ANNUALS-PERENNIALS
Alyssum flowers are most often found in a crisp, clean white. However, sometimes you'll see deep purple, light pink, or even soft peachy-hued varieties. The abundant white blooms make this plant easy to use in garden designs because they go with everything. Put them at the bases of plants to cover the ground and draw even more pollinators to your garden. Sweet alyssum is also valuable for its early spring blooms when nothing else has taken off.
Cannas (Canna spp.) are a genus of beautiful, easy-to-grow tropical and sub-tropical plants with showy flowers that come in red, pink, yellow, orange, and cream. Their flowers are very attractive to hummingbirds. Canna leaves are wide and long (resembling banana leaves) in green, bronze, or multicolored patterns. Most cannas grow up to six feet tall and occasionally as tall as eight feet. Although most people think cannas grow from bulbs, they are not true bulbs. Technically speaking, these plants grow from rhizomes, modified stems that store nutrients and send up shoots.
The industry cannot get enough of the unique green-red foliage and blazing-red, long-lasting flowers of Dragon’s Breath Red celosia. Growers like that Dragon’s Breath is quick, easy and economical to produce (for spring or fall) with minimal need for PGRs and fertilizer. Retailers like it for its long shelf life and adaptability—Dragon’s Breath is great in containers, beds and large landscapes. Dragon’s Breath exhibits even more red foliage and flowers under adverse garden conditions like heat, humidity and infrequent watering.
If you’re wondering how to care for mums, the first thing you should know is that mums are true rock stars: They’re inexpensive, easy to grow, and when the rest of your garden is starting to look a little shaggy and faded, these fall flowers burst into bloom in a rainbow of colors. Mums are also not particularly tasty to deer and munching rodents, such as chipmunks, due to the pungent scent of their foliage—and are therefore great plants to keep animals out of your garden. Even better? They bloom for weeks and weeks and may even come back next year (more about that later!).
Calla lily, also known as arum lily, is not a true lily. It belongs to the genus Zantedeschia which originates from South Africa. With huge, exotic looking flower-like spathes now available in a wide range of colours, calla lily is becoming increasingly popular as a house plant as well as a garden and patio plant.
Calla lillies flower from early to late summer on sturdy upright stems. Handsome foliage adds to their ornamental value – the lush leaves are wide and bright green, often speckled with white or silver. Most calla lilies are frost tender and the rhizomes or fleshy roots can be stored over winter and then replanted the following spring. The exception is white arum lily (Zantedeschia aethiopica) which is hardy outside in mild areas.
Hostas, also called heart-leaf lilies, belong with their approximately 40 wild species to the most beautiful decorative leaf forbs. They originate mainly from Japan, where they thrive mainly in cool-humid mountain forests. The dark or multi-coloured foliage with large or small leaves sets unique accents, even in areas of the garden where hardly anything grows. Not to forget the filigree blossoms above the foliage.
With close to 1,000 species worldwide, salvias are members of the mint family which also includes rosemary, thyme, lavender, and basil. Ornamental salvias are also a relative of common sage, the culinary herb used for cooking. Most varieties are native to hot, dry climates and can be grown as perennials.
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John Whittlesey, author of The Plant Lover's Guide to Salvias, says, "Hardy perennial salvias bring strong color and form to the early summer border." Salvias are a favorite of hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees. Their drought-resistant nature and low maintenance make them a perfect choice for an easy-care garden.
If you love plants that are as fun to look at as they are to touch, lamb’s ears, Stachys byzantina, makes a fantastically fluffy addition to any landscape.
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It’s also surprisingly easy to grow, since the only thing it doesn’t like is soggy soil.
In fact, lamb’s ear is drought resistant and only needs to be watered once a week in most zones, though it may require water more often in particularly hot and dry conditions.
It is a perennial, hardy in USDA Zones 7-11. It can be grown as an annual in areas where it is not winter hardy and will bloom in the first year when grown from seed. Its long internodes give it a sparse appearance but allow it to intermingle and coexist with other plants. The flowers which appear in mid- to late summer, are very attractive to butterflies, and provide nectar for native bees and many beneficial garden insects.
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This species grows best in a well-drained soil. It prefers full sun to partial shade and needs regular moisture. It has a reputation of rarely being attacked by insect pests, but may be susceptible to powdery mildew. V. bonariensis is commonly grown from seed which germinates readily without pre-treatment, but can also be propagated from herbaceous stem cuttings.
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It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[9][10]
If you crave a taste of the tropics in your northern climate, try your hand at growing a hardy hibiscus plant full of huge, showy flowers. Native to North America, the oversized flowers feature tissue-thin, ruffled petals in shades of pink, red, magenta, and white. Some varietals produce blooms with dark-colored centers. Hardy hibiscus can be planted in spring when there is no risk of frost. The plants will grow quickly, erupting each summer with blooms the size of dinner plates.
Phlox is a genus of 68 species of perennial and annual plants in the family Polemoniaceae. They are found mostly in North America in diverse habitats from alpine tundra to open woodland and prairie. Some flower in spring, others in summer and fall. Flowers may be pale blue, violet, pink, bright red, or white.
'Angelina' stonecrop (Sedum rupestre 'Angelina') is a perennial, evergreen plant with succulent foliage that forms a low-growing mat. The name "stonecrop" comes from Middle English, referring to the plant's ability to grow in rocky, gravelly areas. The 'Angelina' cultivar of S. rupestre features chartreuse or golden needle-like foliage, depending on how much sun it gets. It sports tiny yellow flowers throughout the summer. And in the fall, the foliage takes on an orange or rust tone.
IN PROGRESS
Over the course of the next few months, we'll be adding more and more of our in-store plants to our website to reflect our inventory. In the mean time, come by and see all that we have in the greenhouse and along the shrub and tree lines!