The unusual suspects - Oregon Association of Nurseries

The unusual
suspects
Flamboyant and
downright strange
plants draw attention
to the garden
A garden with Eucomis ‘Dark Star’ will get noticed — particularly
if this dark plum-colored beauty is set off against gold or silver
foliage. The pink flowers on this dwarf pineapple lily can draw
additional attention in late summer.
Photo courtesy of TerraNovaNurseries.com
By Loree Bohl
One of my favorite garden moments
occurs with surprising regularity. I notice
people walking or driving down the
street, only to come to a complete stop
in front of our garden.
Sometimes their expression is so
animated it’s as if they have a cartoon
thought bubble above their head reading, “What is that plant?” The particular plant in question always changes,
depending on the season and the person
who’s doing the asking.
Not everyone wants a garden that
causes people to stop and stare — and
let’s face it, a garden built entirely of
dramatic plants would be more chaotic
than is desirable.
However, every garden needs at
least a couple plants that make people
ask, “What is that?” After all, that attention-grabbing plant might just be the
one to hook a non-plant person, pique
their curiosity, and turn them into a
gardener for life.
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the unusual suspects
Plants call out for attention when
they stand apart from those around
them. Unusual leaf size, a curious foliage
color, interesting bark or extraordinarily
large thorns are all virtually guaranteed
to catch the eye of passers-by.
Fragrance adds another layer of
intrigue, as it isn’t always obvious what
the source of the scent may be. “Where
is that smell coming from?” becomes
the question.
A plant which might be common
in its natural environment (an agave in
Arizona, for instance) becomes rather
novel when planted elsewhere, like that
same agave growing in Oregon.
Unusually large leaves
Introducing plants with large leaves
into a garden may be the easiest way
to up the “wow” factor. One of the
most remarked-upon plants in my small
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march 2014 ▲ DIGGER
When it comes to hostas, ‘Empress Wu’ is among the biggest of the big. It can grow up to 4 feet tall,
with enormous, 18-inch leaves. Consequently, it’s been in high demand. Photo by Doreen Wynja for Monrovia
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“Don’t put all the big leaves at the
back of the border,” cautioned designer
Lucy Hardiman of Perennial Partners.
By varying the heights and staggering
your “wow” plants, they’ll pull your eyes
through the garden and draw you into the
space. She also stressed the importance
of foliage contrast: “Mix small leaves with
large ones.” That tip is especially important in small gardens, where the tendency
might be to use smaller foliage plants.
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Large leaves are often equated
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Our team has the knowledge
shock when used in cooler climates.
and experience to assist you
Surprisingly hardy to USDA Zone 5 and
in making sound decisions.
fast-growing, Musa basjoo (Japanese
banana) can reach 15–20 feet tall in a
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Although actually a tree reaching
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much smaller plant.
Unusual foliage color
The first time I saw Pinus contorta
var. latifolia ‘Chief Joseph’ at the
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the unusual suspects
The Chief Joseph lodgepole pine
(Pinus contorta var. latifolia ‘Chief
Joseph’), seen here in the display
garden at Iseli Nursery, is well known
and beloved for its golden color.
photo by curt kipp
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march 2014 ▲ DIGGER
OAN’s Yard, Garden & Patio Show,
its golden needles were glowing.
Showgoers couldn’t resist caressing
the needles.
“People respond to color, gold especially,” Porterhowse Farms owner Don
Howse said. Two of his favorites are
Picea orientalis ‘Tom Thumb Gold’ and
Calocedrus decurrens ‘Berrima Gold’,
which develops “orange hints during the
coldest parts of winter.”
Abies veitchii ‘Heine’, with its brilliant silver foliage undersides, is another
excellent choice. A dwarf selection,
Abies veitchii ‘Hedergott’ is popular
among visitors to the display garden at
Porterhowse Farms.
Silver foliage is also the draw for
Quercus hypoleucoides, an evergreen
silver oak. Sean Hogan recalled seeing this tree in its native habitat of the
southwestern United States. “Reflecting
the snow, the silver undersides of the
oak’s leaves were as bright as if highwattage spotlights were shining up into
the branches,” he said. The one he
planted in his Portland neighborhood
sees little snow, but similarly reflects
the streetlights.
Dan Heims of Terra Nova Nurseries
recommends a trio of colorful Eucomis:
E. ‘Oakhurst’, E. ‘Dark Star’ and dwarf
E. ‘Freckles’. While not evergreen, these
selections are jaw-dropping perennials
in the summer garden, especially when
the dramatic flower stalks emerge from
the dark (or speckled, in the case of
‘Freckles’) strappy foliage.
Unusual bark and thorns
Exceptional bark seems to require
touching. Who doesn’t want to run
their hands along the smooth, sensuous cinnamon-colored bark of a mature
Arctostaphylos glauca? Native to the West
Coast, the species commonly referred
to as manzanita is relatively unknown
and under-appreciated by many gardeners, yet when “discovered,” they quickly
become a must-have.
Equally tactile but with a completely
different look is Eucalyptus pauciflora
subsp. niphophila. Hogan described its
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wet & wild
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the unusual suspects
trunks as “exquisite gray bark peeling
to green and brown” and yes, he has
witnessed passers-by stopping to pet the
trunks of the trees in his garden.
If the idea of people fondling your
plants doesn’t appeal, perhaps Rosa
sericea subsp. omeiensis f. pteracantha
is a better choice. Its blood-red thorns
send a slightly less-friendly message
and glow like stained glass when illuminated by the sun.
Unusually fragrant
Described by a friend as the
very essence of “dry, sunny, summer
warmth,” the scent of Salvia clevelandii
‘Alpine’ filled my garden for too short a
time. My one and only plant died after
a particularly wet, cool spring. Walking
through a nursery last summer, the familiar scent stopped me cold. I could smell
it, but where was it? Thankfully, I locat-
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Also capable of stopping me in my
tracks is Clerodendrum trichotomum
(harlequin glorybower) in flower. The
scent travels just far enough that the
blossoms may not immediately be recognized as the source — but once identified, the scent is memorable. For those
close enough to touch the foliage of this
large shrub/small tree, the scent of peanut butter is released when the leaves
are crushed. Finally, bright blue metallic berries sport fuchsia calyxes, adding
another arresting element.
Other plants with strong, unexpected
scents include Nicotiana sylvestris, Daphne
bholua and Cistus ladanifer ‘Blanche’.
Unfamiliarity breeds curiosity
Sometimes the shock of the new
or the out of place is enough to mesmerize even a certified plant nut. Louis
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The hardy banana (Musa basjoo) makes a statement, with leaves that grow up to 6 feet long and 2 feet
wide. The bananas themselves are seedy, pulpy and not edible. Photo courtesy of Monrovia Growers
The harlequin glorybower (Clerodendrum trichotomum) is native to southeast Asia. It is also known as
the peanut butter tree, due to its odor when the leaves are crushed. Its looks are equally distinctive,
with fruits that change from white to dark blue as it matures. Photo by Wendy Cutler
Abraham, salesperson at a Canadian
nursery, described the afternoon when a
Monrovia truck arrived and he first laid
eyes on Drimys winteri var. chiloense.
“It was the silvery undersides to
the leaves that caught my attention,
and I’m not even joking when I say it
stopped me dead in my tracks from
across the parking lot,” he said. “(It
was) something I had never seen
before, yet in an instant became the
object of my plant affections.”
I had a similar reaction the first
time I saw a trunking Yucca rostrata at
Cistus Nursery. Of course, I immediately
assumed something so bizarre and obviously desert-born couldn’t possibly be
hardy in my USDA Zone 8 climate —
but it is! Now I watch people experience
the same jolt of surprise when they see
it in my garden.
Designer Lucy Hardiman is often
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the unusual suspects
asked about Mahonia × media ‘Charity’
in her personal garden. “People always
ask what it is, even in summer when
it’s just the foliage,” she said. “It’s statuesque, architectural. It has a presence in
the garden.”
The same can be said for hardy
Schefflera such as S. delavayi and the
smaller-leaved S. taiwaniana, both
of which are fairly new introductions.
When seen for the first time, severe plant
lust typically ensues.
Maurice Horn of Joy Creek Nursery
tells of people stopping to admire
Grevillea victoriae in his former garden.
He noticed the appreciation was rather
seasonal however, since in the summer
months this Australian shrub can be
overlooked. Late winter is when it’s typically covered with showy red-orange
spider-like flowers that scream out to
be noticed.
Rediscovery
According to Horn, plants that people in the trade view as common may
not be that common at all. The average
person on the street may be discovering
it for the first time.
“There is a natural cycle of discovery as things fall out of favor in one
generation only to be discovered again
by the next,” Horn said. In his view, a
well-grown specimen of a common plant
can make all the difference. “Even professionals can be reintroduced to things
they’ve taken for granted,” he said, referring to a particularly statuesque Nandina
domestica loaded with red berries.
Thankfully, about the time I’m
tempted to declare that “I’ve seen it all,”
a chance stop at a local nursery, or an
unexpected garden tour, uncovers a
new-to-me treasure. I find myself asking, “Wow, what is that plant?” followed
by another question, “Now, where can I
plant it?”
Loree Bohl is a plant lover who writes about
her garden and plant-related adventures
on her blog, dangergarden.blogspot.com.
She is also a partner at plantlust.com. She
can be reached at [email protected].