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A Visit to Cistus Nursery

I rarely go to nurseries anymore since I work part-time at one and another reason being that I don't have much room for additional plants. When a garden fanatic runs out of room, the brain goes into overdrive, dreaming up ingenious ways to incorporate more plants. And another thing happens - a burning desire to obtain rare and unique plants. I've been moving plants around, a tricky process that has a domino effect. A plant is unhappy - it is getting too much shade or perhaps too much sun. There is a plant that did not get as large as you thought it would or it is just a slow grower and now it is hopelessly hidden behind a taller plant. Sometimes a plant is just a dud for reasons unknown (Rhododendron 'Golden Gate' anyone?). I find the plant in question a better home, but it means that another plant will have to be moved. And the merry-go-round continues to turn... However, for those plants that are to be discarded, a space opens up for a new one! I decided to move a Mou...
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Swapping Huckleberries

Himalayan Honeysuckle (Vaccinium glauco album) 


Himalayan Honeysuckle (Vaccinium glauco album) has been an attractive feature along our north-facing foundation since I planted it in 2016. You will have to take my word for it since I cannot locate a photo although I know one exists somewhere in the realm of the Internet or floating on a cloud somewhere. 

I did locate a photo of how it looked when it was first planted -



It took a few years to fill out but it did so nicely to an attractive mound about 2 feet high by 3 feet wide. 

Last year, it started to look bad.  I cut it back but it had not improved and this is how it looked a few weeks ago -



I decided to rip it out and plant another huckleberry - this time Vaccinium ovatum, more commonly known as the "Evergreen Huckleberry".  This is a plant that I've wanted for ages and kept putting off getting one because I could not find a good place for it. By most accounts, this is an amazing plant, a native one and excellent for wildlife. The white and pink bell-shaped flowers are appearing now and they are popular with pollinators.




Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
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  1. Kris PetersonApril 12, 2024 at 9:36 PM

    It's too bad you Himalayan variety gave up - it was very pretty. I hope the evergreen variety proves to be more tolerant.

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  2. tz_gardenApril 15, 2024 at 9:24 AM

    It's hard to yank something when it's not doing well, but I bet it feels great to look and see your beautiful new evergreen Huckleberry thriving. Also, yum!

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  3. JH1961April 17, 2024 at 3:23 AM

    Lime bleed-off from your house's foundation may be the culprit. Azaleas often suffer the same fate when planted too close to a house.

    ReplyDelete

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