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What's Blooming August 1, 2008 |
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Click here to
look at our archive of blooming plants. |
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Click here to
take a virtual tour of the preview garden. |
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Dietes iridioides:
is a member of the family Iridaceae.
Originally
from South Africa, this clumping evergreen perennial
from rhizomes can be seen in beds 'E',
'H', and 'I' in the
Preview Garden. It is a vigorous plant growing to 4
feet high. Its flowers are from 4 to 5 inches
wide, waxy, with purple, yellow and maroon
markings during two week intervals in the spring,
summer and fall. Its leaves are similar to an
iris.
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Photographer: Ron Kindig. Click the image for a
close-up.
Copyright Ron Kindig. Used by permission |
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It is used in rock gardens, with larger shrubs, as a
showy accent, around pools, near lawns and in
containers. It is deer resistant and does best
when planted in rich, well drained soil. It
requires regular water but can survive on less but
is not as showy. It should be planted in full
sun and old flowers should be removed but don't cut
the flower stems back as they will bloom next year.
Break off seed capsules. Several cultivars offer
different colors. It grows best in coastal,
inland and valley areas. It till adapt in
evergreen or water conserving gardens. Divide
the clumps in the late fall. It is hardy to 15
degrees Fahrenheit. |
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Photographer: Ron Kindig. Click the image for a close-up.
Copyright Ron Kindig. Used by permission |
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Lyonothamnus
floribundus:
var asplenifolius, commonly known as the Catalina
ironwood or the Santa Cruz Island ironwood is in the family Rosaceae. This evergreen
tree is
originally from California and can be seen in beds
'M' and 'P' in the Preview Garden. It grows from
20 to
60 feet tall and from 15 to 35 feet wide.
It has small white flowers in flat sprays in the
late spring to early summer. Its leaves are
lobed and are dark green on top and gray and hairy
underneath. It provides shade for other plants
and is used as an accent or background. It
grows best along the coast. It provides
habitat and seeds for birds and other animals.
It must be planted in well drained soil and needs
periodic deep watering in the summer. |
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It should be located in full sun to
afternoon shade in the heat. Prune off the old flower
sprays and to shape. It is susceptible to Chlorosis in
heavier soils. L. floribundus var asplenifolius has
more deeply lobed leaves than L. floribundus and is not good
in the heat. |
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Teucrium chamaedrys:
commonly known as the wall germander, is a
member of the family Lamiaceae.
Originally from the Mediterranean basin, this
evergreen sub shrub can be seen in beds 'A', and
'B' in the Preview
Garden. It grows from 12 to 20 inches tall and
from 1 to 2 feet wide. It has lavender to
purple flowers in
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Photographer: Ron Kindig. Click the image for a close-up.
Copyright Ron Kindig. Used by permission |
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loose spikes from the summer to
the early autumn. Its leaves are dark
green, oval, glossy and about 0.75 inches long.
It is used in herb gardens, as a mixed border,
in containers, in dry areas, as a low hedge, a
small topiary and for ground cover. It is
fire and deer resistive and provides pollen for
bees. It should be planted in poor to
moderately fertile well drained soil and loves
poor gritty soils. It requires little
water once established but a little more inland.
It should be planted in full sun because it gets
leggy with less and pinch it back to keep a compact
shape. Shear back once or twice a year to
force side branching. It is a classic knot
garden plant and tolerates routine shearing.
Set plants two feet apart for small scale ground
cover. It is hardy to 15 degrees Fahrenheit.
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