Good Things Come In Small Packages

Could it be…. Spring is finally here? After one of the longest, coldest, snowiest winters I can remember in a long while, the buds on maple trees are opened, daffodils have welcomed us and the cheerful faces on pansies are sitting in our planters outside our front door. Thank God! Nursery stock is pouring into your local independent garden center right now and there are so many plants to be excited about this year. In particular, there are some tiny wonders to be on the lookout for to help your garden grow. The following plants are a collection of smaller cultivars that will fit neatly into most any garden. Here we go!!

Buddleia ‘Lo & Behold’ is a hot new comer! A breakthrough variety of Butterfly- bush with all the fragrance and butterfly appeal of traditional varieties, this pint size wonder stays under four feet without any pruning. ‘Lo & Behold’ blooms continuously from mid-summer to frost without deadheading. A non-invasive, easy to grow, care free Buddleia that requires full sun and not much more. This Butterfly-bush is “hardy” to zone 5. Mass plantings just got a whole lot better.

Next is Clethra alnifolia ‘Cristalina’. A dwarf Summersweet offering fragrant, pure white flowers in mid to late summer. Dark, glossy foliage holds its shape neatly without any pruning and turns yellow in the fall. An excellent native plant that has always been thoughtfully planted in shade and wet areas, this Summersweet has certainly held my attention.

Hydrangea ‘Incrediball’, Hydrangea arborescens ‘Abetwo’ is an adaptable native plant producing enormous white flowers, as much as a foot across. A trustworthy beauty that is cold hardy, ‘Incrediball’ blooms on new wood. The flowers are held upright on sturdy stems and don’t flop around like other varieties. Prune this one back in late winter to encourage strong new growth and know that flower color is not affected by soil PH here. ‘Invincibelle Spirit’ is the first pink-flowering mophead Hydrangea arborescens! Another hardy, reliable, worthwhile garden gem that spits loads of hot pink flowers from early summer to frost, ‘Invincibelle Spirit’ is a heavy bloomer in the north and is heat tolerant. Both of these hydrangea fit nicely in smaller spaces with anticipated heights of 4-6 feet.

“An oldie but a goodie” for me is Little Henry Sweetspire, Itea virginica ‘Sprich’. Little Henry has always proven itself useful as a reliable answer for wet conditions. Another native with lots of potential. Growing anywhere from full sun to full shade, it seems many times to me to be indestructible. Little to no maintenance, ‘Little Henry’ has scented, pure white flowers that shoot out at you in the early summer. Its mounded and compact stature is ideal again for mass plantings.

‘Bloomerang’ Purple Reblooming Lilac, Syringa x ‘Penda’ is a revolutionary new kind of lilac. A continual bloomer throughout the spring and summer, ‘Bloomerang’ is not only fragrant, but it can bloom until the frost. An ideal candidate for foundation plantings, you can enjoy the sweet smell of lilac for months on end now. Hardy from zones 3-7, Bloomerang is sure to brighten up your garden.

Cherry Dazzle Crape Myrtle, Lagerstroemia ‘Gamad I’ starts with bronze new foliage that later turns to dark green. Following this performance are masses of bright red flowers and showy red-purple autumn foliage. With improved disease and pest resistance this dwarf Crape Myrtle matures nicely between 3-5 feet.

Finally, my new favorite plant, at least for this week, is Liriope ‘Emerald Goddess’, Liriope muscari ‘Love Potion No. 13”. This is a superior selection of Liriope that maintains its dark green markings throughout the winter and has good resistance to crown rot. The flowers are more intense, uniform and longer lasting than ‘Big Blue’. This outstanding, evergreen groundcover is one of the strongest architectural plants used by designers today. Useful in borders, planters, woodland gardens, formal, informal, wet, dry… really almost anywhere, designers keep finding new uses for this strap-leaf lilyturf. Truly magnificent paired against boxwood in big drifts.

Every garden could benefit from at least one of these exiting plants. The attributes of these small wonders lend themselves to new and exciting garden design. Pressing the envelope of what is possible, thoughtful and inspirational these plants are contributing to better gardens everywhere. For myself, a front foundation drift of some 175 Liriope ‘Emerald Goddess’ has helped punctuate my Acer palmatum ‘Shishigashira’s while at the same time helped me to think outside the box. And that’s not a bad thing!

City Lights-Just Add Water

Sitting here writing this article we have all just endured yet another snow event. This time central New Jersey just had 16 inches of snow dumped on it. Let me tell you, I’m sick of snow and am anxious for spring’s arrival! Longing for the tulips to poke their bodies through the crusted mulch and anxious to see their heads swell with color. This past winter I have attended various trade shows, seminars, symposiums and general garden talks all of which boasted the hottest new plants. We were even given an opportunity, as attendants, to rate these new comers. Attending the ANLA Management Clinic in Louisville, Kentucky (American Nursery Landscape Association), an event dedicated to the green industry and managing its business practices, there was even a new plant pavilion dedicated to the subject. Here, it was Novalis’ Candy Store Phlox series having bragging rights. Trade publications were quick to have articles on the subject and colleagues were even quicker to ask the opinion of anyone who had one. All eager to find out what is hot, talk shop and just try to hurry spring along. Well, spring is finally here and for my money a plant that will be part of our container garden scene, on our back patio, originally came from Germany.

Hydrangea has been around forever, but not these! Cityline Hydrangea is a fairly new series that is sure to captivate the market. Maybe not the way that Endless Summer did years ago; let’s face it that is a great name and the repeat “blooming thing” made it fool-proof for knowing, or not knowing, when to cut a hydrangea back. Cityline types are also forgiving about knowing when to do this. They don’t seem to care and nor should you since their diminutive stature really never needs to be pruned. However, if you were so inclined, it would be best to prune these after they bloom, no later than mid August, allowing time for the flower buds to form before winter. This new series has what growers and homeowners want. They only reach 1-3 feet in height and they get huge flower heads held on sturdy stems. After all, isn’t the flower everything when you want a hydrangea?

I mentioned the origin was Germany. Plant breeders Franz-Xaver and Konrad Rampp are credited with that, but Proven Winners Color Choice has the licensing. The series has 6 types that I know of. Cityline Berlin –Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Berlin Rabe’ pp# 10, 912 is the largest and fastest grower of the series. Rich, rosy-pink flower heads are accented with fresh green color and glossy, dark green leaves. Cityline Mars-Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Ramars’ has unique bi-colored flowers (pinkish-red and white). Again, large, showy blooms and excellent mildew resistance, the flowers take on an attractive green as they age in the summer. Cityline Paris-Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Paris Rapa’ pp# 10,906 also has monster flowers that emerge green and red, but mature to a dark pink-red. Cityline Rio-Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Raga’ has the best blue colored flowers with an attractive green eye as it’s opening and glossy foliage. Cityline Venice-Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Venice Raven’ pp# 10,928 has flowers that emerge green and fuchsia, but with acid soil or grown in a container, with a touch of aluminum sulfate, you can appreciate large blue flowers. Finally, Cityline Vienna-Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Vienna Rawi’ pp# 10,930 has thick stems with flowers emerging green, finishing a clear pink. Again, aluminum sulfate changes its outward appearances to blue.

Hardy to zone 5, the bloom time of these ornamentals is targeted from early summer to fall. These deciduous, Bigleaf beauties benefit from keeping them moist and do bloom on old wood. Full to partial sun is best for Cityline types and some protection from winter winds wouldn’t hurt. Amend your soil with peat moss, leaf mold or compost to ensure a great start. Previously noted, while each is a different shade of pink or blue, that is dependant upon the pH of your soil. I would not say that there is any significant fall color; rather the foliage simply holds its glossiness. But, who really cares about fall color when you have tidy, bundles of hydrangea spitting flowers all summer, held on thick stems. Today you have tons of hydrangeas to choose from, both historical and remontant. Your choice to accept these little wonders as any part of your garden will surely not disappoint. Your friends will think you are a great gardener with a green, pink or blue thumb. They don’t need to know you had a little help from Franz and Konrad. Oh, one last note, in Europe growth regulators are prohibited by growers. That being said, this in fact is a true dwarf series saying goodbye to the tired, floppy, weak-stemmed hydrangea and hello to the sturdy, tight hydrangea, free of chemicals.

An Endless Summer

Annuals such as impatiens, begonias and marigolds have always had bragging rights for repeat blooms throughout the summer. Perennials like hemerocallis (daylilies) have stretched the bounds of summer’s distant end providing drifts of colorful borders in the landscape in the heat of summer. Until recently, the thought of a deciduous ornamental providing blooms all through a growing season, seemed as improbable as the Boston Redsox winning a world series over the Yankees. Well, that happened and along came Hydrangea “ENDLESS SUMMER”.

Endless Summer hydrangea is a Hydrangea macrophylla (bigleaf hydrangea) that was discovered by Vern Black of Bailey Nurseries in 1983. Impressed by its blooms and hardiness, even in zone 4(-20 fahrenheit), this hydrangea performed well when most others did not. In 1988, plants of Endless Summer were being observed by Dr. Michael Dirr, a demigod in the horticultural world. Flowering on new and old wood, flowers will appear despite freezing temperatures killing the stems to the ground. This garden gem is a mop-head type that is PH sensitive. Pink blooms in alkaline soils and blue flowers in acidic soils with sufficient aluminum. Blue flowers can be achieved however, by adding aluminum sulfate to alkaline soils. And yes, rusty nails still work at the base of hydrangea too. Endless Summer’s biggest claim to fame is that it blooms on new wood. Many times hydrangea is cut back at the wrong time, sacrificing blooms. Endless Summer spits flowers all season long (from May to October/November) regardless of new or old wood cutting. In fact it performs better when new growth is cut in half. Deadheading flowers will also increase its flower production. The foliage is medium to deep green and is mildew resistant. While it is more mildew resistant than Nikko Blue it is not as stem hardy. Mature plant size is only 3 to 5 feet tall and wide assuring that even the smallest garden footprint can afford one.

Other repeat blooming hydrangea becoming available are Hydrangea macrophylla “Lady in Red” and Hydrangea “PennyMac”. These two varieties offer improved garden interest from an already exciting deciduous family. Lady in Red, developed by Dr. Michael Dirr, has red stems, red veined leaves, and lacecap blooms. These blooms open in late spring as either pink or blue but eventually mature to a burgundy rose, complimenting the other prominent red markings. Lady in Red’s blooms are about 4-5 inches across at maturity and the sepals fold down showing off its wonderful burgundy back side. Mildew resistant foliage turns from green to a rich purple in the fall. PennyMac, named for one of the founders of the American Hydrangea Society, Penny MacHenry, is the hydrangea answer for the north. Reblooming heavily on new wood, PennyMac offers huge 7 inch flower clusters of blue and lush green foliage. Consider cutting some of the blooms for flower arrangements or drying them so as to enjoy during your winter doldrums. PennyMac tops out at about 4-5 feet tall and wide. Remember when planting your favorite hydrangea to site them in partial shade and moist, well drained soil is important. While some are tolerant to heat and humidity, they would prefer to be well irrigated in such a surrounding. Avoid hot western exposures whenever possible to ensure that those big leaves don’t get crunchy, crinkled and burnt.

All three hydrangeas are ideal for foundation planting, specimens, mass plantings or container plants. Container gardening with hydrangea can now be as rewarding as annuals overflowing their pottery boundaries. The next time you visit your local garden center and are tempted by all the annual color out front, consider strolling through the deciduous, evergreen and coniferous materials as well. What lies ahead in the horticultural field may just be a fragrant, repeat blooming, flowering conifer that changes color throughout the seasons and is totally deer resistant. Probably not, but its fun to dream. Enjoy your “Endless Summer”.