Hibiscus cisplatinus
“Rosa del Rio”

Insanely gorgeous and large, 5" to 6" blooms will enthrall you when they open in June or July. Soft, rather crepey slight pink single blooms unfurl to reveal a delicious deep crimson throat from which protrude prominent and exceptionally stunning stigma at the end of the long pollen tube, looking like a small cluster of velvety crimson marbles! Continuing through Fall for long season thrills, the blooms appear atop branches. Growing to about 6' by 6', you'll get a nice balanced form with smallish loved leaves, the better to show off the flowers. Here at the nursery, ours is growing in well drained soil with an annual side dress of compost. We've experienced zero pest problems and hummers visit frequently. I've not seen it wilt in hot, dry weather, but it's native to streamsides so some Summer water is most likely necessary. Native to Argentina and Uruguay, we've seen no damage during the Winter here in USDA zone 9B. EXCEPTIONALLY RARE, we're amazed to find that we're the only nursery in the U.S. growing this outstandingly showy Hibiscus. Don't wait on this one folks - it will sell out quickly!

Sun. Avg water. Perennial Shrub.
USDA Zones 9B-11

Agave vilmoriniana
"Octopus Agave"

Uber gorgeous and super low maintenance! Sculptural & undulating blue leaves make this superlative succulent a fabulous feature for the dry
garden! Whether in a large container or in the ground, this easy to grow Agave makes a bold statement. Leaves are spineless, and as such not a menace to passersby, but the plant in itself has a lot of backbone - once established it needs only the Winter rains for survival, and it can survive in less than perfect soil and in harsh conditions. After many years (10 or so) a 12 foot flower spike emerges (wow!) from the center of the plant, covered with bright yellow flowers all along its length. After about four months, as the blooms drop off, hundreds of baby plantlets will emerge and cover the stalk! From these “pups” propagation is a cinch. Native to Northern Mexico, and hardy to 24 degrees F.

Sun. Low-Avg. Water USDA Zones 7b-11

Impatiens keilii

Introducing the daintiest, darlingest Impatiens ever! Impatiens keilii is a "parrot billed" type Impatiens, and as an epiphyte (truly unusual for an Impatiens!) unusually well-suited to container culture. We are often asked for houseplants, and while this is by no means our field, I feel quite sure that this little plant would feel welcome on a windowsill. In full bloom, mature specimens look like they are decorated with a profusion of tiny red peppers. Come closer, though - each little flower has a wee curly pig-tail-esque spur! CUUUTE! If you're not growing it as a houseplant, watch for visitors - our first mother plant was hidden away in one of our partially protected greenhouses and hummingbirds found it and would make a regular route by the plant to visit. We are the only mailorder source for this rare plant in the U.S. - talk about hard to come by! It's possible to grow this species mounted on a cork slab with sphagnum as you would an epiphytic orchid, but we recommend a small to medium sized container (6-12") instead! Exceptionally freeblooming - there is almost always a bloom on this petite plant.

Shade. Avg. water. Perennial.
USDA Zones 9b-11

Melinus nerviglumis

Undoubtably, this has been our most popular grass this year! Producing oodles of delightfully tactile blooms in Summer - I just can't resist petting the fluffy plumes when I walk by! Complimentary to soft pastel color schemes, the rosey-plum colored flowers are fabulous with sky blue shades like the flowers of Cynoglossum ambile or with Alonsoa 'Apricot,' Scabiosa ochroleuca or anything else with subtle color. Great in bouquets, too! Politely sized at only 1'x1' – there's been some concern that this grass would reseed aggressively, but it's not popped up anywhere except where we've planted it at the nursery, so we're not feeling very threatened. This is your last chance to get this beautiful grass this year! We will not have another crop until June of next year at the earliest. This is also probably the best time to plant – the grass will establish better roots over the Winter, and emerge as a bigger, stronger plant in Spring. In Winter it will die down to roots (read - self-maintaining!) and re-emerge with the heat of Spring. Rich soil with average water in sun will yeild best results!

Pt.Sun/Sun. Avg. water. Perennial grass.
USDA zones 8-11