A Grower Perspective

Today is the day to add some structure to your garden. It is January and a good time to get in the larger plants that you may have forgotten about or neglected to plant in the fall. By structure in your garden I mean the larger plants that have a year round presence. If you are lacking a bit of piazza in your garden and notice it this month it may mean you need a few more plants that look great year round. It’s a sunny, balmy day here in Pleasant Hill, Oregon and a good day to pick out a few evergreens or maples or sweet osmanthus. A rhododendron or two will add this element, the evergreen leaves and the buds that are appearing now and a lighter green dimension to the plant, almost like an ornament, or how about some brilliant nandina, with the red foliage lighting up the green backdrop. If you are inclined to add more edible plants how about a blueberry or three, some blueberries you will find are evergreen and some of the deciduous varieties have brilliant stem colors in shades of red and bright green. A visit to a nursery will give you some ideas if you don’t already have one and you are welcome here to poke around in the ‘off season’ to fill up a place in your garden that needs a little January kick. We look forward to seeing you.

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  Are you looking for a good unusual specimen tree or hedge material for your garden?This eucalyptus, commonly known as omeo gum, is very hardy, strongly aromatic with large leaves, white flowers, and sweet rosy purple new leaf growth. The bark is brown and peeling and the mature leaves are oval with a silver-cast blue green color, highly desired by florists for arrangements and wreaths. Eucalyptus neglecta is a fine and unusual tree (15 – 30 feet high x 10-15 feet wide). For a hedge place plants 5 feet on center. It is a very rapid grower and you will be surprised how quickly you have a solid screen. Eucalyptus neglecta grows well in full sun and partial shade. It will tolerate, even thrive in poor and heavy clay soils, water until well established and mulch heavily in late fall to protect roots. This tree can be coppiced if it gets too large, the wood makes excellent firewood. We planted a eucalyptus in the display garden at the nursery. It is surrounded by ‘Golden Gate’ Rhododendron, Blue Oat grass, evergreen huckleberry and daffodil bulbs. A few more will be added to our hedge row on the west side. They will be mixed in with incense cedar and Nellie Stevens holly.

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