FREEDONIALAND: Dance the Plant Fantastic: Plants I NEED to grow

For many, there is nothing more pleasurable than the anticipation of spring. For some it only means easier access to the mall, less snow, more touch football, or using the grill or getting ready to veg out (interesting term there since vegetables are always on the move--however slowly!) or other ways to escape from job. family, or whatever. For these folks gardening is nothing but more toil, another job. We're not addressing those folks and in fact they probably aren't even reading this blog.

No, we're thinking of those people who pour over gardening catalogs all winter, fantasizing about the next step in their garden, looking with wonder at what plants are available. (I can remember not too many years ago when perennials were just not that available in the Atlanta market, were considered exotics almost, or something that a relative passed along; I can even remember when Hastings, then located over off of Cheshire Bridge, has a couple of small tables of perennials and had mostly annuals [this was the same Hastings' Seed and Feed that my grandfather -- see the previous post -- would order from for his farm some sixty or more years ago.])

I have to say -- as you may have gathered by now -- that I am one of those maniacs who adores plants with great 'will power,' that is, the bigger the better especially if it can grow 12 feet in one season, or if it can take over a whole corner of the garden, or best of all, it is both huge AND odd looking. Some would say this is a character flaw, even a form of escapism from the invisibility (and some tedium let's admit) of nativistic plant life. But as one who admits of an artistic temperament, I have to say that this admiration of plants with outsized ambition and forceful revelation of its 'inner self' does reveal something of my artistic Leo temperament. Luckily there is no law against that yet. (By the way, without going into the whole thing, I found an interesting PDF of a book called Invasion Biology which I am going to pass along to you here. Be warned though that it is a 10 meg download which will commence when you click on the link. The question of exotics and 'invasions' is a very fraught question which scientists are examining -- this is an academic sort of book by the way -- questions which have ideological components as well no doubt. I only go into this now because many of the plants I am so fascinated with tend not to be 'from around here'; I suppose if one were ruthless enough one could enlist the psycho-analytic crowd to parse the apple but I think I'd rather just eat it.)

Ar any rate, herewith a few of these plants which I have lived with in my imagination for many years. Perhaps at some point they will make it into the ground.

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The marvelous plant at the top of the page is Puya chilensis, a native of Peru. I just came across this bodacious version recently by way of the wonderful Annie's Annuals in California. A member of the Bromeliad family, it's flower stalks grow 7-12 feet tall and a basal rosette up to FIFTEEN FEET ! across! The catch is, it takes 10 to 15 years to bloom. I'll call you over when it happens. Maybe I'll try to grow the Blue Puya as well! (yes indeed, sort of a metallic, teal blue!)

And while I'm over at Annie's there are a couple of other plants that I've dreamed about, namely a couple of Echiums:

This one is a California native, E. Fastuosum but there is another more spectacular one:

Jeez, it's like sci-fi ville....or Fantasia. These like sorta dry conditions and would parobably need to coddled a lot that is, taken in and out of a warm area. Hmmm, an 8 ft tall flower stalk -- COULD be a problem there -- although I can't say that's ever held me back. These versions hail from the Canary Islands.

I've lusted after Gunnera Manicata ever since I first saw it in English gardening magazines. The sheer size of it is mind-boggling...makes me feel like a character in a Leprechaun. movie Unfortunately these plants seem to need much cooler temps than we can provide in our southern summers. I know because I killed it twice...figure I've got one last chance.

And just one more for now. I'm a sucker for all vines but Lapageria Rosea, the state flower of Peru apparently has s sort of mystical allure for me, along with some other vines which I'll discuss in the next post.I'm sure this one requires special care too, can't just plant it in the ground and run off; probably a lot of hauling back and forth. I found this one at the Potato Rock Nursery in California (incredible catalog of OTHER plants also):