Master Gardener Corner: New Plants for 2016
This article is part of a weekly series published in the Batavia Daily News by Jan Beglinger, Agriculture Outreach Coordinator for CCE of Genesee County.
Master Gardener Corner: New Plants for 2016 Originally Published: Week of January 26, 2016 Whether you are looking for bright blooms or unique, attractive foliage there are plenty of choices coming to a garden center near you. Here a just a few selections of new ornamental plants that you may see for sale this spring. Great for attracting hummingbirds and pollinators, bee balms typically need a lot of space. Proven Winners will be introducing several this year. These new monardas are more compact and suitable for the front of the garden. Blooming early to midsummer are ‘Leading Lady Plum’ (magenta purple) and ‘Leading Lady Lilac’ (light purple) at only 10 to 14 inches tall. ‘Pardon My Cerise’ blooms are a dark cherry pink and ‘Pardon My Lavender’ are a lavender pink. Both grow 14 to 18 inches tall and bloom mid to late summer. All are ‘Leading Lady Plum’ monarda hybrid hardy to zone 4. Source: Proven Winners Phlox are a summer garden mainstay, but many varieties are plagued my powdery mildew. ‘Opening Act Blush’ is a new hybrid with light lavender flowers, whose dark green leaves are rated as mildew resistant. ‘Opening Act White’ has clean white blooms. They flower earlier than garden phlox normally do, starting in early summer thereby extending the season. Both grow 18 to 20 inches tall and wide. Blooms are fragrant and will attract bees, hummingbirds and butterflies. Hardy to zone 4. ‘EverLime’ sedge (Carex oshimensis) is the newest introduction to the EverColor series from FitzGerald Nurseries. Grown for its distinctive glossy green foliage with lime margins, it grows in a tidy mound, 12 to 20 inches tall and wide. Evergreen sedges offer four seasons of interest in the garden. Easy to grow in sun and shade, this ground cover can be used for mass plantings, tucked in the border or used in containers. Rated as deer resistant. Hardy in zones 5 to 10. A High Country Gardens introduction, ‘Thin Man’ Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans) was selected from a population of native Indiangrass near Clovis, NM. ‘Thin Man’ has deep blue foliage. The leaves and flower spikes have a narrow, very upright habit. Blooming in late summer, the bronze‐colored flowers set lots of seeds that will attract songbirds. ‘Thin Man’ is tolerant of dry growing conditions, thrives in full sun and grows to about 6 feet tall An alternative to ‘Karl Foerster’ feather reed grass, ‘Thin Man’ is suited to zones 4 to 9. The first gold leafed sea holly (Eryngium) ‘Neptune’s Gold’ was bred by Neil Alcock, in the UK. Thistle‐like cones of electric blue flowers are surrounded by a circle of spiky bracts, which turn from silvery blue at their base to gold at their tips. The color is stable, never reverts and does not burn in the sun. It has an upright, rounded habit, growing to 24 inches tall. The flower heads are long‐lasting and can be dried and added to arrangements. This exciting new golden leafed sea holly is hardy in zones 4 to 9. Green Hill Farm is offering a red‐leafed hosta, ‘First Blush’, which is a small to medium hosta. Not only does it have red petioles that extend into the leaf blade but also a thin red margin around the leaf. The most exciting
thing about ‘First Blush’ is that in spring the leaf will start to blush red from the tip of the leaf down toward the base. The leaves remain red until the heat of summer. Hosta ‘Ambrosia’ is a blue‐margined, light yellow‐ centered sport of Bob Solberg’s ‘Guacamole’ hosta. It is easy to grow, sun tolerant and it has fragrant flowers. If you like gold in the landscape look for the dwarf Japanese holly ‘Brass Buckle’. It shines all year long because of its glossy, clear yellow, burn‐resistant foliage. At 12 to 18 inches tall and wide, its small size makes it suited to edging walks and borders, or as an accent plant in a rock garden. Pruning is seldom needed, but it may need to be shaped in late winter. Japanese holly prefer part shade to full sun and moist acidic soils with good drainage. Hardy to zone 5. Looking for an adaptable native shrub that is drought tolerant, deer resistant and colorful? ‘Kodiak® Black’ bush honeysuckle (Diervilla rivularis) is a tough, easy‐growing shrub with dark burgundy black foliage. The color is especially intense in spring and autumn. Bright yellow flowers add contrast in early summer. This durable native shrub thrives in sun or shade, and is a very useful landscape plant. ‘Kodiak® Orange’ lights up the fall landscape with its glowing orange fall foliage, which makes it a great alternative to burning bush. Both reach 3 or 4 feet in height with a spread of 4 to 5 feet and are hardy to zone 5. ‘Kodiak® Orange’ honeysuckle Source: Proven Winners Part of the fun of gardening is adding exciting new plants to your garden every year. No matter your landscape style there is bound to be at least one new plant to meet your needs. Resources: Eason Horticultural Resources, Proven Winners, Green Hill Farm, Wayside Gardens and High Country Gardens.
Master Gardener Corner: New Plants for 2016 Originally Published: Week of January 26, 2016 Whether you are looking for bright blooms or unique, attractive foliage there are plenty of choices coming to a garden center near you. Here a just a few selections of new ornamental plants that you may see for sale this spring. Great for attracting hummingbirds and pollinators, bee balms typically need a lot of space. Proven Winners will be introducing several this year. These new monardas are more compact and suitable for the front of the garden. Blooming early to midsummer are ‘Leading Lady Plum’ (magenta purple) and ‘Leading Lady Lilac’ (light purple) at only 10 to 14 inches tall. ‘Pardon My Cerise’ blooms are a dark cherry pink and ‘Pardon My Lavender’ are a lavender pink. Both grow 14 to 18 inches tall and bloom mid to late summer. All are ‘Leading Lady Plum’ monarda hybrid hardy to zone 4. Source: Proven Winners Phlox are a summer garden mainstay, but many varieties are plagued my powdery mildew. ‘Opening Act Blush’ is a new hybrid with light lavender flowers, whose dark green leaves are rated as mildew resistant. ‘Opening Act White’ has clean white blooms. They flower earlier than garden phlox normally do, starting in early summer thereby extending the season. Both grow 18 to 20 inches tall and wide. Blooms are fragrant and will attract bees, hummingbirds and butterflies. Hardy to zone 4. ‘EverLime’ sedge (Carex oshimensis) is the newest introduction to the EverColor series from FitzGerald Nurseries. Grown for its distinctive glossy green foliage with lime margins, it grows in a tidy mound, 12 to 20 inches tall and wide. Evergreen sedges offer four seasons of interest in the garden. Easy to grow in sun and shade, this ground cover can be used for mass plantings, tucked in the border or used in containers. Rated as deer resistant. Hardy in zones 5 to 10. A High Country Gardens introduction, ‘Thin Man’ Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans) was selected from a population of native Indiangrass near Clovis, NM. ‘Thin Man’ has deep blue foliage. The leaves and flower spikes have a narrow, very upright habit. Blooming in late summer, the bronze‐colored flowers set lots of seeds that will attract songbirds. ‘Thin Man’ is tolerant of dry growing conditions, thrives in full sun and grows to about 6 feet tall An alternative to ‘Karl Foerster’ feather reed grass, ‘Thin Man’ is suited to zones 4 to 9. The first gold leafed sea holly (Eryngium) ‘Neptune’s Gold’ was bred by Neil Alcock, in the UK. Thistle‐like cones of electric blue flowers are surrounded by a circle of spiky bracts, which turn from silvery blue at their base to gold at their tips. The color is stable, never reverts and does not burn in the sun. It has an upright, rounded habit, growing to 24 inches tall. The flower heads are long‐lasting and can be dried and added to arrangements. This exciting new golden leafed sea holly is hardy in zones 4 to 9. Green Hill Farm is offering a red‐leafed hosta, ‘First Blush’, which is a small to medium hosta. Not only does it have red petioles that extend into the leaf blade but also a thin red margin around the leaf. The most exciting
thing about ‘First Blush’ is that in spring the leaf will start to blush red from the tip of the leaf down toward the base. The leaves remain red until the heat of summer. Hosta ‘Ambrosia’ is a blue‐margined, light yellow‐ centered sport of Bob Solberg’s ‘Guacamole’ hosta. It is easy to grow, sun tolerant and it has fragrant flowers. If you like gold in the landscape look for the dwarf Japanese holly ‘Brass Buckle’. It shines all year long because of its glossy, clear yellow, burn‐resistant foliage. At 12 to 18 inches tall and wide, its small size makes it suited to edging walks and borders, or as an accent plant in a rock garden. Pruning is seldom needed, but it may need to be shaped in late winter. Japanese holly prefer part shade to full sun and moist acidic soils with good drainage. Hardy to zone 5. Looking for an adaptable native shrub that is drought tolerant, deer resistant and colorful? ‘Kodiak® Black’ bush honeysuckle (Diervilla rivularis) is a tough, easy‐growing shrub with dark burgundy black foliage. The color is especially intense in spring and autumn. Bright yellow flowers add contrast in early summer. This durable native shrub thrives in sun or shade, and is a very useful landscape plant. ‘Kodiak® Orange’ lights up the fall landscape with its glowing orange fall foliage, which makes it a great alternative to burning bush. Both reach 3 or 4 feet in height with a spread of 4 to 5 feet and are hardy to zone 5. ‘Kodiak® Orange’ honeysuckle Source: Proven Winners Part of the fun of gardening is adding exciting new plants to your garden every year. No matter your landscape style there is bound to be at least one new plant to meet your needs. Resources: Eason Horticultural Resources, Proven Winners, Green Hill Farm, Wayside Gardens and High Country Gardens.
