Author: Stephen Ryan
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Mahonia oiwakensis
Well here we go again, another much loved plant has had a name change. So if you are looking for this stunning shrub in a book more than a few months old then look up Mahonia lomariifolia and it will have the same description as it is the same plant. What ever the name is
Stephen Ryan
X Chitalpa tashkentensis
A truly remarkable intergenetic hybrid between Chilopsis linearis and Catalpa bignonioides breed at the Botanic Garden of the Uzbec Academy of Science in 1964. Although both Genera are in the same family they appear quite different and a cross would seem unlikely and the result possibly less that ornamental. However this plant has proved to
Stephen Ryan
Trachystemon orientalis
If you are sick of Hostas eaten by snails or burnt to crisp,or the gap they leave for such a long time throughout winter but still want big gutsy leaves then Russian Borage could be just the thing. It has spikes of rich blue flowers in late winter as the leaves unfold which are a
Stephen Ryan
Salix cuprea ‘Pendula’
It is a shame that the Australian weed assessment people decided to ban almost the whole willow Genus instead of doing the assessments one at a time as many benign species are now banned. Was it expediency or worse “the more you ban the more important your job is seen to be!” One willow that has
Stephen Ryan
Staphylea holocarpa
This deciduous Chinese shrub or small tree is rarely met with in horticulture here and although it isn’t likely to set the world on fire it is a pretty and interesting addition to any garden. It produces drooping spikes of whitish flowers in spring followed by entertaining papery seed pods that give the Genus the
Stephen Ryan
Canna ‘Paperwhite’
I love Canna Lilies, They are tough given water, tropical looking and a great vertical accent plant. Shame that so many people used them so badly over the years in huge undiluted blobs (you know who you are!). A friend from Queensland, Frank Hogan, has been selecting new forms and protecting heritage clones for years
Stephen Ryan
Setaria palmifolia
Grasses have become something of a fashion statement in gardening around the world and rightly so as no other group of plants can give the textural look one can get from grasses (although I have to say when seen with other strappy leafed plants in many modern gardens to the exclusion of all else it
Stephen Ryan
Disporum megalanthum
I love any plant with the elegance of Solomon’s Seal and this Chinese woodlander is very like an evergreen version. It grows to as much as 60cms. tall with arching stems and in my form soft lemon bells in spring hanging below the elegant stems. Unlike Solomon’s Seal it is evergreen and the stems branch
Stephen Ryan
Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Snowflake’
If you are looking for a shrub that pays its way all year round it is hard to beat this form of North American Oak Leafed Hydrangea. It does everything that the species can do and then some. The large handsome leaves look good all year and as the autumn cold sets in they turn
Stephen Ryan
Disporopsis arisanensis
This shade loving woodland perennial from Taiwan is from a Genus only just making some impact in horticulture. It is evergreen and grows to about 20cms. tall and is related to Polygonatum (Solomon’s Seal) and looks very like a small evergreen version. Its arching stems produce nodding white bells in spring with an almost black
Stephen Ryan