Plant of the Week: Lilac Verbena

Many plants I just don't get what all the fuss is about.  Petunias.  Huh?  And those garish Verbenas!  Yikes, too much. Well, enter Verbena lilacina 'De La Mina.'  I decided to give her a chance in one of my latest gardens- dense clay soil, ravenous deer, furnace-like full sun against the house and lots of hungry bees.  She didn't even flinch and bloomed so impressively right out of her one gallon container.  Verbena lilacina brings the lace to the tea party- soft, feathery foliage and delicate lavender blossoms that carry on all year when planted near the coast.  She was found on Cedros Island (Western coast of Baja) and introduced to the trade by the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden.  Yay! 

Sun:  Full sun to part shade
Soil:  Sandy to clay, but less water if planted in more clay soils
Plant:  As soon as you can get your hands on it!  Anytime should be fine.  It's most often grown from cuttings.
Buy it:  Many wholesale growers have it, so talk to your local nursery or ask Annie's, Yerba Buena, Bay Natives, or California Flora Nursery
Good for:  Notorious plant killers wanting to reform their murderous ways and wanting to start out with something easy, attracting butterflies & other pollinators, year-round bloom, hot sun, deer-resistant gardens, native cottage garden borders

Plant of the Week: Showy Milkweed

 Photo from Wikipedia by author Vicki Watkins

With the rain sidelining my outdoor activities, the world wide web has been my garden outlet and I'm obsessing over Asclepias speciosa, or Showy Milkweed right now.   Full disclosure is that I've tried this plant twice and both times it died in defiance of my wish for clouds of happy butterflies.  I haven't lost faith- I'm planning on buying a few for the front garden and I'll report back on what happens. 

Asclepias is a tuber that shrinks back after it blooms, but can leave fiberglass-like stalks that the birds like to use for nest-making (or at least that's what Las Pilitas says).  When it blooms, a bevy of insects stampede the garden to enjoy its nectar.  Monarch butterfly larvae gobble up the foliage, as the poisonous leaves that they ingest help protect them from predators.  It's not unusual to find their turquoise and gold-dotted chrysalis' hanging from a stem. 

Soil:  Well-drained, but the key is no summer water.  This plant can't be mixed with water loving exotics.
Sun:  Full sun, although the photo above was taken at the base of a north-facing hill in the Trinity Alps.
Plant:  When it's dormant, perhaps when the first rains start.
Buy it:  Native Here Nursery carries a relative- Asclepias fascicularis, Annie's carries speciosa.  The link above to Las Pilitas shows that they carry them at the nursery, but not for the online store.  Hmmm.
Good for:  a must for the habitat garden, deer resistant gardens, dry cottage gardens (so romantic paired with Lupines and white CA poppies!), gardeners that don't like to water

Plant of the Week: Fairy Cups

Malacothamnus fasciculatus doesn't have a common name, so I've decided to give it one.  This seems like the ultimate tea party plant as she gives the garden a kind of kid glove and ribbons appeal.  Why do I not see this more often?!  Malacothamnus is a shrubby evergreen (gray) that can become quite hedgy at about 8' high.  Her gray leaves provide an excellent foil against the house or greener plantings (mine's behind a Manzanita) and she will host many a butterfly and hummingbird.  I think I'll experiment with pruning mine and make two open and airy and use another for screening. 

Soil:  well drained to clay, doesn't seem too picky
Sun:  full sun to part shade.  This lady is from So Cal, so make sure she gets her suntan
Plant:  when, you ask?  Well, right now would be a good time!  Be careful when transplanting, the roots seem of the fragile variety
Buy it:  I got mine from a wholesale nursery, but you can certainly ask your local nursery to stock them for you.  I've seen some at Cactus Jungle. 
Good for:  wildlife, a backdrop for tea parties, adding a touch of gray to your garden, creating a hedge between you and your noisy neighbors.