I have a couple of beds in which I envision putting specific plants, so I've been doing some shopping. Looking for large-leaved plants for shade, my first find was at Sugar Creek Gardens -- a reliable source for unusual or "rare" (for St. Louis) plants -- and is the wonderful Astilboides tabularis.
It's sometimes difficult to envision the potential that some plants have while in their small nursery pots on the garden center table, but these 5" (12cm) leaves will become 2-3' (60-90cm) giants in a couple of years.
Let's talk about the plant tag for a minute...
...as it's quite unique. I don't see cartoon characters on plant tags very often (never?). The back is even more interesting:
Bewildering too. I think the character with his feet in the pond means that this plant likes water, but I have no idea what the image on the left is supposed to be telling me. This plant is a happy monster?
This must have come from a grower in Europe (The Netherlands?), but that seems a bit crazy. I suppose if the local grocery store wants to sell me apples from New Zealand I shouldn't be surprised that some plants are not grown on this continent. I know most bulbs aren't.
Moving on to another plant with some potential for size:
It's my second Ligularia, a cultivar called 'The Rocket'. (My first was 'Bottle Rocket' and is struggling in the spot I chose for it.)
This one's tag is unique too, so minimal:
I was just about to eat this, so glad it told me not to. Of course I wasn't... how about letting me know how much water this thing wants?
Just as the previous post about my new plants contained a mix of things I paid for and things I received from other gardeners, this post does too!
Anna and I have been talking about a potential plant trade since spring, and she made it an actuality by sending me a few things this week. As usual they look a bit rough coming out of the box, but she sent me a 'Tiger Eyes' Sumac...
...and since she knew that I love bamboo, Sasa veitchii 'Nana' which she said stays smaller than the species and gets to only knee high...
...which is strange because the Sasa veitchii that I grow is half that height or less. If that ones is 'Nana' then mine is "micro"!
Anna also sent me Vitis vinifera 'Purpurea' which is looking a bit ragged...
...and what she describes as one of her favorites, Iris confusa or "bamboo Iris":
Won't be cold-hardy for me here so this will overwinter indoors, but how could I not be excited about an iris with bamboo-like foliage?
Thanks Anna! Now I just need to get your plants together and complete this trade...
One last question for you...
Is this what the soil looks like in your garden? If so, I'm quite envious! So loose and loamy...
So many plants to get into the ground now...
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That's our Anna....what a woman! Nice finds and yes, what's up with those tags? The Dutch are very funny people with a great sense of humor, but that's just perplexing.
ReplyDeleteGreat choices! I'd grow them in a heartbeat if I could provide them with the water they need.
ReplyDeleteMaybe the cartoon characters are to encourage children to get into gardening. Young people language. Very strange to have those European labels. Maybe the grower finds it cheaper to have them printed over there. And what fun to get plants in the mail, especially the bamboo iris. Must look that one up.
ReplyDeleteJust checked that iris out, Iris confusa looks like a beauty. And I read that in the fall its leaves lie prostrate and root! Soon you will be sharing with lots of people.
ReplyDeleteIf that's what Anna's garden soil looks like I'm horribly jealous too. I'm just a couple of miles from her and I've got clay...
ReplyDeleteNow...get to work! :)
ReplyDeleteI love your choices for new plants, I have few places to put new plants and I still can't pass up a spring or fall plant sale. I'm am no longer allowed to go to these events without adult supervision.
ReplyDeleteNice! So glad they made it, even if a bit tattered! Watch out for that grape - mine has taken to climbing up a nearby black bamboo - it has a tendency to take off when you turn your back on it. Those plant tags were interesting... wonder if they really buy their plants from overseas, or just the tags. Either one would seem a bit strange...
ReplyDeleteNobody understands those cartoon tags! :D
ReplyDeleteLoree: I thought the entire PNW was loamy soil (except where rocky). Makes your successes with Agaves even more impressive!
Charlie: I like the "adult supervision" phrase! :)
Anna: yes, thank you! I was hoping the cartoon monster would make sense to you perhaps. Wait, is it a slug?
The tag clearly means that gardening is a superior hobby to fishing. One will make you a fat happy monster while the other will turn you into an emaciated adolescent with a huge head and wet feet. It's all fun and games until someone gets a fish hook stuck in his bare feet! Fun new plants!
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