Plant This, Not That

Good to know handsome celebs like Baywatch alum David Charvet agonize over plant picks just like the rest of us garden geeks.

Now that the Holiday Season is underway, I’m already thinking about its equally well known, but much less popular follow-up – that’s right, the Diet Season.  One of the most successful diet books to hit the market recently is Eat This, Not That, which takes the approach that by regularly swapping out poor food choices for healthier ones, we can easily drop extra pounds.

This is good advice for gardeners as well. I confess I’m often just as tempted to choose plants that I know don’t really belong in my Mediterranean garden as I am to reach for a second slice of chocolate cake.  Both bad decisions are easy to rationalize – the gratification is instant while the price I’ll pay for an inappropriate plant choice or an expanding waistline is somewhere off in the hazy future.

But just like I’m working hard to make it through the holidays with no extra pounds, I’m also trying to choose plants for myself and my clients that will thrive with a minimum of water, pruning and amendments.  Many of my clients are transplants from high water, high humidity parts of the country, so I’m particularly interested in plants that belong here in California, but share similar characteristics to the classics they grew up with. To make my list, a plant has to tolerate harsh sun, clay soil and need minimal water.  Oh yeah, and look good, too.  Here are four favorites – as a bonus, the last three are California natives and deer resistant.

Instead of a Japanese Maple, try Prunus ‘Purple Pony’

It’s hard to beat the beauty of a red-leafed Japanese maple, but in our hot, dry climate, even with extra irrigation, burnt foliage is usually a summer reality.  Fast growing ‘Purple Pony’ ornamental plum (Prunus cerasifera) has the same red-purple foliage and compact size of many Japanese Maples, but thrives in the sun with minimum supplemental water.  And while you’re still waiting around for your Japanese Maple to sport its first leaf of the season, this small scale ornamental plum will be brightening your early spring garden with branches laden with soft pink blooms.

Instead of ‘Elijah Blue’ fescue, try Calamagrostis foliosa

Let me say it here first:  I am SO over Elijah Blue fescue – or any blue fescue for that matter.  Beautiful when newly planted, Festuca glauca quickly turns into a dense, half dead mess, and must be replaced regularly if you want to keep it looking its best.  I first saw sweetly petite Calamagrostis foliosa in a garden designed by native garden specialist  Kelly Marshall and fell hard for its compact form, fine foliage and mop-head appearance when in bloom.  It’s green-with-a-hint-of-blue rather than blue, but keeps its good looks indefinitely and unlike its popular cousin ‘Karl Foerster’ is a California native.

Instead of Delphiniums, try Penstemon heterophyllus ‘Margarita Bop’

Brilliant blue flowers with a deep pink tinge, ‘Margarita Bop’ is perfect if you want to recreate the look of a classic cottage garden in a dry climate – or if you just want a long blooming perennial that can stand up to heat and clay soil. 

Instead of Lilacs, try Verbena lilacina ‘De La Mina’

Yes, that IS Calamagrostis foliosa making a second appearance in front of Verbena lilacena 'De La Mina'

I've been told the secret to successfully growing lilacs in warm weather climates is to put ice cubes around their roots in the winter, but for those of us who take a more relaxed approach to gardening, Verbena 'De La Mina' makes a delightful alternative. With a delicate, open habit, this fast growing charmer blooms practically year round.  An outstanding pollinator plant, a simple shearing to maintain its shape mid-winter is all that’s required to keep it looking lovely. 

That's a list of my favorites high-powered subs - what are yours?

 

Comments

[compostinmyshoe]

Unfortunately we do not have celebs sauntering into our garden centers like you folks in movie land. So did you want to go up and give him a few tips?

What do you mean? Isn't Paula Dean in your neck of the woods? Afraid most of my celebrity contact is via the internet. When helping us with PR, our book publicist asked if either of us had designed any celebrity gardens - like Brad Pitts, for example. Uh, no.

[Rebecca Sweet]

One of my favs is Phlomis lanata - a tidy, compact Jerusalem Sage growing to about 3' x 3', evergreen, flowers almost year-round and the deer won't even touch it. Thanks for turning me on to C. foliosa and Margarita 'Bop' - I've now included it among my top 10 favorites!

Happy to return the favor, since you're the one who turned me onto Phlomis lanata!

[rama]

I love penstemon's. I recently planted some in my clients garden and a month later there were bright purple flowers on them. So gorg...

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=451686920681&set=a.451681160681.241534.49954425681#!/photo.php?fbid=451686925681&set=a.451681160681.241534.49954425681&pid=5328419&id=49954425681

Nice!

[Pam/Digging]

What a fun post, Susan. I am in love with your pic of cute little Calamagrostis foliosa. Want! The Baywatch star isn't bad either.

Seriously, you'd think a well-stocked nursery would be smart enough to stock both cool plants and hunky plant sholppers! We shouldn't have to choose.

[gina]

Calamagrostis foliosa? That is awesome! I need to add that to my list of plants to look for.
I like to put in Tuscan Blue Rosemary instead of boxwood shrubs. Rosemary has flowers and smells fabulous. : )

Gina, have you tried Rosemary 'Blue Spires' as a sub for boxwood? It has a nice upright habit that handles shearing very well.

[gina]

No, I haven't! I just looked it up, and I think I need some of those! : )

[VW]

Great advice, Susan. I was thinking maybe the first photo was of your husband and . . . neice or something. Ha :-)

I'm afraid we're all a bit more ordinary looking around here! But it's rare that I can figure out a way to slip a little beefcake into a garden blog, so when I get the chance...

[Toni - Signature Gardens]

Great post! Blue fescue bit the dust in my garden, so I'd love to try the Calamagrostis foliosa. Love ornamental grasses :-) I sub Dwarf Yaupon Holly for Boxwood. I know, a bit boring, but sometimes it just fits the bill with much better long-term results :-) Perennial 'Henry Duelberg' Salvia or annual reseeding larkspur for delphiniums. I'll have to check out the Phlomis lantana -- I have Phlomis russeliana. So many good plant choices -- so little space :-)

Blue fescue is all flash and no substance - definitely try the Calamagrostis as a sub. Will check out the salvia - I always love getting plant recommendations!

[Janine Robinson]

you could also have a "what not to plant" tv reality show!

Great idea! You should pitch it to HGTV!

[Town Mouse]

My tastes are strange and we all know it, but your clients might be interested in the information on the Don't Plant a Pest website (http://www.cal-ipc.org/landscaping/dpp/planttypes.php?region=bayarea).
For example, instead of Scotch Broom, choose Forsythia, instead of ice plant choose Salvia leucophylla. Great post!

Hey Townie! I wondered if a post that included natives might lure you over for a visit. Thanks for the resource. There are good alternatives out there, but it takes a little thought.

[lostlandscape (James)]

Gosh, what does the book offer as a substitute to chocolate? In my book there are lots of plants that similarly don't have a substitute. But if you make different choices around the indulgences it's easy to justify them. And for me the verbena has also been a great substitute for lavender. At least for me it blooms more abundantly and longer. Okay, the verbena doesn't have the lavender scent, but it's still a great plant.

James, if I had a substitute for chocolate, do you think I'd be wasting my time on a piddly little garden blog? I'd be a multi-millionaire for sure!