The first appointments available for the shopping at the Peacock Horticultural Nursery will be Thursday, January 19th. Just some of the new plants:
Aechmea caudata var. variegata (5 gallon pots) A medium size funnel shaped evergreen plant to 3′ tall (a bit taller in shade) with stiff slightly arching leaves to 30 inches long with very fine teeth along the margins. These leaves are light green with longitudinal creamy stripes that have a pink tinge towards the leaf bases and on the newly emerging shoots. Flowering is in summer with orange red bracted bud with bright yellow flowers. As with other bromeliads this plant is monocarpic and the rosette bearing the flower eventually dies but is replaced by several new rosettes from shoots at its base. Great in light shade or morning sun but can take coastal full sun once acclimated and the variegation is better and plant more compact with brightest light. Plant in a well-draining media. Relatively drought tolerant with an occasional overhead watering to add to water stored in center cavity. This is a very cold tolerant bromeliad that is hardy through much of coastal California and noted as tolerating short duration temperatures down to below 20° F and also tolerating windy near seashore conditions. This tough, cold tolerant bromeliad is very showy in or out of bloom and can be planted in the ground, in pots or be grown epiphytically.
Agave salmiana var. ferox ‘Medio Picta’ (2 gallon pots) – grows to about 4 to 5 feet tall by 6 to 8 feet wide with long wide blue-green leaves that have bold yellow stripes running through the middle. Plant in full sun in a well-drained soil – may need some protection in hot inland locations. Along the coast it is drought tolerant and likely will tolerate temperatures down to around 15°F
Agave parrasana ‘Sea Star’ (3 gallon pots) A mostly solitary and slow growing variegated agave that grows to 18″ tall by a bit wider with smooth textured thick and short wide spade shaped gray colored leaves that have broad cream-yellow colored margins on the lower two thirds of the leaf and reddish brown teeth and terminal spine. Plant in full sun to bright shade in a well-drained soil and irrigated occasionally to infrequently. Hardiness is not well documented on this plant but the parent species are higher elevation hardier plants, likely this plant should be good down to at least 15° F. I have this palnted in our garden and has taken temperatures down to at least 26 F and seems to be holding up to all the rain we are having.
Agave parrasana ‘Sea Star’
Aloe cooperi (one gallon pots) (Cooper’s Grass Aloe) – An usual upright growing aloe to 3 to 4′ tall that offsets freely to produce open rosettes on short stems with distichous (oppositely 2 ranked) narrow 2-3′ long deeply V-shaped mid-green leaves that are thin and barely succulent with a few white spots near their bases and tiny soft teeth along their margins. In mid-summer appear the 1 1/2 – 2″ long salmon pink flowers with green tips that are upright and greener in bud and dangling as they open. These are held tightly clustered at the top of a 2 – 3′ tall unbranched inflorescence. Plant in full to part sun in a well-drained soil and irrigate occasionally spring through fall in our mediterranean climate. Though not particularly happy in high heat locations, it is cold hardy to around down to 10 °F.
Aloe ‘Dwarf White’ (one gallon pots) A very ornamental small aloe with 4-5″ wide rosettes of narrow recurved gray leaves that have yellow edged margins bearing small but prominent recurved teeth. In mid fall through early winter appear the 1′ tall unbranched spikes of cream flowers. Plant in full to part day sun in a well-drained soil and irrigate occasionally to infrequently. Has proven hardy to 25F.
Aloe ‘Dwarf White’
Aloe ‘Moonglow’ (2 gallon pots) A medium size shrub aloe that grows to 4 – 5 feet’ tall by 6’+ wide with many densely held rosettes holding narrow 18″ long gray-green leaves that arch strongly upwards with yellow teeth along the margins and some horizontal banding on the upper surface of the leaf. Starting in late fall, with peak bloom in midwinter, appear an abundance of tightly clustered salmon-yellow flower buds that open to display pale yellow flowers on branching inflorescences that rise well above the foliage – this hybrid is a very heavy flower producer! Plant in full sun in a well-drained soil and give occasional to infrequent summer irrigation. This hybrid is listed as frost tolerant with foliage and stems hardy to at least 25° F
Aloe ‘Moonglow’
Aloe ‘Viper’ (one gallon pots) A wild looking aloe that forms a cluster of upright 1′ tall by 1′ wide rosettes of upright bright green leaves that have raised orange-red bumps running longitudinally on all surfaces and orange flowers not much taller than the foliage in winter. Plant in full sun to light shade in a well-drained soil and give occasional to infrequent irrigation. Hardy to around 25° F.
Begonia ‘Freddie’ (2 gallon pots) A giant leafed rhizomatous begonia with entire rounded leaves that are glossy green on top and red underneath. The intermittent branched flower spikes can be present year-round in a mild climate and are held above the foliage with bright reddish pink flowers. A great specimen plant for a large container in mild climates, this plant has been known to grow leaves that are 3 feet around in Hawaii though typical growth in southern California is 18-24 inches. Plant in part shade (~4 hours of sun) to filtered light in a well-drained soil and irrigate regularly. Has withstood short duration cold temperatures down to 28°F without damage. Also, quite adaptable as a houseplant and has been recommended for beginners.
Beschorneria yuccoides ‘Flamingo Glow’ (2 gallon pots) (Variegated Amole) – An attractive variegated selection of Amole (Beschorneria yuccoides) the Agave relative from Mexico that has flexible unarmed leaves. This golden-variegated sport grows to form multiple rosettes of soft gray green leaves to 3 – 5′ tall that have a central stripe of yellow. In summer appear the stout pink colored stalks to 6 feet tall with pendulous green, pink-based flowers that are enclosed by reddish pink bracts. Plant in full sun, little water. Hardy to less than 15 °F
Cyphostemma juttae (2 gallon pots) (Wild grape) – A slow-growing deciduous succulent shrub that can grow up to 6 feet tall or more but is usually seen much smaller in cultivation. It has heavy swollen main stems of the type of plants that is often called a caudiciform. These stems have papery, peeling bark and at the branch tips hold large (up to 1 foot long) gray-green ovate shaped fleshy leaves with toothed margins that emerge in late spring a red-purple color and fall off during winter. The flowers are held above the foliage but are tiny and inconspicuous and followed by showy grape-like bunches of pinkish red berries towards summer end. Though these berries look like grapes, to which this plant is related, they should not be eaten as they contain toxic levels of tannic acids. Plant in full to part sun in a well-drained soil and irrigate occasionally when in leaf – can be grown outdoors in our winter rainfall gardens but soil must drain well. Winter hardy to at least 25°F
Eucalyptus torquata (5 gallon pots) (Coral Gum) – A small upright evergreen tree to 15 – 20′ tall by as wide with persistent gray-brown bark on the trunk and larger branches and with pale blue-green leathery 4 – 6″ long leaves. Masses of beautiful flowers appear throughout the year but primarily late spring through fall with orange barrel-shaped buds that have a corrugated base and with horned caps that lift of to expose coral red stamens with yellow tips. Plant in full to part sun in well-drained soil and irrigate occasionally to infrequently – a drought tolerant species in coastal California gardens. It is hardy to short duration temperatures down to around 17°F. This very attractive tree tolerates heat, wind, and moderate frost.
Eucalyptus x torwood (15 gallon pots) (Torwood Gum) – A fast growing small tree to 20 – 25″ tall with smooth gray bark that can have seasonal tinges of orange, as do the stems which hold the 3 – 5″ long by 1/2 – 1″ wide dull green leaves that are aromatic when crushed. The flowers, held in clusters of 3 to 7, are showy and generally appear in midsummer with a scattered flowering at other times. They have a large decoratively ribbed basal hypanthium holding pink and sometimes yellow stamens that push off a long beaked operculum cap to display the 1.25″ wide flowers. Plant in full sun in a well-drained soil light to medium soil and irrigated occasionally to infrequently. This is a “drought tolerant” tree that is also fairly frost resistant with reports of it also tolerating near beachside conditions with some protection from direct exposure.
Mangave ‘Lavender Lady‘ (one gallon pots) This attractive slow growing evergreen succulent plant forms a solitary mounded compact rosette that to 12″ tall by 20″ wide and holds as many as 60 flattened fleshy 7″ long by 2″ wide leaves that have purple-lavender spots when emerging and age first to a smoky purple color and finally to a gray green. The leaves are pliable with a soft terminal brown spine and the margins have tiny flexible creamy-colored teeth. At maturity this plant produces a thick spike that arches over and bears hundreds of yellow flowers. Plant in full to half day sun in a well-drained soil and give occasional to regular irrigation. Hardy to short duration freezes not colder than around 25°F. It has been noted as resistant to deer and rabbit predation.
Mangave ‘Silver Fox’ (2 gallon pots) A frosty silver-gray colored succulent plant with generally solitary very symmetrical looking rosettes up to 1′ tall by almost 2′ wide. The arching recurved leaves are a light green color that are covered with a thick waxy coating that gives them a seemingly glowing silver-gray coloration with light blue purple spotting beneath. Leaves have prominent shallowly serrated leaf margins with hard rubbery teeth. When mature ‘Silver Fox’ sends up a 6 – 8′ tall stalk, bare at the base with foot long secondary branches in the top half bearing bright yellow flowers. The flowering rosette withers away but it soon replaced by several new ones from its base that creates a cluster of plants. Plant in full to half day sun in a well-drained soil and give occasional to regular irrigation. It is cold hardy to around 23° F and has been noted to be resistant to deer and rabbit predation.
Mangave ‘Silver Fox’
Mangave ‘Tooth Fairy’ (one gallon pots) A succulent plant with mostly solitary rosettes up to 1′ tall by 17″ wide with short thick upwardly inclined glaucus blue-gray lanceolate leaves that are densely patterned with pale purple spots. The leaves also have decorative small fine jagged eyelash-like teeth along the margins of the leaf and are tipped with 1.5″ long terminal spine, all which go through various shades or yellow, orange, red and cinnamon brown. These teeth also leave nice bud imprinting on both the upper and lower surfaces of adjacent leaves. Plant in full to half day sun in a well-drained soil and give occasional to regular irrigation. Hardy to about 25 F.
Sansevieria bhitalae ‘Superclone’ (3 gallon pots) A tall robust Snakeplant with 3 – 4 vertically inclined blue-gray colored leaves that can reach 4 – 6′ tall. Leaves have a slightly wavy brown edge. Though not inclined to flower with any regularity. The individual lightly fragrant white flowers are over 6″ long in a cluster that can be a 1′ wide atop a 2′ long inflorescence. Will tolerate low light levels but grows best and flowers if given bright light and even tolerates full sun. Hardy to 30-32° F. Water sparingly and not at all as temperatures dip in winter, particularly if growing outdoors. These plants can tolerate going months between watering and if grown outdoors in California. Best to be kept under an eave or some other protection from winter rainfall and cold. A great large container plant for interior or exterior use that needs little care.