Friday, January 29, 2016

Some favorite plants, for January 2016

Most of this month's favorites share a very important feature. They're planted right by the front door so I see them regularly, even without venturing outside into the non-stop rain fest that our winter has been (that not really an exaggeration by the way, we've had over 21" of rain since December 1st, our avg annual precipitation is around 39").

I'll start with what I'd declared was my last attempt at growing Yucca gloriosa 'Bright Star'. I love this plant but every year about this time it's attractive leaves would begin to be covered by yuccacne, gross brown spots. The spots would get bigger and then the entire leaf would be brown and beg to be amputated. Then I saw one growing in a hanging container and thought maybe the added air circulation would be just the thing. Well, yes, it works!

And yes I took these photos from inside the house, hence the spots you can see on our not-so-clean door (classy!). Over the summer the Yucca was facing out, toward the street, but the weight of the saturated soil has twisted the wires somehow and now it refuses to face any direction but in. Of course I'm not complaining because it's all the better to see the beautiful Yucca (Hardy in Zones 7a-11 ).

Another plant I've really enjoyed the last month is this Saxifraga taygetea 'Rotundifolia'. I noticed after I bought it that it was labeled as hardy to USDA Zone 10. Lame. I put it in the ground anyway and look! It's survived 24 F, below freezing temperatures continually for over 48 hours and being covered with snow and ice. Definitely not Zone 10! There is very little information about this plant online, so I really don't know if it was mislabeled or just not enough is known and the grower guessed at it's hardiness.

The Daphne x houtteana took a bit of a beating during the snow and ice adventure but I do love how it's leaves and the leaves of the Saxifraga look together.

Next up, Euphorbia x martinii 'Ascot Rainbow'...

These went in back when I planted for the Ornamental Cabbage & Kale Challenge and I've enjoyed them ever since. Their bright cheerful coloring has been appreciated during our abnormally grey winter.

One of the nice things about this Euphorbia is that it stays relatively compact, growing to only a couple of feet tall and wide, unlike other spurges that can become good sized monsters. Hardy in Zones 5a-9b it can make do with sun, part sun, to part shade conditions...

However as this plant growing in shade in another section of my garden shows you will get different colors depending on the amount of sun it gets.

I'm tossing in another Euphorbia, just for fun. E. amygdaloides ‘Ruby Glow’. Usually dark leaved Euphorbias disappoint me. I picked this one up on a whim, figuring I had nothing to lose, but so far it's done really well. The folks at Digging Dog nursery seem to like it too: "A gorgeous medley of deep burgundy, bronzy maroon and ruby red suffuses this Euphorbia's head turning foliage. Cresting a well-groomed base defined by plush evergreen leaves and sturdy stems, plentiful ebullient chartreuse blooms provide vivid contrast. Compact, hardy and downright irresistible ‘Ruby Glow’ can be nestled near the front of the border, along a pathway or showcased in a patio container. Blooms March–May. Size: 12"–18" high x 18" wide; hardy to zone 6."

Finally, this knock out...Acacia baileyana 'Purpurea'.

It was gift from a kind reader who didn't have a place for it. I picked it up right before our snow and ice hit so it spent a week or so in the (unheated) garage, it couldn't have cared less. Oh and I almost forgot, this special plant came with a name, Mrs. Bailey...(!!!)

I was out doing a check over on the shade pavilion greenhouse prisoners and noticed how wonderfully the light was hitting the new purple growth. I went a little overboard taking photos...

Folks say this one is hard to Zone 7, but I've heard stories that it isn't even safe in our Zone 8. Thus it will probably stay in a container.

Isn't that color to die for?

So those are my January fav's...what are yours? Please, tell us about them...

All material © 2009-2016 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

34 comments:

  1. I love all of them but Acacia baileyana 'Purpurea' most of all. For some reason, it's really hard to find in our area--which it's silly because it grows well, as evidenced by the ones at the Sacramento Zoo.

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    1. It's rare here too, I've only seen it in nurseries a couple of times. How big are the ones at the zoo?

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  2. Acacia Acacia! Bring on the Acacia. Well, your yucca is pretty swell, too.

    I like anything that's not blackberry right now.

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    1. Ha, yes...I supposed that's true. I wonder if you'll discover any beautiful wildflowers as spring progresses?

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  3. Yucca-acne! How clever! I like this favorite plants column. I'm glad you brought it back. Twenty-one inches of rain? I think all my plants would be drowned by now. We probably haven't had that much in four years total, but still we have some of the same plants growing. Aren't plants wonderfully adaptive?

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    1. favorite plant for today
      http://janestrong.blogspot.com/2016/01/my-favorite-plant-today-right-now-this.html

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    2. I wish I could claim the credit for "yuccacne" but a blogger up in Vancouver BC coined the phrase. Yes...plants are amazing! Although I am worried that if it doesn't let up soon some of them are going to show signs of root rot. My darn clay soil!

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  4. That Acacia is so nice! I always get Euphorbia envy when seeing photos like these, but I've never had luck with it here. Rabbits get it, or maybe the humidity does (or both?)

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    1. I am still shocked that rabbits would mess with Euphorbia, that sticky white sap is serious stuff.

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  5. An especially nice collection this month! Loving that Ascot Rainbow, Yucca Bright Star, and like everyone else, that Acacia! Just saw Euphorbia 'Ruby Glow' at a nursery recently and almost brought one home. Maybe I need to go back.

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    1. I'm thinking 'Ruby Glow' might be a good one! Time will tell of course.

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  6. I'm glad to see so many of your plants survived that snowstorm, Loree! The Acacia is wonderful. Now you've got me thinking of putting one of those in a pot, which is probably the only way I could contain its growth and keep myself out of the way of the local "view ordinance" police. I like that Saxifraga too (which I've never seen here in zone 10!) but I expect that, like other Saxifraga, it wants more water than I could give it. I have a few favorites to share too: http://krispgarden.blogspot.com/2016/01/my-favorite-plants-this-january.html

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    1. If you see that Acacia you should grab it, grow it in a container for a couple of years, and then when your neighbor "leaves" you can plant it in the ground!

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  7. My January plant is Coprosma
    https://eefalsebay.blogspot.co.za/2016/01/new-zealand-candle-lights-up-long-green-border.html

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    1. Thanks for joining in Diana! I'm excited to learn about your favorite...

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  8. I like your Acacia baileyana 'Purpurea'. I think the Huntington just planted several of those in their new entrance garden. They have the same pretty purple foliage. And your yucca makes a great hanging plant!

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    1. Oh yes! That plant at the Huntington would be great...yay!

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  9. Oooh! Mrs. Bailey is gorgeous. Thanks for including zone info as I might try that yelloe green Euphorbia now I know it's a Z5.

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    1. I hope you will try it, I'd love to know if I can give my mom a couple to grow!

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  10. Great picks, Loree. You are spot on about the color on that Acacia: breath-taking.
    That's a lot of rain. Any serious flooding or just soggy?

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    1. There has been flooding, in flood prone areas. We've had a little water in our basement but nothing damaging.

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  11. That Acacia is a knockout Loree ! I really should get one though I don't think I'd dare put it in the ground. I keep. And can you beat that E. 'Ascot Rainbow' ? Get to be one of the best Euphorbia cultivars out there, it just never looks bad. I keep adding them .

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    1. Good to know you're giving thumbs up on E. 'Ascot Rainbow' - I haven't grown them long-term so I was wondering.

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  12. That's a lot of rain! El Niño?

    Aww, the Ascot Rainbow euphorbia is awfully cheery. I have a Mediterranean Spurge and it's a self-seeding beast... but I love its looks. I'm going to have to trade that one in for a 'Tiny Tim' version I think.

    The purple acacia is ridiculously pretty. They're known as Cootamundra Wattles in Australia and unfortunately they're invasive in large parts of the country. I'll have to admire them in gardens far away. Hopefully your pretty lady does well!

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    1. Yep, El Niño...

      I watch a neighbors yard where the Euphorbia seedlings aren't taken care of (dispatched)...scary!

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  13. Ascot Rainbow is a showboat but I've planted it in two areas of the garden and it has reverted to the species in both locations:(

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    1. Hmm, this is good to know Marian, although a huge bummer. I'll be keeping an eye on them!

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  14. All great plants! The acacia is spectacular, but is edged out by the daphne and euphorbias in my book if only because I know the others are hardy and don't have room to shelter something like that acacia. Though, if the last two years become the norm, it would be possible. Between you and Peter, I think I'm convinced I need 'Ascot Rainbow' now. I've been too busy with other things to really pick any favorites in my own garden. I might get around to that today.

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    1. You do! (the 'Ascot Rainbow') I just noticed today how fabulous the pink (fixin to bloom) tips look against the multi-colored foliage.

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  15. I thought you already had Acacia baileyana 'Purpurea' in the ground? What is the dark-leaved, acacia-looking plant that's been there for a while? I pinned one of your images that shows it echoing the center blotch of some nearby rose of Sharon blooms, but may have mis-ID'd it.

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    1. Nope. I do have another Acacia baileyana 'Purpurea' in a container. It's not doing so well though. I thought it was a goner but noticed a little new growth the other day. I think you're asking about the Albizia julibrissin ‘Summer Chocolate’ (Mimosa).

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