N

Nandina domestica    HEAVENLY BAMBOO    winter berries    old plant    to 6-7’, with outstanding orange, red, or burgundy color in fall and winter. This plant will tolerate either full sun or full shade, but seems happiest in at least half a day of sun, which keeps it more compact and intensifies the winter foliage color. An excellent, forgiving container plant that can tolerate considerable variation in soil moisture without looking sad. Eastern Asia. Berberidaceae. production.

‘Compacta’    habit    foliage    to 4-5’, with smaller, more finely cut leaves and brighter fall color. Spreads slowly by underground runners. Denser, chunkier, not as graceful as seedlings, but shorter and uniform.
'Firepower'  winter foliage  young plant   this spectacular, clean, broad foliage is what you get when you remove all the viruses from the old 'Compacta Nana,' a centuries-old cutting grown strain from Japan that had probably accumulated every virus it could possibly host.  It forms a dense, lush broad pillar or dome, to about 20" tall, of chartreuse, broad leaved foliage in spring and summer then turns hot pinks, reds, and burgundies in fall and winter with the onset of cold temperatures. The more light and cold, the darker the color. This makes an outsanding container plant, single focal point specimen, or massed foliage subject. Use it where it has a dark or contrasting background hardscape or greenery. We actually have raised this plant in the distant past, when we first started our nursery in fact, before foliage was as popular, but that was before its time had come. So I am listing it as "new." I have never seen it flower, and it may represent a hyper-juvenile-phase form that can't produce flowers. rev 8/2008 
‘Gulfstream’   foliage    a very regular, very compact, clustering dwarf form to just 2' tall, with very neat, fine-textured leaves. rev 10/2008
‘Harbour Dwarf’    to 2’ tall, spreading quickly by underground stolons. Leaves are similar to ‘Compacta,’ with dark red fall color. Usually considered a groundcover variety.
'Moon Bay'    fine foliage    similar to 'Gulfstream' but finer textured, a little tighter, and to just about 30" tall, which is slightly shorter. Foliage color is light green with a touch of chartreuse, foliage turns from rusty orange to copper to deep red with cool weather. rev 10/2007 
'Richmond'   why you grow it   plant   this is one of the hot things in flower arranging, Nandina berries. This variety has especially copious and nice ones. rev 6/2008 

Nemesia    semitender evergreen perennials, also annuals (which we don't sell). The perennial types took the refreshing 1990 freeze without defoliating (about 20°F) which gives us a good estimate of which climates they will tolerate. They bloom longer on the coast and need more water inland. Some species and hybrids are nicely fragrant (like vanilla or heliotrope), some smell like privet flowers (not particularly pleasing), some smell like second hand cigarette smoke (really!) and some have no or little fragrance. All make outstanding container or mixed container plants and can usually be depended on for months of color, especially if cut back as they start to form seed heads. We have stock plants that have lived in the same containers for over six years. All like at least half sun, rich, moist, well drained soil, and infrequent feeding as needed. We guess they are frost hardy to USDA zone 9 and good subjects for Sunset zones 8-9, 14-17, 21-24. Scrophulariaceae. South Africa. rev 1/2003

Nepeta  CATMINT   fragrant foliaged, perennial sage relatives that mostly grow as grey or grey green mounds, with usually blue to lavender flowers appearing at various times, almost always starting in spring. Sun to part shade, average to good drainage, average to minimal watering. Frost hardy. Cats can roll in them. This makes the cats happy, and you either happy or sad depending on whether it is your plant and/or your cat. Labiatae/Lamiaceae.rev 4/2011

‘Dropmore Hybrid’    closeup    in a garden    a more robust, durable variety, to 12-18" tall, with dusky lavender blue flowers appearing in sprays above the greyish foliage for most of the year, if watered. Even without summer watering in coastal gardens, plants can be relied on to stay full and in color from spring through summer. rev 8/2010

faassenii ‘Citriodora’    LEMON CATNIP    flowers    research   our crack research cat has determined that this variety is as attractive to cats as the regular, annual N. cataria. This is a reliable perennial that grows with a low, almost flat habit, with large, round quilted green leaves, great dark blue flowers, and very strongly lemon-scented foliage. Worth growing for the flowers, for the fragrance, or for the joy it brings cats. rev 1/2010

'Select Blue'   photo   this one happens to have the darkest blue flowers of them all and is sterile (no reseeding). Aromatic, blue-grey foliage in a 12-18" mound produces blue flower spikes in late spring. After blooming, trim back for another round of flowers. Great in an herb or vegetable garden, bees love the flowers. Makes a casual low hedge, looks good with dark green foliage. Sun or part shade. Will take regular watering if drainage is good, otherwise, average to little watering once established.Sunset zones 1-24/USDA 4. rev 4/2011

'Pink Pixie'  PINK CATMINT hasn't bloomed yet, but from pictures this has pale pink flowers against greyish leaves. To 9" tall, 16" across. Sunset all zone/USDA 4. rev 8/2010

Nephrolepis SWORD FERNS  a genus of ferns recognized by its typical tall, narrow, sword-shaped fronds. Widely distributed. rev 8/2008

biserrata  MACHO FERN  Mt. Salak, Java   stock plants, Amsterdam   this is an awesome foliage plant, a typical Boston Fern scaled up by a factor of 2 or 3 in all directions, and darker green, and glossier. I had read about it, seen it on availabilities, but didn't appreciate what it was until I encountered the stock plants pictured while touring a fern grower in Holland. They made me say "Wow!" Now I see why you grow it." It is easy under warm, humid, subtropical conditions but it doesn't like cold winters and will be deciduous outdoors in Northern or Central California. It should survive in most suburban areas. With warm spring temperatures it recovers and quickly grows its arching to pendant 3-4' long fronds. It is shortly stoloniferous, like all other Nephrolepis, and can even be slightly invasive under conditions more favorable than it is going to find in California. This is the lushest, most tropical looking sword fern in commercial production. It is a little tempermental, so only grow it if you can give it favored conditions. It likes moisture, and even prefers wet to swampy soils. But if you have what it wants it will reward you with a great foliage display. Under indoor conditions it excels, especially shaded but high-light commercial applications where there is adequate humidity and nothing to damage the fronds. The fronds, probably when young, are cooked and eaten in New Guinea. Pantropical, escaped and naturalized in many areas. Sunset zones 8-9, 15-17 (protection), 21-24/USDA zone 9. rev 8/2008 

cordifolia    SOUTHERN SWORD FERN    habit    at the Damman's    evergreen fern, bearing long pinnate fronds to 30" tall with undivided pinnae (leaflets). This is the hardier version of one of several common sword ferns referred to as "Boston Fern," properly  N. exaltata. Part sun to shade, average to little summer watering, damaged below 20°F. This fern is native to widespread areas of the tropics, subtropics, and temperate zones. Polypodiaceae. rev 11/2006

exalata    BOSTON FERN    we try to grow only the varieties that show better performance outdoors than the standard "Boston," which reliably goes dormant in warm winters inside greenhouses if temperatures approach 50F. Some you will note we are testing. rev 10/2007

'Fluffy Ruffles'    riffled ruffles   like a Boston Fern, only more compact, and has ruffly edges on the fronds that grow about 12" long. The light foliage texture blends easily with impatiens and begonias. House/patio plant, or outdoors in the warmer SoCal or similar subtropical climates. rev 8/2011-Suzy Brooks
'Rita's Gold'    foliage    a nice, bright, outrageous yellow. About two-thirds as fast as a regular Boston. What a great color! Until I know more expect it to be winter deciduous below 50F, like all other Boston Ferns, but since 'Tiger' remains evergreen we thought it would be worth a try. rev 10/2007 
'Tiger'    frond    fronds striped yellow and green. Much more winter tolerant than N. exalata itself, remaining completely evergreen at my house during the freeze of 2007. While it had overhead protection, regular Boston Fern would have been dormant at some point during fall even without the freeze. rev 10/2007 

obliterata    similar to N. cordifolia, but the fronds and pinnae are narrower, plant is more compact. Fronds are darker green than  N. exaltata and somewhat neater, leaflets are shorter and a little more blunt. According to fern expert Barbara Hoshizaki, everything in the trade is actually N. cordifolia. Australia. rev 11/2010