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Selaginella
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Sun to Part Sun Zone: 5-9, guessing 1" tall Origin: USA
Open House/Web-Only!
We're becoming known for selling esoteric plants, so here's another one. Selaginella apoda is one of those native plants that just doesn't get any respect. Although it can be found in moist meadows and stream banks from Rhode Island south to Florida, it has no flowers, no leaves, and not much in the way of roots...could be a problem...hmm. Selaginella apoda makes a very low-growing groundcover that resembles a discarded mass of green pipe-cleaners and is best planted in moist, even marshy soils. If you want one, buy it this year since I doubt it will be economical to offer it again and you won't find it at Wal-Mart.
Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #07655
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Part Sun to ShadeZone: 6-9 18" tall Origin: China
Open House/Web-Only!
(syn: Selaginella pallescens or incorrectly, Selaginella caulescens and Selaginella involvens) This selaginella (fern relative) is one of the easiest to grow in a woodland setting. The dark green, lacy, semi-evergreen fronds rise to 18" tall from a slowly creeping rhizome. In three years, you could expect a 2' wide mass. A grouping of these in a woodland setting is indeed spectacular! Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #01506
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Part Sun to ShadeZone: 7-10 5" tall Origin: Asia
This easy-to-grow small Chinese species has proven to be a reliable performer in our garden as well as a favorite with visitors. Each clump makes a 5" tall x 1' wide mound. In climates with milder winters, the height can exceed 1'. The ferny green foliage takes on a delightful russet color in winter. Each frond bears tiny plantlets (your new word for the day is gemmiferous) that drop off and form new colonies where they land...great for a difficult site in the woodland garden! Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #03228
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Sun to Part SunZone: 7-9, at least 1" tall Origin: USA
Open House/Web-Only!
In 2000, we first saw this spikemoss in the arid Texas Hill Country. In our full-sun rock garden, it has formed a lovely 1" tall x 2' wide evergreen patch resembling a moldy pile of chewin' tobacco spit. Although heat- and drought-tolerant, it will curl up and turn brown if it gets too dry, only to re-hydrate when rain or irrigation arrives. We find it strange that very few gardeners grow our great native selaginellas, so we're out to change that...wish us luck.
Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #07306
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Part Sun to Light ShadeZone: 6-8, at least 2" tall Origin: Japan
Oh, so cute and oh, so painfully slow! This has long been our favorite dry rock garden selaginella, but it has taken nearly a decade to build up enough stock to offer. Our parent plant is 12 years old and only 2" tall x 10" wide. In foliage, twiggy spikemoss resembles a clump of moss that was plugged into a high voltage electrical outlet. Come to think of it, it also looks a lot like my worn-out grill scrubbing brush. Although it's tough as nails, either in sun or shade, plant it in a special spot where you won't lose it...alpine troughs are a good idea. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #05120
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Part Sun to Light ShadeZone: 7b-8, at least 8" tall Origin: China
This Don Jacobs's introduction is another spikemoss that thrives in southeastern gardens. Throughout the summer, this small semi-deciduous patch produces 8" tall upright green fronds about every inch from a short-spreading rhizome. Since it occurs in the wild on dry rocky cliffs, we have found it adapts well to dry woodland gardens. Our 4-year-old patch is 1' wide. Thanks to Pam Harper for sharing this with us and to fern guru Dr. John Mickel for confirming that we have the true S. stauntoniana. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #05582
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Light Shade to ShadeZone: 6-10 6" tall Origin: China
Peacock moss (a prehistoric fern relative) is one of my favorite groundcovers (semi-evergreen) for the woodland garden...I bet I say that to all the selaginellas. The low, spreading habit and the metallic aquamarine foliage, overlaid on a green background, are sure to make visitors stop to admire this gem. The color is best after the new growth emerges in late spring. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #01451
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Sempervivum
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Sun to Part SunZone: 4-8a 2" tall Origin: Hybrid
Open House/Web-Only!
Sempervivum 'Carmen' is one of the cultivars that has stood out in our trials, while most hen and chickens fade away in our summer heat and humidity. This 1972 introduction from Helen Payne makes large 5" wide rosettes, spreading by short stems to make a 12" wide patch in 5 years. The thick leaves are green, but tipped in red. In the winter, the entire rosette turns a lovely violet. Sempervivum 'Carmen' is a perfect choice for the well-drained rock garden. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #06526
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Sun to Part SunZone: 4-8a 2" tall Origin: Hybrid
Open House/Web-Only!
New crop available 9-2-2010 This heat- and humidity-tolerant hen and chicken, from Holland's Gustaaf v. d. Steen in 1974, forms 2.5" wide reddish-brown rosettes that make a stunning 12" wide patch in 5 years. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #06528
SOLD OUT
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Sun to Part SunZone: 4-8a 2" tall Origin: Hybrid
Open House/Web-Only!
This sempervivum is one of our favorites for the rock garden...not to mention one of the best survivors in our heat and humidity test. The large 5" rosettes are brilliant reddish-brown and form a compact 12" wide clump in 5 years. Good drainage is important with all hen and chickens. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #06527
SOLD OUT
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Sun to Part SunZone: 4-8a 2" tall Origin: Hybrid
Open House/Web-Only!
This 1979 introduction from our friend Crazy Ed Skrocki of Ohio has proven to be a good grower even in our difficult climate. Sempervivum 'Unicorn' makes a large 5" wide rosette of olive green. The rosettes on this vigorous cultivar form an 18" wide clump in 5 years. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #06525
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Setcreasea
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Sun to Part SunZone: 7b-10 12" tall Origin: Mexico
Open House/Web-Only!
We love this giant leaf form of the common purple heart wandering Jew. We visited California's Mike Kartuz in 2004 to inquire about its origin, but the trail went cold. Regardless, Setcreasea 'Kartuz Giant' makes an impressive 2' wide deer-resistant clump of dusty purple foliage that is three times the size of the typical species. In early summer, the clumps are topped with the typical small, light lavender flowers. For us, it's great in the border for summer color, but in colder climates it makes a nice accent in baskets and summer color bowls.
Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #05512
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Sun to Part SunZone: 7b-10, at least 12" tall Origin: Mexico
Open House/Web-Only!
We got our first start of Setcreasea 'Pale Puma' as an unnamed selection from plantsman Scott Ogden, later to find out that it has been popular in the Florida panhandle since the early 1990s. Setcreasea 'Pale Puma' makes a 1' tall x 3' wide mass of fleshy purple stems, adorned with 2.5" x 1.5", alternately spaced, rubbery leaves. The leaves are glossy green in the center but change to purple toward the edges. Bright sun will turn the entire plant a lovely shade of purple. The clumps are topped with small white flowers in October. We find this tough-as-nails, deer-resistant plant to be a superb bold-textured groundcover, hanging basket, or container filler. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #07303
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Silene
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SunZone: 4-8 48" tall Origin: USA
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Silene regia 'Prairie Fire' is a new selection of the great prairie native, made by Wisconsin wild man Neil Diboll at his Prairie Nursery. This clone stood out in his field as a larger, more vigorous, and better-flowering plant. The deciduous basal rosettes give rise to several sturdy, upright, 4' tall stalks, topped in early summer (mid-June to July in NC) with open sprays of 1" brilliant, reddish-orange, star-shaped flowers. These are vegetatively propagated to preserve the special traits. For us, Silene 'Prairie Fire' has excelled in dry, sunny sites. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #06123
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Sinningia
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Sun to Part SunZone: 7b-10 24" tall Origin: Hybrid
In 2004, John Farina sent us seed from a cross of Sinningia 'Krezdorn Yellow' x 'Apricot Bouquet'. The resulting offspring yielded two spectacular plants (S. 'Towering Inferno') and this one, which we are christening S. 'Bananas Foster'. The 2' long arching mahogany stems are laden with hundreds of light yellow teardrop-shaped flowers from mid-May until fall. The underground tubers and thick leaves create a phenomenally drought-tolerant combination. We've got ours growing in our full sun rock garden and it just can't be beat for long summer bloom time! Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #08527
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Sun to Part SunZone: 7b-10, at least 18" tall Origin: Hybrid
Open House/Web-Only!
We are pleased to introduce a new hardy sinningia that comes from the breeding program of Kentucky's David Zaitlin, who crossed two hardy species, Sinningia aggregata x Sinningia tubiflora. The result is a durable, non-running clump that emerges with 18" tall stalks of quilted green leaves, topped in early summer with butter-yellow tubular buds that open creamy white. The arching foliage lays flat after flowering, so allow a 3' wide area to keep it from swamping nearby plants. We have found that this really likes to be dry in the winter, so plant where it can get sun, but has an overstory from one side that reduces winter moisture. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #06261
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Sun to Part SunZone: 7b-10 36" tall Origin: Hybrid
NEW!
This superb hybrid of Sinningia warmingii x S. tubiflora originated from an anonymous cross donated to the American Gesneriad Society's seed exchange. Sinningia 'Carolyn', named by John Boggan for New York gesneriad expert Carolyn Ripps, has been a fantastic performer in our trials since 2007. For us, it forms a 3' tall x 2' wide patch, which starts to spread in the third year, thanks to the S. tubiflora parent. The 3' tall flower spikes, which first open in late June, are adorned with lightly fragrant, long-tubed, mauvy pink flowers with white throats. For us, S. 'Carolyn' flowers throughout the summer...a superb selection! Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #08831
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Part SunZone: 7b-9, at least 15" tall Origin: Hybrid
Although it looks like a tender houseplant, this baby is tough, durable, and attractive! This PDN selection comes from a John Farina cross involving African violet relatives Sinningia eumorpha and S. conspicua. The fist-sized fuzzy green leaves adorn the 15" tall x 1' wide rosette that is adorned, starting in early July and continuing all summer, with large peachy-pink, ladyslipper-like flowers. Well-drained soils and 2-4 hours of sun are best. Our original plants have now been in the garden for 5+ years...simply superb. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #07466
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Part Sun to Light ShadeZone: 7b-10 10" tall Origin: Brazil
NEW!
Sinningia leucotricha, which hails from the state of Parana in southern Brazil, has the most stunning foliage in the genus. The new 10" long oval leaves emerge covered in silver hairs, although as the leaves expand the effect of the silver is diminished. In July, the clumps are topped just above the leaves with clusters of narrow, bright orange, tubular flowers. We have grown this in the ground since 2004, during which time it has endured 9 degrees F with no protection. Sinningia leucotricha grows from a large underground caudex that enlarges each year and consequently, the plant becomes more impressive each season. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #08789
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Sun to Part SunZone: 7b-10 36" tall Origin: Hybrid
Open House/Web-Only!
This 2008 PDN introduction first arrived in 2001 as seed from a John Farina cross of Sinningia 'Apricot Bouquet' x self...that's legal with sinningias. In 2007, we selected this special offspring for introduction while the rest were selected for the compost pile. Sinningia 'Scarlet O'Hara' makes a 2' wide clump of dark purple stems adorned with felty, thick, dark green leaves. The 3' tall flowering stalks start expanding upward in late May (NC), and are adorned from then until frost with a continuous display of dangling scarlet red (RHS 53B) tubular flowers. Our plants are thriving on a full sun gravel-based scree...simply dazzling. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #08012
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Sun to Light ShadeZone: 7b-10, at least 20" tall Origin: Argentina, Brazil
Open House/Web-Only!
Yes, it's another of the amazing hardy gloxinias from South America. Sinningia sellovii is composed of thick, light green, sandpaper-like leaves on an arching clump that can reach 20" in height. Atop the plant, in midsummer, are 3' arching spikes of pendent scarlet-orange bells. We grow our plants in our full sun-baked rock garden, where they thrive with good drainage...very easy. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #04727
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Part SunZone: 8-10, at least 6" tall Origin: Brazil
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This superb Brazilian collection of Sinningia speciosa, the parent of the modern florist gloxinia, has been reliably hardy for us, provided it is grown in well-drained soil. The fuzzy olive-green leaves form a flat rosette, topped in July and August with a cluster of foxglove-like flowers atop 6" stalks. Each flower is white with a dramatic dark blue-purple interior. Our best results have been in sites with 2 to 4 hours of full sun. Where Sinningia 'Carangola' isn't hardy, it makes an easy-to-grow, outstanding potted specimen! Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #07105
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Sun to Part SunZone: 7b-10 48" tall Origin: Hybrid
Open House/Web-Only!
This new PDN introduction started its life when gesneriad expert John Farina crossed two sinningia hybrids Sinningia 'Krezdorn Yellow' x Sinningia 'Apricot Bouquet' and subsequently sent us a packet of seed. After 3 years of garden trials, we christened Sinningia 'Towering Inferno' as the first introduction from the seedlings. Sinningia 'Towering Inferno' emerges from a dormant tuber in spring, producing huge 4' tall flowering spikes, adorned with thick, fuzzy green leaves and topped with bright red dangling tubular flowers. For us, Sinningia 'Towering Inferno' starts flowering in mid-June and continues well into October. A site in bright full sun for at least half a day is necessary...even in hot climates. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #08010
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Sun to Part SunZone: 7b-10, at least 20" tall Origin: Argentina, S. America
Open House/Web-Only!
(aka: Sinningia longituba) One of the real joys of gardening is to find a plant that you think can't be hardy and then be surprised when it becomes an easy-to-grow staple in your garden. Such is the case with the hardy gloxinia, Sinningia tubiflora. Forming large underground tubers, Sinningia tubiflora not only lives, but spreads nicely in our rock garden. All summer long, the green, felty leaf clumps are topped with 2' tall spikes of 6" long, very fragrant, pure white flowers...somewhat resembling Hosta plantaginea. The hummingbirds and visitors alike go nuts when they see this plant. You must grow this plant, even if you have to use containers in the North. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #04688
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