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1703 products
1703 products
Yet another plant to make one pine away for South Island shores, like we needed more reason. Low-mounding Asteraceae shrub from New Zealand (I know I know the longing is increasing). Rounded evergreen leaves with a silvery-white midrib, margin, and underside, new leaves emerge fuzzed in the same glowing argent. Cheery yellow and white daisy flowers in late summer. Drought tolerant and desirous of a dry alpine setting, gonna be pushing it on hardiness here and likely even in 8b but stunning enough to be worth a try at the zone-push in a sheltered location or against a warm wall. These are small (owing to their slowness) but healthy plants.
This is one of the original clones collected from the wild population of pure red Roscoea found by the '92 Oxford University Ganesh expedition, shared with us by John Grimshaw. While the original collections varied this particular plant has the desirable red stems as well as flowers. Those initial plants would famously go on to eschew their earthy roots and take the stage name of 'Red Gurkha', long obscuring their origins. To us the thought of such a beauty coming from natural roots is actually more exciting than the expertly packaged and marketed horticultural creation myth. Imagine a field of fiery red-coated soldiers amidst a Nepalese plateau and then moderate that heady dose by adding this gem to your yet-rising mountain of garden delights.
We love this little wild Chinese blueberry so much that we have exhausted all our (and worthy peers') deductive abilities on trying to put a name to it's button-cute face. Alas we must continue putting out sadly desperate ads in the classifieds in hope of a lead that will result in a future rendezvous. In the meantime we will share tales of our infatuation in physical form with you, our loyal listeners. The diminutive size of the overall plant pairs nicely with the relatively large and thick leaves of roughly spoon shape which are some of the most attractive in the genus. The flowers held in the leaf axils are a dead-ringer for the pneumatic tops of jellyfish, semitransparency and all. Epiphytic in the wild and hardiness is just a guess for now but we will let you know when we get a good test on it.
A Far Reaches Botanical Conservancy Offering
With stereotypical German directness and efficiency Rotlaub means simply red leaf, no trademarked series name and all rights reserved tradename of Rockstar Red Rager needed when the attractive foliage does the talking for you. In the striking leaf big leagues with things like Gunnera and Podophyllum, Rodgersia certainly holds its own with large, leathery, jagged leaflets in mass layering themselves up to nearly 4 ft when given a nice moist bank to sink their teeth into. The sprays of white summer flowers and red new growth in this form are an excess it seems even the most utilitarian of plant-namers can't resist. But don't worry, the easy-to-please nature and fair hardiness range recenter things.
Robust can often go without saying when it comes to mint relatives but this one really hits that sweet spot of pow and wham without the "I work alone" bullheadedness of thuggy culinary relatives and superheroes with poor social marks from their supergroups. A Hinkley collection from turkey which forms a nicely mounded clump of pleated arrowhead leaves topped off by bright pinky-purple flowerheads on foot tall stems. Happy in the sun and amidst both the probing antennae and the roving chompers of your local fauna. Easy and likeable, be a Superman not a Punisher.
These came to us via the Iris-specialized Joe Pye Weed's Garden, and while the name seems to be one of a kind these plants have not let their murky parentage get in the way of becoming the chantilly cream of the crop with bright white lace-edged flowers like the doilies of old set beneath fine desserts, and just as sweet.
