atriplex

Very Christmassy! ;D

And the grasses that make a nice color contrast in the photo are...?

Bob
I like the silvery look of your plant.

The grass is Poa fendleriana.
A friend was in Grand Junction and called me to see if I wanted this extra silvery A. confertifolia. "You have to ask?"
Chelsea doesn't mail order, unfortunately.

Bob

I like it!  Will it live in a zone 5? :)

Here's the range for Atriplex confertifolia (bearing in mind that this shows its presence within political boundaries only, not its detailed distribution):
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=ATCO

It looks like there ought to be some pretty darned hardy populations of it out there.

I am not sure the deserts of Kent would suit it (!) but this is just the sort of plant I would love to grow. I tried Shepherdia rotundifolia but the seedlings I raised turned up their tails. I am still tempted to make an all year round covered bed for such plants, including many of the smaller penstemons which are not easy here.

My experience with the genus Atriplex is limited to the weedy ones which i don't like at all! However this one is certainly a gardenworthy species ;)

Quote:

I tried Shepherdia rotundifolia but the seedlings I raised turned up their tails. 

They tend to do that.
Earlier this year, I soaked some seeds overnight in warm soapy water (the traditional method), then sowed them outside in a pot the next day, and then sowed some unsoaked seed the next day.
The soaked seed germinated, and the seedlings died before they formed true leaves. The unsoaked seed never germinated.
I then sowed some seed in late February, no soaking this time, and got three seedlings, which grew quite nicely. I gave them away because I have three plants in the garden.
It seems to be one of those plants that deeply resents organic matter in the soil, and, well, deeply resents almost everything.

Bob

DesertZone wrote:

I like it!  Will it live in a zone 5? :)

That is such a nice form that I did not even think what sp. it was.  I have some in my garden.  But I think the leaves on mine are more round. :)

Two pictures of Atriplex corrugata that I just took this morning. My fingers are still freezing ....

Bob

Atriplex gardneri.

Bob