As I was working out on my balcony today I thought of the perfect plant to
put in the pot with my witch hazel. I just can't remember what it's called.
I had it growing in Seattle between the broken concrete pavers of my patio.
It looks like a tiny delicate Boston fern (sort of), spreads by runners,
stays very small and flat, it's a great ground cover, very hardy and tough
as nails. Anybody know what it's called so I can go find some. The first
time I saw this was in the Japanese garden in Portland, I got the name from
the gardener there. Now I can not for the life of me remember what it was.
Getting old is hell :-(

Val

On Sun, 25 May 2003 18:47:21 -0700, "Valkyrie"
wrote:

As I was working out on my balcony today I thought of the perfect plant to
put in the pot with my witch hazel. I just can't remember what it's called.
I had it growing in Seattle between the broken concrete pavers of my patio.
It looks like a tiny delicate Boston fern (sort of), spreads by runners,
stays very small and flat, it's a great ground cover, very hardy and tough
as nails. Anybody know what it's called so I can go find some. The first
time I saw this was in the Japanese garden in Portland, I got the name from
the gardener there. Now I can not for the life of me remember what it was.
Getting old is hell :-(

Val



Val getting old is inconvenient but it damn sure beats the
alternative! I'm not quite ready for the compost heap yet.

Wish I could help with the plant I.D. but it doesn't ring a bell here.

Dave
Dave Fouchey, WA4EMR
http://photos.yahoo.com/davefouchey
Southeastern Lower Michigan
42° 35' 20'' N,
82° 58' 37'' W
GMT Offset: -5
Time Zone: Eastern

Selaginella? One of my favorites in S. uncinata, Peacock Moss or Rainbow
Fern. Several species, difficult to find, but most are small, spreading
jobs, ferny or mossy in appearance.


--
elizabeth, Baton Rouge, LA
http://community.webshots.com/user/elott63


"Valkyrie" wrote in message
news:1053913657.864565@yasure...
As I was working out on my balcony today I thought of the perfect plant to
put in the pot with my witch hazel. I just can't remember what it's
called.
I had it growing in Seattle between the broken concrete pavers of my
patio.
It looks like a tiny delicate Boston fern (sort of), spreads by runners,
stays very small and flat, it's a great ground cover, very hardy and tough
as nails. Anybody know what it's called so I can go find some. The first
time I saw this was in the Japanese garden in Portland, I got the name
from
the gardener there. Now I can not for the life of me remember what it was.
Getting old is hell :-(

Val

"Elizabeth" wrote in message
...
Selaginella? One of my favorites in S. uncinata, Peacock Moss or Rainbow
Fern. Several species, difficult to find, but most are small, spreading
jobs, ferny or mossy in appearance.


--
elizabeth, Baton Rouge, LA
http://community.webshots.com/user/elott63

Thanks, I looked that plant up and it wasn't it, even the smallest was too
big. The plant I had grew almost flat to the ground and wasn't more than 2"
across, and looked like maybe a tiny Boston fern, however I don't believe
it was even in the fern family. I know it thrives in the Pacific Northwest.
I'm trying to remember what nursery I may have bought it from and call them.

Val

"Elizabeth" wrote in message
.. .
Selaginella? One of my favorites in S. uncinata, Peacock Moss or Rainbow
Fern. Several species, difficult to find, but most are small, spreading
jobs, ferny or mossy in appearance.


--
elizabeth, Baton Rouge, LA
http://community.webshots.com/user/elott63

Thanks, I looked that plant up and it wasn't it, even the smallest was too
big. The plant I had grew almost flat to the ground and wasn't more than 2"
across, and looked like maybe a tiny Boston fern, however I don't believe
it was even in the fern family. I know it thrives in the Pacific Northwest.
I'm trying to remember what nursery I may have bought it from and call them.

Val

Could it be bay tears, a sedum?

http://www.stepables.com/cgi-bin/store/commerce.cgi

Colleen
Zone 5 Connecticut

"GrampysGurl" wrote in message
...
Could it be bay tears, a sedum?

http://www.stepables.com/cgi-bin/store/commerce.cgi

Colleen
Zone 5 Connecticut


Maybe you mean Baby Tears, nope that's not it. This plant really looks like
a fern, a feathery Boston fern, just teeny tiny. Gawd, this is driving me
nutz, LOL. I was up at 4:30am paging through garden
books....aaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrgh!!!

Thanks,
Val

Zone 8, Puget Sound

Valkyrie wrote:

As I was working out on my balcony today I thought of the perfect plant to
put in the pot with my witch hazel. I just can't remember what it's called.
I had it growing in Seattle between the broken concrete pavers of my patio.
It looks like a tiny delicate Boston fern (sort of), spreads by runners,
stays very small and flat, it's a great ground cover, very hardy and tough
as nails. Anybody know what it's called so I can go find some. The first
time I saw this was in the Japanese garden in Portland, I got the name from
the gardener there. Now I can not for the life of me remember what it was.
Getting old is hell :-(

Val

A couple of things come to mind, Val. There is a true groundcover fern, Blechnum
penne-marina, which is a great but hard to find plant. Evergreen miniature
fern-like foliage held very close to the ground, spreads by underground runners
to form colonies. The second possibility is Cotula squalida (sometimes called
Leptinella squalida, N.Z. brass buttons) which is an excellent, heavy-duty and
durable groundcover with a very fern-like appearance. Both will get a
bronzey-copper shade in winter. Either of these sound familiar?

I know what you mean about that getting old thing - so far the memory hasn't
failed me (yet), but I sure don't seem to get as much accomplished these days as
I did just a year or two ago. Starting earlier and finishing later just to reach
the same point!

pam - gardengal

"Pam" wrote in message
...


Valkyrie wrote:

As I was working out on my balcony today I thought of the perfect plant
to
put in the pot with my witch hazel. I just can't remember what it's
called.
I had it growing in Seattle between the broken concrete pavers of my
patio.
It looks like a tiny delicate Boston fern (sort of), spreads by runners,
stays very small and flat, it's a great ground cover, very hardy and
tough
as nails. Anybody know what it's called so I can go find some. The first
time I saw this was in the Japanese garden in Portland, I got the name
from
the gardener there. Now I can not for the life of me remember what it
was.
Getting old is hell :-(

Val

A couple of things come to mind, Val. There is a true groundcover fern,
Blechnum
penne-marina, which is a great but hard to find plant. Evergreen miniature
fern-like foliage held very close to the ground, spreads by underground
runners
to form colonies.

Yes, YES!! YES!! That's it!! And now that you have jogged my memory I
remember I was able to find it at a nursery in Seattle in the Ballard/Crown
Hill area, it was back by a soccer/play field. I wonder if they are even
there anymore. I guess the best bet is to call around and see if I can find
it close to Tacoma. Thank you, Pam!!

Val

"Valkyrie" wrote in message
news:1053959125.406790@yasure...

"Pam" wrote in message
A couple of things come to mind, Val. There is a true groundcover fern,
Blechnum
penne-marina, which is a great but hard to find plant. Evergreen
miniature
fern-like foliage held very close to the ground, spreads by underground
runners
to form colonies.

Yes, YES!! YES!! That's it!! And now that you have jogged my memory I
remember I was able to find it at a nursery in Seattle in the
Ballard/Crown
Hill area, it was back by a soccer/play field. I wonder if they are even
there anymore. I guess the best bet is to call around and see if I can
find
it close to Tacoma. Thank you, Pam!!

Val


Well hell :-( I was doing some reading on the fern and that's not it, way
too big. This little ferny ground cover thing was maybe TWO INCHES across,
at the most,but it does spread by underground runners, and lays right flat
to the ground. All that I read about B. penna-marina said it was 8 -12
inches. ratz, ratz,ratz.

I think I will send an email to the Portland Japanese Gardens where I first
saw this. They were great about telling me what it was 20 years ago, maybe
they can tell me again.

Val

Pam wrote:
Valkyrie wrote:

As I was working out on my balcony today I thought of the perfect
plant to put in the pot with my witch hazel. I just can't remember
what it's called. I had it growing in Seattle between the broken
concrete pavers of my patio. It looks like a tiny delicate Boston
fern (sort of), spreads by runners, stays very small and flat, it's
a great ground cover, very hardy and tough
as nails. Anybody know what it's called so I can go find some. The
first
time I saw this was in the Japanese garden in Portland, I got the
name from the gardener there. Now I can not for the life of me
remember what it was. Getting old is hell :-(

Val

A couple of things come to mind, Val. There is a true groundcover
fern, Blechnum penne-marina, which is a great but hard to find plant.
Evergreen miniature fern-like foliage held very close to the ground,
spreads by underground runners to form colonies. The second
possibility is Cotula squalida (sometimes called Leptinella squalida,
N.Z. brass buttons) which is an excellent, heavy-duty and durable
groundcover with a very fern-like appearance. Both will get a
bronzey-copper shade in winter. Either of these sound familiar?

The Leptinella squalida is in the 2003 Heronswood Nursery catalog with a
picture.

Leptinella squalida z4 d2" $6.00
Category: perennials
( Cotula southeyi) From a genus that is solely Southern Hemispheran comes
this delightful species that produces a spreading low mat of grayish green
felted pinnate foliage and curious buttons of yellow in early spring. This
has been used as a lawn alternative by some, though we grow it in our garden
between pavers on the north side of the house. Asteraceae New Zealand



--
Travis in Shoreline (just North of Seattle) Washington
USDA Zone 8b
Sunset Zone 5

That's it Travis, thank you very much. Isn't it a neat looking plant? I
had it growing between pavers and it looked great, it's a pretty tough
little plant.

Val

"Travis" wrote in message
...
The Leptinella squalida is in the 2003 Heronswood Nursery catalog with a
picture.

Leptinella squalida z4 d2" $6.00
Category: perennials
( Cotula southeyi) From a genus that is solely Southern Hemispheran comes
this delightful species that produces a spreading low mat of grayish green
felted pinnate foliage and curious buttons of yellow in early spring. This
has been used as a lawn alternative by some, though we grow it in our
garden
between pavers on the north side of the house. Asteraceae New Zealand



--
Travis in Shoreline (just North of Seattle) Washington
USDA Zone 8b
Sunset Zone 5

In article , "Travis"
wrote:

Valkyrie wrote:

As I was working out on my balcony today I thought of the perfect
plant to put in the pot with my witch hazel. I just can't remember
what it's called. I had it growing in Seattle between the broken
concrete pavers of my patio. It looks like a tiny delicate Boston
fern (sort of), spreads by runners, stays very small and flat, it's
a great ground cover, very hardy and tough
as nails. Anybody know what it's called so I can go find some. The
first
time I saw this was in the Japanese garden in Portland, I got the
name from the gardener there. Now I can not for the life of me
remember what it was. Getting old is hell :-(

Val

A couple of things come to mind, Val. There is a true groundcover
fern, Blechnum penne-marina, which is a great but hard to find plant.
Evergreen miniature fern-like foliage held very close to the ground,
spreads by underground runners to form colonies. The second
possibility is Cotula squalida (sometimes called Leptinella squalida,
N.Z. brass buttons) which is an excellent, heavy-duty and durable
groundcover with a very fern-like appearance. Both will get a
bronzey-copper shade in winter. Either of these sound familiar?

The Leptinella squalida is in the 2003 Heronswood Nursery catalog with a
picture.

Leptinella squalida z4 d2" $6.00
Category: perennials
( Cotula southeyi) From a genus that is solely Southern Hemispheran comes
this delightful species that produces a spreading low mat of grayish green
felted pinnate foliage and curious buttons of yellow in early spring. This
has been used as a lawn alternative by some, though we grow it in our garden
between pavers on the north side of the house. Asteraceae New Zealand

I have both Blechnum penne-marina, & Cotula (Leptinella) squalida. The B.
penne-marina is slow-spreading tremendously beautiful & hardy evergreen
fern. Mine spread enough that I divided it once, but it would take forever
to become a groundcover.

C. squalida is sold as "Brass Buttons" because it has teency yellow-green
button-flowers. Its chief trait is it looks like an ultra-miniature fern.
There's a "black" form which I think looks dead & ugly but which has
lately been the only one I've seen offered in flats & in small pots. The
green form is prettier. It spreads aggressively with runners over the
surface or just underground & when it is its bushiest at one inch height
it is very pretty. In some zones it is apparently evergreen, but in my
shade garden it dies back in winter, returning reliably in spring, but it
does not very effectively keep plants or weeds from moving into its
territory.

I like Brass Buttons but it's nothin' compared to the glorious miniature
true fern B. penne-marina. However, a pot of B. penne-marina can be bloody
expensive, more than a whole flat of Brass Buttons.

--
"Of what are you afraid, my child?" inquired the kindly teacher.
"Oh, sir! The flowers, they are wild," replied the timid creature.
-from Peter Newell's "Wild Flowers"
See the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.paghat.com/

"paghat" wrote in message
news
I have both Blechnum penne-marina, & Cotula (Leptinella) squalida. The B.
penne-marina is slow-spreading tremendously beautiful & hardy evergreen
fern. Mine spread enough that I divided it once, but it would take forever
to become a groundcover.

My balcony has become quite shaded so I'm evolving to ferns and more shade
plants. Do you have a picture of B. penne-marina on your web site? Did you
buy it around here or mail order. I think this may be on my new list of
'wanna haves'.


C. squalida is sold as "Brass Buttons" because it has teency yellow-green
button-flowers. Its chief trait is it looks like an ultra-miniature fern.


I can't remember mine ever having teency button flowers which is why I
didn't think "Brass Buttons" was what I had. But the picture in the
Heronswood catalog looks like what I had in my garden in Seattle. The pot my
witch hazel tree is in is about 14" across so I just need a little dab to
get started. I think it will look good. I'll get on the phone and start
calling places. The big problem with mail order is that I hate to pay double
the plant price in shipping and handling because I only want one item.

I like Brass Buttons but it's nothin' compared to the glorious miniature
true fern B. penne-marina. However, a pot of B. penne-marina can be bloody
expensive, more than a whole flat of Brass Buttons.

BUT, you only need one B. penne-marina and I don't have room for a flat of
anything anyway.

Val

In article 1053999635.870670@yasure, "Valkyrie" wrote:

"paghat" wrote in message
news
I have both Blechnum penne-marina, & Cotula (Leptinella) squalida. The B.
penne-marina is slow-spreading tremendously beautiful & hardy evergreen
fern. Mine spread enough that I divided it once, but it would take forever
to become a groundcover.

My balcony has become quite shaded so I'm evolving to ferns and more shade
plants. Do you have a picture of B. penne-marina on your web site? Did you
buy it around here or mail order. I think this may be on my new list of
'wanna haves'.

Here's a pictu
http://www.paghat.com/waterfern.html

-paggers

C. squalida is sold as "Brass Buttons" because it has teency yellow-green
button-flowers. Its chief trait is it looks like an ultra-miniature fern.


I can't remember mine ever having teency button flowers which is why I
didn't think "Brass Buttons" was what I had. But the picture in the
Heronswood catalog looks like what I had in my garden in Seattle. The pot my
witch hazel tree is in is about 14" across so I just need a little dab to
get started. I think it will look good. I'll get on the phone and start
calling places. The big problem with mail order is that I hate to pay double
the plant price in shipping and handling because I only want one item.

I like Brass Buttons but it's nothin' compared to the glorious miniature
true fern B. penne-marina. However, a pot of B. penne-marina can be bloody
expensive, more than a whole flat of Brass Buttons.

BUT, you only need one B. penne-marina and I don't have room for a flat of
anything anyway.

Val

--
"Of what are you afraid, my child?" inquired the kindly teacher.
"Oh, sir! The flowers, they are wild," replied the timid creature.
-from Peter Newell's "Wild Flowers"
See the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.paghat.com/

Valkyrie wrote:

"Pam" wrote in message
...


Valkyrie wrote:

As I was working out on my balcony today I thought of the perfect plant
to
put in the pot with my witch hazel. I just can't remember what it's
called.
I had it growing in Seattle between the broken concrete pavers of my
patio.
It looks like a tiny delicate Boston fern (sort of), spreads by runners,
stays very small and flat, it's a great ground cover, very hardy and
tough
as nails. Anybody know what it's called so I can go find some. The first
time I saw this was in the Japanese garden in Portland, I got the name
from
the gardener there. Now I can not for the life of me remember what it
was.
Getting old is hell :-(

Val

A couple of things come to mind, Val. There is a true groundcover fern,
Blechnum
penne-marina, which is a great but hard to find plant. Evergreen miniature
fern-like foliage held very close to the ground, spreads by underground
runners
to form colonies.

Yes, YES!! YES!! That's it!! And now that you have jogged my memory I
remember I was able to find it at a nursery in Seattle in the Ballard/Crown
Hill area, it was back by a soccer/play field. I wonder if they are even
there anymore. I guess the best bet is to call around and see if I can find
it close to Tacoma. Thank you, Pam!!

Val

That nursery is most certainly still there - it is the nursery I work at!! It is
called Swanson's and has been there since 1924. That particular fern is pretty
hard to find - we have only been able to bring it in intermitantly over the last
couple of years (and I could use more of it myself!). If you are up for a drive,
try Fancy Fronds in Gold Bar - 360/793-1472 - or maybe Judith (the owner) can
direct you to a nursery in your immediate area.

pam - gardengal