May Flowers

Hello again,

It is quite busy around Midwest these days. I hope it's the same for you.  And if it is, chances are you don't have much time to read much of this, so I'll go fast.

Sambucus Black Lace™

This is one of my favorite shrubs on the market.  It works incredibly well for those that need a substitute for failing Japanese Maples.  Though in our new zones, we might be able to get away with most Japanese Maples at this time.  The benefit to these is that they have these great flowers that go with it.  They just started blooming earlier this week for us, and I love the contrast of the silvery pink flowers against the dark lacy purple foliage. I've had them in the garden for four years and they are now 4' tall and 6' wide.

Iris sibirica 'Temper Tantrum'
Every year I have to post a picture of this plant.  Every time I see it, it makes me want to stomp my feet.  They are just starting to open up and they are already looking fabulous.  These stand 30" tall and nearly as wide.  My plants are 4-5 years old in the ground.  Though 'Caesar's Brother' is a great plant and the standard in Iris, 'Temper Tantrum' is the loudest one we carry and very worthy of your gardens.

Aquilegia 'Nora Barlow'
If you've ever been to the website, http://www.perennialsinfocus.com/, you've probably seen this plant on one of our pages. I have never been the biggest fan of double flowers but this one just looks amazing. It's hard for me to believe that a flower can do that.  These stand 3' tall and maybe 18" wide, but the plants are very upright.  It seems the color is outstanding on these this year, and all Aquilegia for that matter. Aquilegia alpina and Aquilegia canadensis both look stunning right now in the landscape.

Amsonia x 'Blue Ice'
Maybe you have caught on this year that I like Amsonia.  So here is yet another one that needs attention.  'Blue Ice' is a great early season blooming perennial that also looks good throughout summer.  Known in Europe as Rhazia orientalis, 'Blue Ice' was first named such because it was found in a crop of Amsonia tabernaemontana at White Flower Farm.  Now it is planted highly for many reasons.  I've used it here as a low perennial hedge.  In our garden designed by Piet Oudolf, it is prominently displayed all around the garden, and one of the most commented on plants of the garden when in bloom.  My next posting will be all about the Piet Oudolf designed garden, and I'll show some of his outstanding combinations with it.  Only growing 18" tall in our gardens and a little bit wider than that, it has the best flowering characteristics of all Amsonia.  However, it also has the worst fall color of the Amsonia we sell.  So that is the only drawback that I can think of.

Stay tuned for the next posting of images of the Piet Oudolf garden.  Thanks for taking the time to read, and until next time, have a great day!

Piet Oudolf Garden additions and Physocarpus

Hello again,

This week, the Piet Oudolf garden is starting to look great.  It almost always looks good, but it's starting to really come to life, I should say.  New combinations installed last year are some of the highlights of today's blog.

Anemone sylvestris with Nepeta 'Early Bird'
It makes me laugh sometimes to think that I used to not like either plant in this photo. Maybe it's the sum of all parts that make it look great.  But these two look spectacular together.  The Anemone really brighten up the garden nicely. And the Nepeta are becoming a fine addition to the edges of the garden where I had difficulty growing things before.



Monarda bradburyana and Nepeta 'Early Bird'
Who would've thought Nepeta would make it twice in a row. Piet matched these up very well.  That man continues to impress me.  I go back to a conversation with Roy Diblik about Nepeta in which he told me that "It just works well in the landscape.  You can always rely on it to look good when you go back to check on the job site.  The Monarda pictured should be in bloom next week, if it ever warms back up. Their dark, reddish foliage mixes really well with the purple flowers.

Amsonia tabernaemontana var. salicifolia
I love the Amsonia genera, and this one could be my favorite.  For today, it is.  I love the contrasting dark stems, with the light green foliage.  Blue flowers are just a bonus.  We originally had planted red species tulips at the base of the plant, but they have mostly disappeared since planting.  When they were there, the red flowers also contrasted nicely with the dark stems.  These will grow 3' tall and as wide.  I would mix it with an Echinacea cultivar with orange flowers for later season interest.

Physocarpus Summer Wine®
At the employee entrance to our building, I planted these Summer Wine® four years ago.  They have begun to really occupy the area well.  The bottom right corner of the picture is Cotoneaster apiculatus which has textural contrast.  Without irrigation, they have thrived here.  Flowers are a week or so away.  These plants, four years later, are about 6' tall and wide.  They make great substitutes for Prunus x cistena.

Physocarpus Coppertina™
A little lighter in color than the aforementioned Summer Wine®, Coppertina™ has copper tones, mostly in its newer foliage.  Later in the season, it will take on a much more purplish cast.  It always appears a little lighter than the Sambucus Black Lace™. The two varieties mentioned seem to be fairly resistant to the powdery mildew this plant sometimes gets.  At the very least, they prove to be resistant in a dryer landscape.  Neither plant is subjected to large amounts of irrigation and do very well.

Thanks again for reading.  Until next time, have a great day!