Foliage Season: Evergreen

Salvia x ‘Celestial Blue’

A hybrid between two southern California shrubby Salvias has yielded an amazing plant for our gardens. The parents of this hybrid are S. clevelandii  ‘Alpine’ x S. pachyphylla and it continues the amazing foliage fragrance of Salvia clevelandii and the deep blue flowers in purple bracts echo pachyphylla. A shrub/ sub shrub for the very warmest parts of the garden. Against a south or west facing aspect.  This Salvias parents come from poor, mineral soils and eventually the pale blue foliage builds to  a 30″ x 4′ evergreen shrub. It loses some leaves in harsh winters . In mid to late summer upright stems support whorls that emit striking  long deep blue flowers, these are held in a dark purple calyx – the each whorl is dark purple and showy before and after bloom as well. Takes the hottest locations and appreciates it.  Strategically placed among large boulder that radiate heat is also useful as is in Hell strips where heat builds. The stems elongate in bloom up to 2′ and are lined with mutiple whorls. Perhaps no animal loves this sage or Salvias in general more than hummingbirds. And the radiant blue tubular flowers are perched just for them.  Long blooming aromatic drought adapted sub-shrub.  Good drainage, full sun, and regular water to establish, let it dry between watering during summer.  Mix with Manzanita, Epilobium – Zauschneria, Grevilleas.  Do not cut back until new growth begins in mid spring. Beautiful in bloom. Excellent with a gravel mulch and on south facing slopes.  Protect from prolonged temperatures below 15ºF, cover with a cardboard box or a tarpaulin. Naturally drought adapted.

 

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Hakea nodosa

We love cold hardy plants in the Protea family, not only do they have exotic flowers, they can sport foliage that is just as interesting , Hakea nodosa is another shrubby  Hakea that is known as yellow Hakea. Multiple fine stems emerge from the ground and are staunchly vertical. They  have few side branches and each stem is clad in slightly swollen blue phyllodes, these are not prickly and are about 1 cm long.  In spring, very small yellow flowers crowd the leaf axils on older wood.- not conspicuous but hummingbirds find them.  An upright small shrub to about 6′ tall and 2′ wide.  Pollinated flowers produce large seed pods  that can cause the stems to nod, not sure if this is what the specific name refers to. Moderately fast growing in native, un-amended soil that drains, including clay soils that dry in summer. Water to establish then extremely tolerant of drought. A wonderful textural evergreen that we love at Xera. An excellent companion to Grevilleas, Ceanothus, Halimium, Arctostaphylos.. Fulll sun to very very light shade. This form has been cold hardy below 10ºF in western Oregon with a probable lowest temperature around 5ºF. Native to areas of South Australia into Tasmania. Ours are grown from high elevation, cold hardy seed from Tasmania. Lovely soft, rare shrub . Pronounced HAY- kee -uh. But with an Australian accent. Well adapted to the Oregon coast and can be cultivated on sand.  Deer resistant, but protect newly installed plants from rabbits. Very easy to grow, a natural with ornamental grasses and large hardy succulents, Cactus, Agaves. Not prickly but rather soft.

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Abutilon x ‘Gingerbomb’

We selected this Abutilon from a seed batch eons ago and it still holds up as one of the best. Upright growing sub-shrub to 6′ tall in a season. Profuse bloomer produing  ginger / parchment colored  pendant flowers from a contrasting russet/ beige calyx. This incredibly unique flower color mixes with a huge range of hues. It can even hold its place with bright red flowers. Everblooming, rich soil, and regular water with several handfuls  of organic fertilizer scratched around the base of the plant- 2, 3 times per growing season. Surprisingly cold hardy its spring appearance would not lead  you to believe that. In a normal winterF – above 15º, it will likely freeze back by 2/3rd  below that it will die to the ground. Spring recovery is a combination of all organic ferilzer and water and warmth. Seemingly from dead sticks life will emerge and if you are consistent with water recovery and bloom is fast , usually in bloom by June and continuing until frost. Excellent container plant and it may act as a seasonal plant that way. Loved by hummingbirds and butterflies. A wonderful, blendable, sophisticated flower color. Mulch for its first winter to protect the base. Full sun to part shade. Naturally fine branching with large arrow-shaped  mid green leaves.  Protected location. 3′ x 4′ in a season.

Xera Plants Introduction 

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Vaccinium ovatum ‘Tillamook Formal’

A form of evergreen Huckleberry that is found on the north and central Oregon coast. The leaves are slightly longer and curve a bit and have a fine but noticeable serration. This is a slightly bolder form that is very handsome and somewhat formal in appearance from the species. Forms a shrub with large canes that grow in earnest and then arch.. White flowers are slightly larger than  normal and appear in spring form slightly larger than normal black sweet fruit, about the size of a caper. Plant more than one shrub to increase pollination and fruit set. Full sun to full shade in humus rich, highly organic soil . Mulch for the first several years. Irrigate to establish for the first year or two then it should have a large enough rootball to resist summer drought.  Otherwise light summer irrigation speeds growth.  New growth is salmon orange and turns to shades of yellow before settling to dark green. Very pretty native shrub that demands more irrigation and mulch in full sun.  Makes a wonderful informal hedge in time. This form has a pronounced arching shape.  Excellent hedge material as this is cutting propagated and will maintain a uniform habit.  Wonderful form from the northern Oregon coast. To 8′ x 8′ in 10 years.  Prune if needed in Autumn.    Oregon native plant.

Xera Plants Introduction

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Thujopsis dolobrata ‘Nana Variegata’

A fantastic, tough and exotic looking evergreen (conifer)  that is striking and easy to grow. To 4′ in 10 years, a slow growing shrub that is often as wide as it is tall. The scale leaves are deep glossy green liberally splashed with cream. The large leaflets protrude from a single trunk and is layered like a gigantic moss. The foliage is glossy on the surface and dull beneath. Wonderful specimen or even small hedge. Scaled very well for large rock gardens. This is a very rare form of this enchanting species native to Asia. Full sun and water to establish, let it dry between irrigating, then in a year or two it can survive on natural rainfall alone. Very cold hardy and takes the subfreezing wind from the east with no damage. Excellent in the Columbia River Gorge. Not bothered by deer,and likely not bothered by rabbits, but we are not 100% sure, but its worth a try. Good appearance year round.

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Eurybia radulina

Rough leaf Aster or also referred to as False Aster. The  description of a rough leaf is apt and you can immediately identify this inhabitant of dry woods throughout western Oregon and north more sporadically into Western Washington by a rub of the scratchy leaf.  It even makes an appearance in the Ochoco Mountains of Central Oregon. My experience with this sprawling, late blooming perennial  was as an under story component of black and White Oak woodland in the southern Willamette Valley.  At higher elevations it can be found in Fir/Pine woodlands.  It is a profuse follower of fires and will quickly occupy recently opened space. Simple white minimalist daisy blooms appear in large clusters from August to October. An established plant is incredibly drought adapted as long as it is out of full sun. The scratchy leaves become smaller near the flower truss .  To about 2′ tall but decumbent (trailing) in most circumstances, Adaptable to clay soils that dry in summer. An excellent late season pollinator plant for shade/dry shade. Water regularly the first season in sightly enriched soil in part shade to high overhead shade . Not the showiest perennial but it does its job well. Hardy perennial . Does not compete well with invasive grasses -protect.  Best with clumping native grasses primarily  California Fescue Festuca californica . Expect this semi-evergreen to flop and accomodate that- 2′ x 2′ but never full.  Very easy to grow. Plant with Symphyotrichum hallii Hall’s Aster’ and  and Achillea millefolium ‘Willamette Gray’ in a dry understory.  Accepts regular summer irrigation as well.  Oregon native plant

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Grevillea miqueliana var. moroka ‘Xera ‘s Little Leaf Upright’

The all time record breaking heat of June 2021 when Portland reached 108ºF, 112ºF, 116ºF on three consecutive days ended up eclipsing the old all time record by an amazing 9ºF- A heatwave that is considered to be one of the most extreme heatwaves ever recorded and the most severe ever to be centered north of the 45º latitude. Many plants were fried outright and the damage lasted for months. It also killed my large Grevillea miqueliana var. moroka- a true alpine shrub it had no adaptation to those extremes. Grevilleas bloom heavily on the interior of the shrub, though not very noticeable it drops a continuous pile of seeds at the crown. So I was not surprised when three seedlings popped up in the following autumn where the parent had perished.. We experienced a normal winter 17ºF and two of the seedlings survived. They have steadily grown and in 2024 they experienced 13ºF and 50 mph winds during a flash freeze in January.  The small 2′ seedlings had a little leaf burn but survived. One of the seedling is an exact replica of its seed parent. The other has a conspicuously different very upright almost fastigiate habit . It also possesses much smaller  nearly  round leaves. Its a very different look for this species.  The chains of pendant flowers  emerge light red and change to orange and yellow as the flowers yawn open. They appear from Nov. – June in a massive display on the outside. The interior flowers are always present blooming and dropping seed.  Based on its growth so far which has been vigorous it should be an upright shrub to 6′ tall and 3′ wide- estimate.  Full sun in a protected warm location with average, un improved native soil. Do not add compost. Best on a slope where water never pools. Water 2 x per week the first season and let the soil dry between irrigation. Compact dense habit and smaller foliage makes the flowers more conspicuous. Loved by hummingbirds. Should have excellent adaptation to the  Oregon coast and can be grown in sandy soils. In subsequent summers its best to give it a  good soak once a month based on aridity.  Pretty  shrub. Protect with a cardboard box the first winter in the ground if  arctic air , sub 20ºF threatens. Remove the box with the thaw.

Xera Plants Introduction

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Cistus x ‘Christopher Gable’

This vigorous and floriferous  larger arching Cistus has small flowers just 4cm wide but every white flower has a maroon basal blotch around a yellow center.  This is one of the most prolific Rockroses for quantity and length of flowers.  Masses of small flowers are intricate and a shrub in full sun is an amazing tapestry of color until about 4pm when all the flower petals drop at once. Excellent hardiness to cold as one of its hybrid parents is the very cold hardy Cistus monspeliensis.  Evergreen leaves are long and thin and sweet with the resiny perfume of sweet balsam. This resin (Ladinum) that covers all the foliage imparts a certain amount of fire retardance. To 4′ x 4′ tall and arching in full sun and average soil with regular water to establish. In subsequent years it can take much less. Normal deer resistance and rabbit resistance is good. Dense habit avoids splitting and flailing. Excellent shrub for dry gardens, areas beyond the sprinkler. A great shrub for rural areas- very tough. Very well adapted to our climate. The calyx which remains turns a vivd  red and holds in late summer and autumn.

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Osmanthus fragrans ‘Phil Thornburg’

A local form of Fragrant Tea Olive that was discovered as a seedling in Phil Thornburgs wonderful SE Portland garden. He has a large estabished collection of the genus Osmanthus and this seedling has turned out to have several exemplary attributes- So we named it for the gardener. A moderately fast growing evergreen small tree to 16′ in 10 years. Large glossy foliage emerges tinted a very striking russet red before settling to deep green. This new growth follows the flowers which in our climate appear from late fall to early spring – on wood that is more than one year old. Parchment colored tiny flowers ring the stems and emit one of the most penetrating  perfumes in the floral kingdom- sweet apricot and freesia  These flowers are dried and used to flavor tea in China. The trunk/stems are a soft taupe color that contrasts nicely with the dark green foliage. We have observed excellent cold hardiness but  it should still be protected from subfreezing east wind during arctic events. The west side of a building is ideal- and you can appreciate the sweet perfume in winter just by opening a window.  Somewhat formal looking small tree that has a conical habit in youth and then a spreading crown with age. Water to establish, then light water during summer drought. Full sun to light shade. Gains hardiness with age/ establishment. Protect young plants from temperatures below 15F- cover with a cardboard box. Excellent tree for courtyards, the slim areas between modern architecture. Wonderful tried and tested local selection of an infamous tree native to large parts of Asia. Durable, almost formal, verdant look year round.

Xera Plants Introduction

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Cistus x ‘Gordon Cooper’

Superior low growing rockrose with masses of flowers for up to two months in late spring to early summer. So profuse are the daily flowers that they obscure the foliage, until about 4 pm and then they drop all of their petals at once. Gordon averages  about 32″ tall x 4′ wide in 5 years and continue to gain width after that. The adorable flowers are 2″ across and each white petal is separate form the other giving an airy gap to the flowers. A brilliant maroon nectary guide at the base of each petal surrounding a yellow center. This low and spreading habit naturally accomodates snow and ice and there is less breakage with this cultivar. It has been a cold hardy long term performer in the Willamette Valley.  Deep green foliage  has a resinous perfume and takes on red tints in winter. Water to establish the first season and then about once every two weeks during summer in subsequent years. Average un-improved soils, including clay soil, and its low spreading habit is ideal for slopes. Extremely floriferous selection.  Moderate deer and rabbit resistance. Very drought adapted when established. Very good performance on sandy soils at the Oregon coast and thrives there.

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