Friday, August 29, 2014

Powder and spikes, an odd combination of favorites this week…

Two plants were begging to be featured as favorites this week, two very different plants. The first one is all soft and powdery, Artemisia stelleriana 'Silver Brocade'.

Planted as a small 2-inch "basket stuffer" in June it's done a great job of stretching out to cover some ground.

I was worried it would take on a rough "dusty miller" appearance as it grew but so far that hasn't been a problem. Of course the real test will be what it looks like come spring, I imagine I'll be cutting it back for a fresh start.

The stats:
  • perennial groundcover hardy in zones 3-8
  • full sun, drought tolerant
  • yellow flowers in spring (which will be removed!)

The second plant, Pachypodium lamerei, is anything but soft, although it's crazy top-mop of foliage does have a "touch me" quality...

However with a quick glance below the leaves your fingers might recoil in horror, look at those spikes!

Serious spikes.

This one isn't hardy here in my Zone 8 garden (requires at least Zone 9+) so they (there's actually a pair planted together) go indoors each winter, and typically loose their leaves. The first time it happened I was concerned, but now expect it, as soon as they go back outside when temperatures warm in the spring the leaves reappear.

These can become small trees (up to 15ft tall) when planted in the ground. They're native to Madagascar, which explains the common name - the Madagascar Palm. They both have an extra nice crop of leaves this year, which is why they caught my eye. So you know what I'm wondering...what's looking good in your garden this week?

All material © 2009-2014 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

18 comments:

  1. Never once saw a plant from Madagascar that I didn't love.

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  2. The Madagascar palm caught your eye, but fortunately, didn't poke it out! Those are definitely some serious spikes. My favorite this week is my Canna 'Tropicanna.' You can read it here: http://bonneylassie.blogspot.com/2014/08/my-favorite-plant-in-garden-this-week_29.html

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    1. It's that time of the year, when the cannas are all looking extra lovely!

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  3. The little artemisia is sweet. And I love Pachypodium lamerei,we saw them at Cistus Nursery. I wonder if they would grow here in Houston...maybe not in our clay. My garden is hunkering down trying to survive the heat and humidity. I have a few Blackberry lilies still blooming and a few hostas. I don't really go out much these days, just enough to water my porch plants. When it is says 98 on the thermometer and the weather report says feels like 115 I stay in and read. We get cabin fever in the summer in Houston : )

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    1. Hopefully there are lovely winters to make up for it? (it = the cabin fever)

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  4. I can only imagine the challenge of getting those Pachypodium indoors unscathed. My favorite this week is far more tame: http://krispgarden.blogspot.com/2014/08/my-favorite-plant-this-week-pentas.html. Thanks for hosting, Loree, and enjoy the holiday weekend!

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    1. Especially because I went and planted them in a heavy container with another spiky plant that is long and twists itself around the side of the container. What was I thinking?

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  5. Quite an interesting pair of faves Loree, and I'm pleased to hear that the Artemisia is hardy!

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    1. It will be interesting to see how it looks post-winter.

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  6. Wow, the foliage of these plants--especially together--is stunning. Good favorites! I'm going to go back and look at each photo a little closer. Beautiful!

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  7. Pachypodium lamerei is a sentimental favorite of mine. I had one when I was in high school and it lasted for quite some time but didn't make the move down. Your dusty miller is looking very nice!

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    1. Sentimental fav for me too, Andrew gave me one of his to take care of while he went off to Japan (years ago, before we were married). I killed it while he was gone.

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  8. Very nice favourites. Your pachypodiums look great. How old are they roughly?

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    1. I have no idea how old they were when we bought them but think we've had our oldest for a good 10 years.

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  9. Love that Artemisia. Great plant and that Pachypodium lamerei is an eye catcher. I can't imagine it as a tree. One could get seriously hurt if you fell into that. Very spiky, I can see why you love it.

    My favorite this week is a sedum that started as a seedling in my garden and has turned into a real beauty.

    http://deanneart.blogspot.com/2014/08/my-favorite-plant-in-garden-this-week_31.html#comment-form

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    1. I love your sedum Deanne! Thank you for sharing it and linking to it.

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