The Best Of The Lot! A Most Special Plant For A Dry Climate Garden

Is there an ornamental plant which makes a most beautiful and unusual sculptural silhouette, requires virtually no care and attention, and is extremely modest in its water needs? The answer is yes! It is the Bottle Palm, Nolina recurvata.

Nolina, by virtue of its thick trunk and meter long, grassy leaves, makes a very strong vertical accent in the garden, rising to some 3-4 meters, and even more after very many years. Its unique feature is the swollen base from which the trunk rises. On mature plants this can reach over a meter in diameter, and looks something like a giant onion.

Requiring little water, the Bottle Palm is ideally suited to dry landscape designs. It can be planted in a bed of decorative pebbles for instance, or in a mulch of wood chippings, and goes well with other plants of strong form such as Dracaena or Yucca. In fact it could serve as the focal point, or the dominant element in a composition based on ornamental grasses and grass-like plants. For example, it looks great billowing out of a carpet of low growing "grasses" like Festuca, Carex and Liriope.

Nolina should be used judiciously. It does not go well in my view with large-leaved and obviously tropical plants, but associates quite well with true palms. It is sometimes grown as a vertical emphasis in a carpet of flowers. Personally, I think this creates a certain amount of confusion, as the flower color and the strong lines of the Nolina compete for attention. Good design involves the correct relationship between a dominant factor, whether that be a sculptural plant or a mass of color, and a support factor such as a hedge or a green ground cover.

Nolina recurvata has to be about the easiest plant to grow. It is as close to being maintenance free as possible. Nonetheless, it does have its cultural requirements, which should be carefully noted.

*The most crucial is the need for excellent drainage. It is preferable to under-water Nolina than to over-water it. For this reason it should not be planted close to plants that require frequent watering, such as annual flowers. In such cases the bulb is liable to rot.

*Nolina requires full sun, but can get by in light shade

*Remember that this plant grows very slowly. As it needs room to grow, it should not be crowded out with competing species. Patience as ever is a virtue!

About the author

My name is Jonathan Ya'akobi. I've been gardening in a professional capacity since 1984. I am the former head gardener of the Jerusalem Botanical Garden, but now concentrate on building gardens for private home owners. I also teach horticulture to students on training courses. I'd love to share my knowledge and experience with you. So you're welcome to visit me on http://www.dryclimategardening.com