Furred Silver: Leucophyllum pruinosum "Sierra Bouquet"

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In my last post I happened to mention the delightful silver-leaved Leucophyllum pruinosum "Sierra Bouquet".  As today is time for the monthly favorites post with Loree at The Danger Garden, what could be more appropriate than presenting this wonderful shrub?

 

It is a desert native, not from the Sonoran, but from the higher altitude Chihuahuan Desert of New Mexico, Texas, and of course Chihuahua, Mexico.  This means it is reliably more cold-hardy than many Sonoran natives, while still surprisingly durable in the intense sun and heat of a low desert summer.  Its fuzzy, silver leaves are undoubtedly part of the reason, protecting it against dehydration and sun damage...

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...in conditions that are even bleaching out the nearby Yucca.

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Yucca, sold as Y. gloriosa, but getting a bit big for that... fortunately I have it in a spot where it can expand a bit!

When the rains come, this Leucophyllum will, like its cousins L. frutescens and L. candidum, burst into bloom.  Flowers are a deepish purple with a curious grape candy fragrance, sometimes described as "bubblegum".  

 

But I am not featuring it for its bloom, but for its ability to go on thriving under conditions that make even some desert plants falter.  And above all, for its sparse, elegant beauty under the sun of a desert summer.

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Below the soft leaves (and they are of an unusually blued silver) the bark is attractively pale and many-textured.

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It is situated by itself in a largely unplanted part of the White and Silver Garden, an area difficult to  water, so this shrub has only been watered once during the past month - just before temperatures began climbing well over 110 F - and it was watered scantily enough prior to that.  And yet it is thriving.  

 

 

It is a good example of the wonderful shrubs available for the desert garden.  I find the native shrubs and perennials are sometimes more resilient in full sun exposures than the succulents, including cacti and agaves.   Leucophyllums seem to be among the most reliable for me, and they are certainly attractive in many different ways as the various species range from the more formal growers, such as L. frutescens, to L. pruinosum's wild, spare, silver beauty.

 

It does drop some leaves and look wan in late winter and spring - or at least it did in this, its first year in the garden.  The rest of the time it has a wonderful desert look to it.  And it lives up to its appearance!

 

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Weather Diary: Fair; High: 96 F (36 C)/Low: 76 F  (24 C); Humidity: 15%-60%  We have had an unusual and very welcome cool-down for the past few days.  Temperatures are expected to rise to 108 F (42 C) again tomorrow though...

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Comments: 6
  • #1

    Loree / danger garden (Saturday, 01 July 2017 13:07)

    A winner! Your sentence: " I find the native shrubs and perennials are sometimes more resilient in full sun exposures than the succulents, including cacti and agaves " even rings true to a PNW'er like me. One visit to the Desert Botanical Garden had me realizing this. So many of their cactus and agaves were planted in protected areas (over hanging foliage) or covered with shade cloth.

  • #2

    Amy@smallsunnygarden (Saturday, 01 July 2017 13:33)

    Loree - The first time I fully admitted it was last summer while watching Justicia californica breeze through on virtually no supplemental water... and we did 118 last summer too. I adore these rugged shrubs and sprawling perennials...!

  • #3

    Kris P (Saturday, 01 July 2017 15:18)

    I've have mixed success with Leucophyllum (maybe we're not hot enough!) thus far but I'm always impressed by those sudden post-rain explosions of bloom. I haven't seen this one offered locally but I'll be on the look-out for it.

  • #4

    Amy@smallsunnygarden (Sunday, 02 July 2017 00:41)

    Kris - I was only half-convinced when I planted this one, but the more it fills out the better I like it. It is a bit on the wild side compared to the frutescens varieties because it is not as densely foliaged. And I do wonder about the heat. It would be so useful if there were plenty of information on actual heat requirements for some of these plants!

  • #5

    hb (Monday, 03 July 2017 17:25)

    I prefer the silver-foliaged Leucophyllums, though what is commonly for sale here are the green foliaged. Was lucky to find L. candidum 'Thunder Cloud', finally.

    Your 'Sierra Bouquet' is very beautiful, not just very tough.

  • #6

    Amy@smallsunnygarden (Monday, 03 July 2017 22:48)

    I've had a terrible time finding any of the candidum varieties here too... finally picked up a small one labeled just 'Leucophyllum ass't'. I love Sierra Bouquet; I can see myself collecting Leucophyllums. ;-) Thanks for stopping by, HB!