Sneek Peek at Allium Summer Peek-A-Boo™

Hello again,

Everyone has come to love Allium 'Summer Beauty' for its ease of care and beautiful habit and blooms.  The only people I've run across that haven't liked it were marketing a similar product with a different name.  I can't see any other reasons for not liking it.  It is rejected by rabbits and deer.  It's drought tolerant.  The foliage stays super clean and the flowers attract pollinating insects. I am excited to present to you today, our Midwest Groundcovers exclusive, Allium Summer Peek-A-Boo™.  The top picture below is the iconic 'Summer Beauty' while each of the three below it are Summer Peek-A-Boo™.  The major difference between the two is the height and compact habit of the Summer Peek-A-Boo™. Come to one of the industry trade shows this summer to get a peek at what's growing on.

 Allium 'Summer Beauty'

Allium Summer Peek-A-Boo™

Here is a comparison of the two plants. As you can see, the 'Summer Beauty' is much taller of a plant the Summer Peek-A-Boo.  I would think a garden mixing the two together to have differing heights mixed together would be interesting.  Also, having the Allium blood, rabbits and deer still stay away.

I hope you are all as excited as I am for this new introduction.  I think it will work wonders in many applications.  And think about the more compact habit on your garden center benches!  This morning, I was looking at both side by side, and was flabbergasted by how the new plants almost makes the 'Summer Beauty' look messy. Hold tight, 2013 is just around the corner.  And if you must see it beforehand, come to summer field day in Wisconsin or Illinois, as well as the IGC show at Navy Pier.  Whats more, we have an established bed of these at our facility you can see in the ground.  Until next time, have a great day!

Fall colors in September

Hello again,
It's mid-September and fall colors are starting to show. Our Honeylocust have already started to drop it's golden leaves. Amelanchier's are starting to show some of their beautiful oranges and reds. Crabapples are losing leaves and showing off their gorgeous fruit. Roses are starting to look phenomenal! Here are some of the others that look stunning. As well as another new project being installed this week.
Coreopsis tripteris
One of my favorite natives is the Tall Coreopsis. The purples that start to show on its foliage at this time of the year are outstanding. It grows to 8' tall and can be a reseeder, so space and a little diligence with pulling the seedlings are good ideas when planting this one.

Zizia aptera

Another native showing great color is the Golden Alexander. Most of the foliage and seed heads have turned this color of red. We have a nice planting of this in front of our pick up yard and they look stunning right now. It flowers in early spring when the Salvia first start to bloom. This plant will do well with moisture, but can also handle a good amount of drought.

Asclepias tuberosa 'Hello Yellow'

This is also in front of the pick up office. I really didn't expect this plant to come back when we first installed it. I thought it would offer up some nice mid-summer color but it would succumb to the winter. In general, Butterfly Weed really likes superb drainage or they risk rotting. In this area, it remains very dry and that was the key to its success. These have been flowering since June and still have lots of blooms still going. It's fun to see its cottony seed heads surrounding a bright orange-yellow flower. A great deal of Monarch butterfly larvae have been feeding on these plants all year. It has been fun to watch.

Liatris aspera with Allium 'Summer Beauty'

These beauties just started blooming this week. Already, I have counted at least 6 different species of butterflies drinking the nectar. Some of the smaller butterflies have been the most beautiful. The seed heads of the Allium are quite nice in contrast with the flower color too. Being such a late bloomer, it was nice that the Allium filled the area earlier in the season with flowers. Other natives that would work well with it include Ratibida pinnata, Eryngium yuccifolium and Panicum virgatum.

Schizachyrium 'Carousel'

Thought the picture is somewhat blurry, the colors are there to see. The autofocus on my camera no longer works, and it's like learning how to use a camera all over again. I digress. 'Carousel' is an amazing plant if just for this time period. But the colors throughout the year are outstanding. Even in winter, the foliage is a different brown than the seeds which gives it contrast all year round.

Sedum display bed

A new project that we started this week was to replant our Sedum varieties in a new "Sedum Sun". There will be one on each side of this path. Gustavo and Eric are the ones planting it in the picture here. 30 varieities of Sedum will be displayed when all is said and done. One large group representing the sun and 14 rays. It has started out very nice, and should be completed early next week. More pictures to follow.

Hibiscus bed

In this trial bed, we have all of our Rose of Sharon Hibiscus. There are five varieties in bloom in this area. Lavender and Blue Chiffon, 'Lil' Kim', White Chiffon, and Sugar Tip. They are all looking very nice. It is a great time to come out and take a look at these beauties.

Rosa Easy Elegance® All the Rage and Physocarpus Summer Wine®.

I have to admit to not seeing this combo all year. It was quite by accident. I most often see this garden from the other side of the Ninebark. The dark foliage of Summer Wine® with the bright coral color of All the Rage is a very nice contrast. The colors this morning with the strange rain clouds overhead perhaps made it more impressive. But clean foliage on both of these plants warrants use.

Even though it gets used more often now than in the past, Calamintha nepeta ssp nepeta is such a great plant I need to continue showing it. Non stop blooms from late June until frost. And look at how bright it makes this area. Calamagrostis brachytricha, Amsonia hubrichtii and Schizachyrium 'Carousel' offer fall colors all around it. Allium 'Summer Beauty' in front shows off her nice seed heads in contrast.

Thanks again for reading. Hopefully you enjoy this article. There will be more to come soon. Until next time, have a great day!

What's your favorite fall show?

Hello again,
Cool summers have brought us some outstanding fall colors this year. Things I haven't noticed fall color on before, such as Forsythia and roses, are looking magnificent. I didn't get a good picture of Flower Carpet® Amber, but if you have one in your yard, take a look. They have rich purples and mahogany with a little orange all mixed in. What a nice attribute for a plant that looks great almost all summer. Here are the pictures though. They tell the story better.
Hamamelis virginiana
Are native shrubs your thing? Not what I'd typically think of as a great fall color producing plant. They are currently flowering in our landscape, but it is hard to see through the yellow and green-veined leaves. I love to see leaves with these kind of markings. This is yet another native plant with great fall attributes.



Juniperus virginiana 'Blue Mountain'
Is fruit your thing? If so, 'Blue Mountain' will produce some mighty nice fruit. The plants in our landscape have been here a long time. But even in pots, fruit production is magnificent. The silvery-blue fruit are very nice in contrast with the gray-blue foliage. This is truly a specimen Juniper that not enough people use.

Agastache 'Blue Fortune'
Are seed heads your thing? If so, Agastache looks great long into winter. The swaying seed heads were dancing in the wind yesterday. They look great will all the fall colors in the background. And even in snow, the plants stand tall and look great against the white background of a snow filled landscape.


Hosta 'Regal Splendor'
Are Hostas your thing? If so, then 'Regal Splendor' is a nice plant to look at. Hostas aren't always thought of for fall color. But this year, the silky gold foliage looks quite nice. Most Hosta in the landscape are displaying these colors this year. 'Blue Cadet' is another one with maybe a touch more flare.



Molinia 'Heidebraut'
Are grasses your thing? If so, an underutilized plant is this Molinia. One of my favorite Midwest Solutions® is the combination of this plant and the Rosa Knock Out®. Together they are a striking combination. You can see the flowers of the rose behind the bright yellow foliage of 'Heidebraut'. The texture of 'Heidebraut' looks great all year in contrast with these roses and other plants such as Phlox 'Blue Paradise'.
Coreopsis tripteris
Are native prairie plants your thing? If so, then check out this Coreopsis. Every year I see this plant, I am amazed. The colors mixed in are fabulous. Of course, if you don't have a lot of room in your yard, then this probably isn't the plant for you. But if you have a spot in the back of the border, by all means, plant this guy!

Berberis Sunjoy™ Gold Pillar™
If thorns are your thing, then go with this fella. These plants are visible from a distance. The bright orange is remarkable. I'm not the biggest fan of barberry, but this plant does have a use.

Amsonia hubrichtii
Is texture your thing? If so, few plants can rival the texture of Amsonia. The fall colors of these plants are great as well. The plant itself can be chlorotic throughout the year, so yellows are almost always present on this plant. But as I've learned, a lot of people like the plant when it's yellow in summer. Even with this, the fall color is more pronounced and more beautiful then summer.

Viburnum prunifolium
Are birds your thing? This is a plant we have in American Beauties Native Plants™. This will attract birds because it a)gives cover to the birds from predators, and b) produces fruit that are delicious to the birds. The fall color is pretty nice too. If you are unfamiliar, please give the Blackhaw Viburnum a try.


Viburnum x juddii
Is fragrance your thing? If so, you'll have to wait for spring for this plant to give off its intoxicating perfume. But doesn't her fall color give reason to try? In my opinion, there is no plant with better fragrance than Juddii Viburnum. It's like a spicy lilac. But it's fall color is to die for too. I am a little biased, because this is the first plant I ever planted in my parents yard when learning about plants. But what a great plant to get started with right?
Aronia arbutifolia 'Brilliantissima'
Last week I spoke of the red chokeberry, but never showed how great the foliage can actually get. We did physical inventory on shrubs this week, and I was asked to help. I was fortunate to get to count the hoop house of Aronia. What a sight to see. And what better than to be surrounded by amazing fall color. It was definitely a treat!

Aronia melanocarpa 'Elata'
If your thing is Chokeberries, then you like the last two plants I've spoke of. This is just your common black chokeberry in American Beauties Native Plants™ pots. Aren't they great?!? Our native plants have such great fall color, it's amazing that we search out the other continents for other options. We have some outstanding plants right here in North America.

Allium 'Summer Beauty'
Last, but certainly not least, if your thing is contrast, then this plant is for you. There are so many reasons Midwest Groundcovers has gotten behind this plant. This is one attribute that we forget about most of the year. Look at the amazing yellow scapes contrasted with the bright green foliage. I bet your daylilies don't look this good! On top of that, the spent flowers dangle gracefully above the bright yellow scapes creating a magical display of color. Everywhere in the landscape we have this, it looks this good. I took many a picture and had a lot of difficulty deciding where it looks best. This is a highly sustainable plant because it requires little care.

Thanks again for reading. I hope you are enjoying the many pictures and posts that I've put up here. Soon we'll be on to winter interest. I'm hoping that I can get one more week of fall color before we go to the whites and grays of winter. Also this winter we will be unveiling our new plants for 2010. That will be coming soon! Until next time, have a great day!