Garden pics from last Wednesday

21 years ago

Here are some more pics from my garden. No Grevilleas this time... but I do have some nice Callitstemons blooming now. Enjoy!

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Eucs, Gunnera, Phyllostachys vivax, 'Crimson King' maple (which I actually like because of the color contrast with the eucs)

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Eucalyptus parvula taking over the world (maybe I need a higher res pic of this)

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(Argyro)cytisus battandieri

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This is Fuchsia excorticata from New Zealand, the world's largest Fuchsia. The flowers aren't much to look at but the bark is nice, and the wood has been used for cabinetry etc. It probably won't be hardy here but we haven't had a cold winter since I planted it.

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Fuchsia magellanica 'Hawkshead' (I should have picked the dead flower off before taking the pic but I didn't notice it!)

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Fuchsia campos-portoi - This is one of the most heat tolerant Fuchsias but it is also very happy here, in fact it is colonizing a large area with root suckers!!!

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Unknown Fuchsia sp. that I got from Jim Gerdemann in Yachats, OR. It is very showy, large, hardy and tough.

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One of two plants in my garen that I purchased as Callistemon 'Violaceous'... this one closely matches the description for C. citrinus 'Jeffersii'. It must be C. citrinus x something hardy because is has not been damaged by cold tha has killed C. citrinus. My camera can't really capture the color of this flower.

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Desofontania spinosa

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Another unknown Callistemon sp. This one is a gigantic, open growing red-flowered specimen that appears to be on its way to treehood. It is a lot hardier than C. citrinus as well.

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Callistemon subulatus. I should put something under it because there is no textural contrast between the grass and the leaves of the plant. My camera does not do justice to the screaming red color of the flowers.

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Comments (11)

albabela
21 years ago
Ian, I don't mean to take over your thread, it's just that when you all post your non-natives, I get home sick!
My folks back in Melb. have Callistemon, Grevillias, Gum trees (and even a protea!) in their yard and while I lived there, I never gave these magnificent specimen a second glance. "Just bush", I figured. It is now that I am away from them, I appreciate these so much more.

-Shilpa
homernoy
21 years ago
Hi Ian. Great pictures. I love seeing pictures of beautiful, but hard to come by and under utilized plants. I really like the picture of the Eucalyptus parvula; what nice specimen! By the way, what is the growth habit of your Callistemon 'Violaceous'? If it is upright for the most part, I would be interested in getting cuttings if that would be possible.

-Brian
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ian_wa
Original Author
21 years ago
Shilpa, I love Australian plants! Such an amazing variety of textures and colors; I don't see why any gardener would not want to use them. Especially Eucalyptus and Grevillea. I'm glad your folks have kept the Aussie natives in their yard. Even though I like rare plants from other parts of the world, I have kept quite a few northwest native plants in my garden as well (though I don't bother to take photos of them much).

Brian, I planted the E. parvula in summer 1997; it was a little 6" tall plant in a tiny pot. I like it a lot too, but I think its growth form is better when it approaches maturity and starts getting rounded off at the top. That Callistemon is very upright, but I can never get a good pic of the flowers because it is in too much shade and I have to use the flash (with my camera anyways).
Las_Palmas_Norte
21 years ago
Ian, great pics as usual! I'm about to plant out E. microtheca from your seed source. The Callistemon (3 types) I got from you are still too small to plant just yet. Everything else is humming along nicely.

Cheers, Barrie (Vancouver Island)
dottyinduncan
21 years ago
A callista question...I have one planted in a whisky half barrel and it is looking great. I just bought it a couple of months ago. Is this a good place for it to grow or will it get winter killed? After seeing the pics of it in bloom I want to encourage it! Btw, there are some of these in big planters outside the convention centre in Victoria and they look wonderful. They are really going tropical there with brugmansias, callas, etc.
Ron_B
21 years ago
A grouping of Fuchsia excortica was planted along the sidewalk north of the Center for Urban Horticulture, grew maybe 3 feet tall before dying out.
ian_wa
Original Author
21 years ago
Ron, mine is up to about 8' but it is not as vigorous as most of my other Fuchsias. In New Zealand, the most montane/hardiest provenances of this plant are deciduous - I wonder if those would actually grow here.
ian_wa
Original Author
21 years ago
Dotty... if you can bring the plant in when it gets cold, then keeping it in the whiskey barrel is fine. Otherwise, it would be better to plant it in the ground. As for what I would do, well it depends on what species or cultivar you have. Some are very hardy and others really are not.
Ron_B
21 years ago
CUH planting was almost certainly their own wild collection. Don't know how high they went, but I do know they have collected in mountainous areas because there was mention of having gotten hebes from montane locations.

They might've held up better in different spot, this was in the open, with no shelter to the north, near the Hebe salicifolia hedge. Soil was probably heavy, although they did grow for some years a cold, claylike soil might make them less successful during a frigid period.
DerbyTas
21 years ago
Hi Guys
I live in Tasmania in Australia where we have a climate similar to yours in the NW (USA)
I am happy to send native plant seeds to you
I have a few that you may be interested in...

Dianella Tasmannia...
a small flax like plant with beautiful flowers (delicate) and purple berries

Acacia dealbata....silver wattle

Acacia melanoxlin...Blackwood

Tasmanian Native Pepper Bush...Tasmanica lanceolata
use the berries like blackpepper...wonderful cooked with rice...a gourmet ingredient

etc
email me via my home page
cheers
Peter
bast-nefret
19 years ago
Dear Peter: I have been looking for seeds of Tasmannia lanceolata(Mountain Pepperberries) for some time. My experience,in Southern Florida,has been that Australian plants do beautifully here. A Hymenosporum flavum sown from seed now towers over our patio; the perfume of its flowers are like the breath of heaven. Seed-sown Pittosporum undulatum,P.tobira,P.rhombifolium, &P.phillyraeoides- grow radiantly healthy.Melia(Chinaberry)trees dot my yard. I seek Pittosporums,Araujia sericifera, Backhousia myrtifolia,& any other native plants that are fragrant (or of medicinal value) to grow here.My trade list for seeds & bulbs/tubers is listed;if you want a specific unlisted plant,ask;I may have it(or a friend who does.)Many Thanks, Carol

Here is a link that might be useful: GardenWeb