Plant Highlights

Nandina domestica

Heavenly Bamboo, Sacred Bamboo

Highlight Month:
December
Nativity:

China and Japan
Growth Habit:

A multi-stemmed shrub up to 8 feet tall, speading outward by underground runners.
Growing Requirements:

Nandina will grow in sun to light shade, and is adaptable to moist or dry soil. It is very hardy and resistant to oak root fungus, as well as most pests.
Features:

Although not related to bamboo, it has the same lacy, fine-textured foliage. The leaves are pinkish when young, then turn green when mature and finally bronze or red in autumn. Fall color is best in sunnier locations. Clusters of small white flowers are followed by bright red berries, though plants may have both fruit and flowers at the same time. There are many cultivars with variations of height, flower, and berry color.
Where at Lotusland:

There are over eighty Heavenly Bamboo growing in the Japanese Garden.
Berberis oiwakensis (syn. Mahonia lomariifolia)

Chinese holly

Highlight Month:
December
Nativity:

South-central China, Hainan, Myanmar, Taiwan, and Tibet
Growth Habit:

This architectural Berberis has it all! Long bluish-green leaves with 19-37 leaflets emerge atop corky 6-12’ stems. Fragrant bright yellow flowers appear in winter followed by edible powdery blue berries in spring, much beloved by birds. It makes a great statement in a tropical or woodland garden, even when not in bloom.
Growing Requirements:

This plant prefers moist, well-drained soils, part-shade, and is hardy down to USDA Zone 8, and possibly Zone 7 with minor damage.
Features:

There is significant debate over the correct name of this species with all Mahonia species now incorporated into the genus Berberis. The featured plant was long known as Mahonia lomariifolia, referencing the leaves appearing similar to the fern genus Lomaria (now Blechnum). B. oiwakensis is one of the parents of the B. × hortensis (Mahonia × media) hybrids, most popular being ‘Charity’ and ‘Winter Sun’.
Where at Lotusland:

Berberis oiwakensis can be found in the Japanese Garden and across the main drive in the Tropical Garden at Lotusland.
Laelia anceps

Highlight Month:
December
Nativity:

Mexico to Honduras
Growth Habit:

This orchid species grows epiphytically on trees. Specimens may be mounted directly on the trunk of a suitable tree or attached to a plank and hung in the garden.
Growing Requirements:

Laelia anceps should be positioned in light to moderate shade. Established plants can withstand some drought, but do best when watered regularly. Bloom production can be enhanced by monthly applications of dilute liquid fertilizer.
Features:

Laelia anceps is one of the easiest orchids for outdoor culture in Southern California. It survives temperatures as low as 22° F and does not mind hot summers.
Where at Lotusland:

There is a large hanging specimen in the Upper Bromeliad Garden.
Camellia sasanqua

sasanqua camellia

Highlight Month:
December
Nativity:

Japan
Growth Habit:

Evergreen shrub reaching up to 12′ tall.
Growing Requirements:

Grow these camellias in soil enriched with plenty of organic material. While they prefer a slightly acidic soil, they will tolerate more alkaline conditions. Keep uniformly moist and plant in partial shade.
Features:

Camellia sasanqua blooms earlier than other Camellia species and makes a good addition to the late-fall/winter garden. Flowers range in color from white to many shades of pink and may be single or double.
Where at Lotusland:

Lotusland’s Japanese Garden is home to several cultivars of C. sasanqua including ‘Bonanza’, ‘Jean May’, ‘Mine-no-yuki’, ‘Shôwa-no-sakae’ and ‘Shishigashira’.
Quesnelia testudo

Highlight Month:
December
Nativity:

Brazil
Growth Habit:

Rosettes of stiff leaves normally grow attached to tree branches, but may also grow on the ground. The leaves overlap tightly to hold rainwater in the center.
Growing Requirements:

Partial shade, consistent watering.
Features:

Leaves are coated with white hairs on the underside. Flower stalks appear in cool months and hold many dark purple tubular flowers surrounded by hot pink bracts.
Where at Lotusland:

Upper and Lower Bromeliad Gardens
Sedum rubrotinctum ‘Aurora’

pink jelly bean plant

Highlight Month:
December
Nativity:

Mexico
Growth Habit:

Trailing stems covered with plump jelly bean shaped leaves form a succulent groundcover.
Growing Requirements:

Full to partial sun.
Features:

This is a pastel version of the well-known jelly bean plant. Pale green shades to pink, especially when stressed from drought or cold. It is easy to propagate from stem cuttings or rooting each bean-shaped leaf.
Where at Lotusland:

Succulent Garden
Aeonium arboreum ‘Zwartkop’

Highlight Month:
July
Nativity:

Canary Islands
Growth Habit:

Sturdy succulent stems may reach 3 feet or more and are topped with a rosette of dark burgundy leaves. In full sun, the plant looks nearly black. With time, the plants will branch and become loosely shrubby.
Growing Requirements:

Full to partial sun and well-drained soil. Very drought tolerant.
Features:

Selection of Aeonium arboreum is grown for its striking foliage. As each rosette matures, it produces a cone-shaped inflorescence of many tiny yellow flowers.
Where at Lotusland:

Succulent Garden, Main House steps, and Dracaena Circle
Caryota urens

fishtail palm

Highlight Month:
December
Nativity:

SW. & S. India, Sri Lanka
Growth Habit:

This fishtail palm is solitary, meaning it forms just one trunk. It grows up to 75 feet or more. When it reaches its mature height, it begins to flower. A large, branched inflorescence is formed in succession at each leaf node starting at the apex and progressing down the trunk. The process takes many years, but when it is over, the tree dies.
Growing Requirements:

Palms require even moisture and this species thrives in shade to partial sun. Cold hardy to perhaps 22° F.
Features:

The fishtail palm is aptly named in reference to the shape of the leaflets.
Where at Lotusland:

Fern Garden, behind the Dracaena Circle
Brachychiton acerifolius

flame tree

Highlight Month:
June
Nativity:

Eastern Australia
Growth Habit:

A tree to 60 feet tall and 30 feet wide.
Growing Requirements:

Full sun, needs little to moderate water once established. Grows best in well-drained soil.
Features:

B. acerifolius has unusual deeply-lobed foliage, which goes deciduous for a time in late winter, and a swollen, bottle-shaped trunk. Its most striking feature is a spectacular display of bright red flowers in late spring/early summer. The flowers are followed by large brown fruits which may hang on the tree for months.
Where at Lotusland:

B. acerifolius are planted in the Australian Garden, the area around the Visitors’ Center.
Dracaena draco

dragon tree, dragon’s blood tree

Highlight Month:
June
Nativity:

Canary Islands, Madeira Island and the Cape Verde Islands
Growth Habit:

A very slow growing tree. The plant may take up to ten or fifteen years to flower, at which point it will branch for the first time. It will eventually form a large multi-stemmed tree up to 20 feet tall and wide.
Growing Requirements:

Dracaena are succulent plants, and will grow in full sun or light shade, with moderate water, preferably in well-drained soil. They need a climate where winters stay mainly above freezing, as the leaves are frost-sensitive and the plants die at around 25 degrees. They grow well on the coast.
Features:

The leaves are sword-shaped and have a sharp tip. Small, creamy-white flowers are borne in branched spikes. The small, round fruit are fleshy and bright orange. Old specimens have scaly brown bark. The name “dragon’s blood tree” comes from the plant’s red sap, which was used in ancient Egypt as part of the embalming process and has been used in making paint and varnishes.
Where at Lotusland:

Over 60 Dracaena draco are planted in front of the Main House, the largest specimen in the middle dating back to Ralph Kinton Stevens’ ownership of the property when the area was his demonstration nursery. The remaning D. draco were added by Madame Ganna Walska to create a mass planting.