Plant Name: Cotoneaster horizontalis
Common Name: Rockspray Cotoneaster
Plant type: Semi-evergreen shrub
Height: 2-3 ft
Width: 5-7 ft
Bloom Time: May – June
Flower Color: Pink (tiny flowers)
Exposure: Full sun to Part shade
Soil Requirements: Requires well-drained soil, Withstands poor soil, but best in loamy soil
Water Needs: Medium
Attributes: Groundcover, Fall color, Textured arching branches , Red berries for birds, Dense foliage, Slow-growing, Semi-prostrate
Note: Tough, Easy to grow, Drought tolerant once established
Uses: Rock gardens, Rock walls, Mass plantings, Erosion control for banks & slopes, Winter interest, Shelter for Beneficial insects
Native to: Western China
USDA Hardiness Zone: 4-7
Tag Archives: Horticulture Report
Horticulture Report: Cobaea scandens
Plant Name: Cobaea sandens
Common Name: Cup & Saucer Vine
Family: Polemoniaceae
Plant type: Sub-tropical Vine (annual below zone 9)
Height: 10-25 feet
Bloom Time: Seasonal (In a greenhouse it flowers year round)
Flower Color: Violet or White
Exposure: Full Sun
Soil Requirements: Rich, moist, good drainage
Water Needs: Medium
Attributes: Showy Bell Flowers, Fragrant, Attracts Hummingbirds & Butterflies
Note: Mexico native, flowers last 4 days, Circa 1828 ~ RHS Award of Garden Merit
Start seeds indoors 8-10 weeks before last frost.
Uses: Garden wall, Fence and Trellis plant, Container plant with adequate support,
USDA Zone: 9-11
Check your local nurseries and garden center for seeds and/or plants.
Available online at:
Annie’s Annuals http://www.anniesannuals.com/plants/view/?id=269
Select Seeds Seeds & Plants : http://www.selectseeds.com/heirloom-ines/cup_and_saucer_vine_plants.aspx
Seeds: J.L. Hudson, Seedsman http://www.jlhudsonseeds.net/SeedlistCN-CZ.htm
Horticulture Report: Brunnera macrophylla
Plant Name: Brunnera macrophylla
Cultivar: Siberian Bugloss, Brunnera Heart-Leaf
Plant type: Perennial [Forget-Me-Not]
Height: 12- 18 inches
Bloom Time: Mid to late spring
Flower Color: Blue
Sun: Part shade [4-6 hrs of sun], Full Shade [4 hrs of sun]
Soil Requirements: Well-drained fertile soil, tolerates damp soil.
Water Needs: Medium
Attributes: Heart-shaped leaves, Deer & Rabbit Resistant, Mounding Form, Non-Invasive, Easy Care.
Uses: Naturalizing, Beds & Borders, Containers, Woodland Gardens, Mass Planting
Note: ‘Jack Frost’ variety tolerates summer heat better [Not more sun…more heat]
USDA Zone: 3 to 7 ( Zone 8 too but it needs more water)
Horticulture Report: Yellow-wax Bells
Plant Name: Kirengeshoma palmata
Common Name: Yellow-wax Bells
Plant type: Herbaceous perennial
Height: 3 -4.5 ft
Bloom Time: Late Summer
Flower Color: Yellow -Bell shaped
Exposure: Full to Part Shade
Soil Requirements: Humus rich acidic, well-drained soils
Water Needs: Regular: keep moist
Attributes: Large Maple-shaped leaves, Clusters of yellow flowers, Pearl-sized buds, Dainty nodding bells, Showy fruit, Year-round interest
Note: Highly prized
Uses: Mass plantings, Woodland Gardens, Shade Gardens, Specimen plant, Winter Interest
Native to: Mountainous regions of Japan to Korea
USDA Hardiness Zone: 5-8
Horticulture Report: Edgeworthia chrysantha
Plant Name: Edgeworthia chrysantha
Edgeworthia chrysantha Akebono photo courtesy of Roozitaa & Wikimedia
Cultivar: Akebono
Common Name: Paperbush
Plant type: Deciduous Shrub
Height: 5’ – 6’
Bloom Time: February – March
Flower Color: Red/Orange
Exposure: Part Shade or Shade
Soil Requirements: Moisture-retentive, Fertile Loamy Soil
Water Needs: Medium
Attributes: Winter Interest, Tubular Fragrant Flowers borne on bare stems,
Silky Silver Buds
Note: Related to Daphnes, Inner bark used in China to make quality papers. Winter hardy to below 0 degrees F.
Uses: Woodland gardens, Shady borders, Collector’s Specimen Planting, Ornamental, Used to make paper.
USDA Zone: 7b -10b
Other Varieties:
*Edgeworthia chrysantha Snow Cream Papberbush – Winter hardy USDA Zones 7b-10b
*Edgeworthia papyrifera Nanjing Gold Paperbush – USDA Zones 8-10
Horticulture Report: Winter Flowers
Erica carnea…..Winter Heath
A dwarf evergreen shrub native to the European Alps which persist even under the snow. It often blooms at Christmas (“Winter Beauty”). Flowers are borne individually on the stem in masses of bell-shaped blossoms. Colors range from creamy white, rich pink, to deep ruby red (“ Ruby Glow”). Plant in well drained humus-rich soil. It needs partial shade in hotter areas. Prune yearly to prevent “legginess”.
Height 12-18”, spreading to 3 feet, so give it room. USDA Hardiness Zone: 2 to 10
“They are adorable, these clumps of winter heather. Actually they seem to welcome the snow, for it enhances their sweet complexions.” Beverley Nichols, Down the Garden Path