Proven Winners
In a Squeeze? Use narrow plants!
Sometimes you need a skinny plant to slip into a tight spot. A specimen that has great ‘posture’ and completes the design puzzle. Here are a few woody plants, evergreen and deciduous, to consider when you are literally ‘between a rock and a hard place’: (pictured right Boxwood ‘Graham Blandy’, photo ncsu.edu) Evergreen Boxwood (Buxus…
Read MoreProven Winners Annuals Shine in Evaluation Trials
The Massachusetts Horticultural Society manages a diverse plant evaluation program at The Gardens at Elm Bank in Wellesley, MA. As noted earlier in this newsletter, I was there for a fall conference which also provided a chance to walk through these spectacular trial beds. The New England Trial Garden was established in 1996 as a…
Read MoreGetting mophead Hydrangeas to bloom
I finally cracked the secret for having lush blue or pink mophead hydrangeas in Zones 5 and 6 – and I’m not talking silk flowers. I had to downsize my expectations – not about size or number of flowers but the mature height of the hydrangea. So instead of varieties like ‘Endless Summer’ and ‘Nikko…
Read MoreSpectacular Plants, including Angelonia and Blue Asters
Angelonia ANGELFACE ‘Perfectly Pink’. This new annual from Proven Winners (available in 2017) has me speechless. I’ve been trialing it this year to evaluate its blooming habit. I planted it in containers in May and it has bloomed nonstop – with zero deadheading. Even at the end of August, it still had robust blooms, despite…
Read MoreNeonic Free – Proven Winners Plants at Walters Gardens
I just returned from speaking at Walters Gardens located near Grand Rapids. What a mind-blowing experience! Walters Gardens is one of the largest wholesale growers of perennials in the United States. Proven Winners partners with Walters to grow many of their premier perennials. Not only are these plants huge and healthy, they are also neonic…
Read MoreHeucherella FUN AND GAMES Leapfrog
Heucherella FUN AND GAMES ‘Leapfrog’ I had the opportunity to trial this new Heucherella a few years back and I went hopping wild over it! The dazzling leaves light up my shade bed. The small white flowers in spring are not the main attraction (unless you are a pollinator!). But the leaves are ooh-la-la. They…
Read MoreGrand Gardens Shows are Unequaled!
There is NOTHING like the Grand Garden Shows hosted by Proven Winners. These extravaganzas are over-the-top in quality, content, settings and participant giveaways. Sheer luxury and garden euphoria! You have two GRAND choices. The first up on the calendar is the Grand Garden Show at The Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island (northern Michigan) taking place…
Read MoreSlendid Spillers from Proven Winners
Container gardening is more popular than ever so let’s take a peek at some fun and unusual spillers dazzling patio pots, hanging containers and window baskets. The common recipe for designing containers is that they should include a thriller (tall, bold plant in the center or back – depending on where the pot is viewed…
Read MoreRiveting Annuals from Proven Winners
Superbells ‘Evening Star’ Riveting! That’s the reaction you will have as you stare at Proven Winner’s new hybrid Calibrachoa ‘Evening Star’. This continuous blooming annual (commonly called million bells) pumps out lovely lavender flowers featuring a yellow star pattern and deep purple throat. ‘Evening Star’ will get 6” – 12” tall with flower-laden stems that…
Read MoreNew Annuals from Proven Winners
Proven Winners Superbena ‘Sparkling Ruby’ I trialed this prize-winning Superbena in my Kennebunk gardens last summer. It was one of the first plants that folks asked me about when touring my gardens. ‘Sparkling Ruby’ has a neat mounded habit – 6” to 10” tall – but sports flower-laden stems that trail to 14”. This blooming…
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