Gardenia jasminoides ‘Frostproof’

Good looking, hardy, long lived shrub that we love. We’ve grown many “hardy” gardenias and many failed but this one is a bona fide success. Easy to grow shrub that blooms and thrives with correct care and its perfectly hardy to cold. To 3′ x 3′ in 5 years in rich, well drained, moisture retentive soil. Fully double 3″ wide powerfully fragrant sweetly scented flowers appear in PDX from July to October. Slow but steady growing shrub.  Never let newly installed plants dry out completely and pay special attention to irrigation in spring before our first heat wave. Dry plants will abort interior leaves. If spring rains fail make sure to irrigate this Gardenia in April/May. Once established it requires the same water and care as a Kerume Azalea (Evergreen Azalea). Add a handful of organic fertilizer or cottonseed meal in early June prior to flowering. Cold hardy in our climate to 5ºF and has naturally low heat requirements to bloom. Handsome evergreen shrub that is long lived and a good selection for a permanent shrub. We recommend ‘Frostproof’ for part shade as its flowers will last longer when not fried by hot sun. Excellent year round performance in a container and surprisingly cold tolerant. Water containers regularly and apply a handful of all organic fertilizer in the spring. Protect from the blastiest sites.

 

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Fatshedera x lizei ‘Annemieke’

Hybrid between English Ivy and Fatsia that makes a fascinating decumbent (sprawling) evergreen shrub for part shade to shade. May be diligently trained as a bold evergreen vine. Large glossy green leaves with a center of gold are striking year round. To 9′ tall as a trained vine or as wide as a decumbent shrub on the ground. Takes drought when established. Small off white orbicular flowers in autumn. Sterile. Good deer resistance. Gains width with time and can cover an entire wall. Blooms in autumn do not produce viable fruit. You can prune this shrub/vine back hard and it will regrow as a smaller shrub. Very good bold solution for dank dark walls and planters under over hangs. Cold hardy to 5ºF.

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Fabiana imbricata 'Violacea'

Fabiana imbricata ‘Violacea’

Chilean heather is not a heather at all rather it is in the solanum family- its related to tomatoes. Tubular violet purple flowers smother the very fine scale like foliage from late spring well into summer. In bloom its a pretty effect that attracts hummingbirds and other pollinators alike. Fast growing evergreen shrub for poor, unimproved well drained sites. To 5′ tall and 3′ wide in 5 years. Prune after flowering if you need to resize contain. Cold hardy and adapted to the poorest soils….its native on sand. Very drought adapted, little summer water when established. Excellent deer resistance. Flowers have a pervasive honey-like fragrance- and they look like miniature purple honey combs too.

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Euphorbia x ‘Purple Preference’

Excellent Euphorbia hybrid selected for deeply hued purple foliage that it pairs with early spring panicles of large chartreuse yellow flowers. Semi-shrubby evergreen perennial for RICH soil that drains quickly and light summer irrigation. The foliage goes through several hues before settling to deep green (purple to mustard to green). To 3′ tall and half as wide. Completely sterile hybrid that will not reseed or become a pest. Long season of bloom and interest. Appreciates the good conditions. raWonderful contrast between the chartreuse flowers and purple emerging new growth.

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Euphorbia rigida

Euphorbia rigida

This plant is an early spring blooming staple of gravel gardens and pairs great, vivid, chartreuse  flowers with symmetrical blue/gray succulent trailing foliage. To 18″ tall and up to 3′ wide when happy. Vivid flowers first color up in late winter and remain shockingly beautiful well into spring. Often re-seeds in open disturbed sites. Seedlings are easy to spot and dispatch or move. Give this trailing plant room to grow in full sun and very well drained soil of average to poor fertility. it thrives in rich soil and may become a tad rambunctious and may be shorter lived. Average conditions. A natural friend for blue flowered plants.

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Euphorbia x 'Dean's Hybrid'

Euphorbia x ‘Dean’s Hybrid’

FANTASTIC long long blooming easy to grow and spectacular Euphorbia hybrid. Large clumps support wide umbels of electric gold flowers. They appear in spring and are effective on the plant well into summer. Foliage is fine, mid green and is a great backdrop to the never ending flowers. Semi-evergreen. A beautiful and valuable perennial for full sun and well drained soil. Little summer water required. Excellent heat tolerance and performance in hell strips. To 2′ tall and forming clumps a little wider. Mix with Salvias, Eryngiums for  visual perfection and the same culture. Moderate deer resistance.

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Eucalyptus pauciflora ssp. debeuzevillei

Eucalyptus pauciflora ssp. debeuzevillei

Jounama Snow Gum is repeatedly one of the cold hardiest Eucalypts and it is excellently adapted to our climate. Gray/blue scimitar shaped leaves are pendant on a spreading umbrella shaped frame of a tree. Often the trunk forks just after emerging from the ground into multiple handsome stems. This increases the surface area where you can enjoy the ravishing exfoliating bark. Bark drops in late summer to reveal python like patches of taupe/grey/green and is showy through winter. In autumn the upper branches are decorated with small fluffy white flowers. One of the few Eucalyptus that will endure subfreezing wind- in fact this tree has been hardy to brief dips to 0ºF (-18ºC). Explosively fast growing when young to 35′ tall in just 7 years. Give it room. Light summer water in virtually any well drained soil- including clay. Do not stake. Let it produce its own sturdy leader. Sheds ice and snow like a champion. Though this is a subspecies of Eucalyptus pauciflora- a snow gum just like E. p. ‘Niphophila’ there are several differences from that tree. The leaves on E. p. debeuzevillei tend to be wider and more substantial than ‘Niphophila’. Also, that gum nearly always forms several trunks. This is less common with Jounama Snow Gum and in my experience it is a slightly taller tree. It can also vary in its habit from being very wide and spreading to skinny and fastigiate- its simply the luck of the draw and you cannot decipher this future habit as a seedling. Avoid heavy watering in hot conditions and site in a well drained place. Its completely drought tolerant and should be treated that way. Winter water when its cool is irrelevant. Overall it is a fast, healthy, and easy to grow tree in just a short amount of time.

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Erigeron x glaucus 'Wayne Roderick'

Erigeron x glaucus ‘Wayne Roderick’

Possibly a hybrid this is a spectacular perennial in our climate where it produces a non-stop supply of amethyst blue daisies with a yellow center from spring unabated to autumn. And occasionally in winter. A rosette forming perennial that sends up its clumps of flowers on vertical 6″ spikes. Loved by all pollinators with a special emphasis given to butterfies. Carefree, low water western native perennial with consistent excellent performance. To 18″ wide in time. Light, consistent summer water encourages re-bloom. Nice little cut flower. Rich, to average, well drained soil in full sun. Avoid rambunctious competition from other perennials. Mix with Agapanthus, Calamintha ‘Montrose White’. Even effective in containers. Oregon native plant.

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Erigeron glaucus 'Cape Sebastian'

Erigeron glaucus ‘Cape Sebastian’

Beach Flea Bane or more popularly Oregon Beach Daisy is a phenomenal native perennial for our climate. Low and spreading a continuous supply of periwinkle/violet daisies with a yellow center appear from late spring to autumn and occasionally in winter. To just 8″ tall it forms 2′ wide spreading clumps.  Simple spoon shaped green leaves. In its native environs which is the cliffs immediately adjacent to the beach it can cling precariously which shows it has sturdy roots. Full sun to light shade and regular irrigation or absolutely none when established. This floriferous and larger flowering selection is from the southern oregon coast. Excellent performance in hells strips..at the front of borders. This excellent semi-evergreen native perennial should be everywhere. Cut back hard after blooming to tidy the plant, keep it compact and encourage more flowers.  Oregon native plant.

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Erica arborea 'Albert's Gold'

Erica arborea ‘Albert’s Gold’

Very cool selection of Tree Heath that has exciting acid green/chartreuse foliage- brighter when new and masses of white flowers that smother the foliage in spring. Tough evergreen shrub for full sun and very little summer water when established. To 5′ tall and 4′ wide in 7 years for rich to average well drained soil in full sun with good air circulation. Spent flowers remain on the shrub and morph to a rust color with time- giving the whole shrub a rusty/chartreuse combination of colors. Not for formal gardens. This member of the mediterranean garrigue is drought adapted and cold hardy. Moderately fast growing. Showy in spring bloom.

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