"Hardy" Schefflera taiwaniana found at local nursery

Ok, so Zone 8 isn't quite hardy, but there's been so much hype amongst avid gardeners here about when Monrovia will release these GORGEOUS Scheffies from Dan Hinkley, who grows it up against his house and it comes back each year in his Puget Sound garden called Windcliff in Indianola, WA.

Whoa! Hardy Schefflera released from Monrovia and found at local nursery.

Bioblitz comes to Arboretum!!

Plants just make up a small portion of the biodiversity that exists in making our environment so special and much beloved by everyone. We've got birds, mammals, amphibians, insects, etc. and we often take for granted just how much is out there all working to survive in this delicate balance we call life.

2010 has been selected to be the year of biodiversity all across the globe and a campaign referred to as a "Biolitz" aims to catalog this biodiversity in the hopes that people become more aware of their surroundings and persuade decision makers about how they should approach projects, infrastructure, and make them all understand the environmental impacts.


Photo from UW Botanic Gardens

I think this is a tremendous opportunity for the community to volunteer and know that they took part in a worldwide project that could help preserve our beautiful surroundings.


Find out how to sign up and get more information here!

They are desperately seeking volunteers for this event so spread the word and do something unique, different and probably a whole lot of fun!!

Peony A-Rockin'

There's something about the simplicity in color and form of Joseph Rock's peony (Paeonia rockii) that takes my breath away ever since I saw it in person at a friend's garden. Not only were the flowers striking, the scent was most alluring.

Hoping to one day own a plant of my own, I couldn't afford to spend $150 dollars for a plant for myself (I still can't!). But after hours of searching online, most companies offering "Ziban Mudan" were Chinese exporters who offered them in large commercial quantities. I found a plant for $100 dollars a few years back and actually caved and bought it. It produced mediocre flowers and it seemed to get hit by botrytis quite readily and it is currently struggling.

Here's one of its better moments. The flowers were huge, semi-double, nicely scented, but shattered immediately after it fully opened.



I stumbled across a source in Lithuania, of all places, that offered mature seed-grown plants so I decided to give it a try. Several years later, they are my surviving specimens planted in a not so ideal location (under a white pine in dry shade and bloom reliably each year.

I'm particularly fond of this year's crop that just started blooming with just a few more buds to go!






And here is one blossom just nearing its end...



There are many hybrids and color forms of Paeonia rockii available on the market (most of them coming in from mainland China).

There are some hybrids and forms that are just truly out of this world. Photos from www.paeoniarockii.com


This one is called 'Great Achievement' (Feng Gong Wei Ji).


Just love the name of this one 'Xue Shan Hudie', translating to "Butterfly in Snow-Capped Mountain"


A crazy double called 'E Luo Si'


Dubbed as 'Wei Zi Jin Huan' or "Purplish Gold Wreath".


With these exquisite forms and poetic names, they are very irresistible, but I'll always be fond of the plain white selection.



Growing tree peonies in general can be quite a challenge for the inexperienced gardener because it takes years for them to grow and fully establish in the garden. They often arrive in the fall as thin dead sticks and it takes awhile before they leaf out and flower the following spring. Some even don't flower until after a few years.

They need full sun, but have tolerated part shade. The prefer moderately moist, but well-drained soil and an area where it doesn't get too windy yet provides good air-circulation.



Enjoy!

Riz

Impulse Buy: Polygonatum odoratum 'Jeweled Dragon'

I figured I'd start a series where I'd profile a plant I purchase for me, myself, and I. So often times I visit nurseries to buy plants for clients and as tempted as I am to get something for myself while I'm there, I've learned to restrain myself. Even during plant sales lately, I keep getting asked, "WHERE'S YOUR BOX?"!!

I think I've just learned to be honest with myself and my current situation with my garden. Until I get the new driveway and redesign done, I really don't need anything new besides a few specimen trees and perhaps a few mature shrubs as "bones" in my new landscape, but after years of looking at plants and admiring the rare and unusual, I know something special when I see it and this past week, it was this gem:



I tried to find out more about this variegated Solomon's Seal, but, of course, many retail nurseries do not like to release where their material comes from. I know I saw a similar plant at Windcliff and a Japanese selection offered by Asiatica Nursery called 'Koryu'.



So, one may ask: What's so special about this plant?

Here's the run-down:

1)To most people, the subtle white streaks on the ridges of a rugose midvein might not seem all that significant, but the textural interest makes this plant unique and one of a kind.



2)I paid $20 for this small plant, while Asiatica wants $44.00 for a 3.5 inch pot. So yeah, if I can bulk it up, it could be quite profitable (if there's enough interest in it)

3)Not many people will want to spend that much on a small perennial like this so the likelihood of having something that very few gardeners have is a plus on my book. And if it proves to be as vigorous as the straight species, that's an added bonus!

What do you think? Worth it? Waste of hard-earned money? Find receipt and return it?


R

The first blossom of Meconopsis in the Himalayan landscape installed last fall for a client in Bellevue, WA.

A musical tribute to AGAVE!

Oh my. Is this what I'm in store for at next month's Hardy Plant Study Weekend or is this exclusively an Oregon thing?? haha

What a fun time! I'd lean more towards having a real live band, but this was pretty cute:

Meeting "A Man Named Pearl"

My co-worker told me about this documentary awhile back. I haven't had time to check it out, but these past few weeks, this title began to surface and it came up during a chat amongst gardening friends. Then I got an email reminder about Northwest Horticultural Society's lecture series and realized that Pear Fryar was our speaker!!

His story is really compelling, hearing about it and watching this trailer, I'm already being moved to tears and being reminded of the human component to gardening and why most of us garden. Sometimes it takes a bit of adversity to discover a passion and be motivated to create something beautiful for everyone to see.

I think everyone should attend this lecture or, at least, see the movie. I really should invest in Netflix.

Click here for lecture location and information from NHS.