Friday, April 29, 2016

End of the month/April Favorites...

Yesterday I shared the bloom-spike evolution of my Nolina microcarpa, which got me to thinking about the other Nolina in my garden. May I present Nolina ‘La Siberica’

My first Nolina 'La Siberica' sighting was at a fabric store here in Portland, the Whole 9 Yards. I was awe-struck and begged for the name. They couldn't tell me what it was but they did know Cistus had done the garden design, and that's all I needed to know! It was about a month later that I'd purchased this plant...

Then I added a second...

And a third.

Although this one is being eaten by the monster Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica) which I really need to limb-up so it looks like the tree it will be rather than an amorphous blob.

It's also a fav, I mean just look at those HUGE leaves!

I do wish I knew why some of the new growth has done this. It doesn't look happy does it?

I shared a photo of my Sonchus canariensis last week, but since it's blooming it's dandelion flowers I thought I'd include it again here.

The foliage is why I love this plant.

But it never ceases to make me laugh when it blooms. I mean really, I'm coddling a giant dandelion in a container because it's not hardy here in Portland.

Just imagine if it were hardy here!

I bought this Nothopanax/Metapanax delavayi as a sickly little stick at a Cistus Nursery Tough Love Sale back in 2010. Since then it's truly become a garden star...

Doing it's part to block the offensive bi-colored garage...

And sharing it's striking foliage. (Special note to "pseudopanax ferox" if you're reading this post...I have seeds after all! I have no way to contact you but have been saving them hoping you'd comment. Please email me at: spiky plants at gmail dot com).

Okay just one more fav...Schefflera delavayi.

I recently looked back at a post from 2013, when this was newly planted, and realized how much it's grown. But that's not why it's a fav right now...nope, it's the new foliage. My other Scheffleras (S. brevipedunculata and S. taiwaniana) have new foliage that's sort of silver-green. I love the tea-stained look of this new growth most of all.

Since I've been an incomplete blogger and not included info on each fav as I've shared it here's a wrap-up, in case you're curious:

Nolina 'La Siberica': evergreen grass-like perennial hardy in Zones 7 - 11. Likes sun and a little water. Eventually reaches 6 ft tall.

Eriobotrya japonica: evergreen tree hardy in Zones 7 - 10. Likes sun to partial shade and a little water, moderately drought tolerant when established and requires good drainage. Eventually reaches 20-25ft tall, 8-15 ft wide.

Sonchus canariensis: evergreen shrub in climates where it's hardy in the ground (Zones 9 - 11) eventually reaching 8 - 11 ft tall and 2 - 3 ft wide. Likes sun and is drought tolerant.

Metapanax delavayi: evergreen shrub/small tree in Zones 7 - 9, eventually reaching 15 ft tall. Likes sun and requires even moisture.

Schefflera delavayi: evergreen shrub in Zones 7 - 11, eventually reaching 8 ft tall. Likes part shade and requires even moisture in will draining soil.

So...anything worthy of the "fav" designation in your April garden? Please tell us about it!

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

35 comments:

  1. Great faves as always! Somewhere in the Canary Islands there are people laughing at us for growing their big weeds! Looks like you've started taking plants out of winter storage. I'm way behind this year and for some strange reason, a little annoyed by the green abundance of spring.

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    1. Laughing and contemplating how they can get rich selling them to us!

      Actually I've only liberated a few things...today is the day though, when the walls come down! (sp greenhouse walls that is). Also you made me laugh with the idea of your being annoyed by the green abundance of spring.

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  2. Now I REALLY need to look for Nolina, although the 6 foot height scares me a bit. I like the Sonchus too but I've temporarily sworn off yellow-flowered plants until I get my garden back into some kind of color balance. Here's my favorites post: http://krispgarden.blogspot.com/2016/04/april-favorites.html

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    1. The Sonchus only has a brief flowering period, and they'd be easy to remove!

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  3. Some of my favorite plants are tough love sale plants, if they survive .

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  4. Good thing you put your hand in there for scale. You definitely have some biggies in your garden. And yes, we are all laughing as well at your "Dandelion."

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    1. I felt like my hand shot didn't even really show how big those leaves are!

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  5. Your Nolina's look elegant! I love the new foliage on the Schefflera. Looks like things are filling. The purple blue flowers are a nice contrast to all the shades of green.

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    1. I was wondering the other day how so many pulrple/blue flowers have made their way into the garden.

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  6. This post is so you. Why? Because I know these plants through your posts and will forever associate them with your garden :-).

    My sonchus is a sad thing. It's happy in the spring and fall but doesn't like baking in the sun in the summer and doesn't like our (mild) winters. But right now it's doing well although no flowers in sight.

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    1. My Sonchus follows the same pattern. I goes dormant(ish) in the summer and never likes the winter. Spring is it's time to shine.

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  7. You can't have too many Nolina 'La Sibirica', unless you're me of course, and then you can't have any... :(
    Love that plant.
    The new growth on the schefflera is definitely fav-worthy.

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    1. Ugh. I am sorry Tim...it really is an amazing plant.

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  8. Fireblight on your loquat. Sue

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    1. Damn, that doesn't sound good. Off to research (and thank you).

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  9. the sad leaves are maybe twig-wilter bugs.
    I accept that as gentle pruning, and my tree fills in around the nibbled bits.

    My April is blue
    http://eefalsebay.blogspot.co.za/2016/04/autumn-in-moody-blues.html

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    1. I've never heard of twig-wilter bugs, wow...something new to learn about!

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    2. been Googling. Twig wilters are in South Africa and Australia.
      But you might have leaf-footed bugs??

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  10. Great foliage! The "giant dandelion in a pot" comment is funny!

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  11. I forgot to say, Erybotria espaliers really well and takes a lot of pruning without a problem. I'm nipping my next door neighbor's tree into a flat wall of foliage (it is planted about 3" from the property line and is shoving its way through the fence) and it looks good.

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    1. Good to know about the Erybotria, my neighbor planted one on the other side of the fence, about 8" away from the fence. Obviously there is going to be some extreme pruning needed. And don't even get me started about the Cornus...

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  12. That Nolina 'La Siberica' is quite beautiful... I really need to find one!

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    1. Cistus does mail-order. Just sayin...

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    2. That is very tempting! I put up some of my favorites for April (a bit late!) http://gardeninguptoeleven.blogspot.com/2016/05/monthly-favorites-april.html

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  13. I discovered several rarely blooming plants decided to bloom this year. Worth making my list of favorite plants for April.

    http://rockoakdeer.blogspot.com/2016/04/first-time-blooms-on-my-favorite-plants.html

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  14. Love this favorites list, both for the cool plants and the laughs. You and that tender, shrubby dandelion. I shouldn't judge. I got suckered into trying two Dendroseris from work. No idea if they'll be hardy, but they're in the ground. I've been planning to add some Nolina 'La Siberica', but exact locations have been fuzzy. One spot finally clicked while reading this post, so I'll just go ahead and credit you for the inspiration! Thanks! Here's my favorites post: http://practicalplantgeek.blogspot.com/2016/04/april-favorites-round-up.html

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    1. Don't judge! I fell in love with the one at Cistus and had to have. Naturally I had to look up Dendroseris, is there a chance they'll be hardy? Glad to help with the Nolina placement...such a fabulous plant.

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  15. Your Schefflera delavayi is looking good! All my Schefflera are shooting, delavayi, taiwaniana, brevipedicellata, fengii, minutistellata, alpina, two varities of gracilis (one with lanceolate leaflets, the other with linear leaflets). They all look good to me. Bragging, yes I am. There was a time I couldn't find them but about seven years ago the flood gate opened. I had a hoi which the fall 2010 killed, but there are more in the pipeline that will be made available soon, including hoi.
    John(Aberdeen)

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    1. Braggart! But keep up with it, always glad to hear how your collection is doing. Who'd going to be offering the Hoi?

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  16. That flower does look just like a dandelion! Does it mature into a puffball of seed parachutes? The leaves are also kind of suggestive of dandelion with the "lion teeth".

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  17. AnonymousMay 01, 2016

    Maybe RSF Garden in Federal Way, WA. Steve Hootman, the director, is testing it outside again. Before the fall freeze of 2010, he had them growing outside for more than ten years, one plant fifteen feet tall. They handled much colder temperatures than the 2010 fall event which was an unusual event. Warm days, with a sudden drop into the low teens that night. That event cause damage and death to plants that handle single digit temperatures in the past.
    John(Aberdeen)

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  18. I loooove all these favorites!! I wish I could find them here in Madrid. Maybe some day :)

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