E

Echeveria    succulent perennials loved by collectors and dry gardeners the world over for generations. It is nice to see they have recently broken away from being restricted to a sandy mound or dish garden to being incorporated with other foliage plants in the current color/texture style of garden design. Still they have enough cultural demands (drainage, exposure) that they can't be used with wild abandon; most will want some shade, some watering in summer, and drier winters if possible. Most are primarily used as container plants, where you can exert better control over drainage, watering, and frost and sun exposure, but they do fine in the ground south of the Transverse Ranges and for some, as far north as Portland. The real fun though is in matching the foliage to the perfectly colored and textured container, glazed or unglazed, for display as a solitary statement or part of a foliage combo. Crassulaceae rev 3/2008

'Beauty'  flowering   The name says it all on this beautiful, simply elegant species. Clean, pale jade green rosettes have a rather stiff appearance and the almost translucent leaves are highlighted with a tiny red tip on the end of each leaf. Flowers are yellow and pink on 12-15" stems. A star in its own pot or in a combination planting. About 6-8" tall and clumping. Sunset zones 16-17,21-24./USDA 10. rev 5/2010 *NEW for 2010!   

bifida v. metallica    young plants    flowers   very close  also sometimes referred to as simply E. metallica, this is one of the better and more foregiving varieties, with smoky amethyst and turquoise blue juveniles leaves that are coated with a powdery white bloom and show a distinct rosy pink edge. These later turn darker smoky purple then ruddy bronze before falling off. It can get over 12" across when it is happy, making one spectactular display specimen, and with age can get an upright trunk to a couple of feet tall that will either make it look strikingly alien and attractive or impossibly messy and unrefined. If cut back hard it will break nicely from the base. Spikes of rosy pink flowers open to bright orange in late summer, these can get quite tall (2') on plants that are old and weather protected. Give it some shade unless you are close to the coast and enjoy the more tortured look, and some regular watering or it will go rather dormant. With cold the colors become more intense, enough so that with enough cold (below 25F?) it will turn to black liquid. Mexico. rev 2/2010 

'Blue Curls'    container    broad blue green leaves, lightly crinkled margins tinted rose pink to magenta red, coral pink flowers. Choice, harder to propagate. One of the best varieties. rev 2/2010 

'Deranosa'   flowers   violet-tipped rosettes   compact light jade green to light powdery blue grey leaves form compact rosettes to about 4-6" across. These pup quickly and prolifically to form large clusters, and as they age and experience cool weather the leaves become bluer and develop beautiful lavender purple to burgundy edges and tips. A good show of light pure yellow to deep gold flowers appears copious short spikes that reach gently up about 8" then curl downwards. Classy, delicate.  rev 3/2010 

elegans 'Grey Red Form'  ethereal rosette   pearly, silver green leaves rosettes form a nice, small, always slightly irregular rosette to about 6-8" across, then cluster. In cold weather the leaves pick up reddish tints. Flowers are rose pink and yellow. rev /2010 *NEW for 2010!* 

gibbiflora 'Metallica'   exquisite foliage    exquisite flowers   broad grey green leaves tinted amethyst and dusted with white. Leaf edges are highlighted pink. A beautiful study in lavender, pink, and grey. Note the difference in name between this and E. bifida v. metallica.  rev 2/2010 

'Haagai Tolimanensis'   happy plants    leaves close up    flowers close up   rotund olive green to taupe leaves, coated with an ethereal, powdery white bloom, shading amethyst. Slow, distinctive. rev 2/2010 

'Imibricata'  GRANDMA'S HEN AND CHICKS   mature rosettes    typical planting, Santa Catalina High School, Monterey   shade adapted    flower closeup   note, singular "hen."  And also note not a species but a varietal name. One of the most persistent, most commonly encountered landscape forms. Very broad, flattened rosettes of jade blue foliage to over 10" across when well grown under cover, with leaf margins edged in rose pink, the whole package topped with striking spikes of coral and brilliant orange flowers in summer. Tough, hardy, spreads well, frost hardy enough to be found in many old gardens but generally blacker and deader the more below 25F you go. Sunset zones 8-9, 12-24/USDA zone 9. rev 3/2010 *NEW for 2010!*

nodulosa   rosette   very tall flower stalks    flower closeup  grey green leaves with distinctive maroon stripes in the centers and defining the margins. A taller grower, usually growing up to expose the soil and thus dry out a little more, and branching to form low shrublets. This can be a difficult plant to deal with when it throws its very long (to 3' !) , dramatic flower stalks that try to leverage the flowering branch off the main stalk, or tip the plant out of its container. Give the stalks some support. Very tough and forgiving about soil, sun. Mexico. rev 3/2010 

'Perle von Nurnberg'   Molly's plant   flowers   young foliage  a larger specimen type, typical amethyst to grey green leaves and bright coral orange flowers in spikes that make a respectable flower show. Paul Bonine in Portland assures me this variety is fine to use outside there as far as winter tolerance. It can rot, capriciously, but it is quite cold tolerant. rev 2/2010 

pulvinata  foliage   very close to  E. setosa, but with finer fur. A medium size clumping variety with short branches. Deep orange red flowers. rev 2/2010 *NEW for 2010!*

'Pulv-Oliver'   blooming   a more sparklingly silvery version, with the same intense red orange flowers. Distinguished from the species pulvinata by its deep violet red leaf tips. This is a hybrid of E. harmsii x pulvinata. rev 3/2010 *NEW for 2010!*

'Round Leaf'   round leaves   flowers   coral stems   is this really a Pachyphytum? The flower scapes certainly appear to fit better there. Foliage is grape-like, and I mean like the grapes themselves, not the foliage of grapes. Leaves are powdery blue grey green with a glaucous cast, very compact growing, with shy, bell-shaped coral red flowers produced on arching, pendant spikes. The coral red spikes actually provide most of the "flower" color since the flowers themselves only peek shyly from between their sepals. rev 5/2010 

'Rosea'  young plants  rather flat blue grey to taupe green leaves, densely ruffled along the margins, with a smoky lavender bloom. Short flower stalks bear strongly vertically pendant spikes of bright coral orange flowers. rev 3/2010 

secunda   at Cabrillo College   intense flowers   a clumping, hardy outdoor species that forms domes of  mostly blue leaves that age to plum or rose pink. Usually the very tip of the leaf is dark rose pink also. It offsets freely. Flowers are particularly intense, brilliant yellow inside and intense coral red outside, in late winter and spring. Mexico. Sunet zone 8-9, 14-24/USDA zone 9. rev 3/2010 *NEW for 2010!*

setosa   plants    flowers   soft textured light green leaves are densely covered with silvery hairs. Coral red flowers. rev 3/2010 

'Arrow Shaped'   flower   silvery rosettes  compact, fuzzy to the point of being silvery when young. Red flowers with orange tips.  rev 3/2010 

subrigida    leaves    flowers  long, broad light blue grey leaves, to 10" long by 4" across, with a red edge, moderately covered with a whitish powder. It makes quite a show when it flowers, with tall bright coral orange flower stalks, to over 30", arching above the plant, holding showy bright orange and pinkbell-shaped flowers against powdery violet blue-tinted sepals. This one is especially nice. I took home a stock plant specimen in a 5g can, with a rosette over 2' across, just massive. This is one fine container plant! It did fine through a 29F freeze, a little damage but nothing major. Then the rains came. And came. After two months of typical but slightly warmer than normal winter rainfall I was left with a completely leafless, rotten, black, spongy, club-shaped stump about the size and shape of my fist and wrist, with not a speck of living tissue to be seen. Give this one a little overhead rain/frost protection or be prepared to take your chances! It is worth it though, this is one of the elites. Mexico. rev 2/2010 

'Topsy Turvy'   rosette   flowers   lots o' plants  powdery grey white to blue white leaves curl back in towards the center. A faint lavender tinge suffuses the older growth. Unusual. Makes a great specimen.  This is really just E. runyonii 'Monstrosa,' but everyone seems to know it by this other name. rev 1/2010 

Echinacea purpurea Magnus    PURPLE CONEFLOWER    closeup    more flowers    border    a deciduous perennial to 30" tall. This form has dark rosy pink flowers to 5" across distinguished by petals that don't reflex back along the flower stem as much. All forms have spiky orange yellow disks slightly elongated into cones and all make outstanding cut flowers. For quick effect use these in multiples. Plants will take a while to mature to a large clump. When fully grown a single specimen can make an impressive display. Blooms from late spring (established plants) through late summer or early fall. They attract butterflies! Full, stark sun to a little shade (they want as high a light level as possible), average watering, frost hardy. All California zones. Central U.S. Compositae/Asteraceae. rev 8/2005.

'Big Sky After Midnight'  flowers  that was a nice song, but it doesn't have anything to do with the color, and it just ties in very loosely with the series theme. The color on this one is a cool raspberry pink. Summer bloom, does best its second year when the clump has put on some weight. But this writeup does give me the chance to brag that I actually did see J. J. Cale in his first ever big audience performance, at Winterland in 1972 or 1973. He opened for Traffic and he was great. He only had one other guitarist on stage with him, both were playing acoustic instruments. I remember he did 'Crazy Mama,' 'After Midnight,' and I think 'Call Me the Breeze,' among other songs in his set. He was too shy to come back out for an encore in spite of riotous applause. I think the next act was Commander Cody, or maybe Spirit. rev 8/2008 
'Big Sky Harvest Moon'  flowers  one of the great new hybrids in the sunset color range, this one creamy yellow with hints of tawny peach at the outer petal edges. FULL sun, average watering. Summer bloom. rev 6/2008 
'Big Sky Summer Sky'  flowers  peach orange petals mature to light, rosy, magenta red. Typical height. rev 7/2008 
'Big Sky Sundown'  flowers   intense orange fading to apricot or tawny peach, with rose magenta petal bases.
'Big Sky Sunrise'  flowers  medium yellow, with just a hint of gold, fading to pastel yellow. rev 9/2008 
'Big Sky Twilight'  flower   a luminous red, petals shading to magenta pink. rev 7/2008 
White Swan    closeup    more flowers    a seed strain with almost pure white flowers. rev 8/2005

Ensete    banana relatives, distinguished by solitary habits and monocarpic flowering behavior - they flower once then die. Fast, soft, frost tender, big. Tropical looking. Musaceae. rev 6/2007

ventricosum    ABYSSINIAN BANANA    Berkeley Way    innovative leaf trimming    Eastside    blessed event    one of the world's largest herbaceous perennials. A gigantic plant, to over thirty feet tall, with leaves over fifteen feet long and a pseudotrunk to over two feet thick when happy. It is amazingly fast given enough sun, water, and fertilizer. This species actually grows better under moderately warm or cool conditions, between 65 and 75°F. Some of the largest specimens will be found along the Central Coast of California. It is dark maroon red when young and grown in full sun. When older or in more shade, it becomes greener with reddish highlights on the leaf edges and midrib and along the trunk. It will grow in half a day's sun, but like all bananas it needs some sun under cool conditions or it slowly goes downhill. The more sun, the faster the recovery from cold winter conditions. Leaves can get shredded in windy conditions, and are usually tattered by the end of the stormy season. It will grow for a few years, then flower and die. Another way to handle the flowering/dying issue is to cut the flower stalk off, then the original plant will continue to grow and get even bigger. Flower clusters are massive, arching, pendant things that are bizarre and interesting but not showy. The plant is unattractive when it starts to flower, since it will retain its winter-tattered leaves when it sends out its ratty looking flower cluster. The overall effect is really shabby. Unless you want to see the truly interesting and somewhat bizarre flowers and fruits my advice is to chop it right down if it shows signs of blooming and start over with a new one.

     The fruits are leathery and considered inedible, though the flower heads and seeds are cooked and eaten where native. I'll try them and get back to you. A starch is also extracted from the base of the plant. This plant is actually an important food plant in Ethiopia and I have seen one reference that it supports up to a quarter of the population. As far as ornamental use, this is one of the best plants for instant tropical foliage landscape effects. There were huge specimens for years at the famous and irreplaceable India Joze restaurant in Santa Cruz, growing against a wall in a very narrow outdoor eating area. The leaves grew up over the building to provide jungle-like shade while the thick trunks provided a stunning, imposing ambiance to the entire restaurant, a row of massive, living, green columns if you will. Let your imagination run free as far as possible planting sites. You get a lot of bang for the buck when you plant one of these. Leaves begin to yellow below 40°F, and will show black frost damage from any light frost. It has some freeze hardiness just due to the fact that takes a lot of cold to freeze two feet of water-soaked tissue all the way through to the center where the actual growing point is. However it can rot in very cold, wet, clay soils. Ethiopia. Musaceae. rev 4/2005

‘Maurelii’    RED ABYSSINIAN BANANA    nice commercial specimen    foliage closeup   Sean's photography class picture   amazing flower    a highly desirable burgundy red foliaged variant. Slower than the green form, and not as large in the end, but still massively gigantic. Its dark maroon coloration will lessen as it matures, until it is mainly displayed on the trunk and leaf midribs. New leaves always emerge burgundy, though, and mature to a darker color than the green form. Difficult propagation accounts for limited availability. rev 1/2003

Ephedra tweediana  at UCB  a deep green, scrambling, semivining shrub or groundcover, relatively fast and easy to grow in contrast with many of the wonderful, picturesque, xeric species like our own native, E. nevadensis. It is a mass of horsetail-like, tough green stems, and can grow to 12' tall and wide if it has a fence or shrub to scramble up, like in the Mildred Mathias Garden at UCLA where it is known as "our green haystack." Or it can be a much smaller, more discrete and useful mounding groundcover as I have seen it at the Huntington, and the UC Berkeley Botanic Garden, growing to 2-3' tall by 6-8' wide. It spreads quickly and densely enough to be a very effective, tough, pest and trouble free, weed smothering groundcover that can be spaced on 4-5' centers. It is hardy enough to grow in Vancouver, BC and will take PNW rainfall, or can exist on much less irrigation and be grown with cactus, succulents, Mediterranean-climate plants and in other similar dry garden situations. Male cones are tiny, females form tiny white fruits at the branch tips. Apparently this species has the full range of Ephedra alkaloids. If you are intrigued by "dinosaur plants" as I am you will delight in being able to point to a weird conifer in your own garden. Ephedraceae. South America.rev 6/2010 *NEW for 2010!*

Epidendrum hybrids    REED STEMMED EPIDENDRUM    orange & yellow    typical clouds of flowers    red    one of the easiest orchids to grow and flower. Grows as a compact to open evergreen perennial with scandent upright branches to 3-4’ tall, often scrambling on plants or any other nearby support if not cut back. Flower stalks can reach 6’ or even more on certain varieties, others are much more restrained. Bears terminal clusters of small flowers with fringed lips. They come in a range of colors, currently we only offer the form the compact red orange form with the yellow lip (E. obrieanum) as well as red, rose pink and light pink.  Epidendrums have a well-deserved reputation as everblooming, easy-growing subtropical perennials which will thrive as container plants anywhere there is at least half a day of sun, regular watering, occasional fertilizing, and little or no frost. In the tropics and warm subtropics you will see them sheared into hedges. They make great cut flowers and last for weeks, continuing to generate new flowers from the tip of the cluster even after being cut. The stems make excellent, dramatic cut foliage as well. I got an enormous amount of satisfaction out of two matching specimens in very large clay pots that flanked the double French doors opening out onto my back porch. They gave me joy every time I looked at them or passed by. They bloomed every day of the year, and most of the time had quite literally hundreds of flowers each, forming solid domes of color. They thrived with just a weekly soaking and a handful or two of time-release fertilizer (Osmocote) dropped on top about twice a year. They responded instantly to the liquid fertilizer I occasionally give them as well. In fact, the one thing you should know is that like most orchids the performance of this plant will be directly related to how much fertilizer it gets. One thing they are fussy about is soil. They are at least semi-epiphytic and will grow in anything from light peat/perlite based mixes (hot, dry areas) through fine orchid bark (cool, foggy or rainy areas) but they DO NOT grow well in dirt or even fine textured, sandy soil mixes. Central America. Orchidaceae. rev 12/2009

Equisetum hyemale    SMOOTH HORSETAIL    effect, Blue Bamboo Nursery   another nice application    Aptos Creek Trail, Nisene Marks State Park    entryway    a striking reed-like plant that bears dark green, jointed stems to 3-4’ tall. It can be extremely invasive, but only when certain conditions are met: good drainage (or well-oxygenated water, such as in a container in a pond) and lots of water. High silica soil might be another requirement for extreme vigor. Best used in pots, and can be quite effective as an accent plant there. Against a wall or fence or by itself, this plant has a wonderful look. Sun to part shade, average summer watering, frost hardy. Tolerates wet conditions, but most successful plantings are those with average soil moisture. Eurasia, Pacific Coast. Equisetaceae. rev 7/2002

myriochaetum    GIANT HORSETAIL    Strybing Early Plants Garden    another view    here it is, one of the amazing giant horsetails I have been looking for some time now, courtesy of Don Mahoney and Strybing Arboretum. Our strain originated at UC Berkeley and is reportedly sourced from Veracruz, Mexico. To 15' tall, you will only see its full height in full sun, with regular watering and feeding, where it is protected from winds strong enough to knock it over, and where it has something to lean on or grow up through. Unsupported height is more like 8-10'. It has large, regular, brushy, typical whorled branches just like our native stream horsetail, E. arvense, not the single unbranched stems of E. hyemale. Unlike the winter deciduous stems of temperate species, these culms will live from year to year if not frosted. In dense groves it looks like bamboo. Found in Central America and northern South America at lower to middle elevations, it needs constant moisture. It will simply die if the roots dry out, whereas the silica-coated stems are very efficient at controlling water loss above ground, even under very dry conditions such as Santa Ana winds. As far as being invasive, the Caribbean species have not been able to invade Florida in spite of spores raining down there for millions of years. Nevertheless if you have a well sheltered site you plan to plant it in it should probably have a root barrier or be grown in a container. Since Equisetum roots have been recorded over 60' deep (!), barriers should either have a bottom or be very, very deep. It has escaped at the UC Berkeley Botanic Garden and colonized a section of Strawberry Canyon so should be treated with respect. Protect it from hard freezes and you should be able to grow it successfully from year to year. Since it may take more than one year for the stems to reach full size, freezing to the ground is obviously not something you want to have happen every year. The true Holy Grail of Dinosaur Plants, the Mother of All Horsetails, E. giganteum itself, is currently in our possession in several forms courtesy of the very generous Chad Husby, and we should have it available in 2006 at some point. Giant Horsetails link.Equisetaceae. rev 7/2005

Erica canaliculata ‘Rosea’    BLACKEYED HEATHER    closeup    large plant at UC Santa Cruz    a rounded to irregular evergreen shrub or small, gnarly tree to 8-12’ tall with small, needle-like leaves. Clouds of minute, bell shaped, dusty rosy pink flowers with black centers appear from late fall through spring. Color intensifies with cold. This twisted, weeping, free form shrub looks great against the straight lines of picket fences or houses with regular forms that highlight its character, such as Craftsman or Victorian era homes. It tends to live for about twenty years. It is relatively fast growing. Plants do best in full sun to part shade with at least average drainage and infrequent summer watering. Will tolerate 20°F before being damaged. Sunset zones 15-17, 20-24. South Africa. Ericaceae.

x darleyensis    hybrids between E. erigena and E. carnea. They grow as low evergreen shrubs to 24" tall, 6’ wide, forming dense mats of wiry stems and dark green foliage. Small, bell shaped flowers, white through lavender pink and dark rose pink, almost red, appear from late summer through early winter. Sun to part shade, average to little summer watering when established. One abused specimen thrived for years on nothing but natural rainfall in an abused traffic island in downtown Watsonville, blooming prolifically and never looking anything but fantastic. Sunset zones 2-10, 14-24, USDA zone 5-6. Ericaceae. rev 3/2006

‘Kramer’s Rote’    magenta red.
‘Silbersmelze’    closeup    white flowers against dark green foliage. To 12" tall.

mammosa red  wonderful flowers this is a quite variable upright species, bearing green to grey green needle-like leaves held tightly aginst the upright stems. Orange red tubular flowers completely cover the upper portions of the branches from late summer until late fall. Quite spectactular, and relatively (relatively) easy for a South African heather. It will take frost to 28-25F, will tolerate some summer watering, and isn't as picky about soil as most. Still it thrives in full sunlight, well drained mineral soils, and needs good water quality. It can be cut and used indoors. Sunset zones 16-17, 21-24. rev 8/2008 

speciosa    closeup    young plant    confused with and formerly offered as E. cruenta, a closely related species, this grows as an open to moderately dense shrub. The needle-like leaves are dark green. Downward curving, tubular, dark red orange flowers with greenish mouths appear in winter. To 3’, with erect stems, spreading by basally branching stems. Good drainage, little or no summer watering, acid sandy soils if at all possible. South Africa. Sunset zones 15-17, 20-24. rev 9/03

verticillata    masses of flowers    a dark green, soft-foliaged grower with an upright habit to 2-3' tall. Flowers are tubular, deep, intense rose pink with green mouths, heavily produced from late summer into winter, in flushes. A relatively easy species (for a South African heather!) but it still likes at least average drainage as well as some summer watering. It will not like much Colorado River water. Give it acid, sandy soils if at all possible. Great in a container too, if you don't let it dry out. It also makes a terrific cut flower. South Africa, reported as extinct in the wild. Sunset zones 15-17, 20-24. rev 8/2008

Erigeron karvinskianus    SANTA BARBARA DAISY    closeup of flowers    habit    mixed planting    winter flower color    with Geranium incanum    Water Street Hill     relatively compact evergreen perennial, deciduous with hard frost. Small, rose pink buds develop into endless clouds of white daisy flowers with yellow centers and very narrow petals. Blooms almost all year. A rewarding little perennial that cheerfully thrives in abandoned gardens, stone walls, or cracks in the sidewalk and never asks for anything in return. Sun, little or no summer watering, probably hardy to around 20°F. Excellent in containers. Shear back if overgrown. Has anyone tried this mowed, as a lawn substitute? Central America. Compositae/Asteraceae.

‘Morheimii’    closeup    habit    hybrid bears somewhat larger flowers flushed a pale rosy lavender. Color becomes a clear lavender with cooler winter temperatures. Grows slightly larger, with somewhat larger leaves. Growing conditions identical to E. karvinskianus.

Eriostemon myoporoides ‘Profusion’    LONG LEAF WAX FLOWER    closeup    typical plant    another plant    evergreen shrub to 6’ tall, 8’ wide, retaining foliage to the ground. Simple lance shaped leaves to 1" long are dark green, somewhat succulent, borne on bright green stems which are covered with bumpy oil glands. The fragrance of the stems and leaves is close to that of pineapple. This is a relatively mundane appearing shrub until it comes into bloom, when it is completely covered with white star-like flowers to 1/2 " across opening from pink buds. Bloom lasts for up to six months on the plant, and flowers are also very long lasting when cut. Best cut back when young to improve density. Different cultivars of this species are extremely popular in Australia. This showy, compact strain is a distinct improvement on the wild version, which is much leafier and less showy. Needs at least part sun and average drainage. Drought tolerant when established, survived 25°F undamaged. Southern and southeastern Australia. Rutaceae. UC Santa Cruz.

humeana    NATAL CORAL TREE    my house    wonderful flowers    very close    arguably the best of the really showy subtropical Coral Trees for use in Northern California. One of my all time, all time favorite plants. A deciduous (at least in Northern California) tree to about 20', it is usually seen as a spreading multitrunked specimen. Tall unbranched flower spikes, to over 2' in length, are held well above the foliage, and bear whorled ranks of bright lipstick orange red flowers, each to about three inches long. These produce copious nectar and attract hummingbirds, which appreciate being able to perch on the flower stalks when sipping the nectar. My wife, a non-technical bird lover, continually comments on how effective this plant is at attracting other species as well, especially chickadees  and bushtits, but also warblers, sparrows, and finches, all of which draw scrub jays, mourning doves and bandtailed pigeons to see what all the activity is about, all of which then draw the neighborhood Cooper's Hawk, Sharpshinned Hawk, Kestrel, and our resident pair of Red Shouldered Hawks to see if they can score a free meal. My wife and her birds get a lot of mileage out of our tree.

     As far as flowering, any wood produced during very long days will initiate. Flowering usually commences in July and can last well into winter, even into the new year with a warm fall and if temperatures remain above freezing. Leaves are very large and open, divided into three long-tipped leaflets. Trunks, stems and petioles are thorny but not viciously so. Makes a good, but large, container plant. In all situations, it is relatively drought tolerant but water as needed. The form in California is thought to actually be a hybrid with E. princeps, and in support of that theory I have never seen it set seed. It is possible this tree is showier in Northern California. It tends to be winter dormant, then the branches all break growth together and initiate flower spikes at the same time, leading to one massive flower show. In Southern California it is more or less evergreen and everblooming but tends to have one very long but rather light display. Pollarding it back once in January or February might help to improve the flower display there. Grow in at least half a day of sun, full sun is preferred. Needs at least average drainage and as little frost as possible. Overhead protection is almost always needed in Northern California, and it should be sited facing west, south, or east. Limited availability. South Africa.

     There are two primary reasons why this species is so good for us subtropical plant maniacs living in colder areas. First, it is showier than the other very good, hardy Erythrina species most often encountered in Northern California, E. crista-galli, and even better than the showier, hotter colored, always shrubby hybrid E. bidwillii. Erythrina humeana brings with it the brilliant, intense, striking bright red to orange red color of the more tropical species whereas E. crista-gallitends more toward dark, ruddy, wine red. The hybrid bidwillii is showier, with more true red to scarlet flowers, and its stalks also do display well above the foliage, but it is still more subdued in color, has wicked, hooked thorns, is almost always going to remain a shrub in Northern California.  Natal Coral Tree is also a warm season bloomer, in contrast to most of the other subtropical Coral Trees, so the plant can freeze to the ground in winter and still recover and bloom the following summer on new growth. The showy but tender spring blooming species usually seen in Southern California, like E. coralloides, falcata, x sykesii, and caffra, are occasionally encountered north of Santa Barbara but all set buds over winter and any frost will usually kill the flowers. This species also grows extremely well under cool-summer conditions. I talked the late Ken Hockenberry into planting a specimen of this tree at the entrance to the Pacific Garden Mall in Santa Cruz around 1981. It produced a brilliant, stunning, long lasting, mass display of flowers on a multitrunked, very large shrub of about 8-10' height, every year for nine years until it was removed in the rebuilding of the Mall after the 1989 earthquake. RIP Ken. rev 10/2007

Escallonia ‘Compakta’    flower closeup    low hedge    West Cliff Drive    a compact, small textured shrub to 2-3’ tall, 4-6’ across. Bears short, loose clusters of small dark red flowers in spring and fall. Sun to mostly shade, average to infrequent watering. Best performance comes in cool summer climates. This variety is noticeably more prone to Phytophthora root rot than E. ‘Fradesii’ so drainage issues should be addressed if they are a problem.  Saxifragaceae. The genus is native to South America. rev 9/2003

x exoniensis ‘Fradesii’    closeup    habit    an evergreen shrub to 6-8’ tall and wide valued for its glossy foliage and attractive clusters of pink flowers. Blooms heaviest in spring and fall, with some flowers all year. I like the resinous fragrance of the foliage, best detected on warm days. It is a very formal looking shrub but also very tough so finds heavy use in commercial hardscapes. Escallonias grow best in sun to part shade, but will tolerate mostly shade if they have to. Usually need little or no summer watering. This variety is more tolerant of poor drainage than any other Escallonia. rev 9/03

‘Lou Allen’    closeup    original planting at Strybing Arboretum    a very dense, compact evergreen shrub to 2-4’ tall, 4-6’ wide at maturity. It forms a tight wall of glossy, medium green foliage almost stiff enough to lay on. Medium pink flowers appear in spring and fall, with some flowers almost all year. This is another commercial hardscape plant, tough and durable. Strybing Arboretum. rev 9/2003

Eucalyptus ulverulenta Baby Blue    silhouette    mature, unpruned plant    fragrant flowers    for cut foliage     also sold as Blue Baby or Little Boy Blue. It is not clonal, being seed propagated, but comes very true from seed. The leaves are smaller than the regular form of E. pulverulenta, bluer, often with a violet or purplish hue and sometimes prominently so when pushing new growth, and more crowded along the stem, making it more highly valued for use as cut foliage. I think it may have some E. kruseana in it. A couple of other nice features of this plant are its bark, which somewhat resembles that of Madrone, with the outer layer peeling off to reveal very smooth green or burgundy skin below, and its dense, small, pale yellow-white, fragrant flowers that are packed along the stems in fall and early winter. The flowers have a strong scent of raw honey, produce a heavy load of nectar, and draw large numbers of hummingbirds. If you don't cut it back hard to flush new growth for foliage production this variety will grow quickly to about 30', as a single, slightly angled main trunk with a strong herringbone-like branch pattern, before broadening its crown to an irregular spreading crown with somewhat pendant branchlets. Handily survived 19°F with some damage. Myrtaceae.  rev 4/2004 

Eucomis comosus 'Sparkling Burgundy'   emerging   this deciduous bulb acts like a perennial, forming a rosette of dark burgundy red, almost black foliage to about 18" across. As the 18" tall flower stalk emerges the foliage becomes green and small red buds open pale pink then age much darker. As good as the flowers are, the best effect comes from the foliage. Tropical looking but quite hardy. Likes sun, average watering. Very good in containers. Sunset zones 5-9, 14-24/USDA zone 7. rev 5/2008 

Euphorbia amygdaloides ‘Purpurea’    perenninal garden    russeted flowers    wonderful foliage    a deciduous clumping to spreading perennial to 2' tall, slowly reaching out via short stolons. Neat, compact, dark green foliage turns reddish purple, especially at the branch tips, forming a nice background for the green flower bracts that appear in summer on last year's stems. Foliage greens later in summer. Sun to part shade, average to infrequent summer watering. Frost hardy. Euphorbiaceae. Asia Minor. rev 7/2002

robbiae    perennial garden    new flowers    russeted flowers    this subspecies is a compact, very dark green, shrubby evergreen (for us) shade perennial used for its flowers, its formal appearing foliage, as a groundcover, a background for color, or simply for its even texture and leafy presence. Becomes a very dark black/olive green in the darkest spots. Grows to 18-24" tall by 3' across in most soils with average watering, but it will take considerable drought when established and so makes the list for dry shade. It spreads moderately quickly by short stolons and can be used as a groundcover. Long stalks of light chartreuse to yellow flowers appear in late winter against nicely contrasting burgundy stalks, and continue opening for months. Eventually the flower stalks look tall and slightly club-like as they stretch well above the foliage. I found this plant greatly loved on a visit to the Pacific Northwest, everyone spoke highly of it and was tucking it into any unoccupied shady spot in their garden. Will take full sun along the coast, but definitely needs at least some shade inland. Probably hardy to around 10°F. It barely bloomed for us after the very warm winter of 2002-2003 and bloomed heavily after the much cooler winter of 2003-2004. You will get a sprinkling of old leaves turning yellow or hot orange red in winter as they age and fall. Asia Minor. rev 4/2004

‘Blue Haze’ PPAF    early spring flowers    a great new hybrid perennial Euphorbia with a stunning display of brilliant chartreuse to bright yellow flowers against charming blue grey leaves. Grows as a low, compact, clump of foliage to about 18" high, spreading out to 3' wide. Flowers are produced in late spring and can repeat in late summer or early fall. The spring bloom just about completely obscures the plant, you are just going to see a few leafy branches sticking through. The foliage is a pleasure to work with, being soft textured and an easy color. I have grown it in mostly shade as a foliage plant and it becomes quite blue (I am crazy about blue foliaged plants), but it needs bright indirect light and will slowly go downhill in dark shade. I have spoken with friends and other professionals who have grown this plant and all are as enthusiastic as I am. The only problem is that in gallon containers it can't really get big enough to show its stuff. It has behaved like any normal Euphorbia in our nursery and in my garden and we recommend the usual care of full to mostly sun exposure, average to good drainage, average to infrequent watering when established, and a post-bloom shearing if it needs it. Stems are annual or biennial and after flowering should be cut back to the base. Leaves pick up reddish tints in cool fall and winter weather. Should be frost hardy for all of California. rev 9/2003

characias wulfenii    blooming    another    yet another!    what it does    blue shade foliage    flowers closeup   another closeup    form Bakery    “One of the grandest of plants!” - Gertrude Jekyll. This subspecies (E. characias wulfenii) is a great plant for foliage color, form, and flower power but apparently Gertrude couldn't smell too well because it has a definite skunky odor. Nevertheless it always draws your eye with its leaves and flowers, looks good against almost any other plant or background and I use it whenever I can. The very best way to use it is to buy one for your downwind or across-the-street neighbor. It grows as an evergreen perennial with thick, robust stems and a semiwoody, bushy habit, to 2-4' tall and 4-5' wide. Long, narrow, bluish leaves are leathery, persistent, and held in tight, neat, spiral whorls. Huge rounded clusters of eye-straining yellow green bracts make a real splash and grow in neat, spiral, horizontally tiered clusters across the top of the plant in late winter and spring. By early summer the show is over.You must groom the exhausted stalks down to a growth point or new buds else it looks extremely shabby when the spent stems turn red brown. Sun to part shade, little summer watering, good drainage, very frost hardy. Dalmatia (Croatia). rev 3/2010

'Glacier Blue'    foliage    a sport of 'Tasmanian Tiger,' this version is mostly blue grey with a creamy white edge. This give it a more smoky grey blue appearance than the stark presentation of its parent. rev 8/2007 
‘Jade Dragon’    a wonderful, fuzzy, jade green to blue green foliaged plant much like E. wulfenii or E. martinii but much larger textured, lower, and with very coarse and broad leaves. To about 3' tall and 4' wide. Yellow to gold flowers are produced from terminals in summer. Needs good drainage and careful watering. Bold and striking, a great foliage/texture subject. Probably Sunset zones 4 and up, USDA zone 7 and higher. rev 6/2006
'Lambrook Gold'     a form selected for its large flower heads. How much larger I can't say since I haven't taken it into short days to compare it to our standard trade form of E. c. w., but apparently it is nice enough that the RHS gave it an AGM (Award of Garden Merit) and that is noteworthy because they don't pass those out freely. rev 5/2007 
'Silver Swan'     leaves   between Tasmanian Tiger and Glacier Blue, white eding to grey green leaves. rev 1/2010 *NEW for 2010!*
‘Tasmanian Tiger’ PPAF    landscape, blooming    flower spike closeup    against a darker background  a very compact form, probably ssp. wulfenii, with leaves strongly margined with creamy white. This actually has pretty good vigor, for all its lack of chlorophyll, and has done well against the ocaen. A good looking plant, especially against a darker background. rev 3/2010 

characias x martinii   foliage look   winter leaf color   leaves are long, deep blue green, very narrow, much like E. characias wulfenii but more gracile and becoming purplish in color as temperatures fall. Like E. martinii, but leaves are larger and wavier. Flower clusters are slghtly larger and with somewhat showier flowers. To 3' by 4-5', sun to part shade, average soils and watering but drought tolerant when established. Short day blooming. Trim spent stems in late spring. Sunset zone 4-24, USDA zone 7. rev 3/2010 *NEW for 2010!*

‘Dean’s Hybrid’    why you plant it    against phormium    young plant    flowers closeup    new flowers    discovered in a garden by Dean Dalton of Western Hills Nursery in Occidental, this is another very fine textured green form. It mounds up to about 18-24" tall as a clump and produces a heavy show of brilliant chartreuse yellow flowers in spring, becoming a little oranger with age, then reblooms in summer and fall with flowers usually lasting into winter. It is probably the longest blooming Euphorbia I am aware of. It does not seem to run as does ‘Claris Howard.’ A first class perennial and one of my favorite Euphorbias, in fact one of my favorite plants because it is so outstandingly showy. It looks fantastic against almost any other plant, but especially so against blue foliaged Euphorbias like ‘Blue Haze,’ purple flowers like Lavandula stoechas ‘Otto Quast,’ or strong reds like Crocosmia ‘Lucifer.’ It looks stupendous massed in drifts. It is dense, carefree, holds its own against winter weeds, and shears like cloth. Foliage color blues somewhat in winter, too. Full to part sun, average to infrequent watering. Probably USDA zone 7, Sunset zones 5, 8-9, 14-24. rev 9/2003

griffithii Fireglow    closeup    fall color    a winter deciduous perennial of robust growth to 30" tall, sprawling and spreading to form clumps. This is a somewhat coarse textured plant that is tough, durable, large enough to overgrow weeds, has wonderful flower bracts, and colors up dependably in fall. Thick, tuberous roots sprout new growth in late winter. Bears showy bracts of fiery orange red in terminal clusters in late winter, then reblooms as stems mature so it has a lighter display of color from spring through early fall. The color continues as the broad, deep green leaves turn yellow, coppery orange and hot red before falling. In the end it is out of color for only a short period during winter, and in a mild winter it might not even go entirely deciduous. Sun, average watering, frost hardy. rev 3/2003

x martinii    closeup    spiral foliage    emerging flower spikes    nice blooming plant    deciduous to semievergreen soft-wooded perennial shrub to 30" tall, 3’ wide. Bears narrow, dark blue green leaves to 2" long with reddish undersides, purplish when emerging and flushing burgundy and orange in cold weather. Foliage is borne in a very regular spiral pattern. Chartreuse bracts emerge in late winter and last through late spring, then enclose the shiny, deep red seed capsules through summer for a long season of color. The old bract/flower heads turn a most attractive coppery orange and gold as they age. Sun to part shade, average watering, good drainage, frost hardy. Cut it back in early fall if it starts to look like it needs to be renewed, at least in those climates where it tends to be evergreen. In colder areas where it is deciduous remove old stems in winter. Probably this is one of the ‘weird’ flower intitiators (like many other Euphorbias), I would guess facultative short day. Sunset zones 5-9, 14-24/USDA zone 7. rev 3/2010

‘Red Martin’    blooming    redder new growth and a little darker blue green color. Branches, stems and flower stems are also dark reddish burgundy for more contrast than the regular form of E. x martinii. rev 3/2010

'Ascot Rainbow' PPAF   flower stalks   this is a variegated sport found on E. martinii, featuring golden and apricot toned leaf margins with darker green centers and burgundy new growth. Flower clusters are also variegated, these appear in winter and early spring. To about 18" tall and wide. This is a very attractive container or garden plant that can take some drought. rev 3/2010  *NEW for 2010! 

polychroma (epithymoides)    blooming    also known as E. polychroma, this is a low, rather horizontal species with soft, smooth green leaves and dense, tight terminal clusters of chartreuse bracts that can be produced as early as January in our climate from plants established the previous year. It changes to a wonderful warm salmon to hot red fall color before going deciduous. Can reach about 12" high, growing with a dome shaped habit, and spreads to about 2'. Very frost hardy, prefers good drainage, like most of its relatives. Europe. rev 6/2006

'Bonfire' PPAF    nursery plants    a counterpart to E. dulcis 'Chameleon,' this deciduous species features coppery bronze foliage and a modest show of yellow to chartreuse bracts in summer. To about 10" tall by 18" across, with a moderately slow growth rate. It does best with a well-defined winter. Sunset zones 2-9, 14-17/USDA zone 4. rev 4/2007 

‘Red Wing’ (Pat pend.)    perennial garden    green foliage, compact habit to 18", deciduous. This looks a lot like a compact ‘Red Martin.’ Flower clusters emerge red before aging to sulfur yellow and the plant is in color for at least six months beginning inspring. This variety gets so many flowers, in a large round head held above the leaves, that it completely covers the foliage with blooms and looks like a dome of pure flowers. Sunset all zones, USDA zone 5 and up. rev 8/2005

tirucalii 'Firesticks'    why you grow it  this is actually a selected form of a tree species, reaching over 30' in height in nature. I have never seen this more colorful form over 3' high in California. It is found all over the dry tropics, and was first described by Linnaeus from material from India. This form is grown for the superior color of its fiery coral red branches, with color most evident in sun and with cool weather. It makes a great container, patio or house plant. It can be grown in the ground where it doesn't see hard freezes. The sap is quite caustic, keep it off yourself and definitely out of your eyes and mouth. South Africa. rev 3/2010 *NEW for 2010!*

Excoecaria cochinchinensis  CHINESE CROTON  mature plants, Alila Hotel, Bali   leaf color closeup   our own plants   I love this plant. I have more of this planted at my house than anything else. And don't freak out, it isn't that hard to pronounce. Listen:  ex-see-carya  then  co-chin-chinensis. See? Easy. Just sound it out. Just   .   .   .   sound it   .   .   .   out. This a classy, wonderful, slow growing, open textured shrub that you use for its amazingly colored foliage. The shiny olive green leaves have strikingly copper, almost blood red  undersides. There is really nothing else like it in the trade. You have to see a big one to appreciate it, and they essentially don't exist in the US. It is brittle, and never really robust, so it needs a little extra attention. But it is very much worth extra effort. Kathy Musial, Curator of Plant Collections for the Huntington, told me she is glad to see it being sold because it has done well for them for years. They have had some severe freezes, including 1998 and most recently 2007, so we know it will take at least some cold. In the December 2009 freeze at my house it took 29F with no damage to even the tiniest leaves. I have known about this plant and been looking for it since the mid 1980s, when Monrovia offered it briefly in a previous, noble, failed attempt at  introduction. That was truly a case of a plant being offered before its time. I remember being relentlessly asked, "But does it have a nice flower?" To which the answer is "Yes, but it is only 1/32nd of an inch across" and then finding the customer wasn't interested. Well how times have changed. This plant is so apropos for today's gardens. Once people see it used it will be appreciated. It is native throughout Southeast Asia, from Yunnan through Malaysia. Like all members of the Spurge Family it has sap that might cause short term skin or eye irritation, though I have worked with it plenty and never been bothered. This makes a fine container plant, hanging basket item, or house plant. It will grow in shade or full sun but is definitely faster and happier with heat, though it does okay in my cool coastal garden. Euphorbiaceae. rev 1/2010 

'Variegata'   Singapore     closer jade green to pale olive green leaves green margined ivory above, intense copper red below. Even better, and even slower. But in never gives up. Verrrrry, very cool. Always a low, spreading to trailing plant. rev 1/2010