Friday, February 27, 2015

The favorite’s wrap-up for February

This unassuming shrub get's the nod as a favorite plant in my garden for February. What is it? Grevillea australis...

It's grown fantastically since going in the ground last spring, and it's currently covered in tiny buds.

They'll open into thin white blooms (a couple of photos here) which are rumored to be intensely fragrant, I couldn't smell anything when it bloomed last spring.

The Xera Plants description notes "Neglect is its friend"...how can you not love that?

Maybe this year I'll catch a bit of that "honey-scented" fragrance? The stats:
  • Evergreen and hardy in USDA Zones 7a-10b
  • Eventual size 5ft tall and wide
  • Likes sun, drought tolerant
  • No fertilizer or soil amendments

While I was photographing the grevillea I noticed how wonderful the Cryptomeria japonica 'Rasen' is looking.

This poor plant was stuck in a spot where it's rarely noticed and doesn't allow for a great photograph.

Why would I do that? Because this is what it looks like when it grows up and it will be perfect in that spot, then. This photo was taken at Youngblood Nursery, where my plant came from...

Kinda gangly, but intensely cool.

And yes, planted close (some would say too close) to a loquat.

Twisty! Quoting Specialty Ornamentals: "The needles twist around the stem, the stems twist out from the trunk, the trunk itself twists"
  • Evergreen and hardy in USDA Zones 6a-9b
  • Eventual size 20-40ft tall and 10ft wide
  • Likes sun to part shade, even moisture to drought tolerant
  • Said to be "vigorous and develops into an openly branched tree"

In addition to these two garden stars I also featured an opuntia, O. polyacantha as a favorite this month. What's looking good in your garden this February? Is your garden covered in snow, or, like mine, bursting into early spring with a vengeance? Please share in the comments!

* A note to those of you who are bloggers and kindly have a link to my blog in your blog roll. Due to my updating to a different domain address that link is broken and it looks like I've stopped updating my blog. I would be thrilled if you could take a moment and update the link to: www.thedangergarden.com - thank you so much!

All material © 2009-2015 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

18 comments:

  1. Interesting faves! Please let us know if Grevillea australis is fragrant this year. A conifer in your faves? Hmm.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's crazy isn't it? And I am seriously lusting after a blue Cunninghamia lanceolata I saw at the show yesterday...

      Delete
  2. LUV... Cryptomeria japonica 'Rasen'!! That one goes on my Plant Lust list!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Are you doing to YGP? There are a few in one of the display gardens.

      Delete
  3. Updated of the link done! I specialy like the Cryptomeria branches.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I do hope you get to smell the grevillea blooms, and that Cryptomeria japonica is INCREDIBLE! So cool. Very admirable that you were able to put it somewhere that would pay off in the long term. It's hard, I know! My favourite

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for sympathizing, I wanted to plant it right out front where everyone can see it!

      Delete
  5. Hmm. I think maybe I need that Grevillea! I have an empty spot near my backyard fountain and was considering another Grevillea. One that buds orange and flowers white might be just about perfect. Here's my favorites post: http://krispgarden.blogspot.com/2015/02/my-favorite-plant-this-week-bryophyllum.html

    ReplyDelete
  6. Welll, that explains why I was getting those nasty messages from Blogger. Done. Fixed. All is well. And up-to-date. I like that twisty feelly conifer thing. So much fun going around the garden touching things, isn't it? My favorite plant matches the sky today. Silvery-gray. Whooppee! http://janestrong.blogspot.com/2015/02/rip-spock-and-silver-shadow.html

    ReplyDelete
  7. I noticed it had seemed a while since your last post and will update the link right away. Twisty needles and stems, it looks like a storybook plant.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I love both of these. I hope you can detect a scent from that Grevillea this time. Hehe, I'd encourage you to plant a Cunninghamia lanceolata 'Glauca', but it would get way too big for your space. You could try cutting it back every few years, like people do with red twig dogwoods. They grow fast and that would keep it smaller and tidier. Here's my one favorite from February: http://www.practicalplantgeek.blogspot.com/2015/02/my-favorite-plant-this-week-is.html

    ReplyDelete
  9. That's the Grevillea that was at Kuzma garden? I want want want. I wonder if it will take soil that has compost, though - no fertilizer but some compost. Perhaps there's a different Grevillea that could take a bit of compost, I'll have to do some research but about 5' tall and orange buds sounds perfect.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I hope you're Grivellea gives you lots of fragrance. Sometimes it seems that plants advertised as fragrant will perfume the air only if certain conditions are met. I had that experience with Ribes odorata.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for taking the time to comment. Comment moderation is on (because you know: spam), I will approve and post your comment as soon as possible!