Everything Exotic Is Coming Up Catalogs

When I started outdoor gardening more than 10 years ago, every trip to the nursery was an adventure that turned up new plants. Then a couple of years ago, after having filled my garden with nursery finds, I began yearning for something more.

How interesting it would be, I thought, to grow more unusual plants. And so I discovered the world of rare plants. Although some nurseries carry unusual plants, availability is often limited. One of the best ways to get rare plants is through specialty mail-order companies.

When dealing with mail-order companies that carry rare plants, you need to be patient.

“Many rare plants are difficult to propagate, so specialty growers don’t always have a large supply,” says Arnie Mitchnick, owner of Northridge Gardens, a mail-order company that grows a variety of rare and unusual plants. “I have some hibiscus that take a year or more to root from cuttings.”

If you’re looking for a certain plant, ask and it may be grown for you.

Many rare-plant nurseries will take orders and call when your plant is ready for shipping.

Unless otherwise noted, the following rare-plant catalogs and plant lists are free.

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GERANIACEAE

122 Hillcrest Ave., Kentfield, CA 94904; (415) 461-4168

e-mail: geraniac@pacbell.net.

Web site: www.freeyellow.com/members/geraniaceae

This grower carries more than 300 types of geraniums, including Erodiums, night-scented Pelargonium species, scented geraniums and cultivars of angel and pansy face Pelargoniums.

Many of the geraniums are exclusive to the company, including G. antrorsum, from southeast Australia. It is a mounding alpine plant with small, mid-green veined leaves and small, pink flowers. G. cinereum ‘Holden’ has gray-green leaves with warm pink flowers and dark veins.

Another rare plant good for borders and beds is G. pulchrum, a geranium from South Africa. This has broadly lobed silvery leaves and pink flowers on upright stems with white centers.

There is even a good selection of geraniums for shady locations, such as G. nodosum ‘Whiteleaf.’ This has deep green leaves and lavender flowers with magenta blotches and pale edges to the petals.

The nursery’s owner, Robin Parer, consults with customers to ensure that they buy the right plant for their needs and climate conditions.

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HORIZON HERBS

P.O. Box 69, Williams, OR 97544; (541) 846-6704.

In this catalog, you’ll find a variety of unusual and hard-to-find medicinal herb seeds, including Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), a perennial in the tropics that grows as an annual here. It is said to be used to make a ginseng-like tonic that is supposed to alleviate physical and mental exhaustion.

Another interesting herb is Arnica montana, an extremely rare perennial that provides the basis for homeopathic remedies, oil infusions, compresses and salves.

Also uncommon is bears’ foot (Polymnia uvedalia), a perennial native American plant that grows above tall grasses. It has stems with three-lobed leaves that resemble the footprint of a bear and bright yellow flowers. It is said to alleviate enlargement of the liver and spleen.

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KARTUZ GREENHOUSES

1408 Sunset Drive, P.O. Box 790, Vista, CA 92085-0790; (760) 941-3613.

e-mail: mikekartuz@aol.com

This catalog offers a wide variety of rare flowering plants, including begonias, species gesneriads, passifloras and hoyas.

The company carries the Fragrant butterfly bush (Buddleia asiatica), which has long spikes of white flowers in winter and spring that give off an intensely sweet freesia-like fragrance that can perfume a large area.

There is also Monkey flower (Angelonia), including the ‘Blue Pacific’ selection that has violet blue and white flowers that resemble 1-inch pansies and smell like blueberries. In rare gesneriads, you’ll find Chrysothemis ‘Black Flamingo,’ with clusters of bright yellow flowers marked red and dark, coppery, tapered leaves.

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KAY’S GREENHOUSES

207 W. Southcross, San Antonio, TX 78221. $2 for plant list.

This begonia grower has many rare, often newly hybridized begonias such as ‘Christmas Candy,’ a cane begonia with light green leaves and numerous dark pink blooms.

There is also ‘Emerald Lacewing,’ a rhizomatous begonia with pale green leaves and light pink blooms from winter through spring. ‘Fragrant Orange’ is a cane begonia with medium-green leaves and white splotches, and the cane begonia ‘Flamingo Queen’ has large green, silver-specked leaves.

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LOGEE’S GREENHOUSES

141 North St., Danielson, CT 06239; (860) 774-8038. $3, refunded with first order.

e-mail: logees@neca.com

With 12 greenhouses for propagating, this specialty grower has more than 2,000 plants. The company’s full-color catalog illustrates a variety of rare plants, including flowering maples (Abutilons) such as A. ‘Clementine,’ a constantly flowering hybrid that has rich, orange-red flowers on a compact plant that does well in a hanging basket.

There is also elephant’s ear (Alocasia amazonica), a foliage plant derived from tropical Asian plants that has glossy green, arrow-shaped leaves with margins and veins streaked in silver. The leaves can grow 2 feet long by 1 foot wide.

Penstemon ‘Blue Spring’ has spikes of azure blue flowers that turn pastel pink with age.

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NORTHRIDGE GARDENS

9821 White Oak Ave., Northridge, CA 91325-1341; (818) 349-9798;

e-mail: NorGardens@aol.com

This mail-order nursery carries a wide variety of rare plants, including hibiscus, Euphorbias, aloes and other African, Mexican and Australian plants and bulbs.

The company’s Parthenocissus henryanni is drought-resistant once established. It has a green leaf with red on the underside that shows up when the plant is backlit. It forms small, purple, inedible grape-like berry clusters.

There is also Hibiscus schizopetalus, a native of the jungles of Thailand. Throughout the year, it has pendulous, dainty red and white flowers that curl up.

Also offered are a variety of rare aloes, including Aloe emines, which is extremely rare because the seed can no longer be taken from its native habitat in a war-torn area of Africa. This plant has long, narrow, pointed green leaves and red flowers.

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NUCCIO’S NURSERIES

P.O. Box 6160, 3555 Chaney Trail, Altadena, CA 91001; (818) 794-3383.

There is a wide selection of rare camellias and azaleas, including fragrant camellias and Satsuki azaleas. One hard-to-find camellia is C. lutchuensis, which has small, white, very fragrant flowers and small, pointed foliage.

Also rare is the hybrid ‘Lemon Twist,’ a medium, semi-double flower in off-white to pale yellow. In azaleas, there is the Satsuki ‘Nuccio’s Blue Moon,’ which has medium, single, slightly bell-shaped blooms that are a rich lavender fading to white toward the center.

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STOKES TROPICALS

P.O. Box 9868, New Iberia, LA 70562-9868; (800) 624-9706.

e-mail: gstokes@stokestropicals.com

This nursery specializes in a variety of hard-to-find tropical plants, including gingers, bananas, heliconias, bromeliads and plumerias.

There is the extremely rare ‘Chinese Yellow’ banana (Musella lasiocarpa). Native to southern China, this small tree grows to 4 feet, producing an erect butter-yellow flower. It grows well in containers and produces inedible fruit.

For ginger lovers, there is Alpinia purpurata ‘Kazu.’ This plant’s striking pink and yellow flowers are often used in cut flower arrangements. There is also the new plumeria variety ‘Cranberry’ that has slightly scented flowers that are a true cranberry color.

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SUCCULENTA

P.O. Box 480325, Los Angeles, CA 90048; (213) 653-1552.

This year is the 20th and probably last year of business for this nursery. It carries a wide variety of rare cactuses and succulents, including hard-to-find haworthias, euphorbias and caudiciforms.

In caudiciforms, there is Fockea edulis, which has a fat base and a leafy vine. Euphorbia francoissi is a rare miniature plant from Madagascar that can be used for bonsai. It has deep green, pink, gray and white leaves and grows quickly.

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VALLEY VISTA KIWI

16531 Mt. Shelly, Fountain Valley, CA 92708; (714) 839-0796. A plant list is available by sending a business-size stamped, self-addressed envelope.

This mail-order business originally brought kiwi and jujubes (Chinese dates) into the United States and still is the only supplier of many of these plants. It has scionwood and bare-root plants this time of year.

Of particular interest is the yellow kiwi (Actinidia chinensis), which is almost fuzzless and is pure yellow inside. This plant is especially suited for warm-weather areas such as ours. The company sells grape-sized kiwi (Arguta cordifolia), which comes in clusters and has extremely sweet, fuzzless fruit. Li and Sherwood jujubes are delicious fresh, and Lang is eaten after drying.

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WILDWOOD FARM

10300 Sonoma Highway, Kenwood, CA 95452; (707) 833-1161. $2, refunded with first order.

You’ll find more than 200 Japanese maples and other unusual specialty trees at this mail-order nursery. Rare is ‘Sunglow’ (Acer circinatum) with its bright apricot-colored foliage in spring. Also hard to find elsewhere are the Full Moon Maple species (Acer japonicum), such as the ‘Dancing Peacock’ (Aconitifolium ‘Maiku jaku’). This has large green leaves with rounded yet cut-shape foliage that turns deep fall tones.