Summer 2003 Update - New Dyckias, Gingers, and Other Summer Treats!

We are adding four new peacock gingers to our line-up and could not be more excited about their future. Kaempferia angustifolia has narrow, dark green, upright leaves to 6” and more closely resembles a clumping spiderwort (Tradescantia sp.) than a ginger. It’s flowers are orchid-like in their iridescent sheen – the perfect combination of purple and white. Compare that to Kaempferia loatica ‘Brush Strokes’ whose leaves are beautifully washed on the upper surface in broad strokes of reddish chocolate and backed in maroon. These wild color combinations are what gave people the idea to call them peacock gingers. The value of this group is just beginning to be realized with so many striking new plants on the horizon.

Also new are three species of Hechtia. They always catch everyone’s attention and it’s not just their spines that attract you but their incredible symmetry and ghostly color patterns which range from powder white to silver and then maroon. I just can’t keep my eyes off them! They hail from rugged rocky outcroppings to sheer cliffs and need those claw-like leaves to stay put, thus resembling sea urchins exposed at low tide amongst their rocky environs. Here we plant them in large pots and thus are able to highlight those void spaces that invariably show up in our gardens. They are easy, no water necessary and will prosper in full sun to deep shade. Once they have time under their belts they are surprisingly hardy. One specimen has taken 16 degrees with no damage, protected only by a light frost cloth, but this was a very large plant. We also found frost cloth very effective in keeping out leaf debris during the fall leaf drop. Hechtias are to the northern hemispheres what Dyckias are to the southern hemisphere - terrestrial bromeliads with colorful, sharp and spiny leaves wound into symmetrical rosettes. The overlooked jewels in the crown of the Bromeliad world are the Dyckias and we are adding 3 new ones to our line-up. Presently we are offering 18 different Dyckias on our web site - the world’s largest selection!

And for those of you who don’t like these prickly things, we are offering a few choice evergreen Asian ferns. One of these is Sichuan ribbon fern, which has been growing here successfully for 16 years and was defoliated only once in 1989 when our temperature went briefly down to 4 degrees, but quickly flushed anew in spring. The other soft and cuddly plant is a variegated form of tongue-fern (Pyrrosa lingua ‘Variegata’). It will quietly cover those shady areas of your garden with its upright tongue-shaped appendages.

Carl Schoenfeld
Owner, Yucca Do Nursery, Inc.
info@yuccado.com