doin’ double-takes…

During my requisite walk through the plant department on a recent trip to Home Depot I did a double-take. What’s that? A table of agaves!?...At a Portland Home Depot?

No, just Yucca filamentosa. I swear, for a moment I thought they were Agaves, maybe A. desmettiana.

My heart sank, but then I picked one up anyway. A girl can never have too many nice looking Yucca’s, right?

My next double-take involved these sizeable Phormium, noticing them reminded me how rare it is to see Phormium of any magnitude in Portland any more.

And that’s a shame.

Lastly I did a double take when I saw the name J.C. Raulston Agave the other day at Garden Fever.

Ever since J.C. came out as the clear winner in my battle “Agaves vs. Winter” I’ve been on the hunt, who knew they were hanging out right here at my neighborhood nursery? $19.99 though…they aren’t giving them away.

This one is nice looking one too, Frosty Blue Agave, or after a little research, Agave ovatifolia 'Frosty Blue'….

“A Cistus introduction and new. This mega-century plant, first discovered by Lynn Lowrey in northeastern Mexico some 30 years ago and just named recently by agaveist Greg Starr, might be the largest of the cold hardy agaves, reaching eventually to 6-8' with beautifully formed, blue leaves. Our selection, made from a more recent batch, has a distinct, pale aquamarine hue with the classic shape of cupped, upright, and slightly outward bending leaves. The species has taken the cold and wet of Dallas TX, for instance, so upper USDA zone 7 for cold hardiness; possibly colder in gritty or dry soil. Fabo container plant.”

Have you done any double-takes recently?

Phormium and Cordyline follow-up

Wrapped up tight under burlap and foil insulation I prayed my tender Flax and Cordy’s would withstand the frigid December temperatures and live on to "spice up" the garden for another summer. When they were set free from their wrappings most of them looked great, but since then I’ve been watching a few make a sad slow decline. The wet snow that fell on Dec 29th didn’t help things, the leaves on these three Phormiums quickly bent under the weight. They look even worse in "real life" I think they put on their camera face when they saw me coming...These poor brown piles of leaves are two formerly vibrant Yellow Wave Flax. They had struggled back from the cold of December ’08 only to be struck again. This looks to be the end. Although there is one yellow leaf bravely holding its color…

Luckily this large Flax is still looking great. It’s much closer to the house and tucked in near a few shrubs. I think it’s going to make it.

And here is another Flax that looks like it’s going to pull through fine, in fact there are two of these, same variety and very close together. Both are looking very nice!

Sadly the center leaves of these three Cordy’s are turning brown. I’ve tugged on them and a couple pulled out. Not a good sign.

These are the plants that grew back from the roots of the Cordylines that were “killed” (the tops anyway) during the winter of 2008. These leaves should be green, not brown. Not good…however they came back before, maybe they will again?

For a Cordyine success story we venture to the back garden. This one is healthy and green, not a sign of winter damage. It’s in a protected area near the house.

These next two Flax were planted in very similar places, at the same time and are the same type bought at the same place and even protected the same way! One is still green and yellow, the other brown. Why!?

This one had no excuse not to make it, very protected with bamboo all around and it was wrapped well. Luckily it’s looking good.

Not so much for Mr. Floppy here. He used to anchor the north end of the patio, the second Flax to be assigned to this position. Should he fail to spring back to life I think I’m giving up.

So to my fellow Portland gardeners who used to depend on Phormiums and Cordylines will you replant again? Or is two years in a row enough? And if you're done with them what will you plant instead?

(btw the Flax in containers continues to thrive...only the ones planted in the ground are showing the effects of the cold)

Sharp Gardening

Since I can’t be outside cleaning up the garden I’ve been rediscovering some of my favorite garden books, like this one, Sharp Gardening, written by Christopher Holliday and published by Timber Press our local Portland, Oregon, gardening book resource.
I purchased Sharp Gardening when we first moved into our house back in 2005 and I was planning the front garden. With chapter titles like “Swords and lances”, “Spiky rosettes”, and “Spiky flowers, spires and straps”, I felt like it was written just for me!
In the introduction the author starts by defining The Sharp Palette: “Sharp Gardening is based on the use of spiky, sword-leaved plants, many of them evergreen, including large specimen exotics with an architectural profile. These are complimented by low-maintenance perennials with flowers or foliage that echo or contrast with the forms of the larger structural plants; and ornamental grasses complete the look with their contrasting forms and bristle-sharp pointed tips.” And then paints the Sharp Picture: “Well-designed gardens owe their success to contrasting shapes and sizes and this is no less true in the case of the sharp garden.”
And finally on to Creating the Sharp Look…where as a new Portland gardener this must have been the first place I read the words that experience has proven to be so true “Since plants from arid areas of the globe can withstand temperatures below freezing only if kept dry, where rainfall is high in the winter months – which in a temperate climate it normally is – a combination of wet and cold can be disastrous. Too much rainfall and frost reduces some barbed spears to mush” (so sad and so true!) “The odd night of frost in dry conditions may not do too much damage, unless the plant is half hardy or frost tender. But more often than not, it is prolonged wet weather followed by a burst of frost that deals the hardest blow.”
Yikes! He’s describing our Portland winters exactly. Yet for some crazy reason I keep forging on with my spiky obsession! In fact he even goes on to issue this warning…”If you are gardening in an undrained frost pocket, in deep shade or on leaden clay soil, be wary of pursuing sharp gardening! However, if you are without or can improve on these problems, the possibilities for enjoyment are endless!” Clay soil? Check.
I guess I paid more attention to the next bit of advice….”By choosing the right plants and giving them the appropriate growing conditions, the sharp garden look is yours for the asking. You won’t get it right the first time, but you should have a lot of fun exploring possibilities.” Yes the exploring (and buying) is very fun!

I learned so much about the plants I love from this book. And now upon my second reading I am discovering things I had forgotten, like my first introduction to Astelia, Fascicularia pitcairniifolia bicolor, and Puya would have been in reading Sharp Gardening.
The chapters that follow introduce the sharp plant palette along with detailing the plants needs along with plenty of design advice and fabulous pictures (all photographs by Jerry Harpur, scanned and used with permission of Timber Press). So many exciting sharp plants to fall in love with!

Alive!

I held my breath as first of my flax and cordy’s in the front garden were unwrapped. They’d been under warm cover for 12 days, and try as I might I couldn’t find anything online that told me just how long a plant could stay alive when deprived of sunlight. I was very relieved at this sight! The little Yellow wave in front (or behind depending on how you look at it) are survivors of last years flax melt. Their color has changed as a result of being wrapped but hopefully the vibrant hues will return with time.

Yesterday I was thinking how lucky I am that my flax seem to have made it through, then I read about a Washington gardener who thought his flax were fine, only to realize that the center was rotten and he could pull out entire chunks with little effort. I’m assuming mine are all fine for now until I see otherwise. Positive thinking!

I purchased two different bottle brush “trees” last summer (more likely bushes in our climate) Callistemon 'Woodlander's Red'…

And Callistemon ‘Clemson,’ both are supposedly hardy to 0F and both look fabulous!

One of the standout surprises both this winter and last are my Dasylirion wheeleri, they’ve sailed through with no problem (this far, hope I’m not jinxing myself). There are other Dasylirion types out there and I think it’s a goal for the new planting season to track a few down.

Counter clockwise around the Dasylirion (above) you can see a couple of the Agave americana variegata from AZ, the mushy Agave gentryi 'Jaws,’ an Agave toumeyana, the tips of an Agave ‘Burnt Burgundy’ pup, and an Agave parryi. With the exception of 'Jaws' they are all looking just fine.

Eryngium agavafolium, they look a little rough around the edges but with a little cleanup they should be fine. They were getting a little large and out of control anyway…

Eryngium venustum looks fabulous! I knew I should have bought a couple more of this one.

Another tough as nails Yucca (can’t remember the name) along with my remote thermometer that conveyed the bad news to me every morning during the cold snap.

And Sammy, our Yucca rostrata, I’m so happy that he’s unfazed, Yuccas rule!

I had to sneak in another snap of Lila! Behind her on the right is another Yucca and if you can make out two sticks bent down towards the ground that’s a Tetrapanax, or rather the leaves of one. Based on reports from you all I think it will be fine.

These are the remaining leaves on the monster big backgarden Tetrapanax. The trunk feels solid too!Last fall (late Septemberish) I planted a couple new Tetrapanax in the front garden. They were protected by an “attractive” yellow recycling bin held in place with a brick. It seems to have done the job well!

These purple Yucca got the same treatment and look great. I also had 4 others that were still in their plastic nursery pot; those went in the garage and then when things got really cold into the basement. They were frozen solid that morning, but appear to be fine now. Did I mention how much I love the Yuccas?

Add the Hesperaloe (or red yucca) to my list of solid hardy plants. I’ve got 2 in the ground, one in a pot that’s too big to move and another in a little pot that went inside. They all look fabulous. This one probably had it the worse in the front garden where the wind whips up the street and desiccates everything. I did nothing to protect it.The Fatsia japonica got burnt around the edges. Some leaves are black, others are hardly touched. I’m sure the plant will be fine after some spring pruning.

The Euphorbia blackbird went into the unheated garage, the cold didn’t even phase it. The same thing for the Agave parryi, although the pot froze to the cement floor.

My collection of Agave americana variegata by our driveway. Funny thing here is that 3 of the 4 plants are pups from my brother in AZ, the 4th I bought at a plant sale. They are all the same type of Agave. The one from the plant sale (far back) is starting to show signs of decay. He’s also in the spot that gets just a touch more shade and a touch less drainage, just a touch. Interesting eh? Nature or nurture?

Lastly here is the potted collection that spent about a week in our basement. Many of these are still in the basement and will be until spring.

The small pots on the table for instance, and the tender agave on the floor. It's the bigger pots around the outskirts that were only visiting until the weather warmed up.

And here is my AMAZING friend Denise that not only unwrapped everything that was wrapped up outside, but also hauled the pots (many of them quiet heavy) up the stairs and out to the shade pavilion while I helplessly watched from indoors. Denise is a lifesaver!

Most of them are still happily hanging out under the pavilion, but since we moved back down to the high 20’s a few nights this week a few of the tender ones went back into the garage. All in all (and as long as there is no more freak weather) I feel pretty fortunate. Of course as I am writing this it’s snowing, and really starting to pile up (more on that in a bit). So….winter continues its crazy tricks.