Portland plant purchases and other recent additions

As I mentioned in this post, I recently spent three fun days in Portland, Oregon. They were filled with all kinds of plant-related activities, including garden visits, the Hardy Plant Society of Oregon's Plant Fest, and—do I need to say it?—nursery hopping and plant shopping.

Since I flew to Portland and back, I could only take a few plants home with me. Fortunately, fellow blogger Kathy of GardenBook, who lives in Napa, happened to be in Portland at the same time and offered to be my plant transportation service. Yesterday, I went to her house to pick up my haul. When I set everything out on our driveway, I realized that it was more than I had remembered buying:

Even so, there are few plants I now wish I had bought, especially at Cistus Nursery. Oh well, there's always next time...

As I'm looking at my loot, I'm realizing what a wild hodge-podge it is. My gardening interests have definitely broadened, and I might be in a bit of a schizophrenic phase at the moment. Or maybe I'm just reaching a new level of mix-and-match.

Yes, there are a few succulents, but there's also a wild assortment of plants of all types: trees, shrubs, perennials, even herbs. It's clearly the Portland influence!

Three fine-leaved shrubby plants (the one in the middle, a Hebe 'Caledonia', actually belongs to Kathy, as it turned out):

My succulents include two Yucca 'Blue Sentry', a Yucca 'Blue Boy' (actually three plants in one pot), an Agave victoria-reginae × asperrima (grown from seeds obtained from the Ruth Bancroft Garden, of all places), and a mystery agave from Danger Garden Loree (possibly a form of Agave salmiana gentry or a hybrid).

Two lucky finds from the metal salvage place Loree took me to:

No clue yet what I will do with these pieces, but I'll know when I know

Another view of all the leafy goodness:

It's all about texture and color, isn't it?

The Cobb Mountain lupine (Lupinus sericatus) in the middle is from Annie's Annuals and will go to my mother-in-law's place in Mount Shasta.

Here are individual portraits of some of my finds:

Muehlenbeckia astonii, a small shrub from New Zealand (slow to 4×4 ft)

Cotoneaster horizontalis 'Cheney', only grows 4" a year. Still trying to find the perfect spot for it.

Chamaecyparis lawsoniana 'Blue Surprise', a very blue dwarf form of the Port Orford cedar native to the Oregon coast. Grafted onto phytophthora-resistant rootstock so it can be grown in warmer climates as well. The forever home of my 'Blue Surprise' will be mother-in-law's two-acre property in far northern California.

Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt'. All of $4 at Portland Nursery at their 50% off  sale on "annuals" (they consider anything that's not hardy in Portland as annuals).

Choisya arizonica 'Whetstone', a Cistus introduction from material collected in the Whetstone Mountains in southern Arizona. Grows to under 3 ft., yet produces the largest flowers of any choisya. I was attracted to the filigree foliage.

Carex phyllocephala 'Sparkler'. I've seen it in Portland and Austin gardens but was never able to find one in our nurseries. I should have bought more than one, but I want to see how well it does in my garden.

Mahonia oiwakensis subsp. lomariifolia var. tenuifoliola from Far Reaches Farms, "seedlings from an unintentional mixing of a Dan Hinkley collection and a Peter Cox Cangshan collection"

Ruscus aculeatus 'Wheeler's Variety', also from Far Reaches Farms

Ruscus aculeatus 'Wheeler's Variety', with berries forming on the "leaves"...

...which are actually modified stems called "phylloclades" that perform photosynthesis

LEFT: Callistemon viridiflorus 'Xera Hedgehog'. Only to 2×2 ft, covered with chartreuse flowers in the spring. Hardy to zone 7.  RIGHT: Yucca 'Blue Sentry', stem-forming to 2-3 ft. Said to be fast-growing. Very hardy to zone 5a (!). Origin is a mystery. Sean Hogan thinks it might be related to Yucca rigida. Both of these plants are destined for my mother-in-law's garden.

Begonia 'Stormy Sunset'. Purplish leaves with a metallic shimmer. Only hardy to zone 10 so it will have to overwinter inside.

Plectranthus 'Lemon Twist'. $2.25 at Portland Nursery's 50% annual sale. Iffy hardiness in our climate; will take cuttings for insurance.

Rhipsalis cuttings from Loree for future use in a hanging planter

In addition to the plants that made the move from Portland, I was recently given two agaves from a local friend who is thinning out her collection. I was only too happy to give them a new home.

Agave schidigera 'Shira ito no Ohi'

Agave xylonacantha 'Frostbite'

But there's more. There are plenty of other plants waiting to be put to good use. Many of them, especially the aloes, are still small and would be lost in the ground. They need another few years before they're landscape-ready.

This tray contains a bunch of terrestrial bromeliads that need to do some more growing before I decide what to do with them.

The last plant I want to show you is a forest bell bush (Mackaya bella) from South Africa. It was recommended to me by Troy McGregor as a good shade plant for our backyard. I really like the glossy leaves; they remind me of my coffee plant. The spring-time flowers are a nice plus.

Forest bell bush (Mackaya bella)

OK, time to get off my duff and get some planting done!


All plants purchased in Portland:

Plant	Source
Acacia cognata ‘Cousin Itt’	Portland Nursery
Agave salmiana (?)	Loree Bohl
Agave victoria-reginae × asperrima (aka ‘Sharkskin Shoes’)	Jockey Hill Nursery (HPSO Plant Fest)
Begonia ‘Stormy Sunset’	Cistus Nursery
Callistemon viridiflorus 'Xera Hedgehog'	Portland Nursery (Xera Plants introduction)
Carex phyllocephala ‘Sparkler’	Secret Garden Growers (HPSO Plant Fest)
Chamaecyparis lawsoniana 'Blue Surprise'	ACE Hardware, St Helens
Choisya arizonica ‘Whetstone’	Cistus Nursery
Cotoneaster horizontalis ‘Cheney’	Jockey Hill Nursery (HPSO Plant Fest)
Juniperus communis var. saxatilis	Cistus Nursery
Mahonia oiwakensis subsp. lomariifolia var. tenuifoliola	Far Reaches Farms (HPSO Plant Fest)
Muehlenbeckia astonii	Cistus Nursery
Origanum × ‘Xera Cascade’	Xera Plants
Plecranthus ‘Lemon Twister’	Portland Nursery
Ruscus aculeatus 'Wheeler's Variety'	Far Reaches Farms (HPSO Plant Fest)
Sephora prostrata ‘Little Baby’	Cistus Nursery
Yucca ‘Blue Boy’	ACE Hardware, St Helens
Yucca ‘Blue Sentry’	Cistus Nursery

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