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Rhodocoma
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Sun to Part Sun Zone: 8-10 72" tall Origin: S. Africa
Open House/Web-Only!
We have trialed a number of restios, but relatively mild winters of 12-15 degrees F took them all out, leaving only this gem, which lasted until we hit upper single digits F. Rhodocoma capensis makes a 2' tall clump resembling a dwarf bamboo after sizzling in the electric chair. In warmer climates, it should reach 5-6' tall in 7 years, but not here, not yet. Rhodocoma capensis can be found in drainage ditches and moist roadside rocky soil pockets in South Africa's Little Karoo...an otherwise obscenely dry desert. Full-baking sun is the preferred planting condition...a superbly elegant container specimen in colder climates. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #08359
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Rhodophiala
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Sun to Light ShadeZone: 7-10 15" tall Origin: Argentina
(aka: Hippeastrum advenum) This delightful, easy-to-grow South American amaryllis relative is one of the most outstanding and durable bulbs for southeastern gardens. Multiplying steadily, these small, lycoris-like bulbs remain evergreen through the winter, finally going dormant in late spring. Beginning in late summer or early fall, the 15" stalks arise from nowhere, each topped with a cluster of stunning, carmine-red, horizontally facing, habranthus-like flowers...a superb garden surprise toward the end of the season! Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #03014
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Sun to Part SunZone: 7-10 15" tall Origin: Argentina
This offering represents flowering-sized plants grown from PDN seed, from an original 2001 Alberto Castillo collection from outside Buenos Aires. We have found these to be very similar to R. bifida var. spathacea, but these have origin data. Starting in late August and continuing through September, the leafless flower stalks of this drought-tolerant hippeastrum relative rise to 15", topped with a cluster of carmine-pink outfacing flowers. After the flowers fade, the 18" long glossy green leaves emerge and remain through the winter months. Rhodophiala bifida is very easy-to-grow and looks superb both as a specimen or when used in a mass planting. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #04464
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Rivina
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Part Sun to Light ShadeZone: 7b-10 12" tall Origin: USA
NEW!
This cute but truly odd native groundcover member of the poke berry family hails from Florida west to Arizona, where it can be found on moist, but well drained soils in both light shade to part sun. In our trials, it has formed a 1' tall x 3' wide, salt-tolerant, deciduous groundcover of green leaves topped with short stalks of pink flowers that quickly change to tiny clusters of red fruit. Rivina is a favorite of numerous birds, butterflies, and mixed container designers. Rivina is also used in the Southwest as a red dye since it contains the pigment Rivianin a pigment similar to that in beets. If your soil gets too dry, rivina will go dormant and re-emerge when the rain arrives. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #09143
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Rohdea
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Light Shade to ShadeZone: 6-10 12" tall Origin: Japan
This rare and highly-prized, tropical-looking, oriental native provides the appearance of an evergreen hosta. The 1' long x 2" wide, thick, dark green leaves form an upright vase-shaped clump to 2' wide in 10 years. Late in the season, the insignificant flowers produce short stalks of red berries at the base of the plant that persist through the winter. When used in mass, rohdeas are a dynamite evergreen addition to the deep shade garden for a presence even in winter. We have masses of these growing at the base of giant black walnut trees...can you say tough? Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #01088
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Light Shade to ShadeZone: 6-9 3" tall Origin: Japan
Open House/Web-Only!
New crop available 9-2-2010 We are pleased to add another collector's edition rohdea to our extensive offerings. Rohdea 'Gyoku Ho Nishiki', which means "jeweled phoenix brocade" (according to Barry Yinger, who knows these things) makes a small clump to only 3" tall x 8" wide. The dark green leaves are heavily pleated and ridged...reminiscent of some mountains I drove through in China. The leaves are then carefully hand-painted with streaks of white by master rohdea designers. In the ground, R. 'Gyoku Ho Nishiki' needs a special spot so it doesn't get swamped by larger, more aggressive garden bullies. Although all rohdeas are drought-tolerant, they perform best in slightly moist, rich soils.
Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #08276
SOLD OUT
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Light Shade to ShadeZone: 6-10 10" tall Origin: Japan
Open House/Web-Only!
This amazing and very rare selection of the Japanese sacred lily has the most contortedly (take note...a new plant word) kinky leaves of any selection we grow. The Japanese cultivar name 'Nobori Ryu' means "climbing dragon"...a reference to the dramatically raised ridge running down the center of each thick green leaf. In winter, these deep shade-lovers are highlighted for the season with short stalks of brilliant red berries. Pot size: 2 qt. (1.892 L) #02150
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Light Shade to ShadeZone: 6-10 10" tall Origin: Japan
Open House/Web-Only!
Always a customer favorite, Rohdea 'Suncrest' forms a rosette of thick, black-green leaves that arch outward. Rohdea 'Suncrest' features the highly sought-after, white, raised "dragon crest" (distorted leaf growth) that runs down the center of each leaf. Established clumps of this easy-to-grow evergreen perennial will be adorned with short stems of bright red berries in winter. Pot size: 2 qt. (1.892 L) #02706
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Light Shade to ShadeZone: 6-10 10" tall Origin: Japan
Open House/Web-Only!
This selection of evergreen sacred lily is one we brought back from a visit to the UK in the early '90s. The dark green leaves appear to have been heavily brushed in a horizontal direction with white paint. Actually, it looks like the last home paint job I got when I took the lowest bid. At least in rohdeas, bad paint jobs make the plant worth more. How many do you want? If you have a shady spot near your house, plant them nearby and tell your spouse you painted the house to match...on purpose. Pot size: 2 qt. (1.892 L) #02149
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Light Shade to ShadeZone: 6-10 18" tall Origin: Japan
Open House/Web-Only!
This is a splendid and very rare Japanese selection of the deep shade-loving sacred lily. The wide green foliage is highlighted by very large, pure white bands that often cover the entire leaf except for the dark green tips and leaf bases. The color patterning is strongest on the new foliage that emerges in June and July. In fall, the clumps are adorned by short stalks of large red berries. The name is translated to 'Soaring Eagle's Shadow'. Pot size: 2 qt. (1.892 L) #03017
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Light Shade to ShadeZone: 6-10 20" tall Origin: Japan
Rohdea 'Zansetsu' (Melting Snow) has long been one of our favorite Japanese sacred lilies, but it's taken us 12 years to divide enough to share. The tight clumps of 20" long upright dark green leaves are heavily blotched with creamy white streaks...what you'd expect if a city slicker tried to milk a cow without the proper equipment. The evergreen clumps are adorned with short spikes of large bright red berries in the winter, which adds an appropriately festive Ken Kesey appearance. Pot size: 2 qt. (1.892 L) #02649
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Rosmarinus
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SunZone: 6-9 40" tall Origin: Mediterranean Europe
Open House/Web-Only!
Discovered by the late Madalene Hill in Arp, Texas, this rosemary was sent to the folks at the US National Arboretum, which were so taken after it survived -10 degrees F that they released it under the name 'Arp'. This grey-green clump-former, to 3'+ tall, has typical fine-textured foliage, a wonderful fragrance, and (thanks to my wife) makes some fine rosemary chicken. Rosmarinus 'Arp' is the best grower for us in the South through both summer and winter. Beginning in the fall and continuing through the spring, the deer-resistant clump is adorned with dark blue flowers...our 8-year-old specimen is 10' across and survived 0 degrees F...WOW! Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #01268
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Rostrinucula
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SunZone: 7b-10 36" tall Origin: China
Open House/Web-Only!
This green-sheep of the salvia family is little-known outside its native haunts from Shaanxi, China, south to Yunnan. While rostrinucula will never win a beauty contest, it is well in the running for most unusual. The flaking brown bark adorns an otherwise obscure 3' tall die-back shrub. Obscure until late summer, when the long pendent flower racemes emerge from the branch tips, giving the overall effect of a miniature cascading pink waterfall. The tiny pink flowers open each day as the floral display travels slowly down the long flower spike, finally ending in mid-October. One of the truly great WHATZAT plants! In warmer climates, the wood may remain and the plant may reach 5-6' tall. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #05420
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Rubus
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Sun to Part SunZone: 6-9 6" tall Origin: Taiwan
(syn: R. calycinoides, R. 'Formosan Carpet') We probably get as many requests for this plant as anything else we grow. Where else could you find a durable, evergreen groundcover that takes sun or shade? The answer...Taiwan. This selection was made at the University of British Columbia from seed collected by Dick Pearson from the alpine forests of Mt. Hehuan in central Taiwan. Thick, heavily textured, sandpaper-like foliage adorns fuzzy creeping stems (5' wide in 3 years). At the onset of cool nights in fall, the foliage turns a wonderful raspberry color. The flowers are insignificant, but that's okay. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #00729
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Rudbeckia
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SunZone: 5-9 80" tall Origin: USA
Open House/Web-Only!
This overlooked drought-tolerant native can be found from Arkansas to Texas, growing in seasonally moist roadside ditches alongside old tires, beer cans, and cigarette butts. Research into whether the abundance of motor oil in these sites is actually essential for plant growth has been inconclusive. This unique black-eyed Susan has a deciduous basal rosette of waxy blue foliage resembling a collard (that's sort of like a cabbage to you northern folks). In late spring through early summer, the flower stalks rise to over 7'. At the top of each stalk are 2-3" wide, brown-centered, yellow daisies...WOW! After flowering, we leave the seed stalks as a delicacy for goldfinches. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #00355
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Ruellia
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Sun to Part SunZone: 7-10, possibly colder 24" tall Origin: USA
Open House/Web-Only!
'Chi Chi' is a dynamite ruellia from Texas...a seedling selection of Ruellia brittoniana from plant guru Scott Ogden. The narrow, very dark green foliage clothes the 2' tall stem, topped with 1" pink petunia-like flowers, from early summer through fall. Ruellia 'Chi Chi' has performed well in both moist and dry conditions. Everyone who sees 'Chi Chi' wants to take her home...perhaps they've been watching too many soap operas on the Spanish Channel. Arriba! We do not recommend these for tropical or semi-tropical moist climates where they grow and multiply too well. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #01582
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Sun to Part SunZone: 7b-10 8" tall Origin: USA
Open House/Web-Only!
This recent Color Spot Nursery release is a new hybrid from Texas plantsman Greg Grant. Forming a tight dwarf clump like Ruellia 'Katie' (8" tall x 12" wide), Ruellia 'Colobe Pink' is smothered with 1.5" wide flowers of scrumptious pink. For us, Ruellia 'Colobe Pink' flowers from midsummer until fall...a perfect candidate for both color bowls and special spots throughout the garden. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #01616
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Sun to Light ShadeZone: 7b-10 6" tall Origin: USA
Open House/Web-Only!
Katie Ferguson of Texas found this dwarf form of our native ruellia, and this plant has taken Texas by storm. Ruellia 'Katie' makes a 6" tall x 12" wide clump with lance-shaped green leaves. All summer, it is covered with 1.5" purple flowers. In good soil, it will reseed true. This is one fabulous plant! Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #01482
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Sun to Light ShadeZone: 7b-10 8" tall Origin: USA
Open House/Web-Only!
Finally, we are pleased to present the long-awaited, white-flowered counterpart to the ever-popular Ruellias 'Katie' and 'Colobe'! Boasting the same compact habit as regular 'Katie', this new selection makes a 1' wide clump that is topped from July until frost with 1.5", saucer-shaped, white flowers against the dark green, linear foliage. Ruellia 'White Katie' is a great summer bedding plant where winter hardiness is an issue. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #04166
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Sun to Part SunZone: 7b-9, at least 20" tall Origin: Argentina
Open House/Web-Only!
I first encountered this unique ruellia in 2002 near the northern Argentinean town of Salta at 3,275' elevation. The plants grew in a very dry area on the partially sunny roadside banks. The 20" tall square stems compose a 20" wide clump, clothed in 5" long x 3.5" wide, hairy green leaves, and topped, starting in June, with 1.5" wide purple-blue flowers. Ruellia ciliatiflora makes a delightful garden plant in NC and we are glad to finally be able to share it with others. We do see a small bit of reseeding, but so far, nothing troubling. Keep an eye out in regions of the country it might like too well.
Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #05026
SOLD OUT
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SunZone: 7b-10, at least 48" tall Origin: Argentina, Brazil
NEW!
Ruellia elegans is an amazing plant with a large native range from Chile to Brazil. While some of the selections in the trade are not winter hardy, we have been thrilled with R. 'Ragin' Cajun'. Our 3-year-old deciduous clumps are now 4' tall x 8' wide ...what we call in the South, "big honkers." R. 'Ragin' Cajun' is topped from June through frost with terminal clusters of 5-petaled bright scarlet-red flowers. For us, this has proven amazingly easy-to-grow, but performs best in rich moist soils. Our plants came from Logee's via Dupont Nursery. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #08832
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Ruschia
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SunZone: 6-9, at least 15" tall Origin: S. Africa
Open House/Web-Only!
This Panayoti Kelaidis introduction was originally discovered in South Africa's Karoo (Great Desert). The small fleshy green leaves adorn the semi-woody stems which form a tangled mass to 15" tall x 2' wide. The clump is topped, starting in early May, with small purple delosperma-like daisies. There is some reflowering in the summer, but spring is the peak flowering season. A well-drained soil in bright baking sun is best for this easy-to-grow rock garden specimen.
Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #07946
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SunZone: 6-8, at least 6" tall Origin: S. Africa
Open House/Web-Only!
This amazing succulent from the South African Karoo (Great Desert) is another surprisingly hardy rock garden plant, having survived years at the Denver Botanic Garden, as well as here in our southeast US rock garden. The fleshy green stems are adorned with tightly clasping leaves that resemble freshly grated green thumbs. In late April and May, the 6" tall x 2' wide (in 5 years) clumps are topped by fluorescent bright purple daisies, held just above the foliage. For inquiring minds, the specific epithet "indurata" means "to make hard"...no, not that kind of hard. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #07910
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| <Punica - Rhexia] | [Ruscus - Saccharum> |
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