Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Plant of the week: Dianella tasmanica 'Tas Red'

Maybe a year and half ago my friend Laura gave me some little plugs of Australian plants, some Dianellas and Lomandras.  I carefully potted them up and eventually planted them out in the new garden.  For some reason I hadn't very high hopes for Dianella 'Tas Red' , it looked weak to me and was certainly not red.  But after a while in the ground it took off and made a very well mannered clump of glossy green strappy foliage to about a foot tall. Think tiny Phormium. Because it's so well mannered (and because I like a full look) it was swamped by some very exuberant Gomphrena 'Fireworks'.  But it did very well on neglect and being partially smothered.  And so I thought to myself ok this plant has merit.  But then just a few weeks ago I was astonished.  This little Dianella had actually produced a crop of magically purple berries on two stalks. Now I know Dianella tasmanica can grow these beautiful berries,  but never had I seen them grow on a plant in So Cal (don't ask me why they look awesome in No Cal.  So now I firmly love this plant, of course if it doesn't produce purple olives next spring I'll be pissed!






5 comments:

  1. I love that deep purple gloss, especially above the strappy foliage. Australian plants are my zone envy plants of the week, especially after spotting some Black Kangaroo Paw (Macropidia fuliginosa) on a blog today. Do gardeners go to Zone 9 when they die?

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  2. I've seen berries on Dianella plants at the Getty. Mine have never gotten them, though they flower every year.

    I like the tidy look of that little one!

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  3. Mr. Miller, Is zone 9 or milder close to heaven? Maybe. But we miss out on a lot of good plants that want chill. I'm sure you grow things I'd lust after.

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  4. HB, Maybe the dwarf is the answer to our fruity problem. And who knows about the Getty, they cheat a lot.

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  5. you've got a point Dustin, and I get a shallow thrill whenever a blogger in zone 9 or 10 complains about not being able to grow epimediums or podophyllums. I do genuinely enjoy reading about the garden exploits of you and your fellow California gardeners.

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