Featured Plant
Gorgeous Flowering Shrubs with No Deer Damage
I have the special honor and opportunity to evaluate plants that are either new to the retail market or will be released in the upcoming year. I was tickled pink last week when two huge boxes from Santa Clause (Proven Winners and Spring Meadow Nursery, a wholesale grower) landed on my front porch. Inside were…
Read MoreBrakelights Red Yucca
Hesperaloe parviflora ‘Brakelights’ Red Yucca. I have mixed feelings about Yucca. I love their no-fuss habit, distaste to deer and rabbit, and high drought tolerance, but some varieties can get quite large and look rangy. I recently discovered a Yucca that radically broke this mold. Yucca ‘Brakelights’ stopped me in my tracks. It has wispy,…
Read MoreCeanothus Marie Bleu
Ceanothus ‘Marie Bleu’ (New Jersey Tea) I recently discovered this mesmerizing spring flowering shrub. Caenothus ‘Marie Bleu’ has masses of soft blue flowers that are followed by glossy red seed heads in late summer. It grows to 24” to 36” tall and prefers sun to part sun. ‘Marie Bleu’ is drought tolerant and flowers on…
Read MoreSupertunia Really Red
Supertunia ‘Really Red’ This petunia is a showboat, and I love it! The bold, REALLY red flowers are large and numerous. This is a new Supertunia from Proven Winners. I first saw it last winter from across an exhibit hall at a green industry trade. I just planted a sweep of ‘Really Red’ in front…
Read MoreNew Perennial Mukgenia
Mukgenia This perennial is awesome! I spotted it at Holdridge Garden Center (in Ledyard, CT) when I spoke there earlier this month. It is a cross between Mukdenia ‘Crimson Fans’ and Bergenia. The rich pink flowers, attractive to hummingbirds and butterflies, open in April and continue into early June. The jagged leathery leaves turn a…
Read MoreMedinilla magnifica
Medinilla magnifica handout Merrifield Garden Center Medinilla magnifica. I’ve seen this striking, unusual looking plant twice in the past month while on my lecture circuit. Once at Merrifield Garden Center in Fairfax, Virginia and then at Frederik Meijer Garden and Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids. I have a feeling the next time it pops up…
Read MoreOutstanding No-Fuss Annual
Isotoma axillaris ‘Beth’s Blue Procrastination will cost you with this beauty. ‘Beth’s Blue’ starflower tends to fly out of a garden center as soon as it is unloaded from the delivery truck. The mesmerizing lavender flowers dance gracefully atop lacy foliage. Beth’s Blue requires full sun and grows to 12” – 14”. No deadheading required.…
Read MoreFernleaf Peony
Fernleaf Peony (Paeonia tenuifolia) This perennial never fails to draw oohhs and aahhs from onlookers. It has extremely feathery leaves that beg to be touched. The flowers can be single or double. I have only seen them available in red. Like other peonies, they do not bloom long, but after the flowers gracefully bow out,…
Read MoreTAKE FIVE! Non-Stop Blooming Annuals
Fool-proof, powerhouse annuals are on my MUST HAVE list. Here are five front-runners for high impact, low-maintenance gardens and containers: Supertunia Vista ‘Bubblegum’. Let’s salute the 2017 Annual of the Year! This nonstop blooming annual covers two to four square feet. WHAT?! ‘Bubblegum’ blows your characteristic view of petunias. No deadheading required, sweeping flower-covered stems,…
Read MoreFeatured Plants -Mukdenia, Deutzia and Calibrachoa ‘Tropical Sunrise’
Mukdenia rossi ‘Karasuba’ Crimson Fans. This charming perennial draws attention spring through fall. When I first saw it at a garden center I was enthralled with the flat, fan-shaped leaves that start out green in spring and eventually morph to burgundy- red in fall. I planted it near my maple tree in upstate New York…
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