Garden Designers Roundtable: Top Landscape Plants

 

Yawn. Don't worry - I promise not to talk abour Geranium 'Rozanne' again.

When it came time to sign up for 2011 Garden Designer Roundtable topics, I initially passed on this month’s subject of top landscape plants.  After all, posts about plants are pretty common around here, whether I’m rhapsodizing over  peach-colored flowers, showing new alternatives to old favorites, or simply jawing on about my passion for fall foliage. 

So instead of another post on some of my favorite plants, I’m giving you a peek behind the curtain and sharing recommendations from the folks I go to for inspiration – the Association of Professional Landscape Designers.  While the speakers at our monthly East Bay district meetings are always entertaining and informative, my favorite part happens in the first 15 minutes, when members take turns highlighting a favorite plant that is then raffled off.  I’ve chosen three to share with you today; one for its flower, one for texture and one for foliage color.

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photo courtesy of Velveteen Swirl

Anigozanthos manglesii ‘Kanga Yellow'

If you live in a mild climate, or like a touch of drama when choosing annuals for planting beds and containers, then you’re doubtless familiar with the architectural grace of Kangaroo Paw.  What sets this charmer apart is its superior cold hardiness and its reputation for being one of the most prolific bloomers, sending up more flower spikes per plant than any other Anigozanthos.  This is a moderately sized cultivar, with flower spikes in the 2-3’ range.  A little online research revealed the Kanga series comes in additional colors, so if yellow is not your cup of tea, it may still be a great plant for you.  I only learned about Kanga Yellow at last week’s meeting, so haven’t used it in a design yet, but I can picture this graceful beauty in contemporary, Mediterranean or tropical planting plans. USDA Zones 9a to 11 and cold hardy to 20 F, -6.6 C

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Photo courtesy of Native Sons Nursery

Sesleria ‘Greenlee’

I was the lucky winner when this grass was raffled off two years ago.  I’m always on the look-out for a small scale, well behaved ornamental grass and Greenlee Moor Grass hasn’t disappointed me. Presumed to be a hybrid of S. caerulea and S. autumnalis, it was discovered growing in John Greenlee’s nursery in 2006.   This evergreen, clumping blue-green grass grows 12” to 18” wide and thrives under a variety of conditions – I’ve moved it around a bit in my own garden and it’s done well in both a part-sun, moderate water zone and a full-sun, low water zone.  Thick flowers with a rose-purple hue appear in the summer. For those of you jumping on the meadow-garden craze, Greenlee Moor Grass makes a solid choice.  I could fit a sweet and reliable grass plant like this into just about any design, and use it to bring quiet contrast to plants with bolder foliage or flower color.  Hardy to USDA zone 7 and cold hardy to 0 degrees F and -17 C.

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Photo Courtesy of Debra Lee Baldwin

Agave Blue Glow

I know I’m on the right track recommending Agave ‘Blue Glow’, as not only is it a top succulent choice for several APLD designers, but Debra Baldwin, noted author of Succulent Container Gardens: Design Eye-Catching Displays with 350 Easy-Care Plants , included it in a presentation at Gamble Gardens last month.  Although I have succulents in my own garden and in some designs, I’m by no means an expert, so was thrilled to be able to nod knowingly in the audience when Debra praised this as one of her favorites. In fact, this is what Debra had to say when I asked for a photo: "It is indeed a gorgeous landscape plant, especially when positioned so it's backlit. The blue-gray leaves look brushed, as though painted with watercolors."  Just try to resist that description.

Slow growing to 2’ to 3’, true blue, sweetly petite Blue Glow is the perfect choice for gardeners who avoid Agaves for fear of their massive size and thuggish reputation.  Like many succulents, viewing up close reveals details that can be missed from a distance; in this case the subtle red and yellow margins.  Nestle this elegant gem in a dark red pot and put it next to your favorite chair to be admired every day.  Hardy to USDA zone 9a and cold hardy to 20 F, -6.6 C, but you can always overwinter in a sunny spot indoors.

In the mood for more plant recommendations?  Check out what these Roundtable members have to say, in particular advice from our fabulous guest poster, Nancy Ondra, author of some of my favorite garden books including Grasses: Versatile Partners for Uncommon Garden Design and Fallscaping: Extending your Garden Season into Autumn.

 

Nancy Ondra, Hayfield, Bucks County PA

Andrew Keys, Garden Smackdown, Boston MA

Christina Salwitz, Personal Garden Coach, Renton WA

Genevieve Schmidt, North Coast Gardening, Arcata CA

Ivette Soler, The Germinatrix, Los Angeles CA

Jocelyn Chilvers, The Art Garden, Denver CO

Laura Schaub, Interleafings, San Jose CA

Lesley Hegarty & Rober Webber,  Hegarty-Webber Project, Bristol, Avon, UK

Rebecca Sweet, Gossip in the Garden, Los Altos CA

Rochelle Greayer, Studio 'g', Boston MA

Comments

[Nan Ondra]

Three beautiful and intriguing choices, Susan. That agave is especially stunning. I can just imagine it in a dark red pot, as you suggest. By the way, I love your "Does this come in anything besides green?" category!

Thank you, Nan! I loved the detailed photos from your own post and feel a little guilty now for only highlighting three. I hope you'll guest post for us again! It's wonderful seeing fresh perspectives, particularly from someone like yourself with so much to share.

[Laura Schaub]

What gems! They all go on my list too, esp. that Seslaria...I've used S. autumnalis and this looks even better. Thank you!!

You and I definitely have the same taste - we like 'em beautiful but tough! I loved your list.

[Ivette Soler]

DROOL!!!

I love all three - I haven't used Anigo 'Kanga Yellow' because I am so addicted to 'Harmony' - but I will try it right away!

And hello - any agave is going to have me chair dancing, but especially 'Blue Glow'! I LOVE it! I have 7 in my garden and am always looking for another place for this petite beauty.

And this Sesleria is a grass that makes other grasses green with envy (BAhahahahaha!!! omg I can't believe I said that. Let's keep it between us, okay?)

Lovely, SuMo!

I saw we both mentioned agaves and kangaroo paw! If it wasn't clear from my post, I'm most excited when I find new cultivars that are SMALL. I'm always trying to jazz up small spaces without the need for endless pruning. Rebecca is a Harmony nut as well so it would certainly be ego-satisfying if I talked either of you into trying an alternative. Maybe I'll ruin my careful front yard color scheme by sneaking in some yellow and seeing if this one lives up to the hype.

[Robert Webber]

Great choices, but i think you should have talked about Rozanne. Very useful and flowers for yonks. Put a load into one of our gardens, juxtaposed with box cubes. The client kicked at it in front of me describing it as a weed. I nearly kicked him!
Thanks for sharing such great choices
best R

Robert, I am so addicted to Geranium Rozanne in my own garden and in clients' that I feared eyes would glaze over if I mentioned it AGAIN. How could anyone call such a hardworking, well-behaved sweetheart a weed? I applaud your restraint.

[Rebecca Sweet]

Listening to Debra's presentation clearly inspired the both of us! I went out and bought 3 Blue Glow Agaves a few weeks ago and can't wait to find a home for them in my own garden. Why haven't I planted Greenlee's grass before? Thanks for introducing me to this one - can't wait to try it!

If you can't find the room, I can help you out! I even have a sweet little red pot just WAITING for a new tennent.

[Jocelyn/the art garden]

Wow, winners all! Zone envy rears her ugly head again, but I'll survive. Thanks for the introductions!

That's exactly how I feel when I see lush, humid gardens. But I saw from your plant list we have a few favorites in common - in fact, I recommended Hawthorne as a substitute for the ubiquitous ornamental pears in a recent Fine Gardening article.

[Pam/Digging]

Just what I need -- another agave to grow in a pot for bringing indoors in the winter. But I may just have to add 'Blue Glow' to my collection now. And I like the Greenlee Moor Grass too; wonder if it would grow well in Austin?

Instead of the crazy cat lady, you can be the crazy agave lady. :-) The sesleria should do fine where you are - I think it is just as hardy as its parents. But I'm not sure how widely available it is, although it could always be ordered from Greenlee's nursery.

[Susan aka Miss R]

I really would not have minded more waxing poetic about Rozanne...thanks for mentioning APLD also. I often think I'm just one zone short of paradise--in my mind I bump it up to 7 to grow some of these!

I think zone envy is the norm. We're Sunset zone oriented around here, so I'm constantly sneaking zone 15 plants into my zone 14 garden. I win some and I lose some.

[Genevieve]

I'm with Miss R - you can wax poetical about Rozanne anyday - though I did get a "yawn" from my nursery pals the last time I mentioned her. Sheesh, pros get so jaded sometimes!!

I love your choices and will def. check out Sesleria. It's a new one to me, though that may be because it wouldn't like all my rain. Research, here I come!

[lostlandscape (James)]

Love that agave. The neon edges really help define the form of a plant that already has great structure!

Rebecca and I gave a presentation at Cottage Gardens nursery in Petaluma last weekend, and the oohs and ahhs when we demonstrated vertical ideas using succulents was significant. They are hard to resist.

[Small Garden Design]

Great creativity, but i think you should have talked about Rozanne. Very useful and flowers for yonks. Put a load into one of our gardens, juxtaposed with box cubes. The client kicked at it in front of me describing it as a weed. I nearly kicked him!
small garden design