I'm a big plant nerd. Huge plant nerd. Love the plants. Chlorophyll, baby. Gimme some Resonance Energy Transfer w/ a side of tasty Thylakoid membrane. Mmmm, photosynthesis.
I once uttered this phrase to no one in particular while thumbing through a native plant guide as my friends were chatting around the campfire about other topics: "I love plants. And remembering plants." Yup, conversation stopped and my official plant geek status went from moderate to high.
So, here begins the Plant Of The Week: Parahebe perfoliata. This baby is off the hook.
I think it looks particularly good against the backdrop of our orange car.
Also known as Digger's speedwell, this drought tolerant semi-woody perennial blooms from May until September in Seattle. This will look particularly good once the yellow Coreopsis verticillata comes in next to it and the orange Agastache rupestris gets rolling next month. PAPE (all the real plant nerds abbreviate the Latin names) will get about 2 feet wide and high, maybe a little wider. The only drawbacks are early season aphids on the flowers and some interior stem die back during the season. We plan to never water this plant again, or anything else in our drought tolerant parking strips - more on these later.
I can't wait until I can geek out again next week in the another installment of POTW. I probably can't wait a week. Pretty sure I won't.
1 year ago
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Love the idea for POTW, but I hereby request that you not limit it exclusive to Seattle. You've lived in Utah, your road to plant geekdom started here, and now that I own a home here and know nothing about plants, I expect to get some practical use out of all that latin in your skull.
ReplyDeleteThat's just about as geeky as muttering, "I love rocks," which I say as a look through the latest issue of Rocks and Gems Magazine. Here's one geek to another.
ReplyDeleteAdded a USDA plant hardiness chart link in the most recent POTW post. Don't worry, some circumboreal plants are coming soon!
ReplyDeleteLisa, when can I read your Rocks blog?