Plants
Botanical name: Parthenium integrifolium Common name: Wild quinine Origin: Native from Louisiana to Minnesota, fingering east through Tennessee and Kentucky to the Carolinas and up to Pennsylvania Where it will grow: Hardy to -30 degrees Fahrenheit (USDA zones 4 to 8; find your zone) Water requirement: Medium to dry soil Light requirement: Full sun to 25 percent shade Mature size: 3 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide Benefits: Very low maintenance and drought tolerant; uncommon in nursery trade Seasonal interest: White florets in midsummer that turn tan for winter interest, especially when massed When to plant: Spring to fall
Chalkboard wall planter - $165.00 - Williams-Sonoma
Botanical name: Iberis sempervirens Common name: Evergreen candytuft Origin: Southern Europe Where it will grow: Hardy to -30 degrees (USDA zones 4 to 8; find your zone) Elevation range: Up to 8,000 feet Water requirement: Moderate to low once established Light requirement: Full sun Mature size: 10 to 12 inches tall and 18 to 24 inches wide Benefits and tolerances: Candytuft provides a mass of sparkling white flowers for up to six weeks on a low, mounding form of glossy, evergreen foliage; tolerates rabbits, deer, alkaline soil and drought. Seasonal interest: Flowers in midspring; green foliage year-round When to plant: Spring or fall
Botanical name: Ilex verticillata Common names: Winterberry, Michigan holly, coralberry, black alder Origin: Native to the eastern United States Where it will grow: Hardy to -40 degrees Fahrenheit (USDA zones 3 to 9; find your zone) Water requirement: Medium to wet soil; adapted to swamps and stream banks Light requirement: Full sun to partial shade Mature size: 6 to 10 feet tall and wide Benefits and tolerances: Widely adaptable; suitable for swales, rain gardens, catchment basins or denuded areas with poor soils Seasonal interest: Late fall through winter When to plant: Early spring to late fall
Botanical name: Callistemon viminalis 'Little John' Common names: Dwarf bottlebrush, Little John bottlebrush Where it will grow: Hardy to 15 degrees with protection (USDA zones 9 to 11; find your zone); grow in containers elsewhere Water requirement: Low once established Light requirement: Full sun but tolerates some shade Mature size: 2 to 3 feet tall and wide Benefits and tolerances: Drought tolerant; provides shelter for wildlife; attracts pollinators; tolerates urban conditions Seasonal interest: Evergreen; sporadic blooms year-round with a peak in spring When to plant: Plant from nursery pots in fall
Knawel cushion (Scleranthus biflorus, zones 9 to 11) is a truly fascinating specimen that will likely become a feature in your rock garden. This slow growing, mound-forming plant provides a dense carpet of green foliage that will slowly creep over the surrounding rocks. Make sure that the soil is well drained, as knawel cushion is prone to rotting with too much water.
Botanical name: Echeveria spp Common names: Echeveria, hens-and-chicks Where it will grow: Hardy to around 32 degrees Fahrenheit (USDA zones 8 to 11; find your zone) Water requirement: Looks best with moderate water Light requirement: Full sun, but shelter it from harsh summer sun Mature size: Varies with species Benefits and tolerances: Drought tolerant; deer resistant Seasonal interest: Evergreen; flowers in summer When to plant: Plant cuttings or offsets spring through fall; allow the stem end to become callous. Shown: Echeveria elegans in bloom backed by Aeonium 'Sunburst'
Treat it nicely and see what happens. Here's another plant guilty by association with California freeway plantings, where it sprawls and climbs out of control — but also demonstrates how rugged it is. Give cape plumbago a little attention (watering, feeding) and see how pretty it can become. The foliage is a nice bright green. And how can you resist those baby blues? In Hawaii the blue blooms are considered attractive enough to go into leis. This evergreen shrub grows big and fast, dependable as a background plant or on a slope. Or try it Hawaiian style — in a clipped hedge or even in a pot, where you can see the flowers up close from spring through fall. Common name: Cape plumbago Botanical name: Plumbago auriculata USDA zones: 9 to 11 Water requirement: Light
It grows like a weed (but isn't). lnstead of looking down on valerian's powerful survival instinct, why not celebrate it? This is another old-fashioned perennial with a long (spring-to-fall) bloom season. It is usually red but is also available in pink and white, and is typically seen in neglected gardens — as I recall it grew back with fellow survivor hollyhocks by my grandmother's chicken house. If you think you've seen red valerian too many times, look for the white form shown here. Valerian is said to grow well around stonework and walls, although I'm not sure why. It's best to plant it among annuals, perennials and shrubs at rustic edges of a garden, where its wildish look and invasive tendencies matter less. Common names: Valerian, Jupiter's beard Botanical name: Centranthus ruber USDA zones: 3 to 9
Bush Anemone (fragrant - Elizabeth) Botanical name: Carpenteria californica 'Elizabeth' Common names: Bush anemone, California bush anemone USDA zones: 7 or 8 to 9 or 10; hardy to 25 degrees Fahrenheit (find your zone) Water requirement: Regular to establish; deep, occasional watering afterward Light requirement: Full sun to partial shade (protect it in the hottest climates) Mature size: 4 to 6 feet tall and wide Benefits and tolerances: Flowers attract butterflies; deer resistant; tolerates drought and coastal conditions Seasonal interest: Flowers late spring into summer, with inconspicuous foliage When to plant: Fall or spring
Botanical name: Podranea ricasoliana Common names: Pink Trumpet Vine, Port St. John’s Creeper, Queen of Sheba Origin: Native to South Africa Where it will grow: Hardy to 10 degrees Fahrenheit (USDA zone 7; find your zone) Water requirement: Low to moderate Light requirement: Full sun Mature size: 20 feet tall and wide Seasonal interest: Large pink flowers in spring and fall When to plant: Fall or spring
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