Soquel Nursery Growers February 2007 Newsletter

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Soquel Nursery Growers 3645 North Main Street Soquel, CA 95073 (831) 475-3533 (800) 552-0802 (831) 475-1608 fax

Senecio mandraliscae This bold-textured succulent is sometimes called Blue Fingers or Chalk Sticks. It makes an excellent groundcover in well-drained, sunny areas. The mysterious powdery-blue color of its foliage looks wonderful with dark bronzy tones such as Coprosma ‘Coppershine’. Senecio mandraliscae grows to about 1’ tall and will spread about 2’ wide. The flowers are small and not showy.

Is it dead?

You will probably be asking that question a lot regarding the frost-damaged plants in your own yard or those in your client’s yards. Check the base of the plant. If you can’t find any healthy tissue that is firm and green when you scratch it with your fingernail, try removing some soil from around the trunk. If everything is mushy, the plant is probably dead. If you see little sprouts pushing out, you’re in luck. We have lots of hardy replacements for those brown and withered tropicals you are ripping out. Our nursery is full of beautiful survivors native to temperate climates. You’ll save water, too!

Aristea ecklonii Aristea ecklonii or Blue Stars is a very durable, low maintenance plant for shady areas. It has 2’ x 2’ clumps of bright green, swordlike foliage and brilliant blue flowers.  Each flower lasts only one day, but each stalk produces a succession of flowers. Fresh flower stalks appear constantly throughout the year. In high-water areas it will produce seedlings. If this is a problem in your garden, you can cut back on irrigation or remove the flower stalks after bloom.

Acacia stenophylla Say “Acacia” to most people and they think of that invasive, messy tree with the brilliant yellow flowers that you see along the highway. Not all members of the genus Acacia are so badly behaved. Contrary to popular belief, the pollen granules are too large to cause allergies in most people. (It’s the stealthy pines and junipers that make you sneeze and wheeze!) Acacia stenophylla or Shoestring Acacia is very tidy and easy to maintain. It is an excellent tree for small yards, patios and pool areas as it produces minimal leaf litter.  The long, narrow leaves create an elegant, airy screen and light shade year round.   Unlike many trees with a denser canopy, you can plant all sorts of things under Acacia stenophylla. It tolerates a wide variety of soils, including the alkaline clay and poor drainage common to our area. It will thrive with or without summer irrigation.  Deer and insects don’t seem to bother it much. You can plant it near the coast and in hot inland areas. Our crop here at the nursery survived this unusually cold winter with no damage. In late spring it produces a few small creamy white powder-puff flowers. Acacia stenophylla is not invasive in our climate. Growth rate is fast to 20-30 high and 10-20 wide with a weeping, columnar habit.  The leaves are silvery-green and the bark is a beautiful dark brown.

Dwarf Licorice Plant The wooly, silvery gray leaves of Plecostachys serpyllifolia resemble its larger cousin, Helichrysum petiolare. Plecostachys will climb eagerly into a topiary frame or dead shrub, where you can shear it into amusing shapes. Without a support, it will spread to be about 18” tall and 2’ wide. It looks best with occasional shearing to keep it dense. Say ‘Pleck-o-stack-ease’ and plant it in full sun or light shade. Tiny butterflies love the little pinkish-white flowers. People might not even notice them. This plant is amazingly tough. Once established it will survive with very little summer water.

New Manager Chris Pavlos We would like to welcome our new General Manager Chris Pavlos. He has more than 10 years experience in horticultural sales and service throughout California. Come to the nursery and introduce yourself. Chris will be visiting our retail and wholesale customers to learn how we may provide the very best selection of products and services.

Dianthus Dianthus, aka Garden Pinks or Carnations, are ready.   We have dwarf mounding varieties and taller ones that make wonderful cut flowers with their sweet clove fragrance. They have gray leaves and flowers in various shades of pink, salmon, white and red. Dianthus enjoy fast draining, slightly alkaline soil in sun or light shade. They are classic romantic flowers that make a lovely Valentine’s Day gift.