u/Zestyclose_Market787

I just picked up a San Clemente Island Buckwheat and a Nude Buckwheat from Artemisia Nursery in Los Angeles. San Clem is a St. Catherine’s Lace variation endemic to San Clemente Island. It grows smaller, has similar flowers, and longer, narrower leaves. Amaze!

it’s becoming apparent that I’m getting really into weird buckwheats. I know everyone’s familiar with the common ones - Redflower, California, st. Catherine’s lace, and Santa Cruz. But I’d love to hear about some of the weirdos you’re Growing.

right now, I’ve got a bunch of Conejo buckwheat germinating. I’m up to five starts, and I’ve got a lot more seed incoming. I also have a couple of longstem buckwheats that look great, a bunch of seacliffs, and a hybrid Santa Cruz x st. Catherine’s lace that has fabulous foliage and form.

who here has run out of ground for planting, and is now filling up their patio space with containers?

Me, too!

I also like containers for plants that don’t do well in my clay soil. And I love planting nice-smelling stuff next to where we sit so that I smell it all the time.

1. a trio of containers: bottom left has willowy monardella and David’s choice sagebrush. In the back is a European bay laurel. To the right is a Sonoma Coast yarrow.
2. Behind our outdoor sofa, I recently planted coyote mints and penstemons around a slow growing Arctostaphylos Edmundsii cultivar. Every time you brush the coyote mint, it blesses you.
3. Pomegranate yarrow and Calistoga fuchsia.
4. Baja fairy duster I grew from seed last fall. Somehow, and showy milkweed ended up in their, too.
5. Sphaeralcea fulva “la Luna.” This hybrid desert mallow isn’t as tolerant as S. Ambigua, so I’m trying it in a pot.
6. Silver bush lupine. everything I’ve planted in the ground has died, but it seems to like a deep pot with a heavily amended cactus mix (lots of pumice.)
7. Otay Mountain lotus. This is one of those rare endemics that’s available from time to time. It’s not thriving, but I still like it. And somehow, there’s a black sage popping up, even though I’ve never once sowed any seeds.
8. coast buckwheat, dune primrose, and Catherine de la Mare penstemon. The penstemon is the only one that seems happy. The buckwheat was pretty rootbound when I planted, so we’ll see how it goes.