured, upright, evergreen to deciduous perennial species to about 2' tall, blooming from spring through fall with pale sky blue flowers on short terminal spikes against light green foliage that ages to a most attractive purple black in full sunlight and under cool conditions. This is a rather scrawny thing with a short stoloniferous habit that thickens up to form a nice clump and offers subtle flowers over a long period. While the flowers aren't a striking color your eye is constantly drawn to the plant in the garden. It is one of about three selections out of a batch or probably forty or fifty species and hybrids I purchased at the Cabrillo College plant sale that wasn't killed in its stock plant container during the January 2007 freeze (a night at 25F followed by night at 26F).  Cut it back hard at the very beginning of its push of new growth to eliminate old, bloomed-out stems. Probably frost hardy to at least 20F. Synomous with S. misella, S. occidentalis v. garberi, S. privoides. Florida. rev 4/2009

sinaloensis    closeup    habit    azure summer flowers    compact, clumping deciduous perennial to 12" tall and 18" wide shows small, dense, narrow, bronze or purple tinted foliage below a heavy show of small dark purple blue flowers. Blooms from late spring through fall. Spreads slowly by underground stolons. There is a whole hillside of this plant in an East Bay Regional Park, so it can be used as a large scale groundcover in the right situations. Sun to part shade, average watering, probably killed below 25°F. Mexico.

Santolina chamaecyparissus    LAVENDER COTTON    flowers very closeup    nicely used    another plant in bloom    fun with Lavender Cotton, Filoli    a tough, low woody perennial to 2’ tall, 4-5’ wide with tiny, aromatic, serrated grey white leaves. Very compact habit, topped with tight globular clusters of deep golden yellow flowers in late spring. Makes a good groundcover, even over large areas. Also good in containers. Best cut back occasionally, after flowering. This plant can develop amazingly gnarly trunks with wonderful stringy bark, much like old rosemary plants. There are specimens at Mount Madonna County Park above Watsonville, Calif. that are over a hundred years old. I have also seen it survive along a roadside verge bordering a row crop farm, a strip about a quarter mile long, doing well with no care or watering. Sun to part shade, little or no watering. Mediterranean. Compositae/Asteraceae.

Sarracenia    PITCHER PLANT    Huntington's fabulous new Conservatory    (for another genus of Pitcher Plant, see Nepenthes.) These are fun plants! They are frost hardy, water loving, bug-eating perennials that often have outrageously tinted pitcher-leaves that provide great color. Unlike Nepenthes, which develop the pitchers from tendrils at the tips of the leaves, these plants form leaves that are the pitchers, inflating to tubes and catching water to drown anything that gets in and can't crawl out against the grain of fine, silky hairs which line the insides of the tubes. In winter the leaves flatten to become more truly leaf-like phyllodes, and tend to grow horizontally away from the center. As spring rolls around they begin to send out vertical leaves that are almost entirely inflated. In full sun the contrasting colors on the tops of the pitchers can be quite intense. They like full sun and very wet conditions. They don't develop much of an anchoring root system, at least in comparison to most plants, and when of sellable size they may have almost none touching the sides of the pots. The roots tend to be very fine and hair-like. They don't need to be grown in standing water, but don't want to go dry. A shallow dish that keeps the very bottom moist and allows the peat moss based soil mix to wick moisture upwards works well. Another easy way to grow them is to use a soil preparation as if you were going to place them in a terrarium: put a layer of charcoal at the bottom of a non-draining container, then half peat/half sand (you can add some perlite too) to the top, and water when the top begins to look the least bit dry. Either method works well, but they are amazingly carefree with the latter. I never would'a believed it 'til I seen it, but the pitchers can be dried and used by themselves or as part of an arrangement. Frost hardy to USDA zone 7, Sunset zone 5. Eastern U.S. Sarraceniaceae. rev 2/2004

Saurauia madrensis    elegant flowers    elegant leaves    Strybing Arboretum Entry Garden    this cloudforest resident is grown for its amazing, large, lush, dark green leaves covered with red fuzz, with especially nice silky violet iridescent hairs on the new growth. It looks a lot like a giant, hairy bronze loquat. It grows as an upright to gawky, spreading shrub to 10' tall by 6-8' wide, bearing short terminal clusters of creamy white flowers. It is a relative of kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa) and the small, furry fruit are intensely sweet and edible. It wants part shade to shade, rich, moist soil with infrequent to regular watering, not too much wind, and protection from hard freezes. It is at its best in the fog belt. It does well in containers but must be watered conscientiously. Throw it into your foliage garden almost anywhere and it will improve the look, just make sure to give it enough room. It will quickly get large enough to spread up and over the top of smaller plants. Strybing Arboretum. Actinidiaceae. Southern Mexico. rev 9/2004 

Saxifraga 'Peter Pan'  blooming   a tight little mat or dome of bright green foliage to a few inches tall that bears light apple blossom pink flowers scattered closely over the top in spring and early summer, with a few flowers showing all the time during long days. It was formally used as a rockery plant but has found new life as a combo element. Sunset zones 2-7, 14-17, 21-24/USDA zone 4. rev 3/2010 *NEW for 2010!*

Scaevola ‘Mauve Clusters’    at UC Santa Cruz (winter)    a young plant (winter)    flowers closeup    mounding to trailing evergreen perennial, deciduous with frost and resprouting from stolons. Bright green leaves form a dense mat. Light mauve purple fan flowers to 3/4" wide cover the plant in spring and early summer, with scattered bloom at almost any time. To 1' tall, 3' wide. Sun to part shade, little summer watering. Goodeniaceae. UC Santa Cruz.

Scleranthus biflorus    AUSTRALIAN ASTROTURF, MOSSY SCABWEED    garden landscape    alien pods incubating    children's art    a matting, moss-like perennial related to and somewhat resembling Armeria. Leaves are tiny, hard, bright green, and form an extremely tight mat. Minute flowers are inconspicuous. Eventually spreads to 3’ wide, with large, brain-like convolutions. Needs good drainage and summer watering, but will take some drought. Probably will need partial shade in hotter inland climates though some of our best garden reports come from the Central Valley. Eastern Australia, New Zealand. UC Santa Cruz. Compositae/Asteraceae. rev 1/2010

Sedum creeping to soft-wooded, shrub-like succulents and groundcovers. Crassulaceae. rev 1/2010 

cauticola 'Lidakense'    closeup  a deciduous perennial succulent with blue grey leaves with a purple edge and covered with pink flowers in the fall. Wonderful for sunny, dry spots with resonable drainage. 4-6" tall and  spreading about 12" or more. Great for spilling over walls or over the sides of pots. Average to little water. Sunset zones 1-11,14-24/USDA 5-10. rev 5/2010 *NEW for 2010!   

hispanicum  'Blue Carpet'  young plant  tiny bluish leaves on tiny stems on a very low growing plant. Leaf shape is oblong, growth is very tight and compact. Stems are annual or biennial renewed from beneath each year. Small white flowers appear on stems to 7" in early summer. Just the cutest little thing to tuck underneath any other plant, or for filling in, or just to enjoy by all by itself.  Southeast Europe, Western Asia. rev 9/2009 *NEW for 2010!*

'Blue Ridge' young plant  even tinier leaves, just fractions of an inch long, closely clustered. Opens up somewhat in shade. Even cuter and tinier than 'Blue Carpet.' rev 9/2009 *NEW for 2010!*

lineare 'Variegatum'  light green foliage   this is a mossy, mounding, thick mass of thin, soft leaves. Though striped white on the margins they actually just look light green from any distance. It gets maybe a foot tall, spreads nicely but behaves, and produces starry, light yellow flowers in late spring. rev 4/2010 *NEW for 2010!*

montanum   foliage, close   beginning to flower   full bloom   very similar to S. rupestre, our form of this species bears needle-like blue green leaves and grows as a dense groundcover to just a couple of inches high. Great among rocks (its natural habitat), as a foliage element, or by itself in an appropriately decorative container. Flowers are deep yellow, heavily produced in summer, on coral stalks to a few inches high. Evergreen, semideciduous with extreme cold. It is montane and doesn't like extremely hot climates or reflected heat. Sunset zones 2-7, 15-17, 21-24/USDA zone 5. Southern Europe. rev 1/2010

nussbaumerianum   COPPERTONE SEDUM  close    Huntington!    flowers   a prostrate to semiscrambling or mounding variety with chunky leaves, snaky stems, and a bright coppery orange foliage color. Flowers are produced intermittently in winter and spring, pure white in respectable clusters. This is a great solitary or combo container item. Best color is seen in sun, it greens considerably in shade. Like many sedums this species has "jumping" leaves that are sensitive to handling, breaking off readily and forming new plants by rooting from the base. To 2-3' across when happy and mature, by less than a foot tall. Consider it frost sensitive. Mexico. rev 2/2010 

palmerii  habit   a spreading yet capitate species, with trailing stems and small heads of broad, dull, grey green leaves that grow to about 6" above the soil. Loose cymes of starry yellow flowers appear under short day conditions.  Fills out nicely. Hardy to around 10F, Sunset zones 5-24/USDA zone 7. Northeastern Mexico. rev 7/2009

pachyclados  foliage  creamy white flowers   a smaller scale form that grows as a creeping mat of blue grey rosettes, leaf margins dentate. To just a couple of inches high, with whitish flowers appearing during the warm season. Dense, tough, hardy, easy. Sunset zone 2-24/USDA zone 5. Central Asia. rev 9/2009 *NEW for 2010!*

pachyphyllum   container at Cabrillo Horticulture Center   very close   flower spike   a charming little charmer, with short branching stems that mound up to about 6-8" tall, bearing blue green leaves with deep rosy pink tints on the ends.  Contrast with rocks or with foliage in combo pots. Easy to use and place, a real cute little thing. rev 11/2009 *NEW for 2010!*

polytrichoides 'Chocolate Ball'  winter color   closely related to, and very similar to S. rupestre and S. montanum, growing as a very similar mat of deep olive green, needle-like leaves, brown when very young, that turns completely deep chocolate burgundy with cool weather. Flower spikes are short, bearing typical starry yellow flowers. Likes sharp drainage, drier winters. Will take the cold of almost any West Coast climate, and probably likes the drier conditions of SoCal, but it also probably appreciates at least some vernalizing chill. To a couple of inches tall, spreading to a foot and rooting in and traveling slowly. Natural habitat is chinks in rocks, gravel, Eastern Asia. Zones 3-24/USDA zone 6. rev 1/2010 *NEW for 2010!*

rubrotinctum  PORK AND BEANS   very close   full sun, UCSC   mostly shade, Doug Brower's garden   green summer growth flush   a small scale grower with rotund green leaves that quickly color to deep red with sun and especially sun and cold. They break off cheerfully and spread their ilk throughout your rock garden or containers. Great in pots, especially mixed with other species, especially with rocks. 8-9, 12-14-24/USDA zone 9. Mexico.  rev 4/2010 *NEW for 2010!*

rupestre 'Angelina' PPAF    foliage    a wonderful creeping species with almost needle-like, chartreuse foliage heavily tinted golden yellow. Color is stronger in high light conditions. Sun to mostly shade, average watering. Fast, easy, a natural for container or landscape fill-in and a wonderful canvas against which to spread other foliage colors. Western Europe. rev 10/2008 

spathulifolium 'Carnea'  up close  a California native, ranging from the entire Coast Range through the Sierra Foothills. This form grows as an extremely tight mat of deep wine red leaves with a whitish bloom on the older foliage. Short stalks of brilliant yellow flowers reach above the mat in spring. Sun or shade, good drainage, can go completely dry in summer. Very cute and useful in pots or rockeries. Whenever I think of this plant I think of lichen because it always seems to be growing with lichens and mosses, sun or shade. Probably zones 5-9, 13-27/USDA zone 8 or 7. rev 3/2010 *NEW for 2010!*

'Spiral Staircase'  closeup   a clean green thing with small, shiny, rotund leaves and just enough starry, creamy white flowers to be interesting. Inches tall. Full sun to mostly shade, open, gravelly or similar soils. Frost hardy enough to survive on a roof at MSU as part of a green roof study. Sunset zones 1-24/ USDA zone -3. rev 4/2010 *NEW for 2010!*

tetractinum  CHINESE STONECROP  foliage   very compact, dense growth, easily enough to smother weeds, to just a few inches tall, mounding and spreading quickly. Small, round, dark green leaves turn dark coppery to orange tones in cold weather. Starry yellow flowers appear in late spring. Sun to mostly shade. Very hard, Sunset zones 2-24/USDA zone 4. rev 1/2010 

Selaginella   SPIKE MOSS    happy happy in the new Huntington conservatory    evergreen to deciduous plants that predate ferns, lacking true roots or true woody tissue. They are often incorrectly called "Club Mosses," a name best reserved for Lycopods. Most form dense carpets of lush, green softness that make you want to lay down and roll back and forth on top of it. Others form small, erect bushes or mini-trees. All are great in containers, some are very frost hardy and some are tropical. All like peat moss and humid conditions. Selaginellaceae. rev 1/2010

‘Aurea’    GOLDEN SPIKE MOSS    nursery crop    light chartreuse yellow foliage. Tips are lightest, older foliage is greener.
‘Brownii’    GREEN BRAIN MOSS    brain    nursery crop    forms Tight domes of bright green foliage. Can get beaten up outdoors in unprotected situations but is listed as hardy to USDA zone 6. rev 5/2006
‘Gold’    foliage detail    actually light green. A fast grower. Reportedly hardier than ‘Aurea.’
kraussiana  SPREADING SPIKE MOSS  foliage detail   I can't find any record of the supposed "kraussii" or "kraussiana" as formally used, legitimately published species name but for now we will use it until we can straighten it out. This is a creeping perennial club moss with rich green foliage. It only gets to a couple of inches high and spreads slowly. It is hardy enough to have escaped and be encountered in the wild in Europe and Southern Australia. Good for protected garden sites as long as it has shade and regular watering. Also good in terrariums. Azores, tropical and South Africa.

martensii    closeup    another “brain” form, this one with whitish foliage tips.

plana  CYPRESS SPIKEMOTH  summer   winter   a subtropical species that can't take direct frost but can grow in cold, wet soils if it has to. It will turn coppery-straw colors and then produce new green growth in spring but it appreciates early heat and warm shade. It makes a great house plant or container for the patio. To 12-18" tall, and it looks like a little pine tree. Tropics. rev 1/2010

uncinata   purple/blue cast   a hardier version of the very tropical, blue-sheened Peacock Moss (S. pallescens), this is by contrast much faster growing, and hardy. It develops a purplish-bronze coloring to the foliage under cool temperatures, with the same curious blue sheen found in several other plants known from very darkly shady conditions. It is greener under brighter shade and when flushing spring growth. Very good in containers, especially in low light conditions, or outdoors in the garden with no direct sunlight. To about 6" tall with a mounding, cushion habit, spreading. It is mostly deciduous but hardy to USDA zone 6/Sunset zones 3-9, 14-17, 21-24. rev 4/2010 *NEW for 2010!*

Semiarundinaria fastuosa   TEMPLE BAMBOO    at Lorna Clark's old house   beautiful banded culms, up close   a semirunning bamboo, technically a runner but growing with a tight clumping habit until it wants to expand, then throwing up a solitary culm or tight clump of culms quite a distance from the mother plant. It has a reputation as a very non-invasive grower, with lush, distinctive foliage, quite attractive sheaths, and nicely colored culms where they are exposd to sun, turning a deep red brown. It is also valued for its more or less rigidly upright habit and dense foliage, both characteristics which make it an excellent hedge or screen subject. The leaves are long, narrow, show a slight twist, and are held in dense horizontal plumes. The culms feature a thin ring of dense fur-like hairs just below the joint, and the husk-like culm sheaths are up to 2" by 4" in size. The shoots are edible and have a characteristic flavor. Sun to mostly shade, average to infrequent watering, tolerates alkaline soils, and a great container subject. Japan. Graminae/Poaceae. rev 1/2010 

Sempervivum    fleshy to thin, tough perennial succulents grown mostly for their amazing spiral leaf arrangements but also for distinctive and charming flower displays. rev 1/2008

'Black'   young plant   medium green, leaf tips edged deep violet. Rather larger. Faint silky hairs edge the leaves and give the rosettes a silvery appearance. Sunset zones 1-24/USDA zone 3. rev 3/2008 
'Cobweb Buttons'   I don't have a nice picture of this one yet because my wife won't weed her mixed container, but this forms congested clumps of ball-like rosettes to about an inch across, growing almost black in full sunlight, and covered by a dense netting of cobweb-like threads connecting the tips of the leaves. rev 5/2008 
'Commander Hay'  rosette   green tipped red, but turning deep red with greenish tips in winter. rev 9/2009 *NEW for 2010!*
'Desert Bloom'   young plant   cupped leaves are flushed light red on the top surfaces. Faint silky hairs on leaf margins.  rev 3/2008 
'Emerald Empress'  rosettes  tough grey green leaves are edged in maroon, with a maroon black tip. rev 3/2008 
'Green Wheel'  spring growth   clean green, with reddish stalks on the new growth. rev 4/2010 *NEW for 2010!*
'Hopewell'   young plant   sea green to jade green rosettes with a slightly silvery sheen. Hard and tough when established. rev 3/2008 
'Jade Rose'  young plant   relatively long, narrow leaves are medium green with a maroon stripe on the backside. Each leaf tip is defined by a tiny tuft of silvery hairs. Plant is small textured and soft and tends to throw miniature rosettes from short runners.  rev 3/2008 
'Kalinda'  rosette  greenish brown with red tips, when weather is cool. Otherwise jade green with reddish tips. rev 9/2009 *NEW for 2010!*
'Moss Rose'    young plant    very broad jade green leaves, each edged in silvery hairs. rev 3/2008 
'Red Beauty'  young plant  grey green tipped in red. rev 9/2009 *NEW for 2010!*
'Redheart'    young plant   tops of the leaves are flushed faint burgundy red.  rev 3/2008
'Spring Beauty'  fine young rosettes   light silvery green with a faint blush of peach on the outside. rev 11/2009 *NEW for 2010!*

Senecio   an extremely large genus ranging from cinerarias through chunky little succulents. Compositae/Asteraceae. rev 4/2010

cylindricus  long leaves   finer, longer, and not as blue as S. mandraliscae, also taller, faster. Flowers are nondescript little cream colored things, brush style. It burns down to the ground with frost. Best used in containers or in at least partially protected rock/succulent gardens.  rev 4/2010 *NEW for 2010!

Sequoia sempervirens    COAST REDWOOD    second growth redwoods at UC Santa Cruz    a tall, well known evergreen conifer, usually growing to 40-60’ tall in a reasonable amount of time in cultivation. However they commonly grow to over 200' in their native range, and to over 375' high for record specimens. The varieties ‘Aptos Blue,’ ‘Santa Cruz,’ and ‘Soquel’ are almost the only selected forms sold. They were chosen by the late Charlie Sams of Beeline Nursery, a mostly-landscape specimen grower in Corralitos, from a large group of seedlings of Northern California provenance and sold to the state by Pacific Nuseries. They were originally planted by Caltrans along Highway 17 between Hamilton Ave. and Interstate 280 in the San Jose area. They received no soil amendments and were subject to extremely adverse planting and growing conditions, with little watering and heavy exposure to heat, smog, and auto exhaust. From this planting, cuttings were taken from the nicest plants, which were then selected for ease of propagation, form, density, and suitability to container production. These selected varieties are some of the best forms to plant outside of this plant’s native range. That said, from experimentation it appears that almost any vigorous, good looking form will do well outside its native range. The trade forms are used because they are known to be good varieties in the ground, they can be propagated, they row quickly and evenly, and they do well under nursery conditions. 

     World renowned plantsman and propagator Gerd Schneider, who worked in the landscape nursery trade at the time when these three varieties were selected and introduced, states that "the development of these varieties was perhaps the most significant development in the [California] nursery trade of the century. It completely transformed the use of that tree." Give Charlie credit for recognizing that the variation in the redwoods was inherent, it wasn't just their reaction to whatever conditions they were growing in. Before Charlie no one had thought to grow nicer redwoods by simply choosing nicer redwoods to grow. rev 6/2010

     Redwoods can be used in a number of creative ways. They grow naturally in groves, and most trees start as basal sprouts from a previous tree. Often they occur in circular rings composed of genetically identical individuals that are of uniform appearance and habit. So one way of using them would be to plant one clone in a circle, then add plants naturally found with them, such as Native Azalea (Rhododendron occidentale), Sword Fern (Polystichum munitum), Giant Chain Fern (Woodwardia fimbriata), Wild Ginger (Asarum caudatum), or Redwood Sorrel (Oxalis oregona). But your choices don't have to be limited to actual natives, they can encompass similar plants such as hybrid Rhododendrons, tree ferns (Cyathea, Dicksonia), Chinese Wild Ginger (Asarum splendens), Coral Bells (Heuchera), and other woodsy perennials and shrubs. In wet spots use other species of ferns, or native Skunk Cabbage (Lysichiton) for its luxuriant foliage. Find some large beach driftwood and partially sink it in the ground to mimic the sunken logs you see in a real forest. Don't over plant, and don't rake up the litter, you want that deep, soft, quite carpet of fragrant, warm red brown needles to act as a canvas for your plants. Add a small, deep, rock-lined pond or trickling rivulet. Heck, add a wood or stone bench too. Don't be surprised if Steller's Jays start frequenting your planting, livening the atmosphere with their raucous calls and bringing a bit of Big Basin's tranquility to your yard.

     Redwoods will always greatly appreciate deep mulch over the roots. In hotter climates they will grow just fine until they reach about 100', then they stop getting taller due to lack of fog providing moisture to the tops. It is usually best to keep the bases of the plants shaded because exposure to strong light quickly stimulates latent buds to develop a thicket of stump sprouts.

     Coast Redwoods can be used very effectively as a clipped hedge. They do wonderfully and present a wall of soft, verdant green needles after every clipping. As a tall, unpruned screen figure on 3-4' of growth per year if fed and watered regularly. Taxodiaceae. rev 6/2010

‘Aptos Blue’    at 105F in Fresno    coastal commercial landscape    young specimens    soft foliage    distinguished by dense, dark blue green, semiweeping foliage. Considered the best form to use in most areas dissimilar to redwoods’ native range, especially hot regions such as the Central Valley or Southern California. Fastest on many soils. rev 6/2010
‘Santa Cruz’    familiar view    habit, young tree    foliage    bright green, dense, bushy foliage, with branches held more or less horizontally. Somewhat more prone to heat and cold burn in the more marginal climates. Considered by many to be the nicest looking form. rev 6/2010
‘Simpson’s Silver’    foliage    the very fastest variety, capable of 6' per year in good sites with enough water and fertilizer, and fast enough to be a problem in production as far as selling them quickly enough. This was originally developed by the Simpson Lumber Co. for timber production. It gas slightly silvery green needles when young, becoming a much more pronounced silver grey with age. Plant, water, and stand back. rev 6/2010
‘Steel Blue’    foliage detail   steely blue at first, then lighter, more powdery blue foliage at maturity. Small textured foliage, moderate growth rate. This is a new release that looks very good so far. I have two anonymous users in the Sacramento Valley (Rod Whitlow and Dave Tegbert) who have grown it and like it better than 'Filoli,' saying that while it isn't as blue, it almost is, and it has a much nicer habit, and it doesn't bear a heavy crop of cones, and it does well in the Central Valley. It takes a year or two to get its mature coloring. rev 6/2010
‘Soquel’    young trees    Harvey West Park    dark blue green foliage, with upswept branch tips and a strong leader. Heat and cold tolerant. rev 11/2008

bellum 'Rocky Point'  flowers   a  dwarf  Blue Eyed Grass, only  growing  6-8"  tall,  having  dark purple  flowers all summer  long.  Nice  look with  rocks,  water,  along  a  path,  or  in  containers.  Sun  or  part  shade.  Semi-deciduous.  Average to little water once established.  Sunset  zones  4-9,14-24/USDA 5-10. rev 5/2010 *NEW for 2010! 

Solanum crispum ‘Glasnevin’    closeup    nice plant    a semiscandent evergreen vine or loose, freestanding shrub, with glossy dark green leaves and clusters of soft lavender flowers with yellow stamens borne over a long season. Its heaviest flush occurs in May and June, and large specimens become a cloud of flowers in favored locations. Full to part sun, average to little watering, damaged below 20°F. South America. Solanaceae.

jasminoides    WHITE NIGHTSHADE    closeup    habit    another nice plant    a fast twining evergreen vine, producing showers of white flowers with yellow stamens and hints of lavender on the backsides of the petals. This species really responds to fertilizing, but can also inhabit verges and unmaintained areas, subsisting well on minimal watering, pruning, and fussing. It offers good bloom throughout the season, even well into winter if temperatures aren't too severe. Relatively undamaged at 20°F, even in containers. Sun to part shade, average to little summer watering. Brazil.

rantonetii 'Variegated'    VARIEGATED PURPLE NIGHTSHADE    flowers and foliage    actually the color is a blue purple in this particular variety, as opposed to the dark violet purple in the sister variety 'Royal Robe.' A smaller scale scandent shrub, to probably 8' or so, ultimately more with age and unpruned. Slower and smaller due to less chlorophyll, which makes it much easier to manage and more compact as well. And the best part is that the whiter background shows off the flowers better! Long day initiation. Likes its fertilizing to be frequent. Drought tolerant when established, but may burn in hotter areas in full sun and especially with reflected heat. Burns back with almost any frost but will survive to the low 20's, coming back from the roots. Evergreen in mild winters. Argentina, Paraguay. rev 10/2006

Solandara maxima    CUP OF GOLD VINE, COPA DE ORO    flower    this has long been one of my favorite plants. It grows as a fast sprawling woody shrub that leans and drapes itself on any available support, capable of covering large areas (like entire hillsides) under very favorable (tropical) conditions. The reason to grow it is for its outrageously large, heavy textured, deep creamy gold flowers to 6-8" across, and long, each petal marked with a defining central maroon stripe. When mature and left more or less untouched by pruning shears it is capable of blooming all year, with heaviest flowering in fall, winter and spring. It is as tender as Brugmansia (Angel's Trumpet), meaning if it sees any direct freeze you are probably going to lose that growth, including mature wood. But this is a high risk/high reward plant that regrows damaged portions quickly and supplies an almost never ending supply of fantastic, highly noticable flowers. In subtropical and temperate climates it tends to wax during warm winter cycles and wane during the cold years. Give it overhead protection if necessary or be willing to regrow it from the roots, and be warned that in serious freezes (1990, 1998, 2007) you may lose the plant entirely and have to replace. Sunset zones 16 (transient), 17, 21-24. Mexico. Solanaceae. rev 5/2007 

Soleirolia soleirolii ‘Aurea’    GOLDEN BABY'S TEARS    what it does    a light, golden, blonde yellow form that has never reverted on us. This is a great plant for shady spots in the landscape. It is great for use in shade combo containers or baskets, as a filler or just for its color and tiny leaves. It looks fantastic under such strong textured shade plants such as Clivia or Western Sword Ferns. It looks almost psychedelic against strongly colored shade foliage such as the mahogany and cherry red striped leaves of Iresene lindenii. It tolerates almost no direct sun except early morning or very late afternoon (or it bleaches and burns immediately), at least average drainage, and regular access to moisture. Expect it to mound up to about 12" at the most, and spread to the limits of shade, water, and traffic. Flowers are minute and usually unnoticed. For some reason I really like this plant. I stop to look at it and press against the springy foliage almost every time I pass by. Some day I will eradicate the normal green form which permeates my garden and get this less aggressive form established. Western Mediterranean, Italy. Urticaceae. rev 9/2003

Sollya heterophylla Monterey Bay Sapphire    BLUEBELL CREEPER    closeup    commercial planting    a sprawling to scandent shrub to 2’ tall, 6’ wide. Can climb much higher as a twining vine when it is established if given support. It can turn a chain link fence into a wall of tiny blue flowers. This seed strain was selected by us to flower very young and with much deeper blue flowers than is normally seen. The clusters of small, pendant, bell-shaped flowers are produced from late spring through fall. It finds its greatest use in landscapes as a groundcover for dry shade, but it can also grow in full sun with some burning in summer in the hottest areas. Needs little summer watering when established. Damaged below 25°F. Australia. Pittosporaceae. MBN INTRODUCTION-1997

Stachys byzantina ‘Silver Carpet’   LAMB’S EARS   young plant    larger   evergreen perennial known for its densely woolly silver foliage. This is a much more compact variety which usually doesn't bloom as much as the regular form. Sun, average watering. Asia Minor. Labiatae/Lamiaceae.

‘Primrose Heron’    foliage closeup    light lime green to golden yellow foliage to about 6" high. Flower stalks are produced but no flowers become visible through the thick tomentum.
‘Helen von Stein’    foliage    habit    semievergreen clumping to spreading perennial distinguished by large, felty grey green leaves. Stalks of short, deep lavender pink flowers appear in whorled clusters on branched stalks to 12" in summer. Sun to part shade, average watering.

Stipa arundinacea    NEW ZEALAND WIND GRASS    downtown Santa Cruz    Mills Garden, coastal prarie near Swanton    with Cerinthe in Pam Brouwer's garden    at the Edward D. Landels New Zealand Garden, UCSC    also classified as Anemanthele lessoniana, this is a moderate sized grass, 24-30" tall by 4' wide, light green in color until it changes to a light orange in sunlight, with bronzy tones mixed in too. It is a reliable grower under cool to moderate conditions and looks much like a large form of one of the colorful  Carex species. Its habit is stiffer, though, and not quite as dense. It exhibits the Greenlee Effect well (becomes strikingly more beautiful when backlit), and makes a wonderful back border planting, centerpiece, or even large scale groundcover. Color is best under cool conditions, meaning winter everywhere and all year along the coast. Sun to part shade, average to infrequent watering. Frost hardy to around 20°F, so figure USDA zone 9/Sunset zone 14-17. New Zealand. Graminae/Poaceae. rev 1/2009

gigantea    GIANT FEATHER GRASS    young plant    older, at Sierra Azul Nursery    an outstanding, striking, large perennial grass that grows as a clump of tough, fine, green to grey green foliage to 2’ tall and up to 4' wide with age. Large, loose panicles of iridescent golden flower/seed heads appear in spring and persist through summer, often gracefully oriented in one direction by prevailing wind. Stalks on happy, well adjusted plants can reach 9’ in height, and form a mass up to 7’ across. This plant is excellent as either a single focal point planting or in masses, and when at the peak of seed ripening presents a majestic sight, especially when backlit. Needs full to half sun, good drainage, and very little summer watering when established. It will tolerate regular watering but may be too vigorous. Some gardeners have reported this species as reseeding itself. Spain, Portugal. rev 5/2005

lessingiana 'Capriccio'  SIBERIAN STEPPE GRASS  wispy foliage   a very tough plant, much less prone to reseeding than Mexican Feather Grass, S. tenuissima. It looks much like this is a variant of the S. tenuissima look but the plants go "like this" (wave hands back and forth in a dome-shaped motion) instead of "like this" (move hands in a vertical, up and down motion). Also finer textured and even wispier. To 1-2' tall by 2' across. Needs more water and feeding than other Stipas. Under cool winter conditions it picks up coppery tones. I can't figure out how 'Capriccio' differs from the species. Sunset zones 5-9, 14-24/USDA zone 6. rev 5/2010 *NEW for 2010!*

tenuissima    MEXICAN FEATHER GRASS   habit    wonderful planting    another    a narrow, very fine textured perennial grass, with almost hair-like vertical bright green stems and leaves to 24" tall, topped with soft feathery plumes of flowers and seeds which age to straw yellow. Tough, striking. Sun, average to little watering. Texas to Arizona. rev 5/2010

Strelitzia reginae  BIRD OF PARADISE   cut flower display at Hortifair, Amsterdam   a clumping subtropical plant distantly related to bananas, useful for flowers, foliage, and as a (very expensive) cut item. It varies considerably from seed as far as stature, conformation, and productivity but not flower color. Except for the yellow variety (see below) I know of no other color variants. It seems to be facultative short day initiation, so flowers are seen from late fall through late spring with an occasional summer bloom. The grey green leaves make dramatic subtropical foliage subjects IF you keep the cruddy old brown leaves groomed off. It likes full to part sun, rich soil of at least average drainage, deep summer watering, and some moderate feeding. In full sun in hot-summer climates it will need supplemental watering during periods of extreme heat to prevent leaf scorch but otherwise it is extremely drought tolerant by virtue of its succulent, water-storing fleshy roots. Fertilizing definitely enhances flowering. It takes immediate coastal conditions (wind, abuse) well. It is great near swimming pools or other situations where low-litter is required, it is great in containers, it can even be used as a house plant in high light situations. To 4' tall and wide, frost hardy to around 20°F. Musaceae. South Africa. rev 1/2009

Mandela’s Gold    YELLOW BIRD OF PARADISE    blossom   the very rare, very striking, all-yellow-sepal form, without any orange. Those yellow sepals contrast nicely with the coral spathe and dark blue petals. This is a seed strain, not a clonal form, developed by Kirstenbosch Botanic Garden in South Africa. rev 1/2009

Sutera (Bacopa) cordata ‘Snowflake’    closeup    fast, tender evergreen perennial for small scale groundcover or container. Makes an especially nice hanging basket. Trailing stems have small green leaves closely held, with tiny white flowers in the leaf axils. Can flower throughout the warm season. Sun to part sun, average watering. South Africa. Scrophulariaceae.

‘Snowstorm’ (PP)    larger flowers and leaves, more compact habit.

Syzygium paniculatum ‘Monterey Bay’    one way to use it    as a backdrop/screen    typical unrestrained seedling patriarch    an evergreen tree to 40’ tall by 15’ wide usually seen as a clipped hedge from 6-15’ tall. Valued for glossy dark green leaves and conspicuously bronzy red new growth (which is produced for most of the year). Its popularity as a landscape plant fell after a natural pest, a psyllid, was introduced to this country. However, a natural parasitic wasp was also introduced and has helped limit damage. This variety of ours was selected for its excellent winter appearance. It retains its natural deep green color, lacks the winter chlorosis found in most seedlings, and continues to produce dark coppery red new growth throughout the season. Sun to part shade, average to infrequent watering, damaged by frost below 25°F but has survived 20°F in spite of horrible damage. Australia. rev 9/2003 MBN INTRODUCTION-1988