FLOWERpower

Plant Lust

New and Notable Plants

By Stephanie Cohen

• New? Exciting, different, “plant lust.” • Old? Still a great plant, not trendy, dependable, and perhaps underused? • Never heard of that, never publicized, but it could be a winner. I am going to tell you about a few in each of these categories and my opinion on each.

New and Notable

I love Alliums, also known as ornamental onion. Allium ‘Millenium’ is a Perennial Plant of the Year pick. However, some said ‘Windy City’ should have been the winner because it has a longer flowering time. Both are of similar stature, both the same rosy-purple, but ‘Windy’, if cut back and if conditions are right, may rebloom. However, here comes ‘Avatar’, a dynamic sport from ‘Summer Beauty’ with a larger flower. In other words, an Allium on steroids. It is smaller, shorter, more compact, and loves to show off in containers. So many choices and all are good ones. I have loved Stachys monieri ‘Hummelo’ since I saw it in England over 25 years ago. The common name is Betony. I have grown Stachys ‘Summer Romance’, which has longer spikes of pinker-purple flowers on 24" plants, and ‘Summer Crush’, a combination of pink and white colors. Deer are not in love with any of these plants and usually leave them alone. All of them grow in full sun in average garden soil. They don’t have to be used as an edger. All of them are a good bet for sprucing up an herb garden. Have you heard of Persicaria recently? I bet you haven’t. The common name is knotweed or smartweed, and they can be aggressive. They like sun or shade and are not bothered about the type of soil they are grown in. What does it sound like to you? A weed, yes, but a prolific summer bloomer that flowers right into autumn. Give them room and they flourish. Some of you may have tried ‘Fat Domino’. New ones are ‘Flamingo Feathers’, ‘Orangefield’, and ‘Blackfield’. I have not started to grow them, but I plan to get one of each. I shall put them in containers and then make a decision. I don’t like to chase plants with a machete, so I’m proceeding cautiously. Last, but not least, the gardening public seems to have decided no more flopsy and mopsy Nepetas (Catmint). They want cats that sit up and grow straight and not lollygag around splayed across their neighbors. These new Nepetas are the cat’s meow as ‘Neptune’ is only 8 to 12" tall—a real shortie. I love short plants! It not only doesn’t get tall, but it doesn’t get too fat and spread out. The color is an intense blue. Let’s review the names: ’The Cat’s Meow’, ‘Purrsian Blue’, ‘Kit Kat’, ‘Kitten Around’ for all those feline lovers, and try ‘Blue Prelude’ or ‘Summer Magic’—just to break up the feline trend. Who knows, maybe they are dog lovers? Watch for: Solidago x ‘Sugar Kisses’ a bicolor Goldenrod), Little Blue Stem (Schizachyrium scoparium) with all that ‘Jazz’, Echinacea (Coneflower) ‘The Price is White’ (punny), Shasta Daisy (Leucanthemum superbum) ‘Ice Cream Dream’ is a daisy that makes my day. I’m an ice cream freak. My plant lust special is Jacob’s Ladder (Polemonium pulcherrimum) ‘Golden Feathers’ because whether it’s in flower or just foliage, it will light up your garden. I want this! (Hint, hint to whoever has it.)

Underused

My underused selection is one of those plants I love while some gardeners turn up their noses and despise. It is a hardy Fountain Grass (Pennisetum alopecuroides): ‘Lumen Gold’. It is a true golden color with a fine-textured blade and arching habit. It is about a foot and a half tall and a full 2 feet with plumes. It starts gold and transitions to lemon in summer, but in more shade, it is more like a lemon-lime. It clumps, it grows fast, and it needs no maintenance. I have no patience to wait for some gold grasses that take three years to develop. If it is not your cup of tea, there are many other choices. o

Stephanie Cohen, “The Perennial Diva,” has received numerous awards, including being name Fine Gardening magazine’s Editor Emeritus, a Perennial Plant Association Honor Award, and induction in the GardenComm Hall of Fame. Cohen founded the arboretum at Temple University in Philadelphia, PA, and served as director for five years. She has written a number of books and articles for many gardening publications.

A version of this story appeared previously in the Mid-Atlantic Hardy Plant Society’s publication.

Pictured: Color Coded® ‘The Price is White’ Coneflower. Photo courtesy of Proven Winners, www.provenwinners.com.