Riz and 'The Giant'

The last two weekends have been such a whirlwind of wonderful experiences and stories I want to be able to share, but it's that time of year where I'm overwhelmed, overworked, and, often times, OVERDOING IT!


One story deserves special recognition as it relates to a post I wrote several months ago about my
"Plants That I Want" list, based on the Plant Delight's Nursery catalog.

So, at the recent Hardy Plant Society of Oregon Spring Plant Sale down in Portland, Oregon, I happen  to run across a plant that I've been so intrigued by and been very tempted to just cave and own.

It's an Epimedium dubbed, "The Giant" being offered by extraordinary plantswoman, Diana Reeck of Collector's Nursery in Battle Ground, Washington. She had only 5 plants in one gallon containers all from a division she received from Epimedium authority, Darrell Probst, who discovered and collected it in China about a decade ago as an unidentified species. It was first offered for $500 for a small division, then it came down to $300, then Plant Delights has it for $150 for a small division.

Diana with 'The Giant' in full flower tempting every plant collector who admired it and aggravated whether or not it was worth it.

And looking at the price tag, I knew there was no way I'd be adding it to my humble box of luscious goodies from other vendors even thought it's the cheapest I've seen it.

Already, three had sold or been picked up leaving this and another specimen for me mull over and wonder if I can justify its purchase and addition to my collection.

I agonized about it all day. I was even trying to pollinate it with another Epimedium, I was so obsessed.!!

I talked to other growers and sought their thoughts and opinions and I even posted the photo above on Facebook, which totally drew up so many hilarious and serious comments about this one-of-a-kind plant.

 

    You get it and setting for mac and cheese for the rest of the month for meals.

     You buy it and then give it to me :) 

    Get 10 friends to buy in, like on Lotto and then "decide:" how to divide it up!!!

    Thats a sale price for that! in 5 years they will be at home depot for 7.99

    This wasn't on April Fool's Day that you saw this by any chance?

    Buy them all here is my wife's credit card number: 8907 4568 93345

    security number?

    or--support The Hardy Plant Society and suggest they hire you as a speaker, this plant in payment

    Buy it and never look back.

    802

     

    Around here it's beans and cornbread if we overspend on plants in the winter. In the summer I don't worry so much because the veggie garden will feed us.

    

    ok CONFESS! what happened in the end?....

    He would have spent the money on something anyway...oh and just in case you did buy it, have I told you lately how gosh darn handsome you are? Why you are just the nicest person... (thinks to self, he might have some babies in that pot...never hurts to grease the wheels...)

    Did you buy it Riz ?

      

    Sing a song, Riz! You will lure other shoppers to their table to see where that amazing 'voice' is coming   from and help build their sales up. Then they should offset your spontaneous concert with a mark down on the Ep and it could be a win-win

    Think of it as an iEpimedium.... It's easier

     

    So, Riz, did you?

 

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So, I kind of left people in suspense to this point. A few have claimed that I did get it, but.....

Sigh..... here are photos that have been circulating around the online forums so you can see just how REMARKABLE this Eppie is: Photos courtesy of Mr. Philip MacDougall.

Double sigh......


R

Plants I Want 2012: Plant Delights Nursery

January can be a very exciting month as many well-known mail-order nurseries put out their new catalogs and entice plant geeks such as myself with their new introductions and plants I want to use in work projects and plants I'd like to add to my personal collection.

I'm anxious to start with one of the most popular mail order catalogs and that's of Plant Delight's Nursery in Raleigh, NC. I had the pleasure of meeting Tony Avent years ago as an undergrad when he was a auctioneer for a reception at the International Plant Propagator's Society conference. He was entertaining and hilarious, but he's also a remarkable plantsman and owns one of the most successful plant mail order operations out there. He's so well connected with other growers in that he has access to the best of the best and many of their offerings are simply to die for if you know your plants! He also has a great cartoonist friend who does their comic catalog covers:

So after they posted on their Facebook page that their 2012 Spring catalog was online, I jumped to my bookmark and had a peak at their selections. Here's what I'm lusting for and WHY.....



Arisaema consanguineum 'Wild Blue Yonder'. This is a selection of an Asian Jack-in-the-Pulpit with enormous foliage that is dramatically splashed in silver/blue. The texture it creates in the garden is exceptional. Plus, it's also an introduction by Ellen Hornig who used to run Seneca Hills Perennials, but is now closed. I had a chance to meet Ellen a few years back and she was a very sweet lady I hope to cross paths with again. $35.00 for a small tuber of this plant will be a tough one to swallow, however. It's kind of a plant I can probably survive without, for now. So on a scale of 1-5.....

1 (can probably live without)------- 5(already on my shopping cart.

 ** 2 **





Baptisia hybrids from Hans Hansen at Walter's Gardens. 


So, I met Hans two summers ago at the Perennial Plant Association conference and talk about a devoted plantsman. Now, I love Baptisia and recommend them highly because of their drought tolerance  and ease of care once they're established, but a lot of beginning gardeners sometimes get impatient with them. But now with these lovely new colors, I think I'll have an easier time convincing clients to try these out!

From left to right: 'Blue Sundae', 'Lemon Meringue', 'Dutch Chocolate'

**1** -will try to get locallly for clients

Epimedium sp. 'The Giant'. I'm certainly one of many Epimedium fanatics out there and this holy-grail of the horny goat weeds is an absolute must have because of its sheer size, rarity and exclusiveness, and its breeding potential to develop the most prolific flowering plants that will ever be developed! This was first offered through Darrell Probst from Garden Visions for like $500 or $300 dollars and now I can actually own one for $150. YIKES!!!  But can Riz live with or without it???

**2**

Musa xishuangbannaensis 'Mekong Giant'. I'm definitely a sucker for hardy tropicals even though they were considered a trend way back and now because they take so much water and fertilizer to look their grandest, I still have a soft spot for them because of their bold dramatic look in the landscape and in a way it sort of reminds me of my homeland. This new selection is suppose to have heavily speckled purple stems and huge foliage much larger and more dramatic than the standard hardy Musa basjoo. Xishuangbanna is a prefecture in Yunnan Province, China and boasts a remarkable amount of biodiversity. It is a tropical region that is home to some of the last of the Asian Elephants in the wild and many new species of plants and animals are being discovered and described all the time. This will certainly be for my collection and will definitely be a conversation piece if it does what Tony says it will do.

**4**

Delosperma 'Fire Spinner' looks to be an exquisite addition to the dry open garden rockery or green roof!! Look at that color! The hardy ice plant is one tough addition to the landscape just as long as it has exceptional drainage. I'm super excited about this new introduction as many colleagues are already drooling over the photos that have come out for press releases.

**4** --might look for it locally later this season.




You know, that's about it for the new introductions from Plant Delights. There are other plants I've lusted over that I might finally get from them to complete an order.



R