Monday, July 22, 2013

Opps I Did it Again! - Grevillea Edition

Friday, on the way home from work, my Assistant, Yvette and I stopped at Xera.

We spent some time perusing the plants. I could tell Yvee was thinking "Oh geeze, not this again", as she kept ducking under the benches to lay down.  She knew this was going to take a while.

I looked at the small plants first and found a cute little variegated Carex.  We set that at the counter and kept looking. I kind of wanted another small Grevillea or perhaps a Callistemon.

Grevillea australis had to come home with me. She was small, cute and the sound of flossy white flowers reeking of honey sounded too good to pass up. 

Then I spied Grevillea x 'Neil Bell' and was intrigued. I was immediately seduced by his good looks. The down side was that the tag said "To 7' tall and as wide in 5 years". Crap! Where on earth could I put that!?!  I had to think about it a little. So I wandered around a some more.

Grevillea australis
Grevillea x 'Neil Bell'
Grevillea x 'Neil Bell'
So after hemming and hawing, and chatting with the lovely girl (Idinah) working there, I bought them both and said "F@#$-it! I'll figure it out when I get home".

When I got home, I wandered around the yard trying to envision what to dig up next. There was no hole in any existing flowerbed for this potentially big boy.

I opted to evoke the "at least I still have grass" mantra, and I dug up (in the heat no less) a new round out of the grass that burns to a crisp in the summer.  


Eventually, (if I know myself) all the grass will come out in this area and my Neil Bell can be as big as he wants. I added a baby Callistemon rugulosus 'violaceus' I got at the Hardy Plant Sale this past spring and moved around a few other things that were either getting hidden by other plants, or just needed a sunnier spot.

Still needs a few Sedums to fill things out a little more. Ugh, the grass is bad...

In a few years, this bed will be just another island in the hummingbird buffet that is my garden.

11 comments:

  1. I'm gla you made it worth Yvette's while. You couldn't drag her all the way there and then not buy anything; she'd be so upset!

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  2. What great finds! I visited Xera for the first time yesterday. Wow, that small space packs a major horticultural punch!

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  3. Excuse me? "To 7' tall and as wide in 5 years"...OMG! I bought 'Neil Bell' from a friend last fall...only a hand written tag and I couldn't find anything on line. I guess I need to start a list of things to move ASAP...

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    1. I noticed you had it when I googled pictures.

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    2. Neil Bell is apparently an offspring of 'Constance', which was the huge Grevillea featured in your parking lot.

      Xera's website says (which is different than what's on the actual tag):

      Grevillea x ‘Neil Bell’ Zn7b? (5º to 10ºF) Proteaceae

      Found in the garden of Neil Bell in Monmouth, Oregon in the Willamette Valley this immensely handsome seedling appeared at the base of Grevillea x ‘Constance’ and we were given cuttings by Neil himself. We had to name it after him, he’s a great guy. What is surprising (or maybe not) is that this shrub looks completely different than its parent. Why it isn’t surprising is that ‘Constance’ is a hybrid between the large leaved Grevillea victorae and the needle leaved Juniper grevillea (Grevillea juniperina). There was bound to be some variation in that promiscuous bloodline. 1.5” sage green leaves are paddle shaped and are good looking at all times of the year. For an extended period curly rust red pendant flowers appear and delight humans and hummingbirds alike. There is no reason why this shrub should have not inherited the cold hardiness of its parents. We’ve seen it undamaged into the low teens. Very handsome- to 8’ tall and 6’ wide in 5 years in full sun and well drained, un-enriched soil. Grows very fast. We’re proud to offer an Oregon selection of Grevillea. May there be more in the future.

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  4. What a good idea , starting from the center of the grass and working out words !

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  5. They have Neil Bell? Xera, here I come. You are such a bad influence.

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    1. They only had this one and I scooped it up! I should not have, but couldn't help it.

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    2. Thanks for saving me from myself.

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  6. Isn't moving plants around what it's all about?

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    1. I honestly hate to move anything once it is happy. I prefer to plant around them. It's too much work digging stuff up and moving it!

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