do i dare plant this?
Do any of you know how this plant would do in a garden setting? It’s thick-leaved yerba santa (Eriodictyon crassifolium) one of our local native species in the phacelia family.
I’ve seen it around in the wild areas of town for a while, and I’ve always liked its odd, stemmy growth habit, with a tuft of serrated gray-green leaves on the ends of straight, floppy or contorted branches. Here’s how it looks in one setting at Torrey Pines State Preserve. You can see all the ways the branches grow, including this big circularl loop-de-loop.
Right now yerba santas all around town are in full bloom, bearing these delicate lavender-colored tubular blooms at the ends of their stems. I’m in love.
In most locations I’ve seen the plant growing four to six feet tall, and mounding six to eight feet in width. What I’ve heard some of the native plant people say about how it grows in the wilds–that it spreads widely via underground runners to develop big colonies–is the part that scares me. I think I’d like the effect of its cool stems growing up and through some low groundcovers, but I don’t want it to be the total monster, either.
It’s a plant that makes a statement, but I don’t want the statement to be that I was gullible enough to plant a totally rank plant into the garden!
March 24 2009 05:25 am | Categories: gardening • plant profiles | Tags: Eriodictyon crassifolium • native plants • yerba santa
Jenny on 24 Mar 2009 at 4:00 pm #
How funny. I also have a plant in the yard known as yerba santa. But, it’s Piper auritum. I guess that’s one vote for the use of latin names.
Bill Kisich on 24 Mar 2009 at 8:45 pm #
Try it in a container. I have had some success with similar spreaders by making sure there is a dry margin of ground around it. It works here in the dez. You guys may get rain too frequently there.
lostlandscape on 25 Mar 2009 at 6:08 pm #
Jenny, I agree that the latin names com in handy for cases like this. Even within the California genus that this plant comes from there are several other species that are called “yerba santa”–all varieties of things called “sacred herbs” in Spanish.
Bill, the container idea is a good one. I have a big can that I cut the bottom out of. That should be protection enough in case this plant crawls too far. The plant will survive from rain, so I wouldn’t be able to control it with watering. Anyway, I’m encouraged. I called my local nursery that’s a distributor for a wholesaler who propagates this. I hope they can get it for me. I’m not sure I want to try it from seed. (This is another of those really tricky species to germinate.)
Town Mouse on 26 Mar 2009 at 10:28 am #
I’m with Bill. If you must have it, use a container. I’m not even sure I’d cut the bottom out. I find I spend 90% of my garden time on the 10% of the plants that are vigorous. Right now, I’m pulling poppies…
Greg on 26 Mar 2009 at 8:29 pm #
You know I often welcome anything that grows with enthusiasm, provided there’s room enough for it to play. Those lovely flowers certainly make any extra effort for its care worthwhile. Do they have a fragrance?
Fascinating foliage, too.
Scott on 17 Oct 2010 at 7:17 pm #
Don’t let it scare you, deal with it.
lostlandscape on 17 Oct 2010 at 7:56 pm #
Scott, funny coincidence…I just bought one of these yesterday. I’ll be in the ground before long…