New Additions!

On Saturday I drove to Castle Rock Nursery, a small garden center in the town of the same name, just off of  exit 49 on I-5. This place is very special to me as my first job was here. Of course I forgot to bring my camera (still need to get into the habit of taking my camera wherever I go) so I'll have to do another post later about the nursery itself. They have some wonderful old rhododendrons from the original nursery owner, so perhaps I'll wait until peak bloom. 

This post is for the plants I bought, and immediately planted. (I'm so proud of myself!) Michelle, the owner, always has some unusual plants that aren't often available at small-town garden centers and has more reasonable prices on many items than other nurseries in the area. You never know what you might find. Here's what followed me home this time:

 Adiantum venustum. I love this slowly-spreading semi-evergreen to evergreen groundcover. A large clump has a flowing effect with the triangular fronds layered like shingles or scales.

Daphne x transatlantica 'Blafra' Eternal Fragrance. I love daphnes but hate trademarks. Rant time. Feel free to skip to the next picture. Eternal Fragrance is a trademark name, and is the name most people know this plant by. Its actual cultivar name is 'Blafra'. When the patent on this plant expires, the person or company who owns the trademark retains the rights to that name. So while everyone will be able to propagate Daphne x transatlantica 'Blafra' after the patent expires, only those given permission from the trademark owner will be able to sell it as Eternal Fragrance. The trademark name has no real attachment to the plant. The trademark owner could use that name to market a different plant (or a scented candle, for that matter). If everyone did what they are supposed to and include BOTH the trademark name AND the cultivar name on labels and catalog descriptions, there wouldn't be a problem. Unfortunately the cultivar name is frequently "overlooked," especially when writing descriptions in catalogs, even though they are technically required to include them. This results in gardeners who can't find a plant because they are looking for a name which is no longer attached to that plant, or they find the plant and don't realize it's the same thing they would pay more for under the name Eternal Fragrance. This is not meant as an attack singling-out whoever owns the name Eternal Fragrance. It is standard practice these days in the horticultural industry. Rather it is an explanation that will hopefully help educate gardeners so they can find the plants they are looking for.

This evergreen daphne blooms mainly in spring and continues to produce some flowers until fall. I placed it in a raised bed off of the back patio, so it's fragrance can be enjoyed when sitting outside in the summer.

 I'm really excited about this Lonicera crassifolia. This is a cultivar named 'Rualzam' (though I also found it listed under 'Ruatzam', another case of people not paying enough attention to the cultivar name in favor of the trademark name Run-a-Long. Regardless of the name, I couldn't find much information on this selection of Lonicera crassifolia, much less a consensus on that information. Oddly, this cute little groundcover is being sold as a column tied to a stake (and still marketed as a groundcover). Michelle and I were both confused by this, but after thinking about it, it is a space-saving way to grow and transport a groundcover (but I'm still seeing descriptions of this plant as a trellised vine). I should have taken a picture of the plant before releasing it from its bonds, but you can see it here (with flowers, to boot!). It looks a little awkward now because of how it was grown, but eventually it will reorient it's stems and leaves and fit itself around the rocks as it grows.

The last plant I bought was Cornus canadensis. According to some taxonomists, this plant should now be known as Chamaepericlymenum canadense. Doesn't that just roll off the tongue? I think I'll stick to Cornus. This native ground cover is hidden under a rhododendron so it can establish a good-sized patch, just in case the deer would mow down this newly planted clump. They might not bother it too much, as they haven't made a huge fuss over the several Cornus florida.

And so begins my season of plant purchases. It's going to be a good year.