Iceplants & Penstemons - Sparkling stars of dry gardens

Last month the shrubby Penstemon (Penstemon fruticosus) bloomed and this month I have several more Penstemons putting on a great show.  I have been on a newly-found mission to collect as many species of Penstemon as I can find.  Not only are they lovely-looking flowers, but they thrive in sand and drought conditions.  Therefore, they are excellent perennials for non-irrigated parts of the yard, which at our place, is composed mainly of sand.  I have been obtaining seeds, though have only grown a few plants that way (Penstemon mexicali).  Native plant nurseries are a good place to find interesting varieties of Penstemons. 

Penstemon strictus and yellow carpet of Iceplant (Delosperma nubigenum)

I am growing this Penstemon strictus (Rocky Mountain Penstemon) next to an English Lavender, which gives a nice progression of blooms so that as the Penstemon blooms fade, the lavender will be in full bloom.  Like many Penstemon, this one shares the favoured conditions with the Iceplant (Delosperma).  These perennials are growing in warm conditions (mostly sun and against rocks) and in soil composed mostly of sand.  Drainage is excellent.  I have had iceplants literally turn to mush in the flowerbeds topped with bark mulch and receiving regular irrigation.  Penstemons may do the same disappearing trick in wet conditions.

Penstemon grandiflorus

This Penstemon grandiflorus (Large-flowered Beardtongue) was just planted this spring and is now producing this large tubular lavender-colored flowers.  It is growing in sand, next to the tiny pink flowers of another sand and drought loving plant, rosy evening primrose (Oenothera rosea).

Iceplant

I planted this bit of iceplant on a sandy, non-irrigated slope in my yard.  It has been entirely neglected this year.  Note how neglect seems to cause this plant to look great!  I think this was even one of the named cultivars rather than a species iceplant, which I had regarded as less hardy than D. nubigenum.  Instead, I think the ones that don't make it just had the wrong growing conditions.  There are many iceplants growing in the Summerland Ornamental Gardens' Xeriscape garden area.  They are greatly inspiring. 

Okanagan Dryland Spring-Flowering Perennials

Have you ever wanted to plant something that can really take care of itself in the hot dry conditions of summer?  I have been trying to add color to the dusty dry areas of our yard, planting native flowers and other drought tolerant perennials to replace the weeds.  I am most impressed with the most drought-hardy of these plants and have now got blooms on my plantings from the last two years.

These are my new favourite April-blooming drought-tolerant perennials:

 

1.  Heuchera cylindrica, the Round-leafed Alumroot.

 I actually found a few of these Okanagan native plants growing on our property and recognized the Heuchera foliage.  These are a wild variety of those plants at the nursery we know as coral bells, with the varieties of colors of foliage and white, red, or pink flowers.  I dug up one plant in early spring more than a year ago and divided it into as many plants as I could, producing this new group of plants.  Like all Heuchera,  the foliage is still attractive when not in bloom and they make a nice green groundcover.  These are growing in a predominantly sandy soil and doing well, much like the small iceplant next to them (which gives you an idea of the drought-hardiness, as iceplant will not  tolerate wet soils).  This group of plants gets a bit of drip-irrigation, but others in the yard get only rain and they look great too.

Heuchera cylindrica

 2.  Erigeron linearis, the Desert Yellow Daisy

This is another native plant, found in sagebrush and grassland habitats in the interior Pacific northwest.  I started these from seed last year.  They really needed to stay well-drained and I would recommend combining your seed-starting mix with sand and perlite to keep them happy.  These are living in the sandy gravel at the top of my driveway.  They are so cute and I would be happy if they behave like other Erigeron I have grown, self-seeding generously.  When they bloom later in the year, I will post about the Erigeron glaucus and E. karvinskianus.  

Erigeron linearis

 3.  Penstemon fruticosus, the Shrubby Penstemon

I was so excited to see the flowers on my Shrubby Penstemons this year.  For a plant I hardly ever water and that grows in poor sandy soil, I can't believe the beautiful flowers on this specimen.  I first noticed this plant growing on the rocky-sandy slopes at the base of Giant's Head Mountain in Summerland.  I crawled up close to get a better look identify it.  A few nurseries that specialize in native plants (Grasslands in Summerland and Sagebrush in Oliver) sell these plants.  I have not had much luck in starting these from seed myself.  Also, the seed is rather difficult to find from online sources.  

They spread up to 36" across and grow 12" tall.  They look like some well-bred nursery cultivar, but after they get established, they can be entirely neglected (like the ones growing wild on the hill a few kilometers away).  The ones in the wild seem to like to grow in partially shaded areas with some trees around. 

Penstemon fruticosus

 4.  Linum perenne, Blue Flax

This perennial is commonly seen at the sides of the highways in this area.  I have both the regular common Blue Flax (pictured) and a cultivar that is more compact, called "Sapphire".  The compact one is shorter and I do prefer its neat mound to the sometimes spindly tall stems of the common blue flax.  However, both make nice color.  This is a short lived perennial, but because it self-seeds freely, it will replace old plants with new ones.  It likes to get a little extra water in full sun.  I bring out a watering can every few weeks to give it a drink. 

Linum perenne, Blue Flax in Summerland, BC

 5.  Aurinia saxatilis, Basket of Gold Alyssum

Judging from the carpets of brilliant yellow flowers on slopes at the edges of of neighbour's properties, this perennial thrives without much water or care.  I have the "Compacta" variety of Aurinia saxatilis.  I have planted it in full sun, in the drip-irrigated section of the landscaping topped with bark mulch, but I plan to plant more of it in non-irrigated areas in the next year.  In preparation for these expanded plantings, I have a tray of small plants growing in the greenhouse -- all pricked out of a carpet of seedlings I took from under a mature plant.

This plant self-seeds a lot, so expect to find additional plants growing nearby.  I am don't mind this, because at they have appeared in rocky cracks where weeds would otherwise grow.  Growing them on and around rock walls is a great idea.  When not in bloom, it has grey-blue foliage (essential color of desert-type plants), similar in color to Artemisia. 

Alyssum saxatile

Longleaf Phlox - Okanagan Wildflower

Phlox longifolia, Okanagan wildflower among grass and wild sage

I am only now appreciating the local wildflowers, after years of taking them for granted.  Now, I search native plant websites for online seed sales and scour the mountainsides for seedheads.  If you want to be truly water-wise, the plants that grow wild here in the dry Okanagan are a good bet.  They're beautiful too! 

While some may call them weeds, several of the wildflowers are still pretty closely related to the ones in our garden centers.  The phlox family contains several favourites, including the low-growing rock garden Moss/Creeping Phlox (Phlox subulata) and the late summer-blooming Garden/Fall Phlox (Phlox paniculata).  August in a great perennial garden is the time to appreciate Phlox paniculata.  I know I fell in love with them when I saw the lovely display at Linden Gardens in nearby Kaleden a few years ago. 

Phlox subulata from my Saskatchewan garden

The delicate sprays of the wild pale pink Longleaf phlox growing on the wild grass and sage-covered hills across the street are about 6-10" inches tall and have fine needle-thin leaves.  These thin leaves are a drought-resistance mechanism, featured commonly on many desert plants.  They have lax stems that lean over and look wind-blown.  The flowers are apparently sweetly-scented but the surrounding cacti make it difficult to check this out thoroughly.

A university of Michigan database includes a history of the use an infusion of this plant by Okanagan native peoples for anemia in children. 

If you want to try to grow the Longleaf Phlox from seed, it needs to be germinated at cool temperatures (7°C and in the dark, according to this research from the Native Plants Journal).  Maybe I need to get the cold storage room doing something other than storing canned fruit. 

Opening a New Chapter

If you have never visited Summerland, British Columbia, you really should put it on your bucket list.  I feel lucky to be trying my gardening hand in this beautiful region of the southern interior of BC.  Like few other places in Canada, grapes and tree fruits grow fantastically well here.  The growing season is thankfully longer than the short Saskatchewan one I had been adapting to for the last many years.

No matter where you live, there is plenty of garden inspiration to be enjoyed around here.  Of course, the stunning Summerland Ornamental Gardens are just a quick walk across a trestle from here.  They have their own large examples of xeriscape gardens which I like to visit regularly.      

Our apple trees, in February awaiting spring awakening

We acquired an established apple orchard with a view of Okanagan Lake and I have a goal of adding an oasis of ornamental landscaping in the corner of our property.  The plans are to plant climate-appropriate plants that are also attractive to bees and butterflies.  I follow with interest the worldwide plight of honeybees and worry what their future holds.  I like to believe that gardeners can help out the bees with by growing flowers they appreciate, especially adjacent to large mono-cultures of (sprayed) trees. 

Morning at Powell Beach in Trout Creek

So far, only the heathers are blooming, but it is only February.  I should be happy I'm not shoveling snow with the rest of Canada.  Now is the time to hoard seed catalogs and propagate seedlings in the sun room.  Lee Valley Tools has a free shipping event right now, so I have been lingering far too long on their website.

This week, I pruned the mystery-variety plum tree that have lived here untended on a steep bank for many years.  This tree gets to be my practice subject and received several sprays with neem oil last year and is now on a watering system.  We will try dormant oil, sulphur spray, and wrapping the trunk with the tanglefoot kit I bought, hopefully reducing pests.  Time will tell if any of this is of use.