Woodie's Picks: Unique Plants To Enhance Your Outdoor Space
I’m excited to share this week’s plant picks, each chosen for their unique qualities and ability to enhance any landscape. Whether you want to add year-round interest, striking architectural elements, or low-maintenance beauty to your garden, these selections offer something special.
From the elegant, multi-season appeal of Stewartia pseudocamellia to the bold, modern lines of Equisetum hyemale, these plants are not only visually captivating but also hardy and adaptable, making them excellent choices for both novice and experienced gardeners alike.
In addition to these standouts, Hesperaloe parviflora and Carex 'Blue Zinger' bring their own charm and resilience to the mix. Hesperaloe parviflora, with its dramatic, drought-tolerant form and vibrant summer blooms, is perfect for adding color and texture to xeriscapes or desert-inspired designs. Meanwhile, Carex 'Blue Zinger' offers a cool, calming presence with its graceful blue-green foliage, ideal for creating soft, flowing lines in a variety of garden settings.
Check out this blog to learn more about the intriguing qualities of these unique landscaping specimen, along with tips on how to design an unconventional and eye-catching yard!
Four Unique Landscaping Favorites
Stewartia pseudocamellia
Stewartia pseudocamellia, or Japanese Stewartia, is an exceptional choice for gardeners seeking a tree that offers beauty in every season. This deciduous tree stands out with its smooth, exfoliating bark that peels away in patches to reveal a mosaic of orange, gray, and brown hues. This unique feature provides year-round interest, even in the depths of winter.
In the summer, the Pseudocamellia is adorned with camellia-like white flowers that have a striking yellow center. These flowers are visually appealing and attract beneficial pollinators to the garden. For me, the tree's foliage is a major highlight, especially in the fall when the leaves turn vibrant shades of red, orange, and purple, making it a focal point in my landscape.
From a cultivation perspective, Stewartia pseudocamellia is a versatile and relatively low-maintenance tree. It thrives best in well-drained, slightly acidic soils and appreciates partial shade, though it can tolerate full sun in cooler climates. The tree's slow growth rate and compact size make it an ideal choice for smaller gardens. It's also a great addition to mixed borders, where its refined form and year-round interest can be fully appreciated.
A Word From Woodie:
"I can wholeheartedly recommend Stewartia pseudocamellia to those looking to invest in a tree that offers lasting beauty and requires minimal care, making it a worthy addition to any discerning gardener's collection."
Red Yucca (Hesperaloe parviflora)
Hesperaloe parviflora, commonly known as Red Yucca, is highly recommended due to its striking appearance and low maintenance needs. This drought-tolerant plant stands out in xeriscape and desert-style gardens, where it thrives in hot, dry conditions. Its long, arching, sword-like leaves are evergreen and create a bold architectural statement in the landscape.
From late spring through summer, Hesperaloe parviflora produces tall, slender flower spikes adorned with tubular, coral-red to pink flowers that attract hummingbirds and other pollinators. These blooms provide a vibrant splash of color that contrasts beautifully with the plant's blue-green foliage.
In addition to its aesthetic appeal, Hesperaloe parviflora is incredibly resilient and adaptable. It prefers full sun and well-drained soils but can tolerate a range of soil types, including sandy or rocky ground. Once established, this plant requires minimal watering, making it an ideal choice for water-wise landscapes. It’s also highly resistant to pests and diseases, further reducing maintenance efforts.
A Word From Woodie:
"Whether used as a focal point in a rock garden, planted in masse for a dramatic effect, or incorporated into mixed borders, Hesperaloe parviflora is a versatile and reliable choice for any gardener who seeks to combine beauty with practicality."
Horsetail Rush (Equisetum hyemale)
Equisetum hyemale, commonly known as horsetail plant or rough horsetail, is a unique and versatile plant that can add a striking vertical element to various garden designs. This evergreen perennial is known for its tall, slender, reed-like stems that can reach up to 3 feet in height.
The dark green stems are segmented with black bands, creating a bold, architectural look that complements modern, minimalist, and even more traditional garden styles. Due to its strong visual impact and ability to grow in various conditions, Equisetum hyemale is often used in water gardens, along pond edges, or (My favorite location) in containers, where its clean lines and texture can be fully appreciated on patios and porches.
However, when incorporating Equisetum hyemale into a landscape, it's important to consider its vigorous growth habit. This plant spreads rapidly through underground rhizomes and can be aggressive if not properly managed. I often recommend planting it in containers or using barriers in garden beds to control its spread. Despite this, its adaptability to both wet and dry conditions and its tolerance to poor soil make it an excellent choice for challenging sites where other plants may struggle.
A Word From Woodie:
"Whether used as a focal point in a contemporary design or as a naturalistic element in a wetland area, Equisetum hyemale brings a distinctive and timeless quality to any landscape."
BONUS Woodies Planting Tip: When I incorporate plants such as Horsetail Rush into my landscape, I dig a large hole and place a 3 or 5-gallon nursery pot into the ground just below the surface. Then, I plant the “aggressive” plant inside the pot as I would in the ground. The larger pot acts as a “root barrier” to contain the spreading roots of the plant.
This is especially helpful for plants like horsetail rush or quince, which tend to spread beyond their desired planting location. Professional landscapers use this technique sometimes on a much larger scale.
Carex ‘Blue Zinger’
I often recommend Carex 'Blue Zinger' to customers looking for something different to use as a groundcover.
This ornamental sedge is prized for its striking blue-green foliage, which remains vibrant throughout the year and provides consistent interest in the landscape. The arching, grass-like leaves create a soft, flowing effect, making it an excellent choice for adding movement and contrast to borders, mass plantings, or even as a ground cover.
In addition to its aesthetic appeal, Carex 'Blue Zinger' is remarkably low-maintenance and adaptable, making it a versatile choice for many landscape designs. It thrives in both full sun and partial shade, and while it prefers moist, well-drained soils, it can tolerate periods of drought once established.
This adaptability makes The Blue Zinger suitable for various garden styles, from formal designs to naturalistic settings. Whether used to soften the edges of a walkway, fill in under trees, or add texture to rain gardens, Carex 'Blue Zinger' offers a reliable and visually appealing solution for enhancing the beauty and functionality of outdoor spaces.
A Word From Woodie:
"Blue Zinger is particularly effective when used in drifts or combined with other perennials and grasses to enhance its cool-toned foliage. I've used this plant for many years in design, mostly because of its ability to bring color and texture to various garden settings."
Shop Unique Landscape Plants Online Today
Growing a landscape that peaks one's interest does not have to be complicated. Together, the four plants highlighted above showcase the diversity and versatility that thoughtful plant selection can bring to your outdoor spaces, providing structure, color, and texture that will thrive in a range of conditions. Shop these unique specimen and more online today!