Salvia vanhouttei

Small gardens? You get some Salvia love, too!

Deep, sensuous color, great form and a LOOONG bloom season make this Salvia a precious catch! Though zones 8 and below can only grow this beauty as an annual, here in magical zone 9 it attains near shrubby proportions. It's not so big as some of the other monster Salvias we love so well (ahem, Salvia wagneriana, we're callin' you out, you thug!) so small gardens? You get Salvia love, too! The deep wine calyxes and blooms are like little beacons to hummingbirdkind and appear when first they are able. If there's a hard freeze, of if the plant gets cut back, it is delayed till late Spring, but after that just sit back and enjoy the show - the plant will keep blooming through frost, especially if given a bit of deadheading and TLC, which in our case stands for Tender Loving Compost. Grows to 4'x4' here by the bay and loves the shady life. Morning sun is just fine, afternoon sun not so much. Some folks say this plant is okay for full sun, but this hasn't been our experience! Maybe you San Francisco gardeners can swing it? Average water suits it, so don't leave it too dry! I water my established plant only occasionally through the Summer and it looks just fine. Conserve water by laying down a little extra mulch. Rich, well drained soil is best!

Part Shade/Part Sun. Reg.water. Perennial
USDA Zones 9-11

Scleranthus biflorus
"Australian Astroturf"

We do not recommend playing contact sports atop this Dianthus relative from Australia, but if you've been looking for something mossy and low growing and don't like to water daily, this cute as a button "Cushion Plant" will do you right. Each plant spreads to become a littly "tuffet" of soft green foliage, 3" high and up to 2' across. Once established, this little guy keeps his green even when it is dry, sunny and hot! Though it isn't super particular about soil, we've found that a well draining soil is definitely best. Make sure that in the first few months you water consistently so that the plant can get situated properly, but don't water so much that the plant rots! Flowers are little, white, & barely visible - this plant is all about the foliage! Looks super-fab in rockeries - its form hugs the hard edges of stones nicely. Rock garden friendly companions include Dianthus arenarius, Orostachys iwarenge, Cerastium candidissimum, Dianthus pyrenaicus (coming soon!) and Erysimum menziesii yadoonii (also coming soon!)

Sun-Pt. shade. Low-Avg. water. Perennial.
USDA zones 9-11

Aloe tomentosa
"Hairy Green Aloe"

SUPER LIMITED and sure to sell out fast! We won't have more of these for at least a year, so get one while you can! Those of us who love rare plants have met our heart's delight with this special weirdo. Woolly, sea-green flowers are borne on 3' branching stems over the large (2-3') rosettes of succulent leaves. If HAIRY, GREEN FLOWERS aren't special nough to tickle a plant geek's thirst for the odd, they may be beyond our help. Drought tolerant & hardy into the 20's, it needs a well drained soil in a dry site to succeed, as heavy Winter wet could negatively affect its ability to thrive. Aloe tomentosa typically has leaves that are very smooth, & uniformly green, with toothed edges, but some seedlings in this batch have some nice mottling & stripes. There could be some interesting hybrid forms in the mix! Woot! From Yemen.

Sun/Pt.Sun Low/Avg.water
DEER RESISTANT DROUGHT TOLERANT
Perennial
USDA Zones 9b-10

Musschia aurea
"Golden Musschia"
"Madeira Giant Bellflower"

EXCLUSIVE! Unless you've visited the nursery lately and witnessed this plant in bloom, you've never seen anything like Musschia aurea, I guarantee it! The flowers are golden yellow with neon yellow pollen and look like something from "The Jetson's." SUPER rare, it's one of only THREE members of the genus (we grow one of the others - also fabulous and coming soon!) all of which are endemic to the island of Madeira. In frost free areas it will eventually become an almost 3' tall shrubby creature, with a woody trunk, but so far ours has attained a mere 1'x1' stance. It needs well drained soil to succeed and is a perfect container subject. If you have a shady slope somewhere this would also be ideal. In nature, it likes a dry spot on shady cliffs above the sea! DRY SHADE, YOU SAY? Yes, dry shade. For most of the year, the remarkable part of the plant is the large rosettes of shiny green leaves, but watch out for those flowers in late Summer! They're really something special.

Sun/Pt.Sun. Avg./Low water. Perennial.
USDA zones 9-10

Geranium harveyi
"Silver Geranium"

We so love this tough Geranium! We're always being asked for trailing plants and this has to be the best of the bunch. The finely cut leaves are a beautiful silver and a mighty compliment to lime accents. Pair with Euphorbia characias 'Dwarf' of Aeonium undulatum for a sophisticated and DROUGHT TOELRANT suite. Spreading to 3' wide and only about 1' high, the stems do not tend to root as they go, but weave through neighboring plants for a lovely effect, softening edges and integrating plantings. Summer bloom is not profuse - just a smattering of mauvey flowers - but no matter. The leaves are showy year round! From South Africa, it is drought tolerant and does well with good drainage. Tolerates some shade, but gets a bit leggy. Best and brightest in sun!

Sun. Low/Avg. water. Perennial.
USDA zones 7-10