Favorite plant of the week

Grasses worth growingC

Grasses can be fun, kids! I have grown quite a few over the years, and there are a few that have either fallen from favor with me, or that I've decided only belong in certain situations.

I just taught my first Grasses class a few weeks ago at the nursery where I work, and it was a lot of fun. I was just dreading it, really, hoping hardly anyone would show up. So I was pleasantly surprised when almost 30 people showed up and a lot of them seemed delighted, and stuck around afterwards to yak. (So does that make me a guru? All I need is a turban)

Well, these are my current favorites:

Stipa gigantea
Carex "Amazon Mist" (although will it keep its good looks next season?)
Carex flacca "Blue Zinger" (mildly aggressive spreader...is that an oxymoron?)
Stipa tenuissima (nothing like it...why are half of my favorite plants weeds?)
Miscanthus "Morning Light"
Elymus magellenicus
Hakonechloa "Allgold"
Cortaderia richardii

Favorite Plants from my Tropical-style Backyard, 2008

Well, this list would have been different a month ago (maybe a week ago?). I thought I should mention these while things still look good, before frost shows up.....

Hardy Plants:

Tetrapanax "Steroidal Giant"
Eucomis pole-evansii
Pleiboblastus viridistriatus
Carex "Amazon Mist"
Rhus "Tiger Eyes"
Blechnum chilense
Tradescantia "Bunny Ears?"....or is it "My Little Bunny?" (these names!)
Crocosmia "Walberton Yellow"
Kniphofia "Little Demon" (never stops blooming! )
Musa sikkimensis (got started awfully late with the cold Spring we had)
Eriobotrya japonica
Stipa tenuissima

Tender Plants that really made a big impact:

Euphorbia tirucalii
Senecio serpens
Aeonium "Zwartkopf"(?)
Dicliptera suberecta (may be hardy?)
Purple Fountain Grass (of course)

Next year...even more grasses! And I gotta get something decent in there for flowers, in addition to the ones I listed above, which are great. Maybe another Crocosmia, and a couple Fuchsia "Gartenmeister".....and a Brugmansia. Oooooh!

First Blog

My friend is making me do this and I am dictating this first blog while I hold my daughter.

I am an expert plantsman but no one knows it yet.

So my friend is making me blog about my favorite subject, which is...the wonderful world of plants.

Today, my favorite plant is:
Eucomis pole-evansii
Pineapple Lily

How would you like to have that as a last name!?

I like this plant because even though you see it sold in boxes at your local grocery store, this is the giant version...it's on steroids, a super-sized 3' tall version just coming into it's prime elsewhere. Here in my garden...well, it is a little behind schedule.

Big pineapple stalks start with a perfect rosette of gratifyingly thick, glossy, broad, green strapping rosette. Out of the center comes this greenish-white, pineapple-like flower with a top knot of green leaves just like a pineapple.