Plant profile: Aristea capitata (syn. A. major)

Newsflash: It's flowering now for the first time! This African plant sports iris-like sword-shaped leaves year round, but the bright blue flowers only appear in spring, and though we've had the plant since it was a wee 4" pot, it's finally rewarded our care.

Latin name: Aristea capitata ("ah-RIST-ee-ah cap-ee-TA-ta") syn. A. major
Common name: Blousuurkanol, Blue Sceptre
Originally from: the Cape of Africa.
Blooms: Gentian blue spikes of flowers rise  above the clump each spring to about 4' high.
Light: Full sun, part sun.
Water: Rain is plenty. Little summer water, though good water-retaining soil helps
Where to find in P. Garden: the middle back bed has a clump.

In the genus Aristea there are approximately 55 species distributed throughout Africa and Madagascar, most of them with brilliant blue flowers, a few with lilac or white flowers. Several are beautiful, but unfortunately not all of them are so easy to grow - they're not commonly found in cultivation, and you certainly won't get them at Home Despot. Aristea ecklonii is one species that can be found somewhat more often - looks like a giant Sisyrinchium.

We thought our specimen was a dud, but they do take several years to get comfy enough to flower. They don't love being divided, or moved, and the best way to propagate them is by seed. Hopefully our clump continues to spread.

UPDATE: the 5 year drought sadly killed this plant. In a place with a little more dampness it would likely thrive.

Windy, and purply

It's seriously windy today. I went to the garden at lunchtime to pot up twenty one 4" pots of  Lychnis coronaria (rose campion) that were given to us by John. The pots were flying all over the place!

I love the intense pink color of the rose campion, so hopefully the seedlings will take and we can put them all over the place.

The middle back bed is looking nice today. I had planned it to include many shades of purplle and silver, and the photo here shows just that! Working from lower left in a clockwise fashion we have silvery lamb's ears (Stachys byzantina), variegated Society Garlic (Tulbaghia violacea), more lamb's ears, orange California poppies, blue pincushion flowers (Scabiosa), Lavendula stoechas "Madrid Purple" (lavender), and in front of that the strappy leaves of Aristea major (about to flower for the first time!), then silvery Plectranthus argentatus, a purple Lantana camera, and finally the Pacific Coast iris (Iris douglasiana) on the bottom right.

Annie's Annuals

I have long wanted to make a pilgrimage to Annie's Annuals in the Beast (that's what East Bay is pig latin for) and today I got my wish. Most of the interesting plants I see for sale at local plant shops are from Annie's and naturally the name alone appeals to me, so I quickly did my taxes (!) and off we went...

Well, it's not in the best area, but lemme tell you Annie can grow a plant or two. Everything is in 4" pots, and no greenhouses there - all plants were on the tiny side. In other words cheapish. And yes, I am getting a tax refund, so I decided to blow a small part of it on the garden.

I had made a list but naturally things change when faced with a wall o' colorful plants. Here's what we scooped:

- Aloe ferox - wish I could afford a nice big specimen, but this will teach me patience.
- Sedum spirium "Voodoo"
- 3 Artemisia californica
- Greenovia diplocycla
- 2 Ursinia anthemoides "Solar Fire"
- Melianthus major
- Drosanthemum bicolor (Dew Flower)
- Drosanthemum striatum (Dew Flower)
- Crassula erosula "Campfire"
- Echium russicum
- Mimulus aurantiacus "Point Molate"
- Mimulus puniceus
- Isomeris arborea (Bladderpod)
- Cotyledon orbiculata var. orbiculata (Pig's Ear)
- Dianthus barbatus nigrescens "Sooty"
- Aristea major

OK, so that's a binge. Mostly plants with mega impact though - the Drosanthemums are on fire, the Aloe has teeth and a plant called "Sooty"? Sold.