Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Underused Plants

Now that you've seen, Edgeworthia, below, how can you not have it? Winter blooms on deciduous stems. Grown as a shrub or small tree depending upon your pruning. Part shade to edge of woodland in the south, full sun to part shade in the north, zones: 5-9. . Pic

Lonicera fragrantissima, below, visually a bore, but once you smell her, you will have her. A gangly shrub, zones: 1-9, with arching canes, sun or shade, plenty of winter blooms to bring inside.
Witch Hazel, below, a small understory tree for shade to part sun. Blooms in winter. Foliage persists through much of winter, beige, boring until you see it dripping with rain/dew backlit by the morning sun. Upon that morning you will know why the universe was invented.
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Each are drought tolerant & essentially carefree. Oddly, I chose winter bloomers.
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More Underused Plants at the Garden Designers Roundtable today.
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Garden & Be Well, XO Tara
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Discovered the pics via Garden Lust. Not entirely clear if they were from the New York Times or taken by Garden Lust.
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The Garden Designers Roundtable posts will be up after 1pm central.
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Wish everyone could have camellias and gardenias and tea olive & etc. Alas, narrow zones.
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Fantasy plant? Dwarf eleagnus, 2'-3'.
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10 comments:

  1. MaggieJuly 27, 2010 at 8:20 AM

    Oh, to see these blooming in winter would be so amazing! Would they bloom as far north as zone 6? If so, I'm going to plant some to counteract the bleakness of winter.

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  2. AnonymousJuly 27, 2010 at 9:14 AM

    We also have Witch Hazel bordering our property, and like you,I am mesmerized by its bloom. I think the fact that it blooms when all else is going dormant adds to its charm. I will look into Edgworthia and the fragrant honeysuckle you have mentioned, they seem wonderful sensory plants!

    All the best,

    Scott

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  3. AnonymousJuly 27, 2010 at 11:03 AM

    Tara, I'm loving the posts this month because I'm learning about so many wonderful new plants. I have never heard of edgeworthia before, I'm going to have to do some investigating on that one.

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  4. AnonymousJuly 27, 2010 at 11:04 AM

    Tara, I'm loving the posts this month because I'm learning about so many wonderful new plants. I have never heard of edgeworthia before, I'm going to have to do some investigating on that one.

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  5. Lori BuffJuly 27, 2010 at 12:27 PM

    I love and need some Edgworthia and Witch Hazel for my woodland garden and/or the hill outside the studio but now you also have me intrigued about the Lonicera Fragrantissima; I'll have to look into that. I wonder where I can see one.

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  6. Jocelyn H. ChilversJuly 27, 2010 at 3:06 PM

    Lovely plants, all. Only a dream in my region, but I appreciate your reminder to focus on the winter scene. Thanks!

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  7. Barbara Wells SarudyJuly 27, 2010 at 5:25 PM

    Lonicera fragrantissima - love this one!!

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  8. AnonymousJuly 27, 2010 at 7:24 PM

    Love the edgeworthia which definitely merits being better known-love that you can actually tie knots in the stems if you choose.
    Great choices
    best wishes
    robert

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  9. AnonymousJuly 28, 2010 at 2:04 PM

    Excellent choices, it's as if you were in my head! Love all of those winter bloomers in my cold gray climate here too. Thanks!

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  10. UnknownJuly 31, 2010 at 3:20 PM

    My edgeworthia is my favorite plant in the landscape. It gets 6+ hours of hot afternoon sun (Atlanta, GA), but surprisingly it is phenomenal. Three years in this garden. Easy to divide, but new plantings from it take some time to grow.

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