A large flowered form of this excellent deciduous shrub. To 4′ x 4′ in 5 years soft gray buds open to masses of violet blue (non-fragrant) flowers which line the stems. Simple leaves that follow have a fine fur on the surface. Blooms for an incredibly long time from late March to early May. Full sun, very well drained soil in hot sun. Little summer water when established. Fall color is light yellow. Plant with Manzanitas, Grevilleas, Ericas. Low maintenance shrub of great grace and beauty. Willowy shrub that gets by on a minimal amount of summer irrigation.
Family: Thymelaeaceae
Daphne odora var. ‘Alba’
The pure white flowered form of winter Daphne that we cherish for its large,profuse clusters of flowers that are intensely fragrant of lemon from February to April. The entire leaves are deep green and lustrous. We have decided this is the most fragrant form of winter Daphne. Dome shaped dense evergreen shrub to 3′ x 4′ for part shade to shade. Amazingly tolerant and adapted to dry shade. Avoid blasting hot afternoon sun. Great on an eastern exposure. Light water to establish. Well drained average soil but at its very best in clay soils that dry in summer- what most people have- do not amend the soil rather dig a wide hole to incorporate oxygen and allow water to percolate to the roots. Remarkably drought adapted when established. Supremely deer tolerant. Fantastic Daphne that we carry very early in the season. Reliable and heavy blooming cultivar. Exquisite.
Edgeworthia chrysantha ‘Nanjing Beauty’
A sure sign that spring is on the way when this large interesting shrub’s buds begin to swell in January. First white, then silver and finally open sesame fragrant golden yellow. Its a fascinating procession. Large deciduous shrub with sweetly fragrant late winter flowers. Best in light shade with a bit of overhead protection so a late freeze doesn’t wreck the show. Truthfully, that rarely happens. Light shade and well drained, somewhat enriched soil. Overly rich soil can lead to a host of problems among which are fungal root diseases and rank huge growth which shortens the shrubs lifespan and leaves it vulnerable to tipping. Average soil- steady as she goes and regular summer water. Fascinating Daphne relative native to China thats been cultivated for so long its actually naturalized in Japan and is considered weedy. Ah, well. We still love it. Forms a framework of several trunks and then suckers like crazy. Do not prune the top half of this shrub- not that there is any legit reason to. It HATES being pruned. Remove the suckers and plant them around your yard. Have a whole freakin forest of this plant once used to manufacture paper. Size depends on the fertility of the soil.Not invasive in our summer dry climate.
Pimelea prostrata
Wonderful little small scale ground cover that delivers tiny blue/gray leaves and masses of small white flower clusters in summer. Semi-woody shrub that rises to only several inches tall (3″) but spreads densely to several feet wide in a circle. Excellent weed suppressing ground cover for tough sites. Light to average summer water speeds growth. Completely cold hardy. Full sun is ideal but you can hedge a little in part shade. Its worth it to prepare the soil and enrich with organic matter- double dig to de-compact the soil and add oxygen. Deep soaks in summer- to establish. Great in parking strips- not a full scale rampant groudcover- rather one that you use for a small area. Small shrubs and perennials can grow through it when planted at the same time. Evergreen. Mountains of New Zealand. Deer resistant. AKA Creeping Rice Flower.