Jay -- For us, Boule has grown stiffly upright, only arching outward at the top. See photo, below, taken at pruning time: My husband is about 5-ft., 8 ins.

We do not prune to reduce size. We only remove dead or damaged growth. And, as you can see, it repeats through the calendar year. (It would likely repeat even better if we went down there and deadheaded.)

It's not a wide, arching plant (like my Teas). I don't think it's a candidate for an obelisk, as it's not limber enough to wind.

OTOH, it doesn't NEED that support, as it holds itself upright on its own.

Jeri

And, here's the bloom.

We grow this, rather than 'Mme. Plantier,' because the Madame wants more winter chill than we can give it. This one is happy here.

The foliage is very dark green (despite our alkaline conditions) and it is disease-free. Though it is officially a Bourbon, it has some Noisette background.

Jeri

Jeri- I think it may still do quite well as the center piece then if it can maintain such an upright habit. A bit more pruning may be necessary, but nothing outrageous for the intended spot. And great photo! A beautiful rose without question.

On a side note, does anyone know of a good source for large numbers of dwarf boxwood (English) in So Cal? I imagine I'll end up talking{{gwi:807}} to some sort of landscaper, but I thought perhaps you all might have some leads. The design calls for quite a few Boxwood, Santolina, and some Germander.

Jay

This post was edited by ArbutusOmnedo on Tue, Nov 5, 13 at 15:22

If you don't find it, one thing I've always thought would be very cool is a low hedge of 'International Herald Tribune.'

It is quite low-growing -- after several years, only one of ours is making it to 4-ft. It's disease-free and continuous-blooming, if not cut back much. Depending upon the weather, it runs deep purple to rich lavender, in generous sprays.

Another low plant that might do the trick for you is 'Thumbelina' lavender. Mine are 2 years old, and only about 12 inches. They, too, bloom almost continuously. For me, all of the OTHER lavenders, even Hidcote, grow much larger, and require whacking back.

Jeri

I hadn't heard of 'Thumbelina,' but that sure sounds intriguing. Fernleaf tends to stay fairly upright here, but nowhere near that compact. Everything else I've tried has grown fairly shrubby as you said. I've had horrible luck trying lavender from seed, but I finally have a couple little plants going of a dwarf white lavender -the name of which escapes me- that I'm hoping will stay compact in the long run.

IHT is a nice little rose. I was impressed by the color the first time I saw it in person. I imagine as a big fan of singles, my mom would be intrigued by that idea.

Jay

IHT has always impressed me, and we have quite a lot of it here. Obviously, it impressed Tom Carruth, as he used it as the basis of his line of poiples.

Heck, it's even got R. californica in its pedigree!

Jeri

Boy the IHT's pedigree takes in many of my faves:
seed: (Blue Moon à[Lilac Charm àSterling Silver (Hybrid Tea, Fisher, 1957)]) à[Orangeade î àLilac Charm]
pollen: [Orange Sensation î àAllgold î (floribunda, LeGrice, 1956)] àRosa californica Cham. & Schltdl.
Plus it's very pretty.
Susan

The only thing I wouldn't know about is whether it would be troubled by blackspot, where that is a problem.

Jeri

English boxwood is Buxus sempervirens and the dwarf variety is Buxus sempervirens suffruticosa. Forest Farm has the plain sempervirens and Girard's Nursery has named varieties. I haven't dealt with Girard's in years but they were a very inexpensive source of very young plants. They used to call them "transplants". Even so, they had a good survival rate. It's just that patience is required. If you want the dwarf variety and it is not listed in the catalog, contact the nursery. In the past Forest Farm has been able to supply me with plants not in their catalog because I was buying in quantity.

Cath

I tend to avoid the Latin names (despite having studied it through undergrad), but Suffruticosa is exactly what I'm looking for. I believe I have seen that Forest Farm carries it, but if possible I'd love to cut down shipping costs.

I am not aware of Girard's but I will definitely look into that. My mom has mentioned seeing flats of these 'transplants' of Buxus in the past, but I can't say I have. We would almost certainly prefer to start smaller, so that size is great.

Thanks!

Jay

Jay,

Some of the members from foreign countries have indicated that the Latin names are more useful for them because English reference books are unavailable to them. Usually I try to give both English and Latin.

Cath

I totally understand! I try to memorize the Latin names to avoid relying upon potentially regional or otherwise misleading common names, but it's usually just easier to recall the latter. I'm sure many of the common names I'm acquainted with would fall on deaf ears for many on this forum, so I'll be cognizant of that.

Jay

Cheapest place for boxwood is one-gallons from a big box store or if you look around at the nurseries that grow plants under the high-voltage power lines you can get a deal if you buy quite a few. But I think common myrtle Myrtus communis does a better job than boxwood, because it doesn't yellow up in winter, stays very dark green, and lives happily on winter rain alone once established. Also has a wonderful scent to the foliage.

I do love myrtus communis! I just used several of the compact variety to form accents in a border, have used one of the variegated compacts in a mixed border, and have a regular Myrtus Communis near the Kitchen Garden. I love the summer flowers and fall berries for seasonal interest and culinary use. However I try to branch out with each addition to the garden, so this ideally will be a somewhat distinct feature as regards flora, yet still homogenous aesthetically.

The problem with most big box stores is they really only carry Buxus Microphylla or Buxus Sinica which will take much more regular pruning than my mother would like. They don't even really seem to carry dwarf cultivars of Japanese or Korean Boxwood, let alone English.

Perhaps we'll end up using Teucrium x Lucidrys, but It'll be some time before we settle on anything in particular.

Jay

Absolutely wonderful rose here in TN! Mine is only 3 years old and about 7ft tall x 10ft wide! It's one I wouldn't be without!

Tammy