A Gardener's Tea Party

Aralia 'Sun King'
Aralia 'Sun King'
Weeee're back! Despite a devastating year for mail order nurseries which included several unexpected deaths, both physical and fiscal, we have so far been very fortunate to survive, but only thanks to those of you who continue to order plants. We sincerely thank all of our email newsletter readers who continue to send us nice comments, but it is we who should be thanking you for taking time to read our monthly ramblings about the world of gardening. If you're not part of our newsletter list, simply follow this link to sign up.

We look forward to seeing many of you in person this fall as we host the Southern Region meeting of the International Plant Propagators Society. If you're involved in plant propagation and production and would like to join in the fun from October 10-13, go to www.ippsraleigh2010.org for the details on how to register.


Mukdenia 'Karasuba'
Despite the economic ups and downs, we have not wavered in our mission to assemble a selection of great new plants that we think you will enjoy, so please indulge in an exciting catalog of cool plants. Additionally, if we were out of some of your favorites in spring due to our fertilizer fiasco, please check the list in the back of the catalog (or on our website) since many of those plants are now back in stock.

We start off the fall catalog with Aralia 'Sun King', a superb gold-leafed selection of the tropical-looking but hardy Aralia cordata. A nice contrast to the aralia is Hibiscus 'Summer Storm', the latest and greatest in the purple-foliaged hardy hibiscus from the breeders at Walters Gardens...a plant that has really impressed us. While we're talking foliage color, check out the amazing Mukdenia 'Karasuba', which unfortunately sounds more like an accident involving tainted Japanese seafood.

For the dry garden, we are pleased to introduce three new agaves. The Agave 'Crazy Horse' is a fantastic hardy selection of the giant Agave salmiana, the psychedelic flowering Agave potrerana has proven shockingly hardy in our trials, and don't miss the wild Agave bracteosa hybrid Agave 'Mateo' from California plantsman Randy Baldwin. Also in the succulent world, we are offering Sedum 'Frosted Fire' an amazing white-edged selection of Sedum 'Autumn Fire', Sedum 'Eco Mt. Emei' an incredible woodland groundcover, and Delosperma dyeri, a bright red-flowered ice plant...scrumptious.

Verbena 'Tie Dye'
Verbena 'Tie Dye'
While we're talking drought-tolerant, you simply won't believe the amazing silver-foliaged Sinningia leucotricha as well as the incredible hybrid Sinningia 'Carolyn'...both with underground caudexes and, consequently, surprising winter hardiness. From Texas plantsman Greg Grant comes his latest verbena hybrid, the amazing Verbena 'Tie Dye', which certainly lives up to its '60s name.

Alstroemeria 'Casablanca'
Alstroemeria 'Casablanca'
Our hardy alstroemeria offerings expand dramatically this fall with three new additions from our trials. Alstroemeria 'Tangerine Tango' comes from Cornell's Mark Bridgen, who also gave us A. 'Freedom' and 'Sweet Laura'. Alstroemeria 'Casablanca' is grown for cut flowers, but in our trials it has proven to be an amazing performer in both our hot, humid summers and cold, wet winters. A third cultivar that has performed very well in our trials as well as in western Michigan is Alstroemeria 'Koice', from Konst Alstroemerias of Holland.

We've finally bulked up several new crinums for fall including Crinum x digweedii 'Bolivia' from NC plantsman Frank Galloway, the elegant Crinum 'White Emperor', and Tom Parry's fabulous Crinum 'Super Ellen'...a gynormous (a Southern term for really big) crinum with 7' long leaves that you have to see to believe. Included for the first time this fall is the rare Mexican spider lily, Hymenocallis howardii, and Boesenbergia longiflora...an unknown woodland Asian ginger that has proven to be amazingly winter hardy with its incredible orchid-like flowers in summer. For sunny gardens, consider the lovely and talented South African Scadoxus multiflorus var. katherinae, and lest I forget, a new Chinese form of the popular Japanese Lycoris radiata var. pumila, 'Red China'.

Zephyranthes 'Star of Bethlehem'
Zephyranthes 'Star of Bethlehem'
Summer 2010 also marks the introduction of the second round of long-awaited rain lily hybrids from Indonesia master breeder, Fadjar Marta. Fadjar has taken rain lily flowers into colors and patterns that we could only dream of before. We are pleased to present Zephyranthes 'Eastern Pearl', Z. 'Midas Touch', Z. 'New Dimension', Z. 'Rose Perfection', and Z. 'Star of Bethlehem'.

Zephyranthes 'Rose Perfection'
Zephyranthes 'Rose Perfection'
In the fern world, we are pleased to add the little-known flowering fern, Anemia tomentosa, which has been a great performer for us. Another little-known dwarf is Asplenium x ebenoides...a cutleaf hybrid with the famous walking fern. Coniogramme 'Yoroi Musha' is a bizarre cut leaf bamboo fern, while Pyrrosia 'Hiryu' is a cutleaf tongue fern. Dryopteris labordei has golden new fronds, while Cyrtomium caryotideum has fronds that look like fishtails. There are also a number of returning fern favorites for fall that we haven't had enough to offer in a while, so get 'em before we run out.

We've added several new grasses for fall including the purple-foliaged Pennisetum 'Princess Caroline' and P. 'Princess Molly', both of which are great in containers even where they aren't winter hardy. We are thrilled to add two new US native carex for the fall including Carex socialis 'Coahoma' and Carex retroflexa 'Bonnie and Clyde'...two wonderful fine-textured selections from the southeastern US. The blue-foliaged Elymus 'Canyon Prince' is the first non-invasive elymus that we've trialed, so we are glad to finally be able to share. From Mary Meyer of the University of Minnesota comes Schizachyrium 'MinnBlueA', a greatly improved, tall but sturdy, blue-foliaged selection of our native bluestem.

Solidago rugosa 'Lynn Lowrey'
Solidago rugosa 'Lynn Lowrey'
We continue our search for other selections and hybrids of US natives that have good garden value. To that end, we are thrilled to introduce a great form of Solidago rugosa, discovered by the late Texas plant explorer, Lynn Lowrey, that we named in his honor. Another must-have native is Rivina humilis...a fantastic groundcover from Zone 7b south (container plant in northern climates) that is covered with an amazingly colorful fruit display from summer into fall.

This is also our first offering of the heuchera and tiarella cousin, Mitella diphylla, which adds yet another plant for the spring woodland garden. How about x Clinadina 'Desi Arnaz'? This amazing gem occurred when two distantly related natives, a clinopodium and a conradina, had a late night illicit rendevous in South Carolina resulting in a now adopted love child...no, the South Carolina Governor was not implicated.

Iris 'Chance Beauty'
Iris 'Chance Beauty'
We've even tossed in an exciting new hosta for summer, a superb, wide, white-edge sport of H. 'Krossa Regal', called Hosta 'Regal Supreme'. Two new iris made the final cut this summer including the rare dwarf Korean Iris odaesanensis and the mouth-watering giant hybrid of Iris ensata x Iris pseudacorus, Iris 'Chance Beauty'.

In the quirky but cool category, how about a new winter hardy fig? Ever heard of Ficus gasparriniana var. laceratifolia? It's an amazing fig that produces miniature red figs from summer through frost. How many bi-generic palm hybrids do you grow? If the answer is none, here's your chance to grow a mule palm, a hard-to-find sterile hybrid of butia and syagrus. If that's not enough fun, how about growing some Kitty Crack? Yes, Teucrium marum will have your cat looking like it's unknowingly auditioning for America's Funniest Video...and no, we will not pay your kitty rehab bills.

Now, as we say in the nursery biz, the plant show must go on...so sit back and relax with a glass of cold sweet tea and enjoy the catalog!

-tony


Where Credit Is Due

The majority of the text was written by Tony Avent, who is solely responsible for its absurd nature and content.

Unless indicated, all photos were taken at Plant Delights Nursery by Tony Avent. Other photos new to this fall catalog were provided by R. Adams, I. Barclay, H. Blumen, Boo Shoot Gardens, C. Brashear, Briggs Nursery, Casa Flora, T. Davis, R. Determann, K. Druse, J. Elsley, R. Gardner, G. Gusman, H. Hamernik, H. Hansen, R. Heuermann, Hillside Nursery, Hoffman Nursery, C. Husby, Itsaul Plants, J.C. Raulston, L. Klinkhamer, R. Livingston, J. McClements, North Creek Nurseries, Inc, S. Ogden, Pine Knot Farms, PlantHaven, Primrose Path, i D. Probst, T. Ranney, N. Rijnbeek, J. Roethling, J. Sacks, P. Schmidt, C. Seaver, Skagit Gardens, B. Solberg, D. Steinbrunner, Sunny Border, W. Taylor, Terra Nova Nurseries, The Garden Shoppe, T. Van Paemel, M. Weinert, D. Werner, www.perennialresource.com, B. Yinger, and J. Yourch.

We are deeply indebted to those who have allowed us to use their photographs and to photograph plants in their wonderful gardens.


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