Sesleria autumnalis
Sesleria autumnalis is a meadow grass reaching twelve to eighteen inches with light green foliage. Flowers appear in the spring and fade gracefully throughout the summer. It tolerates a wide range of conditions. Sesleria caerulea is low growing to eight inches tall, The leaves are green on the bottom, silver on top and slightly twisted so that both colors are visible. Flowers are inconspicuous.
Stipa arrundinacea
Stipa arundinacea (now known as Anemanthela lessonia) grows three by three feet in shades of olive and orange. This is a lovely grass for all seasons. A new variety, ‘Sirocco’, is smaller, about eighteen inches, with bright shades of copper and pink in cool weather. Both need full sun or they will revert to green. Both require only minimal water.
Stipa gigantea has arching blades about twenty inches high. The tall flowering wands are reminiscent of golden oats and can attain heights of eight feet. It is very dramatic when back-lit by the sun and moving with the breeze. This grass is quite drought tolerant.
Stipa tenuissima is another very drought tolerant grass. This one does reseed readily, but seedlings can easily be removed if they become a problem. The fine leaves move with the slightest breeze, providing an airy look. Plants are often available in four inch containers as well as gallons.
Calamagrostis acutiflora
Calamagrostis acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’ is a very striking, upright grass that produces narrow brown flower heads four to six feet tall. The straw colored flowers remain throughout the winter. This grass prefers rich, moist soil. Other cultivars include ‘Overdam’ and ‘Avalanche’ which exhibit white striping in the leaves and ‘El Dorado’ which has golden stripes in the middle of the green leaves.
Miscanthus sinensis
This genus contains both deciduous and evergreen species. One of the deciduous varieties we stock is a very dramatic variegated one, Miscanthus sinensis ‘Cabaret’ which can grow six to seven feet tall. It is grown for its outstanding foliage as it is not know to produce any flowers. Varieties ‘Sarabande’, ‘Morning Light’ and ‘Gracillimus’, however, have extremely showy flowers.
Pennisetum setaceum
Pennisetum setaceum is a lovely, graceful grass and the ‘Rubrum’ form is by far the most popular. It’s no wonder as the purple blades are topped with graceful waving flowers. The main drawback, however, is that it is not cold hardy in the North County. If it does survive the winter, it generally takes a long time to rejuvenate, so we usually advise our customers to buy it early in the season and enjoy it as an annual.
Pennisetum orientale is a much smaller grass with light pink flowers throughout the summer. It is a very charming small grass and is not considered to be at all invasive.
Aucuba japonica
Aucuba japonica
Aucuba is a foliage plant that can be very useful in the shade. The most widely used varieties are variegated. One of the most handsome is ‘Mr. Goldstrike’ grown by Monrovia Growers. This evergreen plant is a slow grower, eventually reaching four to six feet. The green-leafed version is also a very attractive plant with very dark green leaves and, sometimes, bright red berries. It grows a bit faster and can reach six to ten feet.
Camellia ‘Yuletide’
The handsome, dark green leaves of Camellias provide a great background for the lovely spring flowers as well as for other shade loving plants. Camellia sasanqua is generally shorter with smaller leaves and flowers. It blooms earlier, usually in winter, and many of the flowers have single petals. ‘Yuletide’ is a very eye-catching example with red single flower and golden stamens. As the name indicates, it is frequently in bloom around Christmas.
Camellia japonica has some single flowering varieties as well, but many are doubles in shades of white, pink, rose and red. Camellias prefer acid soil which is completely lacking in the north county, even under oaks and pines. Adding either peat moss or azalea-camellia planter mix to the soil when planting will improve conditions. Azaleas, gardenias and rhododendrons also prefer this type of soil. Any of these plants will do very well in containers filled with an acid soil mix. All need shade here, especially in the afternoon.
Choisya ternata
This is a very low maintenance, evergreen plant that requires little water and is greatly appreciated for its deer resistance. Fragrant white flowers appear in the spring and, occasionally, again in the autumn. The plant is fairly fast growing and can reach six to eight feet high and wide, but four to five feet is normal here. It prefers shade in the afternoon. The leaves are normally a lovely dark green, but ‘Sundance’ has new growth that is chartreuse, gradually darkening to green.
Fatsia japonica
Grown strictly for its foliage, Fatsia adds a very tropical look to the shade garden. It will have white puffy flowers in late autumn and winter, but they are not particularly showy, just interesting and unexpected. Fatsia can take deep shade and is very suited to containers.
Abutilon (flowering maple)
Abutilon (flowering maple)
Abutilons display flowers of white, yellow, pink, red, orange and apricot along with frequently bold foliage. Dwarf varieties are only three feet tall while others can grow to six feet or more. The flowering maples are just a bit marginal for the North County, but will survive most winters with some protection. Even if they die to the ground, they come back with a vengeance in the spring. These are very free flowering plants and well worthwhile. Hummingbirds love them!
