Happy New Year

Midwest Groundcovers would like to wish one and all a Happy New Year! These are some of my favorite pictures of the year.

Calamagrostis brachytricha

This was a Saturday full of fog. I couldn't resist the puffy plumes of this Korean Feather Reed Grass.

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Echinacea 'Tiki Torch'

Close ups of Echinacea are always attractive. I liked the fresh colors of Tiki Torch when it first came to flower.

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Hydrangea paniculata Quick Fire™

I've always been a big fan of the paniculata Hydrangeas. This year, when Quick Fire™ first started changing to pink, it was delightful. I can't wait for the Hydrangea trials to be full grown, because it is a site to see. Varieties in our trial include 'Unique', 'Pink Diamond', 'Tardiva', Pinky Winky™, 'Little Lamb', Quick Fire™, 'Limelight', and Little Limelight™.

Aesculus parviflora

This is obviously a close up of the flowers. When in bloom, our stand of 18 plants is pretty spectacular. This year I found green bees who seemed to enjoy the pollen of these shrubs.

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Ligularia 'Little Rocket' in front of Ligularia 'Britt-Marie Crawford'
These two plants are remarkable in my eyes. They were planted four years ago and still have done well in a full sun location on top of the hill. These are not given extra water, which goes to show these are great garden plants. They would still prefer more shade and much more water, but they can handle some rough situations.

Once again, Happy New Year, and I hope all of you success and happiness in 2010.