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Re: Border in Italy

I didn't see the original post, so pardon me if I'm saying something that's
been said already, but I have a few more suggestions for your
white-purple-etc. border:

1)  Romneyas are indeed spectacular.  They can also be incredibly invasive. 
Don't plant them in a border with anything smaller than an oak tree, or
contain their roots as you would bamboo (i.e. some kind of impermeable barrier
that reaches down at least a foot into the soil).  A less invasive alternative
might be prickly poppies (Argemone spp.), which are easy to grow from seed. 
Most are annuals, though, so you'd have to renew them every year.

2)  Salvias, esp. the shrubby kinds, are some of my favorite plants.  Salvia
candelabrum makes a gorgeous grey-felted-leaved plant with clusters of intense
blue-purple flowers for most of the summer.  There are plenty of others that
are worth trying.  My favorite salvias are in the red/scarlet range, such as
the amazing S. gesneriflora, but those won't work in your scheme.

3)  Sisyrinchiums (such as S. bellum) have lovely, if small, blue-to-purple
flowers over a very long period, especially if watered somewhat during the
summer.  'Rocky Point' is an especially nice cultivar of S. bellum, quite
stocky and with larger flowers than the species.

4)  Another one to try is Aristea ecklonii, a South African member of the
Liliaceae.  It looks a lot like a big sisyrinchium -- long, strap-shaped
leaves with spikes of intense sky-blue flowers, which appear at intervals all
year 'round here in Santa Cruz.  It looks best in partial shade -- full sun
makes the leaves scorch a bit.

Boy, I could go on forever here (it's always fun to plan someone else's garden
for them!).  Shrubby centaureas, scaevola, dampieras, geraniums, echiums --
the list goes on.  Let me know if you want more suggestions.

Phil

--------------------------------------
Date: 1/28/97 1:19 AM
To: Phil Stevens
From: MACE1@AppleLink.Apple.COM
Alessandre wrote:
 
>I would like to create a
>white-purple-blue-magenta border
 
If you're looking to use Mediterranean climate plants, for blue I am fond of
Ceanothus bushes.  They produce very intense blues in the spring, and are very
tough.  They can grow in clay soil if you amend it well, the proof being one
that grows here next to the sidewalk (the Zona dell'beerbottles in my
neighborhood).
 
One of the nicest whites I've seen is the Matilija poppy (Romneya coulteri).
It's tall (to almost 3m) with very large crinkled flowers that look like
handkerchiefs.  The transportation folks here have planted a number of them
along a freeway, and they're a spectacular sight in the spring.
 
And what about some Pacific Coast Irises?  They're very resilient when
established, and you can get hybrids in a variety of blue and magenta shades.
My favorite plant is a hybrid here that covers itself in big, intense purple
flowers with gold veins every spring.  Unfortunately, to get the most reliable
colors you need to buy plants rather than seeds, and they don't ship well.
 
None of these are very original, but they are nice.
 
Mike
 

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From: MACE1@AppleLink.Apple.COM (Mace, Michael)
To: MEDIT-PLANTS@ucdavis.edu
Subject: Re: Border in Italy
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