The Mountain Gardener: Forgotten garden beauties

Some plants have become the darlings of the garden, while other perfectly good plants are being left in the dust (no pun intended) and ignored.
Take ‘Hot Lips’ salvia, for instance. Seems every garden now has a few. I know, I know, I’m as enamored with this variety as anybody and responsible for extolling its virtues, but I want to give credit where credit is due to some underused but awesome plants.
Who are these forgotten all-stars?
‘Diamond Heights’ ceanothus
One of my favorite groundcovers for sunny areas, this plant looks beautiful as it fills in between other low-water-use plants. It will carpet the area with a dense, low mat of golden yellow and lime-green variegated foliage that looks great year round. The pretty, light blue spring flowers take second place to the leaves. This is one of those versatile plants that performs just as well in dry soils and tough situations as it does in sheltered gardens with partial shade and rich soils. If you want a spectacular effect, plant it as a group. Each plant covers 3 to 5 feet.
Because the foliage makes a cover that weeds seldom manage to penetrate, it’s a real maintenance saver. Use it on difficult sites, such as banks, as well as in garden beds and raised beds. It’s also a stunner as a container plant, the foliage spreading wide on all sides.
What looks good with ‘Diamond Heights’? Try putting it with wispy, grey-blue lavender ‘Little Spire’ perovskia and Hidcote lavender or blue-eyed grass and coffeeberry. Its vibrant foliage also brightens the ground beneath native oaks.
Sunrose
Another perennial groundcover that I love to use in a tough, particularly problematic spot is helianthemum, aka sunrose. If you have enough thyme in your garden, it’s time to branch out and try this plant. Masses of colorful, inch-wide flowers appear in early summer and last well into autumn. Colors include soft yellow, pinks, oranges, apricot and reds. While the flowers are the main attraction, I find the range of foliage almost as wonderful. Some varieties have soft, grayish leaves, others a light green, while some even have crinkled bright green foliage.
Sunroses are workhorses, hugging the ground and making an excellent low ground cover 2 to 3 feet across for a sunny location. They are very drought tolerant when established and don’t mind poor soils or even sandy soils.
My favorite cultivar is ‘Belgravia Rose,’ with its bright rose-pink flowers and gray leaves, but compact ‘Wisley Primrose,’ covered with bright yellow flowers, is also high on my list.
This tough plant is rarely bothered by pests or diseases, as long as there is good drainage. It is attractive to bees and butterflies, adding to its garden appeal.
Ligularia dentata ‘Othello’
Rounding out my list of favorite underused plants is one for shade gardeners. Because there are not many yellow flowers for the shade garden, Ligularia dentata ‘Othello’ is a perennial that I like to include in a border. It’s like adding a little sunshine.
This clump-forming perennial has bold leaves and 4-inch daisy-like golden flowers in July and August are borne on plants that reach 2 to 3 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide. This variety likes moist soil. Plant them with other moisture loving plants such as ferns, hostas and Japanese forest grass. Ligularias are deer resistant.
These are just a few of the plants that I use in landscape designs to add punch to a garden. If you’re looking for something different in your landscape give them a try.
Jan Nelson, a landscape designer and California certified nursery professional at Plant Works in Ben Lomond, will answer questions about gardening in the Santa Cruz Mountains. E-mail her at

ja******@ao*.com











, or visit www.jannelsonlandscapedesign.com to view past columns and pictures.