Local Nurseryman's Show Debuts February 1st on HGTV, Callicarpa, and Waterwise Plants

Local Nurseryman Debuts "Superscapers" Show on HGTV

Gary Gragg, a long-time Markham member and supporter, who used to play in the Markham
Nature Park many years ago, who is now a Lafayette resident, and who owns Golden Gate Palms
Nursery in Richmond, will be the host and star of a new HGTV garden show, "Superscapes"
debuting February 1st at 9:30 a.m. (Editor's note: an early diversion well before the Super Bowl hype).
We're anxious to see Gary put some "G" (Garden) back into HGTV. Check the show's video
previews featuring several East Bay gardens, click for more on the Superscaper show, and even
more on Gary's design, nursery, and landscape contracting business, Golden Gate Palms and
Exotics (biggest inventory of palms in Northern California!).

We wish the best to Gary on his new venture… all 26 weeks to start and we hope for many
more to come. From my brief meetings with him over the years, I know you will like Gary's
enthusiasm for plants and gardens and the show is sure to be a success showcasing him… and
his plants and his gardens.

Callicarpa (Beauty Berry)
These graceful deciduous shrubs, with their arching branches, are cultivated for their pleasing
fruit display. Small lilac or pink flowers in Summer are followed by tight clusters of little purple fruit
that persist well into Winter. The fruit is florescent purple and the berries totally cover the stems.
This show display is like nothing you have ever seen. Blooms and fruit occur on current season's
growth, so, in late Winter, you would remove about a third of the oldest stems or lop the whole
plant low to the ground.

Callicarpa dichotoma 'Early Amethyst' 'Early Amethyst' has bright purple berries that appear earlier in the Fall than other varieties. It grows about 4 ft tall and slightly wider with slender branches that sweep the ground. It bears abundant purple fruit and takes full sun to light shade with regular water.

Waterwise Plants Available at Markham …

Perovskia atrilicifolia – Russian Sage
Phormium tenax – New Zealand Flax – many varieties
Plumbago auriculata – Cape Plumbago – sky blue flowers on large shrub
Rosa – Wild roses including Rosa rugosa (We have some California natives)
Rosemarinum officianalis – Rosemary – evergreen shrub with narrow, crowded, aromatic
leaves that are shiny dark underneath. Varieties include light lavender blue, darker lavender blue,
pink, and white flowers make a show in Winter and Spring when not much else is blooming.
Named varieties may be prostrate and are useful as groundcovers, as well as some that are of
intermediate height or upright and tall. Can be used to season fish, meats, etc. too. Rosemary
needs good drainage; tolerates heat and poor soil; and is drought tolerant when established.
Excess water stimulates excess growth. Hardy to near 0ºF. We have a large selection of various
Rosemarys in gallons.