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Crocosmia (Montbretia)
This is a wonderful genus of easy-to-grow South African iris relatives whose flower stalks arise from fast-multiplying underground corms. While crocosmias have been hybridized for over a century, many of the fine old cultivars have been lost to the trade. One of the few fast-multiplying forms that still dominate the market, C. 'Lucifer’ actually crowds itself out so quickly that it rarely flowers after the first year. We have chosen a combination of old and new selections that have proven to be exceptional performers in our trials.
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Crocosmia 'Jenny Bloom' (Jenny Bloom Montbretia)
Sun to Part Sun Zone: 5-9 30" tall Origin: Hybrid
(aka: C. 'Blacro') Stunning, stunning, stunning...the only word to describe this marvelous introduction from England's Blooms of Bressingham. We have grown a lot of crocosmias and this is at the top of the heap...sturdy, not overly invasive, and very weather tolerant! From underground rhizomes, flat, green, gladiolus-like leaves emerge in early spring. By mid-July, the clumps are smothered with 30" tall spikes of orange buds (RHS 25A) that open into golden-yellow (RHS 17B) flowers! We have only recently discovered that the morons in charge of naming this plant actually gave this the cultivar name 'Blacro'...off with their heads! Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #02824
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Crocosmia 'Solfaterre' (Solfaterre Montbretia)
Sun to Part SunZone: 7-10 20" tall Origin: Hybrid
We have long wanted to offer this special crocosmia, but its multiplication rate is far slower than the overly vigorous and consequently better-known cultivars. C. 'Solfaterre' boasts chocolate-brown iris-like foliage, which is topped in early summer with clusters of apricot-yellow flowers. Its unique color combination makes it a real treat to design with in a mixed border. C. 'Solfaterre' has been awarded the prestigious Award of Garden Merit (AGM) from the Royal Horticultural Society. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #04808
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Crocosmia 'Star of the East' (Star of the East Montbretia)
Sun to Part SunZone: 6-9 32" tall Origin: Hybrid
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"WOW!" was what we heard from garden visitors here at PDN. This amazing 1912 hybrid from the late George Davison is still one of the top crocosmias nearly a century later. C. 'Star of the East' spreads quite slowly when compared to its more prolific siblings. In midsummer, the clumps are topped with 32" tall spikes, adorned with large, 4" wide flowers that open, a few each day, from the bottom of the stalk to the top. Each flower is a stunning brilliant orange, separated from the creamy center by light brushes of maroon. According to the RHS magazine, The Garden, "C. 'Star of the East' has flowers of a quality and substance which has never been equaled." We agree! Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #04238
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Crocosmia 'Walbreyes' PP 17,165 (Bright Eyes Montbretia)
SunZone: 6-9, possibly colder 20" tall Origin: Hybrid
This new dwarf, free-flowering crocosmia from the UK's David Tristam is topped from July through September with 20" tall spikes of brilliant orange, outward-facing flowers with a deep red central pattern. The sterile (horticulturally neutered) C. 'Walbreyes' was also selected for its ability to continue to flower heavily even when the clump of rhizomes becomes overcrowded. Stupid name...stunning plant.
Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #06403
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Crocosmia 'Walcroy' PPAF (Walberton Yellow Montbretia)
SunZone: 6-9, possibly colder 24" tall Origin: Hybrid
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This new crocosmia hybrid from the UK's David Tristam produces 2' tall flowering stalks, each with large numbers of 2" wide, outfacing golden flowers with recurved petals. The soft, sword-like green foliage is nearly hidden by the masses of flowers during the summer months...a breeding breakthrough. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #06404
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Crocosmia 'Walrhead' PP 15,587 (Little Redhead Montbretia)
SunZone: 6-9, possibly colder 20" tall Origin: Hybrid
This fabulous new sterile dwarf crocosmia comes from the UK breeding program of David Tristam. Despite the stupid name, this gem is one of the best crocosmias that we have grown. The 20" stalks that rise just above the soft, green, sword-like leaves are topped, starting in July and continuing until September, with brilliant red-orange (RHS 41A) outfacing flowers...bravo! Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #06704
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Cryptomeria (Japanese Cedar)
We are offering an ever-expanding selection of dwarf and slow-growing Japanese cedars. Although they don't have the color selection of the chamaecyparis, these evergreens make up for it in their dramatic texture and contorted growth patterns. Many of the varieties that we offer are suited for a small garden.
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Cryptomeria japonica 'Pom Pom' (Pom Pom Japanese Cedar)
Sun to Part SunZone: 5-9 24" tall Origin: Japan
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The dwarf Japanese cedar selection seems similar to C. 'Yellow Twig'. The compact, but airy growth forms a 2' tall x 2' wide clump in 10 years, but will eventually develop a central leader. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #07815
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Cuphea
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Cuphea micropetala (Mexican Giant Cigar Plant)
SunZone: 7b-10 36" tall Origin: Mexico
Thank goodness horticultural amnesty has allowed this Mexican immigrant to remain in the US. C. micropetala forms a stunning 3' tall x 3' wide deciduous clump, topped starting in early fall with small tubular flowers that line the upper 1' of each stem. The flowers open bright yellow, but as the flowers age, the base turns orange-red before the entire flower takes on that color. The results are bicolor flowers that are so beloved by the butterflies and hummingbirds that we have to declare a temporary no-fly zone while we take cuttings. In cold climates, it may be slow to return in spring, but our plants have been reliable to 8 degrees F. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #06807
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Curcuma (Hidden Cone Ginger)
This is one of the hardiest genera of the ginger relatives. The bold tropical foliage, combined with exquisite flowers, make curcumas a welcome garden addition for a variety of reasons. We are thrilled to make available the new "fancy foliage" types. Curcumas prefer part sun to light shade and evenly moist soils. |
Curcuma elata (Hidden Cone Ginger)
Part Sun to Light ShadeZone: 7b-10, at least 72" tall Origin: India
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Curcuma elata stood out in our trials as one of the finest cold-climate garden specimens in the genus curcuma. The huge, bold-textured, canna-shaped green leaves compose the giant 6' tall clump. For us, this is the earliest curcuma to flower, mid-June in NC, when the 1' tall pinecone-like spikes sprout from the base of the plant. Each flower spike is topped with bright pink bracts which serve as a mini-umbrella for the yellow flowers that poke from the side of the cone below. C. elata has been reliably hardy in our Zone 7b garden. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #02004
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Curcuma petiolata 'Emperor' (Striped Hidden Cone Ginger)
Part Sun to Light ShadeZone: 7b-10 24" tall Origin: Thailand
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This Tim Chapman introduction from Thailand is among the most spectacular of the "hardy tropicals" we grow. C. 'Emperor' makes an easy-to-grow, 2' tall x 2' wide clump of pleated green leaves (18" long x 6" wide), each with a dramatic white border. In early summer, you will enjoy the pinecone-like flower of purple and green at the base, and the rest of the growing season, you will adore the tropical foliage. It has survived 0 degrees F in our garden with no protection, but in colder climates, it makes a great house plant. Remember that curcumas do not emerge from dormancy until June...they are not dead! Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #02599
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Curcuma zedoaria (Hidden Cone Ginger)
Part Sun to Light ShadeZone: 7b-10 36" tall Origin: India alternate image
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This spectacular ginger garners all the attention on our open house days...especially since it has survived 0 degrees F in our garden. The large, tropical-looking green leaves (2' long x 5" wide) have a dramatic, wide, purple-red stripe down their centers. As the leaves emerge, so do the flowers, on 1' scapes resembling an oversized '60s psychedelic red-and-yellow pinecone. Each plant makes a clump to 3' (taller in warmer climates) x 2-3' wide. Remember that curcumas do not awaken from dormancy until June - they are not dead. Rumor has it that chanting near dormant plants with lava lamps for illumination speeds the awakening process, although this has not been scientifically confirmed. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #01393
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Curcuma zedoaria 'Bicolor Wonder' (Hidden Cone Ginger)
Part Sun to Light ShadeZone: 7b-10 72" tall Origin: India
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This selection of the Indian C. zedoaria was made for its attractive bicolor flowering bracts...solid white except for purple fingernail-sized tips on the end of each bract. The 6' tall, bold, aspidistra-like foliage, with a maroon stripe down the leaf center, emerges in mid-June alongside the pinecone-like inflorescence. We have found C. zedoaria to be extremely easy-to-grow under a wide range of typical garden conditions with the exception of waterlogged soils. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #05680
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Cycas
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Cycas panzhihuaensis (Panzihua Sago Palm)
Sun to Light ShadeZone: 8-10, guessing 72" tall Origin: China
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This rare cycad hails from China's southern Sichuan and northern Yunnan provinces, where it was discovered and named in 1979. Its natural habitat consists of dry, scrubby, wooded slopes where it grows on alkaline soils. Its location makes it one of the most cold hardy cycad species with reports of no leaf damage at 18 degrees F. When mature, the plant will develop a 6' tall trunk, topped with a ring of stiff "fronds," which emerge green when young but later change to glaucous. Despite reports of very rapid growth, I've seen dead snails move faster than these grow. Supplies are very limited. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #07532
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Cyclamen (Cyclamen)
These tuberous winter-growing Mediterranean natives are best known as the most difficult to keep alive house plant, C. persicum. The much easier and more winter hardy species make great garden specimens if they can be kept dry in summer-rainfall climates. We find that they thrive near the base of a large tree or conifer where they get sun for part of the day but little moisture when they are summer dormant.
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Cyclamen graecum (Hardy Cyclamen)
Sun to Light ShadeZone: 7-9, at least 2" tall Origin: Greece, Turkey
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This rare cyclamen species is probably our favorite...for advanced gardeners only! While not as vigorous as C. hederifolium, the very dark green, velvety-appearing foliage (often patterned silver) is stunning even when not in flower. In late summer and fall, the tiny clumps are topped with dodecatheon-like flowers of red, pink, or rose...rising just above the foliage. C. graecum prefers a more sunny site than most of the other cyclamen species. Pot size: #02830
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Cyclamen hederifolium (Hardy Cyclamen)
Part Sun to Light ShadeZone: 4-8 3" tall Origin: S. Europe alternate image
Who could not help but love these delightful little cormous perennials? From the top of the grey, pumpkin-shaped corm, which sits just below ground level, emerges the striking green and silver mottled foliage in early October, making a 6-12" wide mound. In September, the tiny pink dodecatheon-like flowers poke through the ground just prior to the emerging foliage. By late spring, the foliage dies down and does something many of us wish we could do...go to sleep for the summer. Cyclamen are great in mass and will naturalize in woodland settings where they can be dry while dormant. We prefer to site them at the base or under the canopy of large trees or shrubs. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #01281
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Cyclamen hederifolium 'Silver Cloud' (Silver Cloud Hardy Cyclamen)
Part Sun to Light ShadeZone: 4-8 3" tall Origin: S. Europe alternate image
Cyclamen 'Silver Cloud' is an introduction from UK cyclamen specialist Phil Cornish, who bred these from the "Apollo" group of Cyclamen hederifolium. For us, these have been stunning with their solid pewter silver leaves from fall into spring. In fall, the plants are topped with complimentary spikes of bright pink flowers. Remember to plant cyclamen where they will remain fairly dry during the summer months. We have found that locating them underneath trees and shrubs works wonderfully.
Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #03311
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Cyclamen purpurascens (Hardy Cyclamen)
Part Sun to Light ShadeZone: 5-7, probably colder 2" tall Origin: Europe
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We have had good luck with this Mediterranean species provided it is planted where it can stay fairly dry in the summer months. In the wild, it is found on alkaline soils throughout much of Europe, hailing from as high as 4,200' elevation, futher north than any other cyclamen species. The round patterned leaves and dark pink flowers spring alive in July and August, adding great color to the summer woodland garden. In colder climates, great drainage in the winter is key to good survival. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #00075
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| <Crinum] | [Cynara - Cyrtomium> |
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