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Nandina domestica   (not currently in production) HEAVENLY BAMBOO    winter berries    old plant    to 6-7’, with outstanding orange, red, or burgundy color in fall and winter. This plant will tolerate either full sun or full shade, but seems happiest in at least half a day of sun, which keeps it more compact and intensifies the winter foliage color. An excellent, forgiving container plant that can tolerate considerable variation in soil moisture without looking sad. Eastern Asia. Berberidaceae. production. rev 10/2020

‘Gulfstream’   (not currently in production)  foliage    a very regular, very compact, clustering dwarf form to just 2' tall, with very neat, fine-textured leaves. rev 10/2008

Nematanthus 'Tropicana' (sold previously as N. gregarius 'Kristen's Gold')   thick, dark green, semi-succulent leaves feature a glorious reddish reverse. Small, golden orange, inflated goldfish flowers are produced from early fall through spring and attract hummingbirds. Use this easy as a houseplant, an indoor/outdoor or patio/porch container plant or a fabulous hanging basket subject. Likes cool full sun or warm part shade to bright, full shady conditions, and likes to go a little dry between waterings. Does not like deep shade. Will tolerate extended periods of cold, wet soils and even light freezes with overhead protection, but it doesn't seem to be truly freeze hardy. USDA zone 9a. Brazil. Gesneriaceae. rev 2/2019

Nemesia    (not currently in production)   semitender evergreen perennials, also annuals (which we don't sell). The perennial types took the refreshing 1990 freeze without defoliating (about 20°F) which gives us a good estimate of which climates they will tolerate. They bloom longer on the coast and need more water inland. Some species and hybrids are nicely fragrant (like vanilla or heliotrope), some smell like privet flowers (not particularly pleasing), some smell like second hand cigarette smoke (really!) and some have no or little fragrance. All make outstanding container or mixed container plants and can usually be depended on for months of color, especially if cut back as they start to form seed heads. We have stock plants that have lived in the same containers for over six years. All like at least half sun, rich, moist, well drained soil, and infrequent feeding as needed. We guess they are frost hardy to USDA zone 9/Sunset zones 8-9, 14-17, 21-24. Scrophulariaceae. South Africa. rev 1/2003

Neoregelia   a genus of about 110 species of epiphytic bromeliads native to wet and seasonally dry tropical and subtropical areas of South America. Their leaves form typical cup-shaped centers which serve to hold rain and are important micro-habitats for a variety of various life forms, both plant and animal, including poison dart frogs. The majority of widely cultivated species and hybrids are recognized by brightly colored cup-centers and short-stalked flowers which remain at or slightly above the water level. Many are hardier to cold than commonly recognized and are worth trying as indoor/outdoor porch-patio subjects. Bromeliaceae. rev 3/2020

'Donger'   brilliant cherry to bright maroon red leaves edged and sometimes striped with rose pink. Typical small blue purple flowers. Small, branching grower, to ~4-6" high by 6-10" across. Sport of 'Fireball.' rev 10/2020

'El Nido'  deep true green to light olive green leaves with a blush pink marginal edge. Small, branching grower, to ~4-6" high by 6-10" across. rev 10/2020

'Fireball'  pure hot orange red aging to glowing maroon. Small, branching grower, to ~4-6" high by 6-10" across. rev 10/2020

'Grace'  (not currently in production)   flowers getting ready  has a tightly concentrated bright red to orange red center zone, glossy, provides color for months. Blue flowers open singly or a few at a time over a modest period. Good porch-patio or indoor/outdoor variety. Easy, fast, forgiving. Easily tolerated air temperatures close to freezing with overhead protection on my own front porch. To 8-10" across, 6" tall. rev 3/2020

'Red Waif'  deep , glowing maroon red new leaves mature to show darker maroon banded and zoned across light olive green. To 8-10" across, 6" tall. rev 3/2020

'Tangerine'   (not currently in production)  in bloom   similar to 'Grace' above, also red, central color extends out farther but leaf surface is but not as lustrous. Lilac flowers. Also a good porch variety. To 8-10" across, 6" tall. rev 3/2020

'Tiger Cub'   main feature     nice flowers    very close   mom    December-August no water!  a cute lil' thing I picked up at an Ojai nursery liquidation. It was living in an unheated cold frame, with cactus and succulents, almost full sun, bone dry but didn't look stressed. I took a little test-chunk home before Christmas and pushed it into a nook on the bookshelf next to the fireplace. This was a dark cubbyhole, zero direct light, just a south-facing window 15' away. Next August I asked my wife how often she watered it and she said "what bromeliad?" The outer leaves were a little shrunken but it perked right up after it was watered and moved to the back patio.Full, open sun, direct winter rain, air temps close to freezing, no problems, and it's lived there for the past two years. This is my kind of plant. Leaves range in color from dark olive green through almost black green depending on light intensity, with dark burgundy zebra stripes on the reverse. Small flowers are deep, intense blue, on short stalks held above any water in the central cup. To about 5-6" tall by 4-5 across, will pup and form colonies before flowering, with new plants emerging  an inch or three away from the parent. A hybrid of N. ampullacea x tigrina. rev 3/2020

'Zoe'  brilliant dark cherry red leaves are striped hot magenta pink. Mature leaves are deep olive green with pink stripes. Small, branching grower, to ~4-6" high by 6-10" across. rev 10/2020
Nepenthes    PITCHER PLANT    carnivorous tropical and subtropical evergreen perennials native to the Southwest Pacific region, clumping to vining or scrambling in habit. (For another type of Pitcher Plant, see Sarracenia.) Nepenthes are mostly insectivorous but the species that grow the largest pitchers (N. raja, N. rafflesiana) can sometimes also trap small reptiles, birds and mammals. Tendrils at the leaf tips are modified to form the amazing, bizarre, intricate hooded pitchers, acting both as vine-holds and traps.  from tendrils at the leaf tips.  Lower pitchers rest on or near the ground, upper pitchers tend to twine around things then hang in midair. They need shade, temperatures above about 45-55°F, regular watering, and very light/infrequent feeding or none at all. If you keep them too dry they will drop their pitchers. They also need rich, well aerated, acidic soil mixes and like to be wet or even be saturated but like to dry slightly in between. This means you shouldn't just leave them standing in water, rather let the dish get drawn down until it no longer supplies the pot and the media aerates. Also remember that like many other carnivorous plants native to wet environments they don't ever develop root systems as extensive as those of plants from drier environments, even in containers. If possible the pitchers should be irrigated when watering also, but shouldn't be kept more than about half full. Standard growing instructions usually include low fertilizer rates, as for almost all other carnivorous plants, but at least a couple of Indonesians I know with extensive collections have personally related that they have found Nepenthes to thrive at full or even beyond-normal-full fertilizing rates. You are on your own in this area!

     They will grow best where their leaves can hang over the edge of their container, the better to display their ornamental pitchers. In the end they are actually semivining plants and will wrap their pitcher tendrils around supports and haul themselves up. This also helps anchor them and keeps the fine roots from breaking off. They happily attract and trap insects in those pitchers, and absorb their nutrients as they decompose. Very, extremely weird, loved by all, and quite showy and attractive as well. Kids in particular are amazed at plants that eat bugs. Grow them as indoor/outdoor plants or just straight house plants. Lowland forms need 60°F minimum night temps and warm days, highland forms need cooler nights (but still above 50°F) and temps not over the 80's in the days. However all the varieties we offer are grown in greenhouses set to ~40F in winter, and experience cool nights no higher than the low 60's inside the greenhouse in summer and usually see temps in the low 50's or lower fall through spring. rev 6/2020

alata   young pitcher   young plant    a highly variable and complex species with a large, diverse range, found throughout the Philippines from sea level through ~6000' elevation. Formally defined as an intermediate-growing type in reality whichever ecotype we're growing acts like an easy highland form with our always-low night temps and year-around our cool conditions. And reportedly that's not unusual for this species. Rather slim pitchers are streaked with burgundy and reach 7-9" tall on mature plants. rev 6/2020

'Judith Finn’  (not currently in production)  a highland-lowland hybrid (N. spathulata x veitchii) that grows like a highland type except it can't drop into the 40's at night. Leaves can reach 10" and the enormous, soft-spined pitchers grow to 8" tall with bright maroon stripes and a dark maroon ring around the mouth of the pitcher. Hood is green, interiors feature typical dark spots. It's a fast grower that doesn't form pitchers on small plants (4" pots). Keep the roots on this variety above about 50°F or it will slooooowly die from the base up. 6/2020

'Miranda'  young pitcher   young plant   a hybrid, probably involving N. maxima and N. northiana but there is speculation on the exact parents. It should act like a low-intermediate type but it performs for us like a cooler-growing highland variety. Pitchers are streaked with burgundy and can reach 8-12" on mature plants. rev 6/2020

rafflesiana   (not currently in production) lowland type, keep temps above 60F for best performance. Our production plants took 50F nights but stopped growing completely until they experienced warmer conditions. Strange hairy ribbed pitchers marbled and striped with black. Sinister. Known to consume birds and frogs when mature. rev 6/2020

sanguinea   pitchers on young plants  highland species. Reddish tendrils, angular green pitchers to 6", flushed red at the top with dark spots inside. Two rows of soft teeth line the front of the pitcher, red hood. rev 6/2020

ventricosa   pitchers on young plants    mature Huntington specimen   highland. Long, light green leaves, large coppery orange pitchers to 6" long, light coral hoods, on a plant to 18" across. Soft teeth are lacking on the front of the pitchers, which become increasingly rotund as plants mature. Precocious, probably the easiest of the Nepenthes. Our plants are all males. This is a very cold tolerant plant, able to take temps into the forties (briefly!) before starting to slide downhill. rev 6/2020

Nepeta  CATMINT   fragrant foliaged, perennial sage relatives that mostly grow as grey or grey green mounds, with usually blue to lavender flowers appearing at various times, almost always starting in spring. Sun to part shade, average to good drainage, average to minimal watering. Frost hardy. Cats can roll in them. This makes the cats happy, and you either happy or sad depending on whether it is your plant and/or your cat. Labiatae/Lamiaceae.rev 4/201

‘Blue Wonder’    closeup    evergreen to deciduous perennials, this variety (and most others) with somewhat hairy, light grey green leaves. Bears medium lavender blue flowers with much darker sepals on a compact, spreading plant to 12-15" tall. This is a very showy, compact variety, one of the best. Sun to part shade, average to little watering, frost hardy. Good in containers. All seem to be long day bloomers, with flowering extending into fall. Overall, Nepetas are tough, reliable, showy, weed-smothering plants that bring the durability of a hard, woody landscape groundcover with the loose, free-blooming habit of a perennial. Nepetas make it onto our top ten list of most satisfying perennials. Figure all as frost hardy for almost all California growing zones. Labiatae/Lamiaceae. rev 1/2010

‘Dropmore Hybrid’    closeup    in a garden    a more robust, durable variety, to 12-18" tall, with dusky lavender blue flowers appearing in sprays above the greyish foliage for most of the year, if watered. Even without summer watering in coastal gardens, plants can be relied on to stay full and in color from spring through summer. rev 8/2010

faassenii ‘Citriodora’    LEMON CATNIP    flowers    research   our crack research cat has determined that this variety is as attractive to cats as the regular, annual N. cataria. This is a reliable perennial that grows with a low, almost flat habit, with large, round quilted green leaves, great dark blue flowers, and very strongly lemon-scented foliage. Worth growing for the flowers, for the fragrance, or for the joy it brings cats. rev 1/2010

'Select Blue'   photo   this one happens to have the darkest blue flowers of them all and is sterile (no reseeding). Aromatic, blue-grey foliage in a 12-18" mound produces blue flower spikes in late spring. After blooming, trim back for another round of flowers. Great in an herb or vegetable garden, bees love the flowers. Makes a casual low hedge, looks good with dark green foliage. Sun or part shade. Will take regular watering if drainage is good, otherwise, average to little watering once established.Sunset zones 1-24/USDA 4. rev 4/2011

'Pink Pixie'  PINK CATMINT hasn't bloomed yet, but from pictures this has pale pink flowers against greyish leaves. To 9" tall, 16" across. Sunset all zone/USDA 4. rev 8/2010

'Purple Haze' PP23180   big leaves, rich purple flowers    big, soft, quilted leaves with a fresh fragrance form a dense carpet of green for the spikes of rich purple flowers. To  4-6" tall, spreading to 3' wide. Likes lean soil, needs little watering once established. For groundcover, pots, beds, and all those who love bees, butterflies and the other good citizens of Mother Earth. USDA zone 6/Sunset all zones. rev 6/2015

Nephrolepis SWORD FERNS  a genus of ferns recognized by its typical tall, narrow, sword-shaped fronds. Widely distributed. rev 8/2008

biserrata  MACHO FERN  Mt. Salak, Java   stock plants, Amsterdam   this is an awesome foliage plant, a typical Boston Fern scaled up by a factor of 2 or 3 in all directions, and darker green, and glossier. I had read about it, seen it on availabilities, but didn't appreciate what it was until I encountered the stock plants pictured while touring a fern grower in Holland. They made me say "Wow!" Now I see why you grow it." It is easy under warm, humid, subtropical conditions but it doesn't like cold winters and will be deciduous outdoors in Northern or Central California. It should survive in most suburban areas. With warm spring temperatures it recovers and quickly grows its arching to pendant 3-4' long fronds. It is shortly stoloniferous, like all other Nephrolepis, and can even be slightly invasive under conditions more favorable than it is going to find in California. This is the lushest, most tropical looking sword fern in commercial production. It is a little tempermental, so only grow it if you can give it favored conditions. It likes moisture, and even prefers wet to swampy soils. But if you have what it wants it will reward you with a great foliage display. Under indoor conditions it excels, especially shaded but high-light commercial applications where there is adequate humidity and nothing to damage the fronds. The fronds, probably when young, are cooked and eaten in New Guinea. Pantropical, escaped and naturalized in many areas. Sunset zones 8-9, 15-17 (protection), 21-24/USDA zone 9. rev 8/2008

cordifolia    SOUTHERN SWORD FERN    habit    at the Damman's    fronds   evergreen fern, bearing long pinnate fronds to 30" tall with undivided pinnae (leaflets). This is the hardier version of one of several common sword ferns referred to as "Boston Fern," properly  N. exaltata. Part sun to shade, average to little summer watering, evergreen down to 20°F, USDA zone 9/Sunset 8-9, 14-24. This fern is native to widespread areas of the tropics, subtropics, and temperate zones. Polypodiaceae. rev 7/2015

'Emerald Queen'    fronds     improved features over the standard trade form of this species are"more compact" plus "holds color better." This trade form is also probably actually N. cordifolia, as with the standard form, according to our chosen fern authority, the late and great Barbara Joe Hoshizaki. If it is thus an equivalent of the noteworthy and desirable N. cordifolia 'Kimberly Queen,' then it will tenaciously hold onto its leaflets until the whole frond dies, and graciously not continuously drop them onto your porch or patio. rev 7/2015 
'Duffii'    fronds    tiny leaflets, almost like Button Fern. Compact habit. Cute as a button. rev 8/2011
'Kimberly Queen®'   clean fronds   a very compact, neat, adaptable grower famous for not shedding leaflets and tolerating a range of exposures. Evergreen until it sees a very hard freeze, then facultatively deciduous. It can grow to about 30" tall, as a vigorous, clean, green mass of foliage. This is an outstanding, cheerful, perky, smaller scale sword fern that  really shines as a basket or container specimen, indoors or out. My wife loves it, and used it as a house plant. She pointed out to me how tough it is, having many times dried it out to the point of wilting badly only to recover completely after being well watered, and all without shedding leaflets at all. What  tough, rewarding plant!  rev 2/2009
‘Western Queen’    another compact, but still robust form of the regular species. Reportedly this is the same genetic strain as 'Kimberly Queen' but with a different name. I haven't grown them in close comparison. rev 2/2009

exaltata    BOSTON FERN    we try to grow only the varieties that show better performance outdoors than the standard "Boston," which reliably goes dormant in warm winters inside greenhouses if temperatures approach 50F. Some you will note we are testing. rev 10/2007

'Emina'   closeup      short, compact, curly fronds, dense, tight growth pattern and a deep green color distinguish this unusual variant, which looks a lot like green ribbon candy. Slow, only reaches about 8-10" in height. Very well suited to small or tiny container culture. rev 9/2017 
'Fluffy Ruffles'    riffled ruffles   like a Boston Fern, only more compact, and has ruffly edges on the fronds that grow about 12" long. The light foliage texture blends easily with impatiens and begonias. House/patio plant, or outdoors in the warmer SoCal or similar subtropical climates. rev 8/2011-Suzy Brooks
'Marisa'    fine detail     plush plumes of puffy chartreuse lushness   the ultimate in fine-textured laciness to have occurred within the Boston Fern universe. So soft and vunderful I had to stop myself from laying down and rolling back and forth in it. rev 9/2017
'Rita's Gold'    foliage    a nice, bright, outrageous yellow. About two-thirds as fast as a regular Boston. What a great color! Until I know more expect it to be winter deciduous below 50F, like all other Boston Ferns, but since 'Tiger' remains evergreen we thought it would be worth a try. rev 10/2007
'Tiger'    frond    fronds striped yellow and green. Much more winter tolerant than N. exaltata itself, remaining completely evergreen at my house during the freeze of 2007. While it had overhead protection, regular Boston Fern would have been dormant at some point during fall even without the freeze. rev 10/2007

falcata 'Furcans'  FISHTAIL SWORD FERN  dramatic display   young plant, new frond   an upright, arching grower, with intriguingly forked leaflets, often twice-divided into antler-like extensions. To about 3' tall by 4-5' wide with enough space and no shaping, usually looks best when maintained with a somewhat open habit. A first-class choice for a display specimen or centerpiece container subject for home, porch or patio. Shade, average fern-watering requirements except it can withstand drier conditions when established. Tends to defoliate if not given very a very sheltered site over winter, and definietly not frost hardy. rev 6/2019

obliterata  see N. cordifolia, above. According to the late fern expert Barbara Joe Hoshizaki, everything in the trade under N. obliterata properly belongs under N. cordifolia. rev 7/2015

Nolina nelsonii    why you grow it- 10 years old at Luis' house    in close    I love this plant. It forms an open, extremely even hemisphere of stiff silver to blue white leaves top grey green leaves, to 3’ long, 1" wide. It resembles a giant Yucca whipplei  but without the sharp tips and flexible leaves. With age it forms a short, rather stout trunk. It will also eventually bear a flower spike to 6-8’ tall covered with thousands of creamy white flowers(male and female flowers on separate plants) in spring when it is old enough, then die and sprout pups from the base after flowering. A stunning focal point plant, I have one in my yard. One very nice feature about this is that it puts on trunk  relatively quickly. For those of us not in desert environments there is no better choice if you want a trunk, except for perhaps Yucca elephantipes, which has an entirely different, more tropical look. The only downside is that this one has microserrated leaf edges that can cut you if you work near it without gloves. It makes a great barrier plant. Probably hardy to 10°F, very drought tolerant. Northern Mexico. Agavaceae. rev 3/201

note: all above text and images ©Luen Miller and Monterey Bay Nursery, Inc. except as otherwise noted