Plants We Covet Most
The heart wants what it wants, but when it comes to which plants we can grow, Mother Nature sometimes gets the final say. On this episode, our expert guests dive into the plants that have eluded them, why they can’t grow them, and what makes these plants so hard to resist.
Whether you are a northern gardener who loves frost-sensitive species, a Pacific Northwesterner who longs for spiky desert plants, or a Midwesterner who bemoans the limitations of clay soil, you’ll find this episode very relatable.
Episode Experts:
- Amanda Thomsen is a talented horticulturist, garden designer, author, and the owner of Aster Gardens, a plant shop in suburban Chicago.
- Loree Bohl is the creator of the Danger Garden blog and website, and author of Fearless Gardening: Be Bold, Break the Rules, and Grow What You Love. She gardens in Portland, Oregon.
Amanda’s most coveted plants
- Weeping blue atlas cedar (Cedrus atlantica ‘Glauca Pendula’, Zones 6–9)
- Jade vine (Strongylodon macrobotrys, Zones 10–12)
- Kangaroo paw (Anigozanthos flavidus, Zones 10–11)
- Tower of jewels (Echium wildprettii, Zones 9–11)
Loree’s most coveted plants
- Silver tree (Leucadendron argenteum, Zones 9–11)
- Crested tongue fern (Pyrrosia longifolia ‘Cristata’, Zones 9b–12)
- Ivory-spined agave (Agave utahensis var. eborispina, Zones 6–10)
- Peonies (Paeonia spp. and cvs., Zones 3–8)
- Amanda recommends fern-leaf peony (Paeonia tenuifolia, Zones 4–8)
Bonus-round plants
- Delta maidenhair fern (Adiantum raddianum, Zones 10–11)
- Amanda says, “Nothing I do is ever enough 🪦💀😵”
- Rough tree fern (Cyathea australis, Zones 8–10)
- Coral bark maple (Acer palmatum ‘Sango Kaku’, Zones 5–8)
- Someday, somewhere, Amanda will find a place for this plant.
