Plant Profiles

Plants to Love: Snowmound Spirea (Spirea x nipponica ‘Snowmound’)

August 25, 2010
Thumbnail image for Plants to Love: Snowmound Spirea (Spirea x nipponica ‘Snowmound’)

‘Snowmound’ Spirea (USDA Zones 4-9) is a lovely thing, with deep green leaves, reddish stems, a graceful arching habit and rounded form. It loses its leaves, but doesn’t make a mess about it, and the white flowers in spring make you forget that you missed it all winter. ‘ Snowmound’ needs full sun to do [...]

Click here to continue reading →

Plants to Love: Rozanne Hardy Cranesbill (Geranium ‘Rozanne’)

August 18, 2010
Geranium Rozanne

Geranium ‘Rozanne’ (USDA Zones 4/5-9) is a lovely tumbling plant that gets between 4 and 5’ around, and about 2’ tall. She’s been the darling of the landscape designer crowd since being introduced a few years back, and even though we all plant her all the time, we’re sticking our fingers in our ears and [...]

Click here to continue reading →

Plants to Love: Neon Flash Spirea (Spirea ‘Neon Flash’)

August 11, 2010
Thumbnail image for Plants to Love: Neon Flash Spirea (Spirea ‘Neon Flash’)

Spirea ‘Neon Flash’ (USDA Zones 4-9) is a Bright! Magenta! Pink! flowering shrub to about 4’ tall, which loves full sun and blooms off and on throughout the summer. It does lose its leaves in winter and gets a bit of reddish-yellow fall color, but the fall color isn’t anything to rave about. I love [...]

Click here to continue reading →

Plants to Love: White Parahebe (Parahebe linifolia)

August 4, 2010
Parahebe linifolia

White Parahebe (USDA Zones 8-11) deserves to be one of those plants like Geranium ‘Rozanne’; a plant that’s totally overused but nobody’s actually sick of because it is so ridiculously charming. It has deep green, glossy foliage that’s evergreen and very attractive, its delicate white blooms are lacy yet sturdy and incredibly profuse – and [...]

Click here to continue reading →

Plants to Love: Purple Pixie Hebe (Hebe ‘Mohawk’ or ‘Purple Pixie’)

July 28, 2010
Thumbnail image for Plants to Love: Purple Pixie Hebe (Hebe ‘Mohawk’ or ‘Purple Pixie’)

This Hebe is a lovely little evergreen thing which gets to about 3’ around and blooms off and on a good part of the year. It takes shearing well and usually comes back well from hard pruning during the growing season, though I try to avoid pruning into the wood if I can avoid it.

Click here to continue reading →

Plants to Love: Autumn Fern (Dryopteris erythrosora)

July 21, 2010
Thumbnail image for Plants to Love: Autumn Fern (Dryopteris erythrosora)

I LOVE the Autumn Fern. Orangey foliage in spring and summer? Cinnamon-colored spores on the underside of the plant? A neat habit and a plant that’s simple to prune down in winter? It’s got it all.

Click here to continue reading →

Plants to Love: Fragrant Sweet Box (Sarcococca ruscifolia)

July 14, 2010
Sarcococca ruscifolia

Since I’m always gushing about my favorite plants, I figured I’d start a new series here at North Coast Gardening to highlight all my favorites. This is the first. Sarcococca ruscifolia or Fragrant Sweet Box This unassuming little shade shrub is one that people often don’t notice at first. There’s nothing particularly showy about its [...]

Click here to continue reading →