Blue Planet Garden Blog

Book Giveaway: Why Grow That When you Can Grow This?

Update 12-20-12: Congratulations to Bobbie Schmidt, the lucky winner of Why Grow That When You Can Grow This!

A little known fact about me: I paid for most of my college education working in beauty salons as a manicurist. In the process I learned many life skills, including how to give an excellent hand massage and the fine art of gossiping discretely. I also learned that at one point or another, most of us want what we can’t have. Curly-haired beauties yearned for stick-straight tresses, while those blessed with long, sleek manes pointed wistfully at photos of short, sassy dos.

It turns out gardeners suffer from the same kind of plant envy, often pining for the plants of their childhood or tropical specimens remembered from a favorite vacation—zones and cultural conditions be damned. Fortunately for us, in his new book, Why Grow That When You Can Grow This?: 255 Extraordinary Alternatives to Everyday Problem Plants, Andrew Keys shows us that we can enjoy the garden of our dreams, while still acknowledging the reality of our growing conditions.

Garden Designers Roundtable: Memory and Plants

ET phone home.

Who can forget those heart-felt words uttered by the most appealing extraterrestrial in the history of film? Despite this clear warning, it took Elliott declining to the point of near-death and an entire squadron of hazmat docs in shiny silver suits to finally realize what we smart movie-goers had figured out long before:  ET simply couldn’t survive in an alien environment. Why then, do we insist on choosing plants for our garden that we know full well don’t want to live there?

There are plenty of reasons for this. Although my clients count on me to be firm in the face of zone denial when drawing up their planting plans, I confess I've been sedued by a flashy nursery temptress or two in my own garden. A far more common reason that they yearn for inappropriate plants happens to be the topic of this month’s Garden Designers Roundtable: the connection between gardens and memory.

I’ve been a California girl since the age of 11, and growing up I saw first hand how powerfully motivating the desire to re-create a familiar environment can be. Since moving here from the east coast, the first thing my mother has done at every house she’s lived in is to plant an insane number of trees, all in an effort to reproduce the dappled green light of the leafy, wooded landscape she left behind. No amount of tree planting will transform a sun-drenched, water-parched California vista into the humid, humus-y landscape of North Carolina, however, and over the years she has gradually come to embrace at least a few of the plants that make our local gardens unique. (But only a few. To her way of thinking, succulents rock, but ornamental grasses are simply a vast horticultural conspiracy to get gardeners to pay money for weeds.)

My mother includes old-fashioned favorites like iris and sweet William in every garden she plants.

If you also find yourself pining for the pines of your youth at the expense of plant choices that reflect your current cultural conditions, there is a way to bridge the gap. Simply look for plants that share the characteristics of your long-time favorites, and your garden can continue to be a haven for treasured memories--but without the need for excessive amounts of water, fertilizers or amendments to keep it humming along. The trick is to figure out what it is about the plant that makes it special, and choose something zone-appropriate for your new home that offers the same experience.

 

Lilac photo by Peter Roome

For example, with our mild winters here in the West, lilac shrubs (Syringa vulgaris) do not flourish. You can still plant them--simply brace yourself for a long term commitment to extreme life support, including mulching with ice cubes to replicate winter’s chill. Or, warm-weather gardeners can consider these replacements:

 

For color

If it’s the sight of vibrant violet flowers that makes you misty with memory, why not try one of the many California lilac varieties (Ceanothus sp.)? Covered with blooms in colors ranging from pale purple to the true blue seldom seen in garden flowers, Ceanothus has the added advantages of being evergreen, thriving on little to no water and attracting bees like…well…bees to California lilac.

 

Ceanothus Impressus 'Vandenberg', photo courtesy of J.G.

Alternately you can go lilacs one better, and opt for butterfly bush (Buddleia sp.). Just as lilacs put on a spectacular show in spring, only to lapse into slovenly ways later if not regularly groomed and pruned, by the end of the summer, butterfly bush has a deserved reputation for overpowering a garden with its large and leggy ways. But newer cultivars including those from the Buzz series sport the same over-sized blossoms on compact, well-behaved frames and bloom their hearts out from spring to first frost, long after a lilac’s flowers are a distant memory.

Buddleleja 'Buzz Lavender' available from Thompson & Morgan

 

For scent 

 Who can resist the legendary perfume of sweet-smelling lilacs? Although it blooms a bit earlier in winter, California gardeners should consider sweetbox (Sarcococca ruscifolia) a worthy alternative. Thriving in dry part-sun to shade, its shiny, dark green foliage is complemented by delicately scented white flowers in February and March. Plant it close to the front door to give visitors to your home a sweet surprise.

 

Another way to channel the old-fashioned charm of lilacs is to choose equally old-fashioned and deeply-scented sweet peas. To get that heady, springtime perfume, avoid six packs of newer cultivars and plant nostalgic varieties from seed. Opt for highly fragrant choices in shades of purple like ‘Mary Lou Heard’, which is available along with many other old-fashioned favorites from Renee’s Garden.

 

Images courtesy of Renee's Garden

 

If you're even more daring, go for a scent that will honor the past while creating a whole new set of memories. African blue basil blooms non-stop until first frost in mild climates, and will entice you with its intoxicating herbal aroma every time you brush past. Just remember you will be sharing the wealth with the bees. My one modest specimen continues to attract them in droves in late November--an astonishing eight months after I tucked it into a spare pot.

 

For the purist who must have the original

 If the only way to evoke cherished memories is with the real McCoy, then at least be judicious in how you add a favorite plant to your garden. Don’t follow Oprah’s example, who chose to honor her (mid-West) grandmother’s memory by planting 100 hydrangeas in the inappropriate, inhospitable environment of her Southern California estate. Settle for just one, and plant it in a pot so that any specialized care can be easily and sustainably managed. Or better yet, do your research, as there may be a cultivar more suited to your region. Syringa meyeri ‘Palbin’ not only will bloom in the absence of a pronounced winter chill, but tops out at four or five feet tall and wide, making it a good choice for more modest-sized California gardens.

 
Photo by Elke Borkowski for Monrovia

I've used lilacs as an example, but similar options exist for any number of plants. If you’re intrigued by this approach to bridging the gap between the past and present, I strongly recommend you check out Why Grow That When You Can Grow This?: 255 Extraordinary Alternatives to Everyday Problem Plants by fellow Garden Designer Roundtable writer Andrew Keys. Andrew offers substitutes for a huge selection of garden favorites that grow in a range of USDA zones. How do I know his plant choices are good ones? Because he also thinks California lilac and butterfly bush are solid alternatives to lilacs. But you’ll have to buy the book to find out his third selection…

To read what other designers have to say about memory and plants, check out these Garden Designers Roundtable posts:

Andrew Keys : Garden Smackdown : Boston, MA

Deborah Silver : Dirt Simple : Detroit, MI

Genevieve Schmidt : North Coast Gardening : Arcata, CA

Jocelyn Chilvers : The Art Garden : Denver, CO

Lesley Hegarty & Robert Webber : Hegarty Webber Partnership : Bristol, UK

Mary Gallagher Gray : Black Walnut Dispatch : Washington, D.C.

Rebecca Sweet : Gossip In The Garden : Los Altos, CA

Susan Cohan : Miss Rumphius’ Rules : Chatham, NJ

Thomas Rainer : Grounded Design : Washington, D.C.

Rochelle Greayer : Studio ‘g’ : Boston, MA

And to learn more about Andrew Keys and his lifelong plant obsesssion, check back in two weeks. Not only will I post the podcast of the recent grilling interview Rebecca Sweet and I hosted of Andrew, but I’ll be giving away a copy of his new book to one lucky reader!

Succulent Pumpkins! (Also Known as Pumpcullents)

You know that feeling of ennui that steals over you when you’ve gone too long without breaking out the craft scissors? While I don’t actually own craft scissors, I do enjoy projects, especially around the holidays. This weekend, I was inspired to get my inner craft diva on by creating some of the stunning, succulent-topped pumpkins I learned about from Laura Eubanks of Design for Serenity.

 The process is simple: Glue moss to the top of a bowl-shaped pumpkin to act as a base for your masterpiece, then glue on a variety of succulents, nuts, berries or seed pods.

This is the largest one I made and at 12 inches wide, easily has enough presence to act as the centerpiece of a holiday table. It’s intended as a prize for a charity auction this weekend.

 

The orange color makes this cutie the most traditional. I’ll be bringing her (him??) along as a hostess gift for Thanksgiving this year.

 

My favorite. I love how elegant the succulents look with the charcoal gray color of the pumpkin. I’m keeping this one for myself. As a bonus, this pumpcullent looks gorgeous in the evening when a few candles placed nearby highlight its contrasting textures.

 

 

You know how it is once you have a tube of glue in your hands – it’s impossible to stop! I decided to make 3 mini pumpcullents that I’ll mix with votives for a fall-to-Christmas centerpiece on my coffee table.

 

 

Everything came from my own garden, except the Magnolia seed pods, which I swiped from a neighbor’s tree. As you can see, my succulent collection is not particularly exotic, and my pumpcullent creations feature plenty of ordinary Hens and Chicks and Jade Plant. I also tucked in berries from a Paul’s Scarlet Hawthorn tree that grows in my front yard, as well as some straw flowers I recently dried for contrast. In this particular application, it’s more about the overall effect, and less about the individual succulent ingredients.

 

 

The glue hardens off their stems, and the pumpkins should last at least through the holiday season and potentially for several months with a weekly spritz of water and regular doses of sunlight. I may move mine outside on a few sunny days next month to keep them happy.

 

If you decide to try this project yourself, it’s better to start earlier than I did, as it was difficult finding pumpkins this late in the season. Local readers, Orchard Nursery in Lafayette still has a wonderful selection.

 

 

For step-by-step instructions, go here. Or easier still, see Laura’s how-to video from the class she held at Roger’s nursery here. And if you like the idea of a succulent Christmas but aren't in a crafting frame of mind, Laura offers a fabulous set of succulent ornaments in her online shop.

 

Happy holidays!

Wordless Wednesday: UC Davis Arboretum

Nick and I took advantage of a sunny Saturday last April to spend a day in Davis, California. The highlight was biking around the spectacular arboretum located on the University of California campus.

 

We started with the Australian plant collection:

 

Grevillea

 

Anigozanthos

 

Callestemon 'Little John', one of my favorite small space shrubs

 

Then we moved onto California natives:

A path through the redwoods

 

Ceanothus sets off bright yellow Fremontodendron

 

Douglas Iris

 

Not sure what this is, but it's certainly lovely. A native form of Cape Mallow?

 

 

And finally, the East Asian Collection

 

Toona sinensis 'Flamigo'

 

Chinese Fringe Tree

 

Rosa x odorata 'Mutabilis'  - Butterfly Rose is a UC Davis All-Star selection

 

Chinese ground orchard (letilla striata) is also an All-Star selection

 

Thanks for joining me on my tour!

Colorful California-Native Perennials

Because many California natives go summer-dormant without supplemental water, there's a little joke that still makes the rounds in California horticultural circles: if you want to plant natives, you better learn to like the color brown. But anyone who enjoyed this year's Bringing Back the Natives Tour in Contra Costa and Alameda counties was treated to a bevy of blooms in colors ranging from richly-hued blues to brilliant oranges and baby-soft pinks. Here are a few of the perennials and annuals that really caught my eye. And for those not ready to take the plunge into an all-native garden, many of these blend beautifully with a traditional garden, as long as they have some drainage and aren't overwatered in the summer.

Foothills Penstemon - Penstemon heterophyllus 'Margarita BOP'

 

Apricot Mallow - Sphaeralcea ambigua

 

Yellowray Goldfields - Lasthenia glabrata 

 

California Poppy - Escholzia californica 'Apricot Chiffon'

 

Baby Blue Eyes - Nemophila menziesii

 

Sticky Monkey Flower - Mimulus

 

Pink Califonia Poppies, Blue Penstemon and Yellow Monkey Flower

 

Wind Poppy - Stylomecon heterophylla

 

Linanthus grandiflorus

 

Interested in learning more? The next tour is a year away, but California Native Plants for the Garden and Designing California Native Gardens: The Plant Community Approach to Artful, Ecological Gardens are still the gold standards for beginners and experienced native gardeners alike.