V
Vaccinium woody shrubs, large and small,
mostly native to the Northern Hemisphere but with a large number
of species also found in tropical areas at higher elevations.
Probably this is an artificial assemblage of groups not
particularly closely related. Ericaceae. rev 6/2019
Vatricania (Espostoa) guentherii young soldiers eventually a tall, clustering, mostly unbranched columnar cactus with dense and relatively (!) soft white spines. It reaches about 10' tall in cultivation and can be grown in the ground in warmer areas of Southern California with very good drainage. Usually it is seen as a small to large container plant. When over about 4' tall it is mature enough to produce small, shallowly cup-shaped creamy white flowers at night during the warm season. The buds emerge from a zone of unusual and attractive reddish fur-like spines that form on the south side of the upper third to quarter of the stem. Like most night blooming cacti the flowers usually only last one night except during unusually cool, foggy periods. Mostly this is grown not for the flowers but because it is one of the faster ones in the "furry white column" class of cacti, and because the flower-fur is interesting and unusual. Sun to half shade, typical cactus soil, watering, and drainage. Not cold hardy - outside in Sunset zones 21-24, house/patio plant everywhere. rev 6/2019corymbosum see Blueberry
ovatum HUCKLEBERRY a West Coast native, found from coastal British Columbia and Vancouver Island south into California's Transverse Ranges, the Channel Islands (Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz) and even a few spots in the rugged mountains east of San Diego. While considered a classic component of redwood and other cool conifer forests along with frequent companions Western Sword Fern and Giant Chain Fern it can also be found growing in dense, acidic clay, Ericaceae-only communities outside Fort Bragg. I have seen it growing in dense, low chaparral on red schist soils in full sun along ridges and south-facing roadcuts in the knobcone pine communities along Empire Grade in the Santa Cruz Mountains, with the related Salal (Gaultheria shallon) as a common companion plant. Our grower Alex reports it doing well on his property as a natural component of very dense scrub growing in full sun on the bare, thin-soiled rocky knobs of the Aromas Red Sands community between Watsonville and Prunedale, along with Arctostaphylos pajaroensis, Adenostoma fascicularis and Ceanothus rigidus. The critical feature of all these habitats is very low soil pH, i.e. high acidity. Try using the blueberry-planting trick of incorporating a cup of soil sulfur mixed into the planting hole and it's likely you can grow this just wonderful native about wherever you'd like. The best pancakes I've ever had were wild huckleberry pancakes cooked with freshly picked fruit, with lots of butter and swimming in pure maple syrup, enjoyed by the side of a campfire on a warm summer morning at Jedidiah Smith Redwoods State Park just east of Crescent City.
Verbena annual and perennial herbs. Verbenaceae. rev 10/2011
bonariensis 'Lollipop' flowers!!! a much more petite, manageable version of the 6' original, to only 2' tall and about 3' wide. It produces clouds of light purple flowers from spring through fall. The open stems reach up so you can plant it close to lower border varieties, and the flowers add action to the garden in the form of fluttering butterflies and brawling hummingbirds. Sun and average watering. Sunset zones 3-9, 14-24/USDA 7. rev 10/2011
canadensis ‘Homestead Purple’
closeup
civic
planting with California Poppies another wall
of flowers a really satisfying variety, fast,
reliable, incredibly showy. Grows as an herbaceous perennial
groundcover, evergreen in milder areas, bears large spikes of rich
purple flowers from spring through late fall. Sun to part shade,
average watering. rev 10/2011
Veronica peduncularis ‘Georgia Blue’ SPEEDWELL flowers a creeping perennial to 12" tall that bears tiny, round deep blue flowers with white centers in late spring and summer. Great in containers. Sun, average watering, considered frost hardy enough for almost all of California. Asia, Asia Minor. rev 1/2013'EnduraScape' (not currently in production) 'Purple', end of day 'White' 'Red' "tougher than the rest": heat, powdery mildew, temperatures in the low teens, and blooming all season with nice, big flower clusters. 8-12" tall, 18-24" wide for sun and average watering. Terrific groundcover, spills over walls and pots, or spot it in your garden for some lively color. Sunset zones 8, 9, 12-24/USDA 8. rev 5/2015
‘Tapiens’ TM (not currently in production) Pink Blue-Violet Lavender an outstanding series of hybrids resembling and probably involving V. tenuisecta, with dark green finely cut foliage and strongly prostrate habits. Flowers range from dark purple through red, rose pink, salmon pink, soft pink, light lavender and pale blue. Sun to half shade, average watering, not reliably frost hardy below 25-28°F. Great in hanging baskets. They take trimming well, and respond with thickened habit and renewed flowering. Mildew-free for us in our cool, foggy climate. Patented, unauthorized propagation prohibited. rev 10/2011
lilacina ‘de la Mina’ a Santa Barbara Botanic Gardens selection of a species native to Cedros Island, just off Baja California. This is a more intensely colored selection of the normally pale lavender wild form. Highly disease resistant, drought tolerant, tough, durable and forgiving it also blooms over a very long period, essentially all year in mild-winter, cool-summer areas. The flowers can be intensely fragrant, with a sweet, allspice or clove-like scent, especially in warm weather, very especially from late afternoon and well into the dark. Plus they're really good at attracting butterflies, also hummingbirds. This variety tends to mound up on itself to about 2' tall by 5' or more across, old plantings can be a little taller and much, much wider. It is usually successful as a very large scale, massed groundcover, being generally free of dieback and needing little care except for a stern cutting-back when it eventually gets too tall and/or tangled. Besides its excellent drought tolerance the branches are supple, wiry and resilient and thus tolerant of occasional stomping-through. This is a goodie, with lots of features to recommend plus it's easy and really showy. USDA zone 9? rev 6/2019
'Paseo Rancho' summer flowers a little taller than 'de la Mina,' more of a shrublet than a spreading groundcover. Flowers are a little paler, almost pink, but against deeper burgundy buds, a sharper, more striking, contrasty look. Flowers are even more fragrant, enough so you'll know when the wind is pointed in your direction. To about 4' tall by 4-6' wide. Very drought tolerant but more forgiving in cooler-summer areas, in areas with a large percentage of hot days in summer it will require at least monthly irrigation. Burned back by direct exposure to temps below ~25F, ultimate root hardiness not known but probably not below 20-15F. rev 6/2019
Viburnum plicatum LACECAP VIBURNUM
closeup
habit
flowers
lined up massed
bloom deciduous shrub to 6'. Bears a heavy show
of large, elegant lacecap clusters of white flowers neatly lined
up along the branches in spring. Has respectable dark maroon fall
color. Sun to part shade, average watering, frost hardy. All
varieties USDA zone 8/Sunset zones 3-9, 14-24. China, Japan.
Caprifoliaceae. rev 3/2021
'Summer Snowflake' flowers shrub a lower, rounded, more dome-shaped form with flowers continuing to initiate and open on any mature branches which experience modest chill. To 4-6' in a reasonable amount of time. rev 3/2021
Viola adunca 'Alba Road' WESTERN DOG VIOLET (not currently in production) blooming clump this is an outstanding local Santa Cruz Mountains native, from Alba Road, above Ben Lomond. Most of our local popluations have been extirpated, unfortunately. Ray Collett, former Director of the Arboretum at UCSC, has been instrumental in helping to popularize the virtues of this vanishing local form, as well as other noteworthy local plant subjects. It forms a little clump of heart shaped leaves and produces rose pink flowers all spring. Nice spotted around the herb garden or under shrubs, it is tough as nails when established as long as it is planted in mostly shade and gets a decent amount of winter rain. To only to 3" tall, spreading modestly by runners. Part sun or shade. Average to little watering. Sunset zones 1-9, 14-24/USDA 4. US. Violaceae. rev 6/2011
alba 'Parma Double' (not currently in production) can you smell it? its baa-aaaaack! One of the loveliest smells on earth! Better than baking bread because you don't want to eat this one. Dark lavender petals on heart shaped leaves form a little mound with offsets. Rich, moist soil in a shady spot. Groundcover or in containers, you'll want this fragrance close to you. Sunset zones 4-9, 14-24/USDA 5. Central Europe, Mediterranean. rev 9/2013-Suzy Brooks
'Molly Sanderson' (not currently in production) black flowers not just for Halloween, this little black violet is for winter and spring too. It blooms as long as the weather stays cool. Velvety black petals show a small, dark yellow eye. Plants grow as a small clump, 6-8" tall and 12" wide. Stands out against grey foliage and looks great with grassy leaves. This is a hardy perennial for sun or part shade, good soil, and regular watering. All Sunset zones/USDA 6. rev 6/2011-Suzy Brooks
odorata 'Blue Remington' (not currently in production) very close dark green, heart shaped leaves, rich blue flowers with a white center, all in a small package that can adorn the herb or vegetable garden and generate tidy little bouquets for windowsills. A big bloomer in spring and again as it cools off in fall. Stays under a foot tall and likes regular waterings if possible. Nice at the base of shrubs or mixed in the flower bed. Sun to part shade. Sunset zones 1-24/USDA 5. rev 9/2011-Suzy Brooks
Vriesea a genus of bromeliads native to Mexico, the Caribbean, Central and South America. rev 3/2021gigantea 'Nova' 6" plants broad medium to light green leaves with a tessellated (net-like) pattern of green veins, becomes almost white in strong light with a center suffused with strawberry to light burgundy tones. To almost 3' across, this is a big, robust species that can quickly outgrow any space you provided it as a houseplant. It supposedly bears a spike with yellow and white flowers, we haven't seen it yet. I found this overwintered very well on my pretty-near-freezing front porch in the Soquel hills this past winter. If you take pains to empty the water in the center, or at least flush it once a week or so, you might be as lucky. It won't take any real, direct, true freezing conditions, and is certainly limited as to how much of that cold/wet weather it will put up with as well. It should be good for such use through most of Southern California, and possibly can be used away from protection in the warmest, most choice, warm-winter locations. Can be used as a houseplant, an indoor/outdoor specimen or permanent porch/patio container plant with enough protection. It is likely renamed from its original designation, V. gigantea v. seildiana. USDA zone 9 (with good protection!). rev 4/2021
heiroglyphica why you grow it 6" plant heiroglyphics a large species native to the lowland Atlantic Forest of Southeastern Brazil, with light green leaves to 3' long that are marked by fine, horizontally banded zig-zag lines. Tall, branched flower spikes bear flowers with greenish sepals and yellowish flowers. The flower show is interesting, impressive and modestly showy. This is a relatively easy species for any cold but frost-free areas, or with overhead protection, provided water in the basin is kept fresh and never stands sour. Alternatively the center basin can be left dry over winter, mimicing the cycle in the plant's native habitat. USDA zone 9a. rev 6/2021
imperialis with curator Kathy Musial, Huntington Botanic Gardens massive flower spike, Huntington flower Daxin Liu's garden, Dan Francisco Honolulu my porch in Santa Cruz sometimes now classified as Alcantarea, this is a massive species that can reach 5' tall by 7' or more across. Its flower spike is to scale, a reddish column reaching to 7-8' tall bearing hundreds of large, spidery white flowers in horizontal branches off the main stalk. This is a pretty fast, easy, impressive plant for cool locations considering its geographical origin. It can easily take temperatures regularly in the thirties with overhead protection in winter, but the main risk is losing the plant to rot from iold, our standing water in the central cup at those low temperatures. It is easiest to enjoy it as a very large porch/patio or indoor/outdoor container plant. Dump the water in the cup regularly until temps warm in spring, or try what worked for our grower Alex Lulcio, simply thoroughly flushing out the sour standing water with fresh clean water using a hose. Brazil. The cup is deep enough and large enough you should use mosquito dunks to control larvae. After many years, and if very warm and happy, it may flower for you. Brazil. rev 3/2021
sanguinolenta nice one a big, bold, dramatic accent plant for your house, patio, porch or deck, anywhere there's enough frost-free space for a stunning, intimidatingly large, impressive, bragging-rights foliage container specimen. Eventual size is 4' or more across by 3' tall, with a 4-5' tall flower spike at maturity. To achieve this all it needs is happiness, which is gained by using a loose planting mix or potting soil, , giving it about half-sun exposure or full, bright shade (for best color), and keeping its central cup filled with water. About once a month empty or flood the old water out and refill with a half strength solution of soluble fertilizer like Miracle Gro or its equivalent. Empty the cup completely in late November, only refilling if the plant starts to shrivel. Once recovered empty again, and keep this up until temps stop falling below about 40F. Plants can rot if held cold and wet, plus this winter-dry rest period mimics the plants natural cycle as well as acting as a stress trigger for the flowering sequence. Recent research revealed that bromeliads such as this one were the stars for removing VOC (volatile organic compounds, i.e. formaldehyde, acetone, etc.) from the interior environments of buildings and homes. Sunset zones 8-9, 15-17 (all with frost protection), 22-24/USDA 10. rev 2/2017
