There are around 400,000 species of flowering plants (angiosperms), according to a team of botanists from around the world, including leaders from the Royal Botanic Gardens herbarium<\/a> at Kew in London, and the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis. A good number of these plants are considered rare, but that\u2019s a subjectively defined category, and there are almost as many lists as gardeners. To check out the range of nominees, search the Internet for \u201crare plants.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Plants are\nconsidered rare for various reasons: not yet discovered in the wild; discovered\nbut not distributed by commercial nurseries; not garden-worthy (according to\nsome arbitrary definitions); difficult to grow (this depends a lot on\nlocation); endangered as a result of human action, e.g., habitat loss. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Some\ngardeners seek rare plants for bragging rights or cultivation challenges. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Unfamiliar or Unusual <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n This\ncategory relates to the individual gardeners: what is unusual to one might be a\nfavorite to another. This past week, I attended an expert presentation on\nAriocarpus, which is a small genus of succulent, subtropical plants in the\ncactus family (Cactaceae). They grow in limestone hills in the south of Texas\nand the north of Mexico. These plants were certainly new to me, but a\nlongstanding interest to the speaker and a few other members of the Monterey\nBay Area Cactus & Succulent Society. We all learned these unusual plants\nare actually easy to grow when given acidic water. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The challenge\nof cultivating other unusual plants generally involves providing their native\nconditions. For example, I have been fascinated by Brazil\u2019s giant rhubarb\n(Gunnera manicata), which has enormous leaves, and wanted to include it in my\ngarden, but this is a plant that requires a lot of water. A local friend is\ngrowing it successfully, but he has an on-site water source. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Some\nmail-order nurseries offer unusual varieties, either as seeds or small plants,\nso adventurous gardeners will have little difficulty in finding something\ndifferent. They might be pricey, but that\u2019s part of the enterprise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Familiar <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n We find this\ncategory of plants in local garden centers and most mail-order catalogs. We\nneed not dwell on this category here, except to acknowledge that it represents\nthe mainstay of residential gardens. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Pass-along Plants <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n These are\nthe desirable plants often found in traditional garden exchanges. They are\ngarden-worthy and typically very easily grown. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We could\ninclude a long list of plants in this category. Here is a typical list of\npass-along plants: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Invasives<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Our last\ncategory to consider consists of the overly zealous propagators. They are\nsometimes called \u201cvigorous spreaders,\u201d a polite term for plants that will take\nover your garden, when given a chance. Many\nplants belong in this category, and they might show up in a garden exchange, so\nbe on your guard. I once brought home an attractive succulent plant identified\nas a Bryophyllum. Something new! When I searched for it on the Internet, however,\nI discovered that its common name is \u201cMother of Thousands,\u201d and a closely\nrelated plant is called \u201cMother of Millions.\u201d I did not add that plant to my\ngarden. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Santa\nCruz Garden Exchange will occur at 8:00 a.m., Saturday, October 27, 2018, at\nthe Live Oak Grange Hall, 1900 17th Ave. Santa Cruz. The available plants (all\nfree) will include a good supply of high-quality iris rhizomes, to be planted\nsoon so they could establish roots during the coming rainy season. This is the\nlast opportunity this season to participate in this great tradition for home\ngardeners. Arrive early! <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Tomorrow, the Santa Cruz Garden Exchange will have its last session for the season. The Exchange convened monthly during this year, providing opportunities for gardeners to share lots of surplus plants, plus some fruits, vegetables and garden pots. Garden exchanges … Continue reading ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/ongardening.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Tall-Bearded-Iris.jpg?fit=584%2C901\")
when gardeners dig and divide their iris rhizomes. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n