speaking of plants... of Saccharum arundinaceum etc.

Hi Marge good to see you posting of late .As you know I mostly lurk,but
hope I can offer Donna some of my experience with the following plants.

>This one is really rock hardy..Think edible Aaparagus)offering came out of
Neb.or Dakotas? anyway hard winter area,as I recall it was rated zone 3.(It
looks alot like florist type aspar.vine; (the stuff they put in with
roses..)but a little coarser. Had no trouble with it, not bugs etc.although I
think it would like more fertilizer than I have given it over the now  third
season in the garden.Intend to take better care of it this season and look
forward to seeing all those orange berries in the late summer.BTW this appears
to be a kissing cousins to a variety which grows in my former gardening world
zone 9/10 (sob)which I loved but it not of course hardy here,so this is a
delightful sub.Behaves much like edible Aspar.but stays green right into hard
frost,light see through vine which can attain  8'or so in height not sure of
mature width.
>
>
Marge says:

>I do not have the Asparagus verticillatus, but saw it at Tony Avents
>a couple years ago.  Very interesting plant that I have considered
>getting.  Doubt it would be hardy for you; think it would be iffy for
>me, but definitely of great interest in the garden - not strange or
>weird, but neat.
>-----------------------------------------------------------------------
>THis one is delightful and hardy here in our ever changing temps..Not
invasive at all in fact I wish it were a little more aggressive growth
wise..Pretty in bloom,rich pink sweet pea shaped flowers.This one I almost
destroyed pulling weeds etc.by the time I checked myself I had 'hard pruned'
more than half of the new spring growth..It recovered nicely and bloomed as
usual.According to Forest Farms cat.this one is rated zone 5 which I suspect
is true.Mine is in full brutal high desert sun which seems not to phase
it.Adaptable as per Marges comments.
>
>
>Marge says:
>I have Indigofera kirilowii and enjoy it no end.  Have not found it
>invasive.  Have had it in (of course) the wrong place - a raised bed,
>where it gets too tall - since I put in that raised bed garden; what
>is that now, five years or so anyway.  It has started to sucker a bit
>- there is one offset about 8" from the main stem, but I would not
>class that as invasive.
>
>Charming small shrub type plant.  I have mine in part shade; like it
>gets some direct early/midday sun and is in shade the rest of the
>day; blooms like mad.  Gets about 3' tall; of course, I give mine a
>haircut in spring, so don't know how tall it would get if you just
>left it alone.
>---------------------------------------------------------------
>
>This just happens to be my very favorite grass.It is going into its 6th year
with me and I/we love it so much we will be dividing it this spring and making
a screen (of very impressive proportion) along our fence line and driveway..I
love the 'rubber'zones, as this one has been rock hardy for us here and this
is a zone 6(got it from T.Avent he too says its a 6er.)However I have checked
the temps for these past 6 yrs and we have been below zero only two of those
yrs. for several days at a time.But we have many weeks of temps seldom above
freezing.I think it would survive zone 5 in a sheltered spot (once established
of course)and you NOT cut the top growth down until spring has really arrived
(we get many hard frost until late spring)this protects the crown and buffers
the air around it.Just my opinion on this however..One word of warning allow a
very large spot for this one,true to it heritage it is a GIANT!!Ours currently
measures('03) 12'Hx14'W.In our high ph soil the foliage is a gorgeous blue
gray,it is truely a specimen type which needs plenty of space..Ease of care
like most grasses, I dont feed mine too much maybe twice a season via foliar
feeding..Never have to worry about volunteer seedlings as season is too short
here,came close this year with a long Indian summer,I could see the stalks
thickening with pending blossoms but it was cut short by hard frost as with
every year before ..
>
marge says:

>Don't grow Saccharum but according to John Greenlee's 'Encyclopedia
>of Ornamental Grasses', it's only hardy to z 9-10.  Gets 12-15' tall.
> He does say some hardy clones have survived 10F and show promise as
>selections for colder areas.   Appears there are several clones with
>varying colors of canes.  Also says it grows well in pots or tubs, so
>you could do that and bring it in for winter.  Canes are edible -
>same as sugar cane used for sugar production.
>-----------------------------------------------------------------
>
Yucca rostrata.This one is also a T.Avent purchase and its survived nicely its
now 3rd winter..However as with all Yuccas its slow even in this desert
soil..But it looks good,wouldnt venture a guess for your climate Donna as I
know it must have sharp drainage to survive winters..Even here I worry about
it occasionaly..Under a eave or some such might be helpful..If you could find
a large one you'd have a good head start on bringing it to maturity in this
lifetime :-)
I hope you find some of this helpful in your choices..As I assess the plants
in the gardens I find I have many that are 'not supposed to be here' zone wise
and perhaps a  winter will come eventually to kill them off but in the mean
time I have had the pleasure of their beauty and find that far out weighs the
risks..
Keep growing.
Connie

>Marge says:
>
>I do not find Yucca a fast growing plant, so if you want something
>that makes a statement, best try for it locally.  Don't know that one
>as all I have are filamentosa and the yellow var. one whose name I
>forget.
>
>Nice list there, Donna:-)

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