MA NZANITA
November 2, 2019

For our plant pick we found ourselves at Little Prince of Oregon and meeting with Joan in one of their greenhouses. She was there surrounded by Manzanitas. These may all be manzanitas, but they all didn’t look the same! What makes these manzanitas special is that they were all part of a plant trial at the OSU North Willamette Research and Extension Center near the Little Prince growing facility. They grew a huge amount of different varieties at the center and these were the ones that survived the best without any help. After the study was done, cuttings of the plants were made and they were planted and propagated. These different varieties run the gamut from ground cover types to ones that can get nearly 10 feet tall and are very disease resistant. There is one for every zone too, from zone 2 to zone 10. These all can be used in areas that require drought tolerant plants, like parking strips and xeriscapes, where they do well once they are established. Plus you can’t beat the unique barks and blooms!

If you would like to see these manzanitas, you can check your local garden center and look for the Little Prince frog, or you can check out their website, and order some on-line to be delivered to your door!
 

HAWORTHIA
November 2, 2019

We found a great plant pick recently at Little Prince of Oregon, the Haworthia! This plant used to be overlooked a lot in the houseplant section of your local garden center, but with all the new introductions and varieties, it is now a great little plant to bring some interesting foliage into your home. Ryan met William in the greenhouse to show him a small collection of the 14 different varieties of Haworthia they grow. These plants are not hardy outside in the winter and love full sun if you can give it to them. The old ones were a simple spiky green plant, but now you can get a variety of spots, stripes, and even crocodile skin patterns on the leaves. They also have a bunch of new colors too, from dark green to burgundy! They can even take a little abuse. If you forget to water them for a week or two, they can bounce back with a little drink of water.

If you would like to add this plant pick to your indoor garden, you can check with your local garden center or buy them directly from Little Prince! They have a store locator and a list of plants you can buy from them on their website. Check it out! You can also follow them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/littleprinceoforegon/.
 

ABUTILON
June 22, 2019

Since we are talking a lot about pollinators we stopped by our sponsor of the Plant Pick, Little Prince of Oregon. They are a great grower of plants specifically adapted to the Northwest! Ryan took us to one of their greenhouses to show us the wonderful selection of abutilons they grow. Abutilons are also known as Flowering Maples due to the maple-like shape of their leaves. They are a beautiful plant that blooms all summer long and is loved by bees and hummingbirds. They are a marginal plant for our area, meaning that you can grow them if they have protection from the severe cold during our winters. We’ve seen them survive in the ground with lots of mulch, in containers if they are moved into a protected area, and even inside as a houseplant. Little Prince grows a lot of different varieties including a group of smaller ones called their ‘Patio series’. These shorter ones can be kept at a foot tall or can grow to about 3 feet tall.

Some of the others that they grow include the ‘Thompsonii’ with spotted variegation, the cool spotted blooms of the ‘Red Tiger’ and the stronger variegation of the ‘Savitzii’. They even have one that can be used as a trailing vine type for hanging baskets called ‘Megapotamicum’. They like the full sun and because they are heavy bloomers, they do like to get an extra dose of fertilizer every once in a while. If you would like to see some of these you can check their website for a retailer near you, or even just order one directly from Little Prince.
 

BEESIA
June 16, 2018

One of the best plants in the shade garden is a little one that could go unnoticed! It is the Beesia. We learned about this one from our friends at Little Prince of Oregon. Mark joined William in the greenhouse to take a look at the great selection of plants they had. It is a wonderful evergreen groundcover and though this plant may not have a flower that will knock your socks off, it has a glossy foliage that looks fake, it is so shiny. There are small white spikes of flowers, but the foliage is the winner here. In the winter the foliage stays around, but it gets a burgundy edge around the leaves. If you would like to find this plant, check out the Little Prince website for a nursery near you.
 

TENDER SUCCULENTS
April 13, 2018

Succulents are very popular right now. They are easy to grow and easy to care for, and there are so many to choose from! To see some of the newest we stopped by Garden Fever (503-287-3200) to meet nursery owner Lori and our Plant Pick sponsor, Mark from Little Prince of Oregon. First we talked to Lori about the great planters and terrarium bar that they have for customers. Lori showed us the wide selection of rocks, gravel and other decorative elements for building terrariums and planters. She also told us that succulents work the best in well drained containers and they have a great selection of those too. They also have a great handout on how to build and growing a terrarium, which you can find a link to here!

We then moved over to Mark to chat about the plants. Little Prince has a great selection of tender succulents called Plant Poppers. These are great for those smaller containers and terrariums. Mark also recommended a couple of books for interested growers, Succulents by Robin Stockwell, and Terrarium Craft by Kate Bryant and Amy Bryant Aiello. Mark also stressed that these plants love well drained containers and recommended places like Garden Fever who will drill holes in containers if needed so you can be successful. These succulents need a nice bright place indoors during the winter and can be moved outside during the summer, where they can really thrive. If you would like to learn more about these ‘poppers’ you can stop by Garden Fever or you can check out the Little Prince website for a retailer near you.
 

MANZANITA
March 10, 2018

Our ‘Little Prince of Oregon’  plant pick for this week took us to a great little nursery in NW Portland, Pomarius Nursery (503-490-6866). There we found a great selection of Manzanita (arctostaphylos). Pomarius is known for great architectural plants and unique varieties and this plant falls into both categories. Both Wes, a designer at Pomarius, and Mark from Little Prince, told us that this plant is great for many reasons. These are tough evergreen plants and are really drought tolerant when they become established. They also don’t mind poor soils and cold temperatures. They are blooming right now with tiny colorful blooms that will become fruit in early summer. You will find them under the names of arbutus or madrone on some tags, but they are a great plant no matter what you call them! You can find them at most garden centers or wherever Little Prince plants are sold.

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