Spectacular 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 the intense heat and humidity we’ve been experiencing. ANGELFACE ‘Perfectly Pink’ blasts through heat with ease. There are three other new ANGELFACES also arriving at garden centers next spring: ‘Super White’, ‘Super Blue’ and ‘Super Pink’. All prefer full sun and will add fantastic vertical interest to a garden or container.
Glorybower (Clerodendrum trichotomum var. fargesii) My, My! I first set eyes on this beauty last month when I was co-hosting a Digging Deeper lecture for the Garden Conservancy in Needham, MA. The shrub was covered with highly fragrant white flowers in mid-August! It stood about 5’ tall with a vase-shaped habit. As soon as I got home I started researching this MUST-HAVE plant. Hardy in Zones 6 – 9, it can reach 10’-15’ in sun to partial shade. Many reports state that the fall fruit display – blue berries atop waxy, ruby-red calyxes – is even more stunning than the flowers. It is deer resistant and can tolerate drier soils once established.
Now the question is how am I going to winter over this gem that wants a warmer zone (it is rated to Zone 6 and I’m zone 5)? Where there is a will, there is a way! I will find a spot near the foundation of my home, out of the path of winter winds and protected from overhead crashing snow. I’ve been eyeing those outdoor propane patio heaters, but that might be excessive, right? (fruit photo by coolgarden.me)
Aster ‘Blue Autumn’ I was nonchalantly walking among a huge collection of fine plants at O’Donal’s Nursery in Gorham, Maine when this electric blue aster jumped out and captured my attention. It seemed to desperately want to come home with me. What could I do? I love native asters, not only for their late season beauty but also for how beloved they are by bees. Fall blooming perennials with blue or violet-blue flowers are uncommon. Off the top of my head I can name only a handful: native blue Lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica), Leadwort (Ceratostigma), monkshood (Aconitum) and native Salvia azurea (azure blue sage). ‘Blue Autumn’ starts blooming in August and keeps shining through September. It gets 20”-24” tall and does best in full sun. It is hardy in Zones 5 – 8. Other gorgeous blue-toned asters include ‘October Skies’, ‘Wood’s Blue’, ‘Bluebird’ and ‘Raydon’s Favorite’.
The only down side of these lovely asters? They are ’lovely’ to rabbits as well! Protect them with Plantskydd’s Repellent for Rabbits and Small Critters. This highly effective OMRI approved product will protect plants for up to three months during the growing season and six months in winter. Order online and save 10% with a special promo code for Perennially Yours – PyoursSpring 2016 – plus get free shipping on orders over $55.