My business partner Megan has said, \u201cThere is no such thing as a bad plant, just plants used badly.\u201d I\u2019m pretty sure she\u2019s on to something.<\/p>\n
Some plants get a bad rap because they\u2019re work-horses, standards used over and over again, often in commercial settings where they\u2019re abused \u2013 and thus not looking their best. Some plants become representatives for an entire genus, like the ubiquitous rhododendron foundation plantings seen in front of every third house in my Portland neighborhood. How many casual gardeners have the opportunity to discover unique rhododendron species, those beyond the common? And some plants are disliked simply because familiarity breeds contempt. In my case the conifer I grew up with, Pinus ponderosa<\/a> – growing everywhere in my native Eastern Washington – was so ever-present and looming, they turned me against conifers in general.<\/p>\n Over the years I\u2019ve said (not so) brilliant things like \u201cI\u2019ll never plant a conifer in my garden!\u201d or \u201cBegonias and geraniums are boring, old fashioned plants (aka something my grandma would like)\u201d or \u201cI hate rhododendrons!\u201d Thankfully my eyes have been opened and I’ve discovered there really are no bad plants. Here are a few which have me seeing the err of my ways:<\/p>\n My first conifer crush was\u00a0Cedrus atlantica ‘Glauca’<\/a> aka Blue Atlas Cedar, those powdery blue needle explosions are just wonderful, and don’t get me started gushing about the cones. Next came Juniperus conferta ‘Blue Pacific’<\/a>, it’s silvery\/green needles and dense creeping habit make it a perfect groundcover. My newest conifer love is\u00a0Cryptomeria japonica ‘Rasen’<\/a>\u00a0with its twisting needles which spirally twist around twisting branches, I could stare at it for days…<\/p>\n\n\t\t