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Plants beginning with 'L'
| Lachenalia -- Cape Cowslip -- The cape region of South Africa is among the most botanically diverse areas in the world, and the flora is not only diverse but unique. Many species and even genera grow nowhere in the world but this small region. Bulbs are especially prevalent in the flora, and the historical Dutch prescence in South Africa explains why the Dutch dominate the world's bulb trade. As usual, we deal in species that haven't been in the trade much, but which have what we think have significant horticultural merit. Many species of Lachenalia fit this bill. They will be indoor forcing bulbs for most of the country, not only because they won't stand much freezing, but because they are winter growers from an area of winter rainfall and summer drought. But they work very well for forcing indoors, being of small size, with flowers that are best appreciated up close. They provide interesting color combinations at a time when there's little color in the garden. Zone 9 outside, with wet winters/dry summers and good drainage. | |
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Lachenalia aloides quadricolor -- Growing to between 6" and a foot, these little plants produce many tubular, pendant, 4-colored flowers. They are winter-bloomers that are good as pot plants for indoor winter color, and also work as cut flowers. Spotted leaves on most individuals, but this is a variable characteristic. |
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Lachenalia
contaminata has quite a different appearance,
having round, grassy leaves and dense spikes of flowers that are
smaller but much more numerous than on the other species. The otherwise
pure white flowers are "contaminated" by rust-colored tips. This is a
vigorous, easily-grown species. |
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Lachenalia orchioides var glaucina -- A variable species from heavy soil areas of South African mountains. Purple-blue flowers in March in the northern hemisphere. Zone 9 or indoor forcing. |
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Lagunaria
patersonii
-- Norfolk Island Hibiscus, Australian Pyramid Tree --
An unusual member of the Malvaceae family; the only species in this genus.
To a height of 25’ under ideal conditions. Rough, shiny, 1x3’’
leathery leaves, olive green on top and silvery beneath, serve as a perfect
backdrop for its profuse 1 1/2’’ diameter waxy, rosy-pink
flowers. Ornamental seedpods are good in arrangements, but seeds are said
to be "itchy". Not winter hardy in most places, but it does do well in
a greenhouse or brightly-lit home. Zone 9. |
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Lapageria rosea -- Copihue, Chilean Bellflower -- Though well-known, this slow-growing, beautifully-flowered woody vine is almost impossible to find outside of a very few parts of the country. The reason, besides its slow growth rate and rather finicky cultural demands, is that it requires a zone 9 climate with mild summers, and therefore isn't grown by most commercial nurseries. These are 3-4 year-old seedlings of pink-flowered varieties, but some plants could have white flowers. If you don't live in coastal California, coastal southern Oregon, or the milder parts of the Puget Sound area, growing Lapageria will take some doing. One to a customer, please. |
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Ledebouria cooperi is a very unique and interesting plant due to its deep green 3-5’’ long leaves which are marked with reddish purple lines from the tip to the base. Short 2’’ spikes of tiny dusty lavender flowers during the spring are the frosting on the cake. We previously listed it as hardy to zone 9 to be on the safe side. Recently, though, it appears that zones 7-9 are ok if the soil is well-drained, as with many other bulbous South African plants. Said to be semi-evergreen, but we find it deciduous even at cool greenhouse temperatures. |
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Ledebouria sp. (minima? ensetifolia?) -- Similar to L. cooperi, but without the stripes. |
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Ledebouria
socialis
-- This species has spots instead of
stripes. It's a zone 9 or 8b plant outside, but often used as a
houseplant in colder zones. It's attractive, easy to grow, and doesn't
require a lot of light, though it will be more compact in bright
indirect light. Flower spikes of up to 25 tiny purplish green flowers
in spring. |
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Leptospermum lanigerum 'Silver Form'
-- Wooly Tea Tree -- Fast growing
evergreen shrub to 10' tall and 6' wide, it is excellent as a sheared
hedge or specimen. Silver leaves are aromatic when bruised. Showy 1"
white flowers in June followed by interesting woody seed capsules.
Deerproof. Plant 2' apart for a thick hedge. Zones 8-10
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Leptospermum scoparium nanum 'Kiwi' -- Dwarf Tea Tree -- A compact subshrub to just 3x3', tops, with arching stems and crimson flowers in late spring. Young foliage may be crimson-tinged. Flowers are relatively large and cover the foliage when in bloom. Said by the grower to be hardy in zone 8 (10º to 15ºF), but a protected location, such against a south wall, is recommended. In very high demand, and plants are small for the price, just 3-4" in each dimension. |
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Leptospermum
namadgiensis -- A rounded,
shrubby Tea Tree with peeling bark and abundant 1" white flowers backed
by soft, fluttery grey-green foliage. From high altitude, this
Australian native is hardy at least to zone 8. It seems endemic to a
few mountain summits in the area southwest of Canberra called Namadgi
by the Aborignals. The mountains are called the Scabby range by
non-natives, but the plant was thought too beautiful for such an ugly
name. A relatively new species, discovered in 1987 and first formally
described in 1993. |
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Leucojum autumnale --
Autumn Snowflake -- A charming bulbous plant whose
diminutive, white flowers precede the threadlike, grassy leaves in
autumn. Just 8" tall and spreading non-invasively to form a patch in
sunny, well-drained conditions. After flowering, the leaves grow
through winter, not that anyone will notice. Zones 7-10. |
| Libertia -- Little known
in the US, Libertias are Iris family members from New Zealand and South
America. They have narrow, stiffly upright, linear leaves that overlap
near the base. They are fibrous-rooted clump formers that have panicles
of small, saucer-shaped, white or blue flowers. Good in rockeries, or
front of the sunny border specimens. |
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Libertia peregrinans 'Bronze Sword' is the least free-flowering of the Libertias we offer, but makes up for this by having the most interesting foliage. In fact, it's mainly grown as a foliage plant, with its showy orangey-bronze leaves striped with dark green. With a little patience, however, you'll also see the panicles of purest white, upright-facing flowers in spring. Grows to a height of 12-20". Zones 8-10 |
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Libertia
ixioides is another New Zealand species, called
Mikoikoi by the Maori, with a fan of swordlike leaves, yellow-tinged,
with a yellow or orange stripe down the center of the leaf. White
flowers are followed by attractive orange fruit. Grows to about 15",
with narrow panicles of white flowers in spring. Zones 8-10. |
| Lilium is the flagship genus
of a very large family (Liliaceae), though not everything called a lily
is in that family, by any means. There are about 100 species of Lilium,
and a seemingly infinite number of lily hybrids, of which we offer
none. The species we offer are generally smaller and less gaudy than
the hybrids; we think the one pictured ought to be gaudy enough for
anybody. Lilies get tall fast. Given new Postal Service shipping policies, we need to keep packages small, so we will cut lilies back for shipping when necessary. This may mean waiting a year for flowers. |
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Lilium
nepalense is native to Nepal and northern India,
where the bulb is eaten by the locals. Growing to 5' on thin, wiry
stems, the flowers are quite large, with pale green to cream petals,
burgundy centers, and black pollen, and has a musky scent at night. It
is stoloniferous, sending up new stems as much as 18" from the original
bulb. Zone 5 hardy, but dislikes winter wet, and is best grown in good
drainage and under eaves in wet winter areas. |
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Lilium
pardalinum, Leopard Lily is a somewhat smaller
version of L. volmeri, below, which some call a subspecies of L.
pardalinum. Supposedly endemic to California, it also grows in Oregon's
Willamette Valley. Grows to about 3', and is tolerant of either shade
or sun. Although it occurs in nature almost always in wetlands, it is
very tolerant of normal garden conditions, with the added feature that
it's resistant to rot. Young plants bloom a little. Older plants bloom
a lot. |
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Liriope muscari variegata -- Variegated Lilyturf -- Nice border plant with long, arching, straplike, white-edged, mint-green leaves and prolific spikes of lavender flowers. Easy, low maintenance, sun or part shade. Grows to a foot or 18". Zones 5-10. Evergreen, but foliage declines or browns in colder climates. Flowers yield to purple-black berries that often persist over winter. |
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Lonicera
tatarica isn't a vine, but a fast-growing deciduous
shrub to 12', bearing rose-pink flowers. It seems likely that this is
the variety 'Arnold Pink', which
has darker pink flowers than photos and reports of the species. The
spring and early summer flowers are followed by red to yellow-orange
berries. Zone 3. Cannot
ship to CT, MA, VT.
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| Luzula nivea -- Snowy
Woodrush -- Tufted perennial of the family Juncaceae, to 2'
with narrow, flat, roughly hairy upright leaves. Panicles of snow-white
flowers in clusters during summer are suitable for drying. Native of
fens, bogs, heaths and moors, scrub woodlands and alpine meadows. Good
in mass plantings, and makes a good groundcover in damp shade, although
it is not, in our experience, evergreen, in spite of everyone else
saying it is. Perhaps we keep it too dry. Western and central Europe,
Zone 4. |
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Luzula ulophylla -- Dwarf Woodrush -- A miniature plant whose very narrow deep green leaves look two-colored because of their abundant gray hairs. Only 3" tall, the spikes of black seed heads add another 6". |
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Lycoris
radiata -- Spider Lily looks like a dead,
above-ground bulb from spring until fall, when the flower spikes (or
leaves on younger bulbs) appear, rising to a height of about 3'.
Flowers are similar to Nerine, spidery, deep pink, and quite showy.
Hardy in zones 7-10 at least, and some growers put it at zone 6 or even
hardier. |
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