Glaucium grandiflorum

Simply spectacular in the dry garden and surprisingly hard to find!

This Poppy relative thumbs its nose at those who say dry gardens are boring places. Every time I see this plant in full bloom my heart skips a beat. Ooh la la! What a sumptuous orange! In full bloom it spans 3' or more with innumerable 4” molten orange, silky flowers that make a winning combination with its silvery foliage. Technically, this plant is a biennial, forming low compact rosettes of grey blue leaves in its first year and blooming in year two. Cool 4” long seed pods follow the blooms. Fab fact: if this plant does not set seed (and we often have a fairly hard time getting it to) it will outlive its biennial-ness and may continue to enthrall you for many years to come! If, perchance, the pollinators are effective enough and your plants do set seed they will most likely self-sow! Win-win. Native to Greece and East to Iran and very well suited to our Mediterranean climate. Tolerates HOT SUN, POOR DRY SOIL and is DEER RESISTANT!

Sun. Avg./Low water. Biennial
USDA zones 7-11

Bulbine natalensis

Rare, rarely available and medicinal! Soft broad leaves give this succulent from South Africa an Aloe-like appearance. Each rosette of semi-translucent leaves grows to about 1' across. At maturity the plant bears a showy mass of starry yellow flowers on 2' spikes in Spring and beyond. Drought tolerant and best in part sun, though full sun is acceptable as well. Some say this species is synonymous with Bulbine latifolia, but our seed source has them listed separately - the difference being that this species is taller and forms large colonies. The leaf is lighter in color and more broad. Both are useful as well as beautiful – the leaves can be used in a similar way to Aloe vera – it's healing and soothing to minor scrapes and sunburns. Hardy to 25 degrees.

Part Sun/Sun. Low/Avg.Water. Perennial.
USDA Zones 9b-11

Calceolaria cana

How can you resist that face?? One of my favorite new rarities from Chile. Each little flower is like a tiny slipper orchid! Though it does not wallop you over the head with color or fragrance, it is both peculiar & exquisite! Delicate, airy wands 3/4” purple spotted “pocketbook” flowers are borne on 2’ stems during the late Spring & Summer. Grey leaves form pleasing foliage rosettes to 6”tall, & up to 1' wide. We grow ours in raised beds or pots in well drained soil, which helps protect the plants from too much Winter wet. Still in testing for drought tolerance! From Chile.

Pt.Sun/Sun. Avg Water. Perennial.
USDA 8b-11

Carex pansa
“California Meadow Sedge”

We're thrilled every time a customer starts out a question with the statement “I just ripped out my lawn.” But not everyone wants a completely lawn free garden. Some want a more environmentally friendly solution (low water, low fertilizer, native...) but still need a place to play croquet, right? Riddle me this: What is like a lawn, but not a lawn? Why, a meadow, of course! Here we have what can easily be described as one of the best native grasses for a lawn-like turf replacement and one of the best backbones for a beautiful, native meadow. A native to the Californian Pacific Coast, this low maintenance species grows to just 8” high in the unmowed state. It’s not aggressive but it does spread by rhizomes and can be mowed. It is also described as fairly tolerant of traffic and diverse soil types including both sand and clay. Drought tolerant and evergreen, it will tolerate light shade but will look better in more sun. Space the plants 6-12” apart and give both adequate water and moderate feeding to establish. They should fill in within a year. Under stress of drought, the plant will often go deciduous but will return when moisture is more available. Carex pansa requires very little water compared to the average water guzzling lawn. Occasional and infrequent deep waterings should be enough to keep it looking nice and green through the dry times.

Pt.Sun/Sun Low./Avg.Water. Perennial Grass.
USDA Zones 8-11

Vitis ‘Emeryville Pink'
"Grape"

We've grown this delicious grape for many years – it's a delicious and flavorful variety, first discovered as a seedling in Emeryville, CA by a member of the California Rare Fruit Growers. It's not widely available and certainly not commercially available. In fact, outside of the CRFG meetings, we are probably the only source for this Grape and we only get one crop a year! Grapes are small, pink and sweet (with a small seed) and super abundant! Yum! Definitely a fine grape for the Bay Area, where grapes often don't sweeten up well.

Due to Agricultural Restrictions we cannot ship this plant to Ohio.

Sun. Avg.Water. Perennial.
USDA Zones 7-11