Incorporate the exotic and rare into garden for flair

By Katie Leslie

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Needles shaped like mesh armor, fruit hanging like pom-poms and striped foliage reminiscent of a porcupine. A stroll through this nursery is filled with oddities unseen in the average forest.

"I scour the world to find the most beautiful things and then convince you that you want it," declares Jody Karlin, a burly man with a thick Brooklyn accent. Karlin and his wife, Kimberly, own Just Add Water, a rare plant nursery in Conyers.

Regardless of Karlin's bravado, it doesn't take much convincing to fall in love with his unusual offerings. Karlin brings in exotic and rare plants, including conifers, evergreens and Japanese Maples, from around the country and world to test them out on his 6.2 acre-farm. In addition to the nursery, he supports himself on his high-end pond and aquarium design and installation business. The self-taught plant nut says he has over 2,500 cultivars on-site.

He stresses that people shouldn't just plant for immediate satisfaction,  but to create a long-term plan.

"Gardening is about the next phase," he says. "I do plants with 10 years of thinking ahead. [Many of these plants] won't do anything for the first year, but in a decade you will have a garden like no other."

We talked to Karlin about some of his (and our) favorites.

- Euonymous japonica ‘rokujo' -- Hailing from Japan, this bonsai-like form of the Japanese euonymus is a slow-grower at an inch or less per year, topping out at roughly one foot in height. Characterized by small, delicate crinkled leaves, the plant is perfect for a rock garden and prefers partial shade, Karlin says.

- Sciadopitys verticillata ‘Ossorios Gold' -- This rare cultivar of a Japanese Umbrella Pine comes from the Alfonso Ossorio's estate in Long Island and is known for its pom pom-like clusters of needles found at the end of the branch. Ossorios Gold grows three to four inches per year and needs good drainage, yet moist soil, Karlin advises. This cultivar has chartreuse needles, which Karlin says can appear chlorotic to some while stunning to others.

- Edgeworthia papyrifera -- Also known as "paperbush," edgeworthia is a deciduous shrub with dark blue-green leaves. Flowers in January provide a stunning burst of fragrance that can be smelled from yards away, Karlin says. The plant thrives in moist, shady conditions rich in organic matter.

- Taiwania cryptomerioides -- Commonly known as a "coffin-tree," this armor-like evergreen is Asia's version of an oak tree. The coffin-tree has been known to reach 80 to 100 feet. Once established, it can grow 1 to 2 feet a year, Karlin observes, noting that the rate depends on the amount of sun and Georgia's longer growing season. Taiwania has blue-green shield-like foliage and thrives in sunny conditions.

- Taxodium ascendens ‘Nutans' and ‘Debonair' -- These deciduous conifers can grow upwards of 80 feet in the course of their lifetime, but at a relatively slow growth rate of 2-feet-per-year in early years, according to horticulturist and author Michael Dirr. The ‘Nutans' is noted for its round, wrinkled "fruit" that hangs close to the stem, while ‘Debonair' cascades like chandeliers. Both are noted for long, weeping needles that turn to a rich rust color in the fall. Despite its name, the pond cypress thrives in both wet and dry areas.