{"id":3754,"date":"2015-03-29T00:03:00","date_gmt":"2015-03-29T04:03:00","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2020-08-13T17:43:14","modified_gmt":"2020-08-13T21:43:14","slug":"my-sort-of-secret-sources-for","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/2015\/03\/my-sort-of-secret-sources-for\/","title":{"rendered":"MY (SORT-OF) SECRET SOURCES FOR INTERESTING PLANTS FOR CONTAINERS AND MORE"},"content":{"rendered":"
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IOCHROMA FUSCHIOIDES ‘ROYAL QUEEN’, A SPECTACULAR TROPICAL SHRUB FOR A SUMMER CONTAINER IS ONE EXAMPLE OF WHAT YOU CAN ORDER ONLINE NOW, FOR POTTING UP IN MAY.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
BEGONIAS OF ALL TYPE GROW QUICKLY AND CAN MAKE IMPRESSIVE SUMMER CONTAINERS. THESE CANE-TYPE OR ANGELWING BEGONIAS FROM LOGEE’S GREENHOUSES OR KARTUZ GREENHOUSES ARE BEST IF PLANTED 3 TO A LARGE POT – STAKE THEM AS THEY TOWER UP TO 4-5 FEET IN ONE SUMMER.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
\nI think I am kind of ready for spring. So why not spend some time ordering plants for summer containers, for the summer greenhouse and for the garden. Local garden centers seem to carry more and more big-brand selections, like Proven Winners and Monrovia Nurseries, which is great, since these are fully tested varieties, often selected for their vigor and overall performance, but if one wants something different or more unique, it will take a little more effort.<\/p>\n
Here are some of my go-to sources on-line for interesting container plants which often cannot be found locally, as well as some sources for rare bulbs, herbs, shrubs and trees and tender plants which one might bring into a cellar, greenhouse or a cold cellar for the winter if you live where it gets cold and snowy.<\/p>\n
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TENDER TOPICALS HAVE BECOME COMMON IN MOST NORTHERN GARDENS, WHERE BANANAS, ALOCASIA AND COLOCASIA ARE AS OMNIPRESENT AS GERANIUMS. BUT WHY NOT RAISE THE BAR A BIT? THIS MOTIF IN BLACK AND DARK WAS FROM A PLANTING I CURATED A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO. I MAY TRY IT AGAIN THIS YEAR.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
GOODWIN CREEK NURSERY HAS 21 DIFFERENT VARIETIES OF ROSEMARY, RANGING FROM CULINARY FORMS, TO UPRIGHT’S, CREEPERS, PINK, WHITE, BLUE AND VIOLET FLOWERED FORMS. \nYOUR LOCAL HOME STORE? IT ONLY HAS ONE VARIETY.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
What I order from Goodwin Creek are other herbs such as woody thyme varieties rich in oils for cooking, or culinary varieties of herbs like oregano and thyme, which are usually impossible to find at local nurseries – there are particular varieties which are excellent in the kitchen, so if you want the perfect Greek oregano, this is the place to go. Then, there are the rosemary selections, pink, white flowered, high-oil content forms, culinary forms, weeping, those best for tall topiaries – they have 21 varieties. GO crazy.<\/p>\n
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MANY OF THESE NURSERIES CARRY DIFFERENT SELECTIONS OF CLASSIC CONTAINER PLANTS IN THE EAST, LIKE AGAPANTHUS . ONE NEVER GETS TIRED OF THESE, EITHER IN THE CALIFORNIAN LANDSCAPE, OR IN A LARGE TUB IN THE NORTH, WHERE THEY CAN BE BROUGHT INTO A COLD ROOM FOR THE WINTER.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
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A COLLECTION OF STANDARD FUCHIA’S LIKE MINE FROM LAST YEAR MIGHT BE A FUN PROJECT<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
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\nFOR A COLLECTION, DISPLAY OR A DARING PROJECT <\/div>\n
ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS ABOUT GARDENING IS CURATING REALLY UNIQUE COMBINATIONS OF PLANTS IN CONTAINERS. THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER, I MOVE THEM AROUND, GROUPING TOGETHER INTERESTING COLORS AND TEXTURES.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
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\nSOURCES FOR TENDER AND TROPICAL PLANTS TO USE FOR SUMMER CONTAINERS<\/div>\n
SALVIA AZUREA WAS SO BEAUTIFUL IN THE GARDEN OF ROBIN MAGOWAN AND JULIET MATTILA IN SANTE FE, NEW MEXICO. WILL I DARE TO TRY IT IN MY NEW ENGLAND GARDEN? YOU BET. IT’S PERIWINKLE \/MORNING GLORY BLUE COLOR WAS BREATHTAKING. I HAVE TO TRY IT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
THERE ARE DOZENS OF VARIETIES OF ABULTILON OR FLOWERING MAPLE, BUT COMMERCIALLY ONLY A HANDFUL ARE GROWN. KARTUZ GREENHOUSES AND LOGEES, AS WELL AS DIGGINGDOG AND ANNIES ANNUALS CAN GET YOU HOOKED ON VARIETIES THAT NO ONE ELSE WILL BE OFFERING.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
A DAVIDIA INVOLUCRATA, OR FABELLED GHOST TREE – A ZONE 7 TREE FROM GOSSLER FARMS WHICH I PLANTED OUT IN OUR ZONE 5 GARDEN 20 YEARS AGO. IT BLOOMS AFTER MILD WINTERS.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
THIS LOVELY HARDY SINNINGIA TUBIFLORA IS FROM PLANT DELIGHTS NURSERY – THEY HAVE MANY, AND IT GROWS AND MULTIPLIES LIKE CRAZY – FROM POTATO-LIKE TUBERS. WINTER IT OVER IN THE CELLAR OR COLD, FROST FREE GARAGE, AND YOU WILL SOON HAVE MANY TO SHARE.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
OH, IF ONLY THIS LOOKED THIS SUMMERY TODAY! I AM THINKING OF ADDING MANY WHITE HYDRANGEAS TO THE GARDEN THIS YEAR – A LITTLE CLICHE, I KNOW, BUT I WANT EASE OF CARE. WHAT DO YOU THINK? HEDGES OF WHITE HYDRANGEAS AND BOXWOOD CLIPPED IN ROWS? DOES IT WORK?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
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ALPINE TROUGHS AND HIGH ELEVATION PLANTS RAISED IN ROCK GARDENS AND ROCK WALLS ARE MAKING A COMEBACK, ONCE SO POPULAR IN THE VICTORIAN ERA, TODAY, THESE ENDANGERED AND THREATENED RARE ALPINES THRIVE IN PRIVATE COLLECTIONS OF PEOPLE WHO CARE.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
\nALPINE AND ROCK GARDEN PLANTS<\/div>\n
\nI am addicted to many plants, but I have a soft spot for alpine and high elevation plants. Many of you know that I am currently president of the North American Rock Garden Society, which I will be talking about soon in a future post, but I wanted to share with you some sources for these incredibly interesting and often – drought tolerant alpines . Alpines is a broad term today, often encompassing most any plant that will stay small, sometimes so small, that they are grown in hypertufa troughs. True alpines are plants from the mountaintops of the world – high elevation plants that grow above the tree-line ( you know, on the black diamond ski trails and above). One can get very geeky about such plants, raising them from seed, planting them limestone tufa rock, but one can also raise alpines which are practically care free – sempervivums and hens and chicks are true alpine succulents – I saw them growing high in the alps along with rare saxifrages. I’ll write more about rock gardens and alpines soon, but until then, if you are bored with what you are growing, why not raise the bar?<\/p>\n
A POT OF PERUVIANDAFFODILS OR HYMENOCALLIS CAN BE FOUND IN EITHER RARE OR COMMON FORMS, EVEN GARDEN CENTERS WILL HAVE BAGS OF DUTCH RAISED BULBS. THEY ARE FRAGRANT! NATIVE TO SUBTROPICAL AMERICA, THEY ARE EASY.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
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\nUNUSUAL OR EVEN RARE BULBS FOR CONTAINERS <\/div>\n
THIS RED SCDOXUS MULTIFLORUS IS EASY BOTH AS A HOUSEPLANT, AND AS A SUMMER POTTED PLANT. MINE SPEND THE WINTER DORMANT, COOL AND DAMP UNDER A BENCH IN THE GREENHOUSE, BUT THEY ALWAYS EMERGE IN THE SPRING. A CELLAR OR COLD GARAGE WOULD DO AS WELL.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
CALADIUMS CAN BRIGHTEN UP SHADE GARDENS, BUT START THEM INDOORS WHERE IT IS WARM, THEY ARE VERY SENSITIVE TO COOL SOIL, EVEN MY GREENHOUSE IN JUNE WAS TOO COOL.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
SNOW CONTINUES, TODAY HERE IN SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND. I CAN’T REMEMBER ANY YEAR ASIDE FROM 1996 WHEN SPRING CAME THIS LATE.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
IOCHROMA FUSCHIOIDES ‘ROYAL QUEEN’, A SPECTACULAR TROPICAL SHRUB FOR A SUMMER CONTAINER IS ONE EXAMPLE OF WHAT YOU CAN ORDER ONLINE NOW, FOR POTTING…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3755,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3754","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n
MY (SORT-OF) SECRET SOURCES FOR INTERESTING PLANTS FOR CONTAINERS AND MORE - Growing With Plants<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n