I visited Cistus Design Nursery near the end of March and am just getting around to posting the photos. A couple more visits have occurred since then, but on that day I spent a lot of time just enjoying the sights through my camera lens. It was a beautiful, sunny day, unlike the weather we've been having lately.
It was the first time in months that I had really taken my camera out just for the joy of photography. I hadn't realized how much I missed it. As a former employee and friend, I get to peak into the back houses, but you can follow along with me here. All the greenhouses are getting a lot of work done to tidy them up. It's really wonderful to see and they look great. I've only included one wide shot, as it's still a work in progress
Pandorea pandorana 'Golden Showers' caught my eye right away.
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I love the curled new leaves of Fatsia japonica 'Murakumo Nishiki'.
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The dark foliage of Pittosporum tenuifolium 'Atropurpureum' against the bright green of this Mahonia fortunei creates quite the contrast.
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New growth on Mahonia lomariifolia ssp. tenuifolia DJH MJA
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Fuzzy red new growth on Quercus miquiana.
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Like tiny orange daffodils, the flowers of Berberis darwinii are lovely with a little backlighting, or even without.
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An incredibly dark Aeonium.
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Palms! Those in the foreground are Trachycarpus fortunei 'Wagnerianus'. I'll be needing three of those for a bed I'm planting this spring. But that day, I left them behind.
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The Clivia were just getting started when I visited in March, and have been blooming abundantly since.
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Magnolia laevifolia blooming early in a warm greenhouse. It smelled so good!
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The bright orange of a senescing leaf on a Senecio, maybe Senecioaschenbornianus?
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Velvety new growth on Neolitsea sericea shimmers in shades of gold from white to red.
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A different shade of Stachyurus flower, "Stachyuruspraecox mitsuzaki Diane" is what the label said.
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Out in the garden, the blooms of Berberisdarwinii aren't far behind their counterparts in the greenhouses.
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I must admit, I never fully appreciated the beauty of Berberisjamesiana until I saw these old berries that have been hanging on all winter, backlit so that they glow like rubies.
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Fuzzy seed heads of cardoon, Cynaracardunculus, catching the light.
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Eucalyptusneglecta and this native mahonia make a lovely combination.
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Aristolochiacalifornica blooms so early!
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More lovely mahonias blooming away, to the delight of bees and hummingbirds.
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One of my primary objectives in visiting that day was to decide whether I wanted Trachycarpusfortunei, or the tidier but smaller fronds of 'Wagnerianus', shown below.
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I think the leaves of 'Wagnerianus' are plenty big, and look so much nicer than regular fortunei.
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They're even attractive after they've dried up and turned completely brown!
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Scheffleradelavayi. Must add another of these to the garden this year.
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I loved this combination of Polypodium, Phlomis, bulb foliage, and just a little Oxalisoregana. On a return trip to Cistus last week, the Oxalis had all but engulfed the fern.
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Oh, Edgeworthiachrysantha'Akebono', why must you torment me? I've given up growing it in my garden, after two years in a row seeing the flower buds killed by either extreme cold or a late frost. I do love seeing it in other gardens, though.
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Two plants I am not fond of, flowering fruit trees and forsythia, but I couldn't deny the beauty of this combination.
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I love this Hederacolchica'Sulphur Heart'. It can still take over a garden bed, but it's not going to reseed like the invasive ivy we battle in the PNW.
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One last shot. I was captivated by the light shining through these hellebores.
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Taxonomic Note: I've been informed of a new, more comprehensive phylogenetic study published in December, 2017, done on Berberis and Mahonia, which reinstates Mahonia as a distinct genus and proposes the new genera Alloberberis for the species formerly in Mahonia section Horridae and Moranothamnus for Mahonia claireae. These are proposals only, and I find no references to the study that say the proposals have been accepted, but I also am not privy to the latest decisions on the taxonomic world stage (most boring play ever). At the very least, though, it sheds doubt on the merging of Mahonia into Berberis, so call them whatever you want! Apologies for the taxonomic whiplash. I'm dealing with it myself, too.
It was the first time in months that I had really taken my camera out just for the joy of photography. I hadn't realized how much I missed it. As a former employee and friend, I get to peak into the back houses, but you can follow along with me here. All the greenhouses are getting a lot of work done to tidy them up. It's really wonderful to see and they look great. I've only included one wide shot, as it's still a work in progress
Pandorea pandorana 'Golden Showers' caught my eye right away.
I love the curled new leaves of Fatsia japonica 'Murakumo Nishiki'.
The dark foliage of Pittosporum tenuifolium 'Atropurpureum' against the bright green of this Mahonia fortunei creates quite the contrast.
New growth on Mahonia lomariifolia ssp. tenuifolia DJH MJA
Fuzzy red new growth on Quercus miquiana.
Like tiny orange daffodils, the flowers of Berberis darwinii are lovely with a little backlighting, or even without.
An incredibly dark Aeonium.
Palms! Those in the foreground are Trachycarpus fortunei 'Wagnerianus'. I'll be needing three of those for a bed I'm planting this spring. But that day, I left them behind.
The Clivia were just getting started when I visited in March, and have been blooming abundantly since.
Magnolia laevifolia blooming early in a warm greenhouse. It smelled so good!
The bright orange of a senescing leaf on a Senecio, maybe Senecioaschenbornianus?
Velvety new growth on Neolitsea sericea shimmers in shades of gold from white to red.
A different shade of Stachyurus flower, "Stachyuruspraecox mitsuzaki Diane" is what the label said.
Out in the garden, the blooms of Berberisdarwinii aren't far behind their counterparts in the greenhouses.
I must admit, I never fully appreciated the beauty of Berberisjamesiana until I saw these old berries that have been hanging on all winter, backlit so that they glow like rubies.
Fuzzy seed heads of cardoon, Cynaracardunculus, catching the light.
Eucalyptusneglecta and this native mahonia make a lovely combination.
Aristolochiacalifornica blooms so early!
More lovely mahonias blooming away, to the delight of bees and hummingbirds.
One of my primary objectives in visiting that day was to decide whether I wanted Trachycarpusfortunei, or the tidier but smaller fronds of 'Wagnerianus', shown below.
I think the leaves of 'Wagnerianus' are plenty big, and look so much nicer than regular fortunei.
They're even attractive after they've dried up and turned completely brown!
Scheffleradelavayi. Must add another of these to the garden this year.
I loved this combination of Polypodium, Phlomis, bulb foliage, and just a little Oxalisoregana. On a return trip to Cistus last week, the Oxalis had all but engulfed the fern.
Oh, Edgeworthiachrysantha'Akebono', why must you torment me? I've given up growing it in my garden, after two years in a row seeing the flower buds killed by either extreme cold or a late frost. I do love seeing it in other gardens, though.
Two plants I am not fond of, flowering fruit trees and forsythia, but I couldn't deny the beauty of this combination.
I love this Hederacolchica'Sulphur Heart'. It can still take over a garden bed, but it's not going to reseed like the invasive ivy we battle in the PNW.
One last shot. I was captivated by the light shining through these hellebores.
Taxonomic Note: I've been informed of a new, more comprehensive phylogenetic study published in December, 2017, done on Berberis and Mahonia, which reinstates Mahonia as a distinct genus and proposes the new genera Alloberberis for the species formerly in Mahonia section Horridae and Moranothamnus for Mahonia claireae. These are proposals only, and I find no references to the study that say the proposals have been accepted, but I also am not privy to the latest decisions on the taxonomic world stage (most boring play ever). At the very least, though, it sheds doubt on the merging of Mahonia into Berberis, so call them whatever you want! Apologies for the taxonomic whiplash. I'm dealing with it myself, too.