Above pictured is the Ligustrum delavayanum, set to go right outside the front door of a Dublin home this week. There was one, just the one…. suggestion that I maybe could have gone with the Laurus nobilis of a similar shape in its place, but for me the internodal distance of the Bay is just too great to keep that balled head looking perfectionately ~ is that even a right word ? Either or, there is nothing worse than meeting gangly wooden stems at easy eye inspection level.
The flip side of that choice, is that the slower a plant grows, the longer is takes to become a saleable plant and the longer it stays in a nursery the more it costs. With that in mind, the Ligustrum delavayanum is sold by height as well as by head size and whilst quality may and can come at good value, it is not readily available off the shelf or the euro saver menu.
That in part is what will make a dark glossy green leafed plant stand out ~ not everyone can have one and that they may ever look exactly the same is somewhat dependant on the grower and the mood he was in that morning. Nota Bene: plants.
For the front of house, whether it be the finest hotel in Dublin or the front of my or your home, I’m inclined to weigh up my options, invest and get it very right first time round and here, the above will look absolutely perfect planted with a few Christmas-eee flowering cyclamen to its base.
This is headed for a much larger space, eventually. For the now…. the Cedrus deodora ‘Robusta’ will be popped into a handmade planter, wrapped in a big red bow and dropped outside a front door. A fine gift ? You bet your nelly it is.
The one thing I always loved about Cedrus is that stunning and unmissable blue/ grey colour. And because [maybe] they are a little more expensive [or just that they grow quite large/ larger] than your standard native Irish tree, maybe – I could count on two hands the amount of them I have planted in more than 12 years as Donegan Landscaping.
Still, better to have loved that never loved at all and in that same breath, I once had its sister, the Cedrus deodora Pendula. Stunner. Beautiful. I had to leaf it behind when I moved house. Leaf. See what I did there ? I’ll see myself out….
My wry wit aside, if trees could hear me speak to them softly…. I would happily write poetry for this one all day long.
I should admit, I haven’t been the greatest lover of conifers. Not since we broke up in 1992. That said, the Juniperus ‘Blue Arrow’ – planted in a massive long row, properly, in planters is one of the yummiest sights I have ever seen. There’s just something about the Blue Arrow, the way it blows in the wind.
For that effect to be best witnessed, it’s best to have ’em planted en mass and linear. It’ll take a bit for the foliage to meet up entirely, but it’ll be worth it. Better than that ? Instant screen. Instant hedge. In an instant. I can’t wait. Yup, like for Santa type can’t wait.
I’m hoping you got the picture of what I was saying above and if [?] you can picture that one as Stan [Laurel of Laurel and Hardy fame], well, this one above – the Thuja Emerald – is more Oliver Hardy.
What’s the difference you may ask ? It’s all about the impact and sometimes how much of one you would like to make. In context, some prefer a medium [happy ?] leaning maybe to the lesser in a domestic set-up and greater often leaning towards extravagant when it comes to hotels or entrances. That in short and very simply requires you, to prefer one over the other.
The above, not trailing, is the beautiful, sometimes delicate yet strong Escallonia Red Dreams. Some may shudder when they hear Escallonia but the E. Red Dreams is one million miles apart from its brut of a sister the Escallonia macranthas; a plant that simply chuckled whilst others perished amidst the minus 18 celsius Irish winter of 2010.
I love this in flower. I love its waxy green leaves. I like that planted on a tall-er in ratio planter, it very simply looks great, all of the time.
Pictured below: in flower in white and pink-ish, them Cyclamen I spoke about earlier.
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Source: Peter Donegan Landscaping – 5 Evergreen Feature Plants For Planters
