Leucadendron ‘Ebony’…my fav plant this week and foliage follow-up feature!

It’s a tall order to be both my favorite plant in the garden this week AND the monthly foliage follow-up feature but if ever there was a plant up for the challenge I think it’s this one, even with its diminutive size!

My first ever sighting of Leucadendron ‘Ebony’ was at the Ruth Bancroft Garden during the GBF. It is safe to say it stopped me in my tracks.

Fortunately for me Gerhard (Bamboo Succulents and More) had driven down from Davis, CA, to meet-up with us Flingers at the garden (yes that’s me with Gerhard below, thanks to Pam for taking our photo! and yes, that is a smile on my face, really)…

Gerhard knew they were growing a few of these at the garden nursery and had a hunch they’d be part of the upcoming Summer Plant Sale…why not ask if they’d sell us one? It took awhile but finally the decision was made (we were judged to be worthy) and he and I were both handed a 1-gallon Leucadendron ‘Ebony’…yay!

As these things tend to happen guess what I spied at a garden we visited later in the day?

Yep.

And then that evening at Flora Grubb…

Yep.

A (small) 7-gallon size for $149, makes my 1-gallon for $15 look like the bargain of the century!

We were warned our plants hadn’t been potted up long enough to fully develop their roots, so I very carefully planted it in a small container to let it grow on a bit. However since I love it with that bright green colored pot I’ve already bought the next size up so I can repot it in a month or two. Even though he’ll never be in the ground in my garden (not hardy here in Portland) I want him to grow up big and tall…

The stats:

• In the Proteaceae family, from South Africa
• Evergreen (black) foliage with burgundy flowers in the winter and spring
• Eventual size 3-4 ft all x 3-5 ft wide
• Full sun with low water needs
• Winter hardiness 20-25F

And a little history “It was discovered in 2007 by John Francis in a cultivated cut flower field of Leucadendron 'Safari Sunset' in Waimauku, northwest of Auckland, New Zealand. It received its US Plant Patent 23,258 in December 2012. In its patent application it was noted that it differed from the parent plant by having purple-black colored leaves and bracts instead of green leaves and red bracts such as are found on 'Safari Sunset'.” From the San Marcos Growers website.

Foliage Follow-up is a monthly feature over on Pam Penicks blog Digging, click on over there for links to other blogs celebrating foliage this month. My Favorite Plant in the Garden is a weekly feature here on danger garden, please join in with post on your favorite plant in your garden "right now." Feel free to do so whenever the inspiration strikes, weekly, monthly or whenever! And please leave a comment on my most recent “fav” post so we can all head over to your blog and learn about your current favored plant.

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