Friday, March 16, 2012

Foliage Follow-up…new plants!

Originally I thought I’d do this Foliage Follow-up on the “needle-like” foliage in my garden. I took a few pictures, downloaded them and then quickly abandoned the idea. Bright green needle followed by blue green needle, then dull green needle does not an exciting post make. Here’s the best of the lot… 'Blue Pacific' Shore Juniper:
I love this plant! I bought it a little over a year ago in Seattle and haven’t seen another one for sale. If I do I’m going to buy two!
Instead of the "needle extravaganza" I’m going to share the exceptional foliage of the plants I’ve recently bought. It isn’t even plant sale season quite yet and I’m already accumulating…the horror! These Agaves all came from the Cistus 40% off sale, which is going on through April!

Agave ‘Royal Spine’
I fell for this one as soon as I saw it. When I got home and excitedly showed it to my husband his reaction was “We’ve already got one of those”…silly man. No we don’t!

Agave dasylirioides
Don’t know exactly why I passed up other more substantial (and more hardy) Agaves and then had to have this one. I think it was the light green color, as well as the very stiff leaves. Love it!

Agave bracteosa
I planned to add another A. bracteosa to the front garden this Spring, since the existing one took second place in the “Agaves vs. Winter” competition. The form of this plant just said “buy me!” and so I did!

Agave petrophila
This little plant is very similar to Agave striata 'Nana' which I bought at the Oregon Cactus and Succulent Society Show last June. I think I’ll add it to the same container.

Acacia baileyana 'Purpurea'
Also from Cistus, not reliably hardy and I don’t care! This is such a sexy plant. I first saw it at Rare Plant Research in a turquoise container, and then last Fall I saw this tree (!!!) during a garden visit.
When I saw this one it had to be mine, luckily it was inexpensive! Inspired by the one at RPR mine is going in a turquoise container too, and I’ll also add a little Black Mondo Grass, can’t wait!
Nolina La Siberica
I went back out to Cistus again last weekend to buy this plant (yes that’s visits in back to back weekends, crazy!). I have another, smaller, one that I planted last Spring and since the Rhododendron is coming out I wanted another. Someday they’ll look like this (image from here):


Euphorbia stygiana
This is another Rhododendron removal based purchase. I grew one in the front garden years ago; it perished during one of our ugly Arctic-blasts. I’d noticed Garden Fever had a few plants from Xera in stock and managed to resist because I had no where to put it (if it lives it can get to be 5ft wide and tall). But when thinking about the vast open (and semi protected, compared to the front garden) space I now have to fill with plant, well, I snatched one up.

Happy Foliage Follow-up! Get on over to Pam’s blog Digging for links to other blogs posting an assortment of featured foliage…

26 comments:

  1. I love all of the spiky-ies!

    I have a gorgeous spiky blue agave... but my dog Sprout bashed her head in it. She has to wear a cone for a week... it's not a good look! :(

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    1. Oh no!!! I am so sorry to hear that, poor girl. My nephew fell into a huge Agave in my brothers garden, luckly he emerged with only a few scratches.

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  2. Awesome! I always love seeing what people buy.

    I'm glad you posted a photo of Agave ‘Royal Spine’. I've been eyeing that one but had never seen a really good photo.

    I have a Agave dasylirioides and don't understand why it's ignored by everybody (but you). I think it's a great-looking plant.

    That Acacia baileyana is a stunner. Gotta see if I can find a spot for one around here...

    Gerhard
    :: Bamboo and More ::

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    1. Glad you approve! And if you can't find one of those Acacia around your town just make an Agave order from Cistus and have them toss one in. It was only $12 (I think...maybe $14).

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  3. The 'Royal Spine' agave is GORGEOUS! Absolutely adore the black tips and leaf margins!

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    1. If you like mine you should check out Pam's it's much bigger: http://www.penick.net/digging/?p=15250

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  4. I love the form of that Agave bracteosa too, it looks like it is about to whip those arms out and grab you! It actually looks like it is moving, and you just caught it in mid-movement with your camera. Love the acacia too. I hope your marginal plants survive in their newly un-rhodied space.

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    1. Perfect description of that Agave Alison!

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  5. I need that euphorbia for my front yard! Actually, I want one of everything. Damn you and your plant lustiness.

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    1. I think you just invented a new word "lustiness"...I like it! You should hustle on over the Garden Fever and buy one of those Euphorbia...that is if your willing to risk it dying next winter...

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  6. Nice haul Loree.

    I am glad that you managed to track down a Euphorbia stygiana (I can remember it being on your wanted list). I love that feeling when you finally manage to track down a plant you have been looking for for ages.

    I bought what I thought was a Euphorbia stygiana about 6 years ago and it grew really well (6 foot tall by 6 foot wide), but was then cruelly cut down twice by our Arctic winters. However, it came back last year and it is now 2 foot tall. I recently found out that it is actually a Euphorbia pasteurii. Whatever it is it is a lovely looking plant and proven to be extremely root hardy.

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    1. Thank you! I remember seeing a Euphorbia pasteurii at Cistus in one of the greenhouses and being tempted. Good to know that you've found that one to be root hardy. If my E. stygiana should fail then I'll go with E. pasteurii next time!

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  7. I love Agave 'Royal Spine' so much I planted 3 of them in a friends garden in Los Angeles. Love the Euphorbia stygiana too but I already have a E. melifera and don't currently have room for another huge Euphorbia. Maybe when I do my side yard garden (in the fall if at all).

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    1. There you go making me all climatically envious again.

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  8. A sale at Cistus? That firms up my weekend plans. Thanks for mentioning it. The sprawling habit of that juniper makes it look like a ground cover candidate for the garden in town...what do you think?

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    1. I think if you can find it you would love it (the Juniper) I couldn't believe how much I HAD to have it when I saw it, since I am not a fan of the Junipers. If you find it somewhere please let me know! And also please post pictures of what you buy at Cistus!

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    1. Shhh!! Not so loud, my husband might hear you.

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  10. You have a talent for grouping plants together. I'm jealous of your nursery visits.

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  11. There's something pretty gorgeous about that juniper foliage against the pebble background. Junipers often get a bad rap and there are some beauties out there. Your A. bracteosa is delightfully squid-like. I love it when they are really curvy: I got A. bracteosa 'Calmar" at Cistus precisely for its curves. And I think I see an acacia collection in your future...

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    1. Yes I'm afraid you're right about the Acacia...after all I'm at 5 now. And nobody was more surprised than me to find a Juniper I had to have...I firmly believed their bad rap!

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  12. Hi Loree,

    Thanks for helping me identify Agave striata 'Nana'. I knew that the plant I had wasn't A. stricta as it differed from the plant that I grew from seed ( he said with pride).

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    1. Glad I could help! And nice job on the growing from seed part, I hope to be able to say that someday. I'm trying to grow a couple different agaves right now.

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  13. That juniper is fab. I can see why you want two more. I wouldn't be able to resist a sale at Cistus either, and I love all your purchases. I fell hard for Acacia baileyana 'Purpurea' a few years ago and tried one in my garden. Alas, I soon found out it isn't hardy in Austin either. I hope yours makes it - it's a stunner!

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  14. Loree - your comment about your husband's reply made me laugh out loud! Sounds exactly like what my husband would say. Any time I bring something new home he says "don't we have enough plants already"? I always tell him to bite his tongue, there is no such thing as too many plants!

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