RHS Garden Rosemoor
Plant of the Month January
Name: Garrya elliptica ‘James Roof’
Common name: Silk-tassel bush
Family: Garryaceae
Vital statistics
Height and spread: 4m (12ft) x 4m (12ft)
Form: Evergreen shrub.
Soil: Well-drained, moderately fertile.
Aspect: Full sun to partial shade.
Hardiness: Frost hardy (may even tolerate temperatures down to -10ºC/14ºF)
Garrya elliptica ‘James Roof’ @ Rosemoor
This is arguably one of the most important plants at Rosemoor as it grows against the Visitor Centre wall to either side of the main entrance, and is therefore one of the first plants our visitors see. The exceptionally long and decorative catkins are a wonderfully welcoming sight on a cold winter's morning.
Garrya
This genus contains about 13 species of evergreen shrubs or small trees, found in woodland in western USA, Central America and the West Indies. They are valued for their leathery leaves and pendant catkins.
Male and female, petalless flowers are borne on separate plants, from winter to early summer, in the form of catkins. The females produce purple brown berries, however the male catkins are more attractive.
Garrya may be grown in a shrub border, against a wall and they are well suited to coastal conditions and tolerate pollution.
This genus was named for Nicholas Garry, Secretary of the Hudson’s Bay Company who assisted David Douglas in his explorations of the Pacific North-West in the 1820s.
Garrya elliptica
This species is an upright, evergreen shrub with glossy, oval, grey-green to matt green leaves, with wavy margins, a dense woolly coating underneath, and up to 8cm (3in) long. The name elliptica means elliptic, referring to the shape of the leaves.
The male catkins are grey-green, pendant, 15-20cm (6-8in) long and produced from winter to spring.
The female shrubs produce smaller catkins and abundant clusters of oval-shaped dark purple fruit.
Garrya elliptica ‘James Roof’ is a male form with dark, sea-green, slightly larger leaves and silver-grey catkins up to 20cm (8in) long.
AGM
The RHS Floral Committee B awarded Garrya elliptica ‘James Roof’ an Award of Garden Merit and described it as follows: Large vigorous bushy evergreen shrub with leathery dark green leaves. Flowers male, in drooping grey-green catkins to 20cm long.
Cultivation
Grow in well-drained, moderately fertile soil in full sun or partial shade. Garrya elliptica prefers a sheltered, sunny spot, but can cope with a wide range of soils, coastal conditions and pollution.
Avoid transplanting.
Pruning, if needed, should be done in mid-spring to remove shoots that spoil symmetry or dead and damaged growth.
Susceptible to fungal leaf spot.
Propagation
Take semi-ripe cuttings in summer, or sow seed in containers in a cold frame in autumn or spring.