Nursery purchases
What I bought at Barton Springs Nursery yesterday, plus two passalong irises from Annie
Some of you asked what I picked up at BSN yesterday, so I thought I’d post photos. I went in for only three plants, found two of them, and came out with six, but that’s how it goes, isn’t it?
One unplanned purchase was a Mexican snapdragon vine (Maurandella antirrhiniflora ), which I planted against the birdhouse post next to ‘Belinda’s Dream’ rose. I envision this little vine twining delicately up the post while withstanding the blistering western sun this summer. We shall see.
The second unplanned purchase was a 4″ ‘Hot Lips’ salvia, one of the plants I coveted in Jill Nokes’s garden. I decided to give it a try in the whiskey-barrel planter by the greenhouse.
The third unplanned purchase? This dwarf maiden grass (Miscanthus sinensis ‘Adagio’), which suddenly seemed perfect for a bare spot near ‘Belinda’s Dream’ that could use a little more autumn interest.
So what did I go to BSN for? A Jerusalem sage (Phlomis fruticosa Phlomis lanata), a plant I’ve already killed twice in different locations in my garden. The third time’s the charm, right? I just had to have one to go with the variegated agave pup from MSS at Zanthan, which we dug out of her garden today. Aside from the agave, MSS also shared several Engelmann’s daisy seedlings with me, which I’ll try to keep alive in the increasingly hot (80s) spring weather we’re having. Thanks, MSS!
My other planned purchase was this softleaf yucca (Yucca recurvifolia ), which I am going to use as an evergreen “shrub” in my front garden to break up a large clump of pink (echinacea, salvia, rose, and skullcap). These sculptural yuccas are in bloom all over Austin right now. I don’t know how long it will take for my new one to bloom, but I sure do look forward to it.
Neither BSN nor nearby Shoal Creek Nursery has globemallow (Sphaeralcea) right now, which became a must-have item when I saw it in bloom at Susan’s on the bloggers’ tour. Instead, I purchased a garden-variety (ha ha) variegated privet for the back fence to fill in a hole left by a Southern wax myrtle that mysteriously died. Its cream-and-green leaves brighten up that spot and mix nicely with an adjacent bamboo muhly.
I got a few of the plants in the ground this morning, when it was nice and cool, and I’ll try to plant the rest tomorrow. I can almost hear the summer clock going tick, tick, tick . . . time is running out.
Those are such little pieces of white iris, Pam – there is plenty more to share if it will fit into your plans.
I just knew that the ‘Hot Lips’ would be appearing on some Austin garden blog soon! It’s a lovely plant.
Annie
Annie, those two iris starts are perfect for the little spaces I had to fill. So I’m good, and I’m sure you have other friends eager for the rest of your divisions.
Yes, I couldn’t resist trying ‘Hot Lips,’ for the name alone! —Pam
Pam… has any gardener ever come back with less than they intended to buy at a local nursery. Not me! That’s why I am careful about not going to one until I am ready to buy and plant. And that will be soon for me. I start planting “in earnest” on May 5th, when I start a week’s vacation just for gardening.
I love your purchases, very pretty flowers.
It’s interesting that my planting season ends right when yours gets going. It makes me feel like my garden is a world away from yours, somehow. —Pam
I bought my Jerusalem Sage at BSN, too, last year and it was marked simply “Jerusalem Sage”. When I tried to find out the botanical name, I found information under both Phlomis fruticosa and Phlomis lanata. When I googled the latter I found a blurb from Monrovia which explains, “This species was also credited to Linnaeus who named it P. fruticosa which is from the Latin for bushy. The species has since been changed to P. lanata from the Latin lanatus meaning wooly, which describes the soft gray pubescent foliage.”
I’m confused…I wish I could find the master database of botanical names, one that would cross-reference name changes and tell us the year and why.
That would be handy. I had googled the botanical name as well and got P. fruticosa. But now that I know about the change, I’ll make note of it. Thanks. —Pam
Let me see… you went to the nursery, found 66% of the plants for which you were searching, and then bought another 200% of unplanned plants on top of that. That sounds about right to me! *grin*
That ‘Adagio’ is beautiful. I love the fine, delicate texture of the miscanthus, especially since it belies what tough plants they really are. Have you seen the even smaller ‘Little Kitten’ yet? It’s actually so small that it doesn’t look like a maiden grass to me, but it’s adorable.
Yes, I saw diminutive ‘Little Kitten’ at BSN too. Tempting! The miscanthus grasses tend to need a little more water than I usually give my garden, but they are so beautiful that I’ve decided they’re worth the effort. —Pam
The Jerusalem sage (or whatever it is) was the one plant that actually died in my garden during the construction last spring and summer. I don’t know if it was because I couldn’t water it or old age or just what. It had probably been in the ground for five years or so and had always done fairly well (it was just to the right of the Old Blush rose where it got a lot of sun; maybe it wanted less sun?).
I’m off to BSN this afternoon, although in theory my trip is not to buy any plants for my garden but instead for another project. We’ll see.
So how did you do, Susan? Any unplanned purchases? —Pam
Thanks for sharing! I’m still cleaning out gardens. I can’t wait to see the ‘after’ pictures!
I posted some “after” pics on Friday. Take a look, and have fun getting your garden going for spring. —Pam
The ‘hot lips’ salvia is just great! A perfect name for the plant. Isn’t that always the case? Go in to buy one or two things and come out with a cart full. Since I don’t seem to have any restraint, I have to stay away from garden centers and nursery this year…yeah right!
I know. Sometimes it’s the name that sells you even more than the plant itself. —Pam