Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Nolina 'La Siberica' is my favorite plant in the garden; this week…

When it comes to this weeks fav, Nolina ‘La Siberica’, I can tell you exactly when (November 2010) and where (the Whole 9 Yards, a fabric store here in Portland) I noticed it for the very first time. I snapped several photos and blogged about the landscaping with a plea for identification, it came.
(photo at While 9 Yards, 2010)

As these things go I was at Cistus Nursery just a month later and bought one, here’s the little guy when I brought him home.

No I wasn’t being economical, that’s the largest size they had available. He went in the ground spring of 2011 and was rapidly shaded out by a monster echium. I think this summer (the echium finally bloomed itself out and was removed) was the first time the poor guy got any sun, or water for that matter.

When I returned the dish planters to their perch (post freeze) I realized how much he's grown. While not by any means jaw-dropping his leaves are getting wider and he's starting to achieve that upright fountain look I love so much.

This is what he will look like eventually, photo taken at McMenamin's Kennedy School. Heck even the smaller one on the right is impressive!

The stats:
  • Hardy in USDA zones 7a-11
  • Eventual size 6ft tall, 4-5 ft wide
  • Loves full sun
And the Cistus description: A Cistus introduction. Selected from seed collected at 8000', in La Siberica, Mexico, this handsome plant, a symmetrical fountain of long, graceful, flowing leaves, eventually develops a trunk up to 6' tall. Definitely attracts attention in the Cistus garden. Enjoys full sun and requires very little summer water. Frost hardy to 0 °F, USDA zone 7.


I do have a second Nolina 'La Siberica' that's a little too hidden. I think it will be moved into the new planting area when the privet comes out this spring (more on that tomorrow). Please leave a comment and tell us all about your favorite plant in the garden this week...

All material © 2009-2013 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

19 comments:

  1. I keep hearing about this plant, including from your compadre of "cram-it-gardens" in Las Cruces. Will add this to my palette, looks like a tougher, lusher and green version of N. nelsonii!

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    1. "tougher, lusher and green"...what's not to love?

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  2. Oh noooo, I want this plant... it can stand 7a zone!! great. It will look great when bigger in your garden!

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    1. I expected someone to point out that I won't have room for it in my garden when it gets bigger!

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  3. It's a nice plant but what really caught my notice is that even your fabric stores are surrounded by beautiful plantings! My contribution has already received a lot of attention - from you as well as me - but here it is nonetheless: http://krispgarden.blogspot.com/2013/12/favorite-plant-of-week-acacia-cognata.html

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    1. Well, not all the fabric stores...just the good ones!

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  4. Even as a small plant it looks so graceful and the habit is distinctive. We have two seedlings and even as tiddlers they look very ornamental :)

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    1. "distinctive and graceful habit" pretty much sums it up!

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  5. We join you again with our Favourite Plant of The Week, im sure you will approve of it!

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  6. Gorgeous. Any idea how long it takes to get as big as the main specimen at The Kennedy School? It reminds me a tiny bit of Andre Agassi's hair but in a very good way.

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    1. I can't remember for sure but I know when Erich told me how old the one at Kennedy School is I was shocked, as in it is younger than I thought it would be.

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  7. The photo of the mature plant at the school is gorgeous! Yours is well and truly on its way, it's grown a lot. I really like how it appears to have two layers of thick growth, and the middle is a little more sparsely-leaved.

    My favourite: http://crmbsgrdn.blogspot.com.au/2013/12/my-favourite-plant-this-week.html

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    1. It really has, it's great to have photos to look back on when ones own memory gets a bit foggy.

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  8. You were the one who got me hooked on this plant! I'm in love with it! I only have two very small ones. but I'm hoping this is the year of the nolina!

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  9. This is a really interesting plant! I am swooning over the 'fountain' look. I'm super intrigued by this plant!

    http://www.rainydaygardener.com/2013/12/my-favorite-plant-of-week-himalayan.html

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  10. Picked Nolina la siberica at a local nursery today and your blog popped up when I searched on the name. It's a gorgeous plant and nice to see it grows fairly quickly since it's starting off small.

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  11. David springfeverMay 25, 2018

    Monocarpic or perenial?

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