UCSC/Koala Introductions
from October 2001
One of our great local treasures in Santa Cruz County is-and has been for many years-the Arboretum at the University of California, Santa Cruz. I had the pleasure in the 1970s of watching its fledgling collection of Australian plants grow from an odd menagerie under foil-covered bottles to a beautiful public garden. Within a few years it had become the most extensive collection of Australian native plants outside Australia itself (its collections from South Africa and other Mediterranean-climate areas are nearly as impressive). The process involved tireless work by the Director, Ray Collett and an enthusiastic, at that point mostly student staff, plus generous cooperation by Rodger Elliot, one of the great plant collectors and distributors of Australia. One of the side benefits of this arrangement was that many of the acquisitions were not merely random representatives of their species, but outstanding horticultural selections.
Dr. Collett was notably generous with local nurserymen interested in giving these plants a try, and the Arboretum became-as it remains to this day-one of the great sources for new ornamental plant material in California. There was only one thing missing from this picture: Income for the garden to pursue its work in new plant research and introductions. Individual nurseries and the Monterey Bay Chapter of CAN have offered significant support in many ways. But as the sheer size of the Arboretum and its projects has grown, with only modest increases in funding by the University, the quest for funding has become an urgent matter. One piece of the solution was conceived jointly by Rodger Elliot and others at Koala Blooms in Australia and the staff at the Arboretum: A new introduction scheme under which some of the most promising acquisitions from Australia are offered to nurseries for propagation, and a substantial royalty is paid on each plant sold. Just how much this scheme can contribute to the Arboretum's budget is still anyone's guess. However, each of us, from grower to ultimate consumer, will have the double pleasure of acquiring the latest and best of Australian plant selections and of supporting the work of the Arboretum in their development. We at Suncrest are pleased to be part of an initial group of five nurseries giving the new plan a try.
The first three introductions from this program are coming to market around the middle of this month. I hope you'll watch for and enjoy them. Other UCSC/Koala introductions should be available next spring and fall, and a fairly steady stream should follow. All of the following are showy, useful shrubs requiring little maintenance in the landscape.
Banksia is a genus of shrubs and trees largely ignored by Californians, though it offers many interesting features and has been in cultivation for many years. It belongs to the protea family, which is spectacularly well represented in Australia (the grevilleas are a prime example). Distinctive features include thick, leathery leaves of quite variable shape and large cone- or bottlebrush-shaped clusters of colorful flowers. Developing after the flowers wither are odd, woody seed "cones", often attractive in dried floral arrangements. B. spinulosa 'Schnapper Point' is a dense, spreading shrub which reaches 2-4' in height, up to 5' (perhaps more) in width, after several years. Narrow leaves with downrolled margins are closely set around the stems. The leaves are bright to deep green above, paler beneath, and 1-2½" long. Dense clusters of red and honey-colored flowers stand upright from the mature stems in fall and winter. This is a bright, clean-looking foliage shrub at all times of the year, useful alone or in shrubby borders and open banks. It delights in a sunny spot, with reasonably well drained soil (no supplemental fertilizer should be needed) and moderate to occasional, deep watering. It is hardy to around 20oF.
The correas, or Australian fuchsias, are popular members of the citrus family. These are shrubs with typically rather small, pointed-oval leaves and pretty bell-shaped flowers which usually present themselves in winter and early spring. C. pulchella is already widely grown in California. The typical, unnamed form has grey-green leaves and light pink flowers. The selection C. p. 'Pink Flamingo' is more compact in growth, with rather shiny, dark green leaves, paler on their lower surface. The plant is wonderfully floriferous, carrying many bright salmon pink bells, each about 3/4" long, from November to March. It thrives in either sun or shade near the coast, light shade inland, in reasonably well-drained, non-alkaline soil, with moderate to (if shaded) occasional watering. This makes it particularly attractive for planting under oaks. Its hardiness is conservatively rated at "mid 20s", though I suspect that it will survive bouts of 20o or less.
The grevilleas are a vast group of protea allies, ranging from low shrubs to large trees. Their foliage is incredibly varied in form and texture, as are the presentation and color of the flowers. Individual flowers, however, have a distinctive shape which has always reminded me of little elephant's heads, complete with extended trunk. G. lanigera has been in California for many years in one form or another, usually unnamed. G. l. 'Coastal Gem' is clearly the most interesting to date. This is a ground-hugging shrub, normally 1' or less in height and 5' or possibly more in breadth. The limber stems are crowded with furry, grey-green leaves, narrow in outline and 1/4-1/2" in length. Crowded clusters of pinkish buds develop by early fall, opening gradually into deep rose-pink and cream-colored flowers. The show may last until March or April. This is a fine low-maintenance ground cover, thriving in full sun or light shade in most non-alkaline soils, with moderate to occasional, deep watering. It is hardy to around 20oF.
MNS