Garden Share Bristol

That's a darn big name for a sweet little sedum!  The common name, Chinese mountain stonecrop, is just as long, but not quite such a mouth full.  This low growing evergreen is fairly new to my garden; I planted it in a tough spot between the street and driveway just a few years ago.  It's flourished on neglect, crummy lean soil, and little water.

The color show is spectacular in late spring when red stems emerge from the rich green foliage and explode with bright, yellow flowers and red bracts.  The overall effect is a multi-colored WOW!

The succulent foliage hangs tough during the summer, looking fresh and green.  Don't you love those cute serrated edges?

And if you leave the flowers / bracts to ripen, you'll be rewarded in the fall with this beautiful star-like texture.

Sedum middendorffianum is hardy in USDA zones 4-8 and needs full sun to thrive.  Plant it in a well draining, infertile soil.  Mature size is 4" tall by 12-18" wide.  The plants I've chosen to partner with this sedum include Penstemon pinifolius 'Mersea Yellow', Helictotrichon sempervirens (blue oat grass), and 'Hidcote' English lavender (not shown).

Yucca, Hesperaloe, Russian sage, and blue mist spirea would also work well with this sedum.  I hope you'll give it a try!

A few weeks ago I wrote about American Sycamore, Platanus occidentalis, here and noted that it isn't a particularly good tree choice for this region.  Imagine my surprise when I discovered that London Plane Tree,  Platanus  x acerifolia (a cross between P. occidentalis and P. orientalis) has been planted en masse at the newly constructed Sloan's Lake jetty.  According to "Dirr's Hardy Trees and Shrubs", this is the most widely planted shade tree in cities worldwide. However, in his earlier (1977 edition) "Manual of Woody Landscape Plants" he opines that the landscape value is "limited" and that he would "hesitate to recommend this tree for anything."  My guess? This planting was designed by a landscape architect with little horticultural knowledge or understanding of the climate/growing conditions of the Denver area. But, hey, if they survive this could become a beautiful, shady promenade. 

multi-colored, peeling bark, characteristic of Platanus, is evident even on these young trees

double fruit was key to the identification of this tree (the fruit of P. occidentalis is single)

 I'll keep my fingers crossed!

a mature sycamore tree in Denver, Colorado

This plant profile is a bit different because it features a plant that I do not recommend. However, it's a plant that I think is visually intriguing and worthy of closer examination if you happen across one.
Platanus occidentalis, American sycamore, is native to eastern North America. It's found in deep, moist soils - not a characteristic of Colorado's front Range - and is very large, 75 to 100 feet tall with a similar spread - so not great for most residential landscapes, either.  This specimen is located in an irrigated park (32nd Ave and Federal Blvd, Denver) with plenty of room to grow. The texture is irregular and coarse with rangy branching and large leaves.


These trees definitely fall into the "messy" category. There's a mature sycamore in a yard right around the corner from me; I walk by that property all the time and I've noticed the constant litter of twigs (and branches after snow storms).

The beauty of a sycamore is in the amazing bark, which shifts from chunky, grey tessellations on the trunk to large, multicolor, flaky sheets on the lower branches, to smooth creamy-white bark on the upper-branches.

love the lichen on the north side of this old tree!

hues of warm browns, greys, and cream

And did I mention the cool fruit? Another sculptural component of Platanus.

Keep your eyes open for sycamore trees and enjoy them when you see them - just don't plant one!

Berlandiera lyrata, chocolate flower

Chocoholics, rejoice! This may not look very chocolaty, but the fragrance - oh, my!

This was a banner year for chocolate flower in my garden - it started blooming in June and is still going strong now. It loves poor, dry soil and lots of sunshine. Plant chocolate flower in full sun at the front of the border (it grows 10-20 inches tall) adjacent to a sidewalk or stone path. The warmth from the hard surface seems to enhance and prolong the fragrance of the flowers, and you'll get to enjoy it every time you walk by.

Once established, it needs very little - or no - water, and no fertilizer. Berlandiera is native to the desert southwest and the high plains of Colorado, Kansas, and Oklahoma. It may reseed and naturalize in gardens of USDA zones 4-9.

Chocolate flower was a Plant Select winner in 2004.

No need to diet when you've got Berlandiera - give it a try in your garden!

During the recent Wheat Ridge Garden Tour there was one plant in my garden that garnered the most curiosity and questions: Glaucium flavum, horned poppy.  Its alluring silvery-blue foliage and wanton orange flowers created quite a stir amongst my garden guests!

Sizzlin' silver foliage looks great all summer

Horned poppy is an import from western Europe that prefers light, sandy soil - it's become invasive in some coastal regions; it also goes by the name sea poppy.  It's a member of the poppy family, Papaveraceae, but is not of the genus Papaver, as are the more familiar oriental (P. orientale), alpine (P. alpinus) and Icelandic (P. nudicaule) poppies. (Our native, white flowering prickley poppies are of the genus Argemone.)

the new emerging foliage is quite "hairy"

Glaucium flavum is not a biennial, as I originally thought, but a short lived perennial. I let it go to seed in my garden and it jumps around from bed to bed.



A great accent plant for the xeric garden (if you can stand its flighty ways), it grows about 18 - 24 inches tall and flowers for several weeks from mid-June on. These plants are not widely available at garden centers, so best to grow them from seed, or beg one from a gardening friend (like I did!).  Then stand back, and enjoy the seduction of Glaucium flavum!

That's right; coal-QUIT-see-uh! Also known as beauty bush, Kolkwitzia amabilis is one of those great, old fashioned shrubs that's experiencing a resurgence in popularity. Why?

First, it's incredibly floriferous at a time - right now! - when few other shrubs are in bloom.  The bell shaped flowers are a soft  pink that blends well with other colors, cool hues in particular.

I love the golden, lace-like pattern hiding inside the flowers

Second, the pale, exfoliating (peeling) bark is unusual and a great feature for winter interest.


Third, its large vase/fountain form makes it ideal to use as a single specimen.  In fact,  with a bit of focused pruning, this plant could function as a small, ornamental tree; mature height is 10-15 feet.

A giant beauty bush in old north Denver

Last, Kolkwitzia is very adaptable. It tolerates full sun or partial shade and has low water needs.  Companion plants for my beautibush (below) include Centranthus, Ceratostigma, and Allium christophii.

this young Kolkwitsia 'Pink Cloud' in my garden will max out at 6-10 feet

Bonus points if you guessed that this photo - featured last week on Wordless Wednesday - is Kolkwitzia!

Hot off the Press!

This new study was created for landscape professionals by a committee of landscape professionals from four disciplines: landscape architects (CCASLA), nursery and greenhouse growers (CNGA), municipal arborists (via the Colorado Tree Coalition), and horticulturalists (CSU Extension). The study creates a working list of readily available trees "...with the ultimate goal of a healthy, diverse,  and geographically appropriate landscape and urban forest." The study focused on Colorado's Front Range, from Colorado Springs north to the Wyoming border and from the foothills to the eastern plains.

Nearly 300 trees were evaluated and rated as:
A - Generally recommended
B - Conditionally recommended
C - Potential/Unproven
D - Not recommended
Thirteen different cultural factors that could affect the ratings were listed as critical or cautionary. Water needs and availability were also noted.


 So how did the trees in my own garden rate?

Japanese Tree Lilac, Syringa reticulata - A

Red Oak, Quercus rubra - B (develops chlorosis in alkaline soils)

Autumn Brilliance serviceberry, Amelanchier x grandiflora - B (basal suckering;use as shrub)

Apricot, Prunus armeniaca - A (rarely sets fruit)

Autumn Purple ash, Fraxinus americana - B (susceptible to sun scald)

Common hackberry, Celtis occidentalis - A (re-seeds)

 Looks like I'm on the right track!

Although the list is not exhaustive - for example, I was surprised to see that no ornamental plums were included -  it's a great starting point and is meant to be a work in progress. If you are interested in viewing and downloading a copy of the Front Range Tree Recommendation List©, click here.

European larch, Larix decidua, is a bit of a guilty pleasure for me. It's one of those plants that I really wish I could have for my very own. I love the contrasting textures of the fine, deciduous (yes!) needles and the coarse, nubby branches. The bark is deeply furrowed, and the size of the tree is majestic. Oh, to see a forest of larch in it's native, northern European, habitat!



So what's the problem? Although Larix decidua is hardy to zone 2, and not too fussy about soil, it needs plenty of moisture and, I suspect, moderately high humidity. It also needs plenty of space, as it can grow 75 to 100 feet tall and 25 to 30 feet wide (comparable to a Colorado blue spruce). These growing requirements mean that larch is not suitable for most landscapes in the Rocky Mountain region (and why you rarely see it for sale at local nurseries).


These photos were taken at Fort Collins' (Colorado) City Park a couple of weeks ago. The trees are in a well irrigated area, and somewhat protected (and crowded) by a small grove of spruce trees. The foliage is sporting its yellow fall color; in the spring the new, emerging needles are bright green and then turn darker in the summer. I first became aware of this planting when I was a horticulture student at Colorado State University back in the 1970s. I was thrilled to see that they are still alive --- and not just a dream!

Grass plants are prized for their wonderful variety of textures, forms, and colors. But their flowers? Not so much. Grasses are wind pollinated; no need to put on a showy flower display to attract insects. Technically, what we see is an inflorescence composed of tiny flowers, or florets, protected by bracts. The bracts are the showy structures that add a second tier of visual impact to the landscape. Here are a few of the grasses that are blooming now in my garden:


I love switch grass, and my favorite is this blue cultivar, Panicum virgatum 'Prairie Sky' Note the tiny burgundy-red flowers.

This panicle type inflorescence looks like beads on crimped wires to me!

My prairie/meadow garden features native little bluestem, Schizachyrium scoparium.

Red flowers here, too, on a spike inflorescence

Indian grass, Sorgastrum nutans, is another native.

Although this also looks like another spike inflorescence, it will open into a raceme as it matures a bit

Note the minute yellow flowers. The hair-like structure is an awn

The next time you're admiring the grasses in your garden, take a closer look and see what you can discover!

The Art Garden blog is celebrating it's 4th anniversary today! As a special thank-you to my readers I'm giving away a copy of Durable Plants for the Garden, A Plant Select Guide. 

I'm a huge fan of the Plant Select® program in that it combines plant exploration, research as to regional adaptability, and timely propagation for retail availability (none of that "Gee, cool plant, too bad no one sells it!" stuff).  Although the program focuses on plants for the High Plains and intermountain states, many of them are appropriate for use in other regions as well.  Trees, shrubs, perennials - including grasses, vines, and groundcovers - and even annuals are included in the program.

Durable Plants for the Garden features the first seventy-four plants promoted by Plant Select® Each plant profile includes a detailed description with multiple color photographs, cultural requirements, recommended landscape use, etc.  I especially like the background information about why each plant was chosen and what it's advantages and disadvantages are. Go here to take a peek a some of the featured pages.  Isn't that great?! I think it's wonderfully designed, easy to use, and inspiring.


Here are a few of the Plant Select® plants that I'm growing in my garden:

Zauschneria garrettii, orange carpet hummingbird trumpet

Chamaebatiaria millifolium, fernbush

Berlandiera lyrata, chocolate flower

Sibiraea laevigata, Siberian spirea

Fallugia paradoxa, Apache plume

Phlomis cashmeriana, Cashmere sage

Veronica liwanensis, Turkish veronica

Wouldn't you like a copy of Durable Plants for the Garden for your very own?  Plant Select® has generously donated a copy for this special blogiversary drawing.  Leave a comment for me here by midnight on Tuesday, September 7th, and I'll use the Random Number Generator to select a winner.

When you're ready to purchase Plant Select® plants for your garden you can find a list of retailers here.  Plant Select® is a Colorado nonprofit organization.