My Plant Wishlist

February 17th, 2006

One plant I recently became aware of is the Purple Beautyberry (Callicarpa dichotoma). When I first saw it I couldn’t believe my eyes. The berries on this plant were such a vibrant shade of purple it was amazing. In my research I’ve seen it in plant catalogues, on TV, and in amateur photos and it looks stellar in all of them. Some places peg this as hardy only to zone 6, but others put it at hard to zone 5. So I think I will give it a try.

I was recently flipping through a new landscaping catalogue and I saw a tree I had never seen before. Called “Forest Pansy”, it is a redbud with purple leaves… not just purple leaves in the Spring, but all through the growing season. I was impressed to say the least. Redbuds are small trees that flower in the Spring and they are great under larger trees or in small yards, such as in the city. Unfortunately my yard is perhaps too small for another tree. So I don’t know if I will be planting this. If any of my current trees die though I know for sure what is going in their place. Usually Spring flowering trees do not have much interest in Summer and Fall, so this tree that both flowers and has interesting foliage is a real find.

One plant I was really interested in awhile ago is the Blue Himalayan Poppy. Blue flowers are the most often doctored photos you’ll find in catalogues (they’re almost always really purple), but I first saw this one on TV, it really is a true blue flower. However I was disheartened to learn it was only supposed to be hardy to zone 6 or 7. This didn’t make much sense to me, since it is from the foothills of Mt. Everest, you’d think it could tolerate cold weather. However, I was recently doing some more research online and it appears it is hardy to zone 3, it is just that it is a finicky grower and so many have problems with it. In fact many places suggested not letting it bloom the first year at all so it can put more energy into developing a good root system. So I’ve already bought some seeds and will be giving this baby a try.

The final plant on my list is Delosperma ‘Mesa Verde’, a type of iceplant. I’ve grown all other commonly sold iceplants and so I figured I should give this one a try as well. In order to give a full opinion on the plant if for no other reason.

Posted in: Gardening » 

One Response to “My Plant Wishlist”

  1. Reading Dirt  Says:
    March 26th, 2006 at 5:46 pm

    I’ve tried for several years to grow those gorgeous blue poppies. Supposedly the Pacific Northwest, where I live, is an ideal climate for them. But I’ve had a terrible time getting them to live beyond germination. Damping off is my bane. Now that I have a new grow-light setup, I may try again.

    I know you have to cold treat the seeds first. If you buy the seeds from Thompson and Morgan, they come with complete instructions.

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