| Deppea splendens photo:(left) JG in SF (right) Tom Ballinger Holy Cow! The holy grail for frost free gardeners! Believed to be extinct in the wild, this cloud forest treasure was collected in 1981 in the mountains of Chiapas, Mexico by Dr. Dennis Breedlove, renowned curator of the California Academy of Sciences. Dr. Breedlove returned to Chiapas in 1986 only to find that the area had been cleared for farmland & that the Deppeas had vanished. A clone grown from original seed distributed to the San Francisco Botanical Garden where it thrives. Multi-branching up to 8’ x 5’ and with handsome, emerald green, ribbed foliage, Deppea splendens blooms from mid-late Summer thru Fall, bearing clusters of pendulant golden yellow tubular flowers topped by violet-red calyces that hang from impossibly thin, wiry stems. Tolerant of only a tiny bit of frost (we advise protecting it) & adverse to heat, it’s best grown along the coast in rich, well drained soil. Can be grown in a good-sized container. Check out our blog post for even more growing tips & info! Annie
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