great plants Archives - Summer-Dry | Celebrate Plants in Summer-Dry Gardens

27 08, 2024

The Chilean Puyas

The Chilean Puyas

Nora Harlow2024-08-27T08:22:53-07:00Categories: Blog, Climate, Nora Harlow|Tags: great plants, climate|

Puyas (Puya species) typically are described as native to the Andes Mountains of South America and for the most part this is true. Almost all of the 200-plus species of spiny-leaved, rosette-forming puyas are found in moist to dry habitats at mid- to high elevations of the South American Andes. Puyas blend well with the textures and colors of many other summer-dry plants. Two puyas are native to the wet mountains of Costa Rica and the distribution of several others extends eastward into the rainforests of Brazil. Seven puyas are native primarily to low elevations of central

5 04, 2022

Oaks for Small Gardens

Oaks for Small Gardens

Nora Harlow2024-06-27T19:33:16-07:00Categories: Blog, Garden Plants, trees, California Native, Nora Harlow|Tags: california native, great plants, nora harlow, trees|

Native oaks are larval hosts for more kinds of butterflies than most other plants, and caterpillars are the primary food that nesting birds can feed their young. This makes oaks one of the best choices for supporting butterfly and bird populations and encouraging both to make their homes in your garden. Quercus durata, leather oak Where does that leave those whose gardens are too small for a full-sized oak? At maturity, most oaks become large to very large trees. California's valley oak, Quercus lobata, is the largest North American oak, in time reaching 75-100 feet tall and

19 01, 2022

Leucadendrons for the Garden

Leucadendrons for the Garden

Nora Harlow2024-06-27T19:33:10-07:00Categories: Blog, shrubs, Nora Harlow|Tags: great plants, nora harlow, shrubs|

Familiar to many as a knockout component of floral arrangements, leucadendrons are every bit as impressive in the garden. Most are best grown where winters are mild, soils are acidic, and excellent to perfect drainage can be provided, but some are less fussy than others. Dozens of these South African endemics are native to varied habitats, from damp coastal flats to frosty mountain slopes and from the summer-dry Western Cape to summer-rainfall KwaZulu-Natal. Leucadendron 'Little Bit', a hybrid of L. salignum and L. discolor, is a delicate offset here to the bold blue leaves of Agave americana Most leucadendrons

5 01, 2022

Aloe arborescens

Aloe arborescens

Nora Harlow2024-06-27T19:33:09-07:00Categories: Blog, Garden Plants, shrubs, succulents, Nora Harlow|Tags: great plants, nora harlow, shrubs|

There is nothing timid about Aloe arborescens. At six to eight feet tall and at least that wide, with multiple, densely packed rosettes of thick, succulent, bluish gray-green leaves, this adaptable, shrubby aloe takes the stage wherever it is planted. Native to summer-rainfall southeastern Africa, the torch aloe, as it is often called, also thrives in mild-winter, summer-dry climates. Aloe arborescens Not content to dominate by size alone, in winter this aloe sends forth upright spikes of intensely red or red-orange, tubular flowers that rise two feet above the leaves. A mature plant with dozens of flowering spikes

1 12, 2021

Evergreen Euphorbias

Evergreen Euphorbias

Nora Harlow2024-06-27T19:30:30-07:00Categories: Blog, Garden Plants, perennials, Nora Harlow, subshrubs|Tags: great plants, nora harlow, subshrubs|

It may seem surprising that evergreen euphorbias aren't used more often in commercial and public landscapes, where year-round good looks and ease of maintenance are so highly valued. Euphorbia characias (Mediterranean spurge) All of these evergreen subshrubs have fairly predictable shapes and sizes, a neat, almost architectural habit, and extraordinary color combinations that both offset and complement many other plants. Although the floral show is a spring and summertime event, the sculptural quality of the leaves and stems makes evergreen euphorbias especially effective in the winter garden. Perhaps the failure to include the shrubby euphorbias in commercially maintained

21 10, 2021

Sasanqua Camellias

Sasanqua Camellias

Nora Harlow2024-06-27T19:30:27-07:00Categories: Blog, Garden Plants, shrubs|Tags: great plants, nora harlow, shrubs|

There was a time, not that long ago, when sasanqua camellias were less well known to most gardeners and less often grown in gardens than japonicas, but that time has surely passed. Of the dozens of sasanquas available from specialty nurseries and online, a few can even be found in the gardening sections of big-box stores. 'Yuletide' on a frosty winter morning There are many reasons for the popularity of Camellia sasanqua and its abundant offspring, especially in summer-dry climates. Most camellias do best in mild, humid climates with regular summer water, but established sasanquas, with afternoon shade

8 10, 2021

Parrotia persica

Parrotia persica

Nora Harlow2024-06-27T19:30:25-07:00Categories: Blog, Garden Plants, trees, shrubs|Tags: great plants, nora harlow, trees, shrubs|

A connoisseur's tree, Parrotia persica or Persian parrotia offers a virtual kaleidoscope of colors and textures from one season to another and over the years. Through the seasons the deeply veined, serrated, broadly oval leaves of this deciduous, multitrunk or low-branching tree turn from spring's bronzy purple to summer's rich green to a sometimes astonishing fall combination of reds, oranges, yellows, and even pinks. Individual trees can vary widely in their fall display, and not every year brings the exact same colors at the same times on the same tree. Parrotia persica leaves in fall color Adding to