Genista aetnensis, or Mt. Etna Broom

One sunny cold morning a couple weeks ago thick frost coated one of my Genista aetnensis in such a way that its graceful outlines were highlighted and I could finally get a picture of it… This odd tree is one of the favorite things I planted in our front garden this year (actually I love it so much I planted two) but it’s the very thing I love about it that also makes it nearly impossible to get a photo of; it doesn’t really have any leaves and it’s virtually see-through when it’s not blooming. (that is a bamboo pole in there helping support it's small trunk) Speaking of blooming here it is last July… It’s that see-through quality that I love and makes it the perfect tree for my garden; it allows me to have tree height, but not sacrifice sun for the surrounding plants. My love affair with this plant started years ago. I admired a couple of mature trees in another garden even before I knew what they were. Theirs are older so the trunk and branches are thick enough to photograph well. Last summer I got a bit of a shock when I saw just how big they can get. This photo was taken at Jungle Fever Exotics in Tacoma, WA. Why is seeing a 15-20 ft tall so much different than reading that one will eventually get to be that size? Do you have this disconnect too or is it just my issue?

Need more information? Here are a few descriptions of this plant from local nurseries…

Cistus Nursery
Graceful and elegant, small tree with sparse, silky leaves and stems that act like leaves. Nearly invisible to the eye until it covers itself in yellow, fragrant pea flowers in mid summer to early fall. Can reach 12-15 ft tall or so with a narrow, weeping habit. This native of Sicily takes full sun, lean soil that drains well, and little summer water once established. Does not reseed! Frost hardy to 5F, USDA zone 7b.

Xera Plants
Mt. Etna Broom, from the lava covered slopes of Italy and for that matter Europe’s tallest volcano makes a wonderful “shade-less” tree for hot sun. Rush-like weeping stems actually have tiny leaves that are barely noticeable. In summer you will notice the clouds of golden yellow pea flowers that emit the powerful perfume of Jasmine. To 14’ tall, best in full hot sun and poor, well drained soil. Little summer water when established. A great small tree for a see-through vertical effect, without being oppressive. Grows quickly, and is best without extra encouragement. Zn7b (5º to 10ºF) Papillionaceae

Gossler Farms
This Mediterranean native will make a small graceful tree to 20'. The deep green stems carry a few small leaves but the ground beneath the plant looks like its full sun because there are so few leaves. Genista aetnensis has small bright yellow Scotch Broom flowers that are wonderfully scented. We know what you think of a Scotch Broom, but please try this lovely small, graceful tree.

And Kate over at Portland Monthly did a great post on Genista aetnensis back in July, click here to read it.

Maybe you'll considering adding a Mt. Etna Broom to your garden?

An Agave blooms in Tacoma, Washington…

About a month ago I was alerted by a danger garden reader that one of the agaves at Jungle Fever Exotics (in Tacoma, WA), was pushing out a bloom spike. Since I was in the area for the weekend naturally I made the pilgrimage to pay my respects. According to the owner of the nursery (and the garden) this Agave parryi has been in the ground for about 27 years. I was a little early for the flower show (and I forgot to ask if A. parryi produces bulbils!) but it was gorgeous all the same. And since there are a couple other Agaves nearby that are not yet blooming it wasn't too sad to think of this one expiring. If you click back to last years Jungle Fever visit (click here for garden pictures and here for nursery pictures) you will see how gorgeous this prostrate Acacia was back then...winter was not kind to this plant. This is the first of a couple of Genista aetnensis in this garden, the perfume was magnificent! More photos from the garden... Great use of re-bar to hold back the bamboo... And here it ads an arty touch... I love this sign, half hidden in the jungle of Jungle Fever! Here is the second Genista, this one is HUGE. Makes me rethink the fact that I've planted 2 of them in my front garden. These are Ochagavia litoralis (Cardoncillo) from San Marcos Growers. I had never heard of Ochagavia before, according to San Marcos "The genus Ochagavia is closely related to Fascicularia with 4 species endemic to Chile or the Juan Fernandez Islands off the Chilean Coast"...Before I left the owner alerted me to this second "about to bloom" agave... It's seen better days but is pushing up a very healthy looking bloom stalk. In case you're wondering, yes I left without purchasing anything...odd isn't it? If you are making the I-5 trek through Tacoma I really recommend making the short detour to Jungle Fever, I doubt you'll be able to leave empty handed!

Make new friends but keep the old.

Meeting new people and getting to know them is a wonderful thing; I love realizing I’ve met a new friend. However old friends, the ones I’ve had for years, are indisputable treasures. Nothing beats spending time with a friend you haven’t seen for awhile and instantly falling into short-hand speak again (you don’t need full sentences or back-stories when you’ve known each other for 25 years).

New friends, combined with old, make for a rich life; it’s the same in the garden. While there is an undeniable thrill in discovering a new must have plant, and eventually acquiring it, there is also nothing quite like discovering one from the past and realizing you’ll be spending another year together.

Yesterday my eyes came to rest on my Gunnera, or more accurately on the burlap and leaves piled on top to protect it from the cold. I realized the pile wasn’t a soft dome any longer, no; it had turned into a sort of pyramid. Something was definitely going on under there. I peeled back the layers and discovered this! My Gunnera not only made it through winter but was already coming to life (complete with lots of new roots it seems)! Last year it didn’t start to show any signs of life until mid April and even then it was so pathetic that I finally broke down last May and bought another, thinking if I wanted leaves of any size I was going to have to augment. They both are very much alive and growing this year. This happy discovery got me wondering about my Melianthus …peeling back the covers I discovered things are looking mighty fine! Check this out… Sprouts! My Melianthus not only alive but it is already growing! In February!

All of this spring type energy makes me think I should be unwrapping the Musa basjoo…I wonder what’s going on under that burlap???? That discovery is going to have to wait for another day. After all we’ve had a few cool nights with another couple predicted. It’s one thing to throw cover over the Gunnera and Melianthus, but I’m not sure I’m up for rewrapping the banana, or losing the pseudostem this close to spring.

So are you wondering if I have any new plant friends? Remember the Genista aetnensis I was lusting after at Garden Fever? Well I had the opportunity to visit Xera last week and was able to select one from their stock. I love this plant! Genista aetnensis Zn7b (5º to 10ºF) Papillionaceae
Mt. Etna Broom, from the lava covered slopes of Italy and for that matter Europe’s tallest volcano makes a wonderful “shade-less” tree for hot sun. Rush-like weeping stems actually have tiny leaves that are barely noticeable. In summer you will notice the clouds of golden yellow pea flowers that emit the powerful perfume of Jasmine. To 14’ tall, best in full hot sun and poor, well drained soil. Little summer water when established. A great small tree for a see-through vertical effect, without being oppressive. Grows quickly, and is best without extra encouragement.

Why do I love it? Well it’s a “shade-less” tree for hot sun (it’s going in the front garden, currently staged in a protective spot behind the garage) and it is probably the closest thing I’ll ever be able to grow to a Palo Verde (I know…it’s a poor substitute) but it’s from Italy!!! That earns a few bonus points in my book, I always need more friends from Italy!