Cooperative Living February 2021 - 34

GardenMuse | by Paula Steers Brown, Contributing Columnist
Florists love
Glory in the Winter Garden
A slow-growing, tough-minded evergreen adds dignity to the yard
T
he glossy, evergreen-arching branches of Danae
ramecosa lend elegance and refinement to the winter
garden. Better known as Poet's Laurel, its very name
evokes romance and achievement. Children will endorse
this plant for its ease in weaving into crowns for theatrical
performances.
Even if you have little need for Olympic-style head
wreaths, you'll love the durable stems of this garden gem,
which spray out in a
fountain of sparkling,
emerald-green lines in
the landscape and in
imposing floral
arrangements.
Poet's Laurel's long
stems arise from its
crown in spring and
shoot up from sprouts
like asparagus or
bamboo before
arching over
gracefully. Its glossy
foliage functions as
leaves, but to be
botanically correct,
the mock leaves are
called " cladodes, "
actually 1 to 3 inchlong
flattened stems,
basally ovate, tapering
to a slender tip.
It eventually
reaches a height of
4 feet with an even
wider spread and
functions like a
weeping shrub, but
in its younger stages
the open habit of the
clumps forms a beautiful perennial groundcover for shady
areas where it spreads by rhizomes.
IDEAL FOR SMALL GARDENS
This slow growth makes it a good choice for small gardens
with limited space. The plant's protracted rate of propagation
keeps it from being very widely circulated commercially, so
if a neighbor's Danae has babies around its base, offer to give
this pass-along a good home. It will thrive in deep shade,
even under dry conditions.
32 | Cooperative Living | February 2021
Poet's Laurel for
its long vase life
and its sturdy
constitution.
Despite its delicate look, this plant is tough, maintenancefree,
pest-free, unattractive to deer, adaptable to container
culture and looks quite lovely in an urn.
Creamy yellow flowers appear in summer, usually
considered inconspicuous, but look closely at the small,
charming bell shapes that hang down in chains from the leaf
axils. Their botanical structure is fascinating. These blooms
are followed by showy, marble-sized, bright red-orange berries
in fall that persist into
winter.
PRIZED PLANT
Poet Laurel's
propagation is slow, but
it is not difficult. My
friend Betty just stuck a
berry here and a berry
there in the soil along
her shady flagstone
path, just enough to
cover the fruits. She
forgot about them until
they emerged in little
mounds that now
produce their own red
fruits, so patience is
rewarded. The glossy,
green, flexible branches
of Poet's Laurel with
their red berries are
also very easy to work
with. Shape them into
wreaths as holiday
classics.
Florists love Poet's
Laurel for its long vase
life and its sturdy
constitution. Five
stems are all you need
to establish a gorgeous fan-shaped line for large arrangements,
and the leathery, horizontal stems provide support for any
floral material added.
Churches prize Danae and often grow it in the churchyard
to have a steady source of greenery for services and weddings.
In your home garden, Poet's Laurel can fill in lovely texture
between rounded forms such as hydrangeas and hostas, and,
while they sleep, the lush, evergreen sprays provide winterlong
interest. Poet's Laurel crowns the landscape with subtle
beauty, weaving an aura of inspiration. 
co-opliving.com
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Cooperative Living February 2021

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