New Plants for 2012

Darker bronze foliage and vivid rose purple flowers with purple calyxes set this new variety apart. It forms a compact, branched clump of aromatic, slug and deer resistant foliage. From midsummer into fall, plants are topped by a plethora of brightly colored flower spikes which add a bright spot of color to the landscape. This plant is well-adapted to thrive in dry soils and is right at home in rock gardens and xeric container plantings where it will attract hummingbirds, butterflies, and honeybees.

Deep black-purple, single flowers are produced on tall, sturdy stalks in midsummer. Spotlight Series is being introduced by Jelitto in 2010 with four single color strains including deep black-purple, red, yellow, and white. Other than their fabulous blossoms, one of the best traits about this series is that the plants are truly perennial—not biennial—and they bloom the first year from seed.

This deciduous perennial offers huge, compound foliage with leaflets to six inches, chartreuse-yellow in color, shading to pale lime, in contrast to its red-brown stems. A striking foliage plant for a cool, moist and shaded position rich loam. In late summer, tiny white flowers on radiating stems appear, followed by small purple (inedible) berries. Foliage and stems disappear for winter.

A well-behaved and disease resistant groundcover, Aurinia is prized for its rousing floral display of tiny, golden yellow flowers borne in panicles just above the foliage. It forms fairly large, prostrate mounds of silvery-green leaves. It's especially attractive when planted on slopes or in the crevices of stone walls.

Deep indigo blue flowers much more vibrant than B. australis and a perfect plant habit are the key features of this new variety. An excellent floral display occurs in late spring to early summer. The deep blue-green foliage forms a more compact, upright mound to 3ft tall at maturity. ‘Blueberry Sundae’ is a vigorous grower and the foliage looks great all summer. Ornamental seed pods extend the season of interest into fall. PROVEN WINNER.

Rich velvety chocolate purple flowers held on upright stems above an especially compact mound of foliage in late spring to early summer makes this plant ideal for smaller urban gardens. The deep blue green foliage remains densely compact as the plant matures and the leaves start lower on the stems, covering the base of the plant better than most Baptisias. This is a vigorously growing selection that looks great all season. Ornamental seed pods extend the season of interest into fall. PROVEN WINNER.

You’ll be impressed with the excellent vigor of this yellow flowered selection. It forms an upright, vase-shaped mound of attractive blue-green foliage topped with long, charcoal stems which carry the lemon yellow flowers in late spring to early summer. The contrast of dark stems with light flowers really pops in the landscape, delivering an excellent floral display. Ornamental seed pods extend the season of interest into fall. Plants are very long-lived once established. PROVEN WINNER.

Clump-forming, warm season grass with bright green leaves reaching about 2 feet. In late summer blooms emerge with a pink tint and reach 3 to 4 feet. The feathery flowers fade to cream in fall and finish in a straw color in winter. A graceful addition to the shade or part shade garden! Will also tolerate sun with sufficient moisture. One of the few flowering grasses that is happy in the shade. Wonderful for cut flowers.

Soft, thread-like, green foliage forms a spherical clump. Insignificant whitish-green flowers in April. Occurs naturally in limestone outcrops but also tolerates acid conditions.

Hardy grass-like plant with green foliage. Bristle-like, brown seed heads in May to September. Native to floodplain woodlands. AKA Bristly Cattail Sedge.

Sport of C. Ice Dance with broader leaf blades and a wider creamy-white margin. Foliage forms compact, colonizing tufts. Outstanding grass-like plant for the shade garden. Provides winter interest.

Narrow, grass-like foliage with green margin and a central silvery-white stripe. Foliage forms a graceful arching clump. Insignificant flowers. Some foliage may persist in mild winters.

Hooded, white, snapdragon-like flowers bloom August to October. Flowers resemble the head of an open mouthed turtle. Dark green foliage. Usually grows 3-4' but may grow to 6' in optimal conditions.

Pale pink, double petals have reddish-pink bar. Double flowers are 3-4" on old growth in May and June. Slightly larger single flowers in July thru September. Long Blooming. Easy to grow.

Standing just 12-15” tall, the compact, well-branched plants are about half the height of ‘Full Moon’ and ‘Redshift’. Its healthy mid-green foliage remains attractive all season, with the texture being intermediate between the threadleaf and grandiflora types. Loads of large 1½-2”, single, bright sunny yellow blossoms with a prominent burgundy red eye and gold button center are produced over a very long period from early summer through early fall. This compact, long blooming Coreopsis makes a colorful specimen in containers and really makes a splash when planted en masse near the front of flower borders. PROVEN WINNER.

Like other members of the BIG BANG™ series, 'Star Cluster' is also the result of many years of intensive breeding work and the crossing of at least 8 species of Coreopsis by hybridizer Darrell Probst. Delivering a terrific garden performance with little effort, this new variety blooms from early summer into early fall. A profusion of sterile, 1 ½ -2 ½”, creamy white flowers with a gold button center are produced atop a bushy clump of bright green foliage. During the cooler months, a small, very deep purple eye appears on each flower. Gardeners lucky enough to still have blooms in late fall will notice a purple edge appearing on each petal too. ‘Star Cluster’ will bloom continuously without deadheading all summer long. However, a quick shearing periodically will keep it looking nice and tidy all season long. PROVEN WINNER.

Excellent performer with large, rich golden-yellow flowers appearing from early through late summer. This variety is exceptionally vigorous, forming upright, airy clumps of fine, needle-like foliage.

This eye catching red Dianthus produces masses of large 1-2”, single, magenta red blossoms with a well-defined, deep ruby eye and deeply serrated petals. Their spicy fragrance is intoxicating! The colorful flowers blanket the tightly compact clump of grey-green foliage in early summer and early fall.

Vibrant, crimson-red flowers bloom profusely in June. Low, spreading foliage forms an evergreen mound. Easy to grow. Can tolerate light foot traffic and short periods of drought. May re-bloom.

This is a new color for the genus, a kind of deep magenta red with red being the dominant color, and purple petal backs. As the flowers pass their prime, they age to an attractive smoky rose. The enormous 5-6”, strongly fragrant flowers have horizontally held ray petals, making the flowers seem even larger. From mid through late summer, these showy blooms are produced atop very dark, near black stems that are thick and sturdy. BIG SKY SERIES

An excellent performer in the landscape, this new coneflower forms a sturdy, widely branched plant. Its fragrant flowers are a clear bright orange color which holds up well in cooler climates. Strong stems carry these large 4” blossoms with overlapping, slightly reflexed petals from midsummer into early fall. ‘Tangerine Dream’ makes an excellent cut flower, lasting up to two weeks in a vase.

Fun new double white Echinacea with pom-pom flowers. White ray petals surround a creamy yellow pom-pom with an apple green center. As the flowers age, the pom-pom expands and turns a lighter yellow color. Compared to a similar white pom-pom type Echinacea called 'Coconut Lime', 'Meringue' is a shorter with an upright habit. This cultivar is more floriferous than 'Coconut Lime' and the flowers are more white. Arie's goal in hybridizing Echinacea was to develop dwarf, more floriferous cultivars with pom-pom flowers. The result was this unique new knee-high variety that blooms from mid through late summer.

Flowers emerge single coral pink with a chocolate cone and then develop their pom-pom center as they mature. Fully opened 4 inch flowers have strawberry peach, horizontally held ray petals and a broad, darker pink pom-pom. All are produced on showy dark stems that really help to set off the unique flower color. This plant is an incredibly vigorous grower with a spectacular habit. If you’re looking for a beautiful new Echinacea with a bushy, upright habit, this is the one!

Large flowers with white petals and orange cone bloom June through September. Sturdy foliage is well branched producing many flowers. Attracts gold finches. A seed selection of Echinacea purpurea.

Dense sprays of pure white flowers are produced on relatively short stems above the grey-green foliage. This is also an incredibly long blooming selection, flowering from late spring into fall. Compact, tightly mounded habit. The plants remain very tidy and uniform over the season. PROVEN WINNER.

Very large 3½ -4”, golden yellow blossoms with an anemone-like center and short ray petals are the signature feature of this cheerful sunflower. Butterflies delight in their sweet nectar from mid through late summer. With a habit much like a dahlia, the colorful blossoms are perched atop upright plants with purple, branched stems and green leaves. 'Happy Days' is relatively short for a Helianthus, so it works well in the middle of the flower border.

Bright yellow flowers with gold center June through September. Most compact Heliopsis available, more controllable in the landscape. PROVEN WINNER.

This early blooming selection typically flowers from late December into February. Uniform, compact habit and showy, large 3-3 ½” blossoms. Light pink buds open to pale yellow flowers which turn a lovely shade of cinnamon as they mature. The abundant flowers are outward facing, which is ideal for Helleborus. They are held just above the attractive dark green leaves with reddish petioles.

Creamy white blossoms are held on rosy stems above gray green leaves veined in silver. Flowering the first year, they are long blooming, with lots of outward-facing buds and blossoms. Gold Collection Spring Party.

This floriferous selection holds its creamy white flowers facing outward above the compact, uniform clump of silvery green foliage with burgundy stems. The 2-3”, white flowers mature to dusky rose when held in cool temperatures, and to green in warm temperatures. These vigorous plants may produce up to 25 flowers on a mature 1-gal specimen. ‘HGC Silvermoon’ blooms from mid-January into April.

A colorful mix of very large double blooms from nearly black, to deep purple to rose to pink. Dark green foliage. From seed.

Incredibly vigorous, heavily budded selection blooms from late January into March. Burgundy buds open to 2-3”, two-tone pink and white, outward-facing flowers. As the flowers age, their color deepens to burgundy. These beautiful blossoms are presented atop the upright clump of green, serrated foliage with a silvery sheen and red petioles.

An improved 'Happy Returns' with larger flowers and continuous bloom right into early fall. Canary yellow flowers open just above the foliage. PROVEN WINNER.

Spectacular 7½-8½ inch, glimmering tangerine orange, gold dusted blossoms and green throat. Officially classified as “unusual form”, the tepals are narrow, twisted, and recurved with loosely ruffled edges. These gigantic blossoms are presented in midsummer on tall, graceful, willowy scapes above the attractive arching foliage. Winner of the 2003 Stout Medal (the highest honor a daylily can receive). PROVEN WINNER.

Heuchera 'Delta Dawn' has an amazing color changing ability as the season progress. The large, rounded leaves are a burgundy red with edges in lime green in the spring and fall. In the summer the lime green leaves are flooded with a deep red veining for a highly contrasted leaf. Strong grower with a vigorous habit. In midsummer 'Delta Dawn' has a none distinct white flower. Heuchera are a great hummingbird and butterfly attraction. Strong, vigorous habit. Delivers the "look" that Heuchera 'Miracle' promised. Height of foliage is 8". Height with flower is 14".

Glossy almost black leaves in a clean, dense mound. Short stems of white flowers help keep up the clean, shiny appearance. Bigger leaves and a larger habit than 'Obsidian'. Foliage is 11" high, 16" high with flowers.

New foliage emerges purple, maturing to deep green with prominent reddish purple veining and a light silver overlay. Creamy-white flowers on short stems earlier than other Heucheras.

Leaves of red brown bordered in lime green combined with such a beautiful habit and broadly scalloped leaf edges. Forming a vigorous mound of dense crowns. White flower blooms April to June.

Deep reddish black buds open to huge 8-9", pure velvety red flowers July to September above bright green, maple-like foliage. This selection is an improved H. ‘Fireball’ with extended blooming period and a more compact, full mounding habit.

Deep red buds open to magenta-red flowers. Huge 9-11" blooms appear all the way up the stem in July and August. Lobed, maple-like, dark green foliage is bronze when it emerges and forms a small shrub.

An improvement over 'Kopper King', this hybrid has the darkest wine purple, maple-like foliage we've ever seen on a hardy Hibiscus. As the foliage matures, the number of lobes on each leaf increases. The foliage alone makes this plant a fantastic specimen even before it comes into bloom! (Please note: Like many other purple foliage plants, this one requires direct exposure to UV light to develop the deep purple coloring. Plants coming from a greenhouse may be green until they are brought outside into the sun.) This plant produces large 8-10 inch, pink flowers with rose veining and a deep magenta eye that radiates out onto the petals. Free-flowering from mid-July to October. This is partially due to the fact that this Hibiscus has "indeterminate" buds v. "determinate" buds. Flower buds are produced at the nodes along much of the stem as well as at the tips. That means more flowers for a longer time period.

Improvement over ‘Fantasia’ in flower and habit. Huge 8-9in, mauve lavender blossoms with a deep strawberry red eye have attractively ruffled, overlapping petals. They are produced on all sides of the dense, bushy, rounded clump of thick, bright green, maple-like leaves. This Hibiscus is a very floriferous indeterminate bloomer, so there are buds at many nodes up the stems rather than just at the tips. The result is a much longer season of bloom and flowers that cover all sides of the plant rather than just the top.

Largest hosta ever introduced. Huge, dark green, deeply veined foliage forms a tall and wide mound. Pale violet flowers rise just above foliage in July and August. PROVEN WINNER.

Upright, narrow, tightly folded leaves resemble hands folded in prayer. Dark green leaves are heavily rippled with very narrow, gold margins. Leaves have a matte finish above but are folded, revealing their shiny undersides. Lavender flowers on 18" scapes are abundant in late summer. Slug resistant. 2011 Hosta of the year.

The leaves emerge frosty blue with a bright yellow margin that lightens to creamy white during the summer. It forms a medium sized mound topped with light lavender flowers in mid to late summer. ‘Autumn Frost’ is a sport of the 2010 Hosta of the Year, ‘First Frost’, which in turn is a sport of the champion of blue hostas, ‘Halcyon’. It is a showier version of ‘First Frost’, displaying extra wide margins. PROVEN WINNER.

Sport of H. ‘Satisfaction’, with much showier, wider margins. Deeply veined foliage is dark green with very wide, yellow margins. Large, heart-shaped leaves have a good substance and a wide spreading habit. Light lavender flowers sit just above the foliage in early to midsummer. PROVEN WINNER.

An improvement over its parent, ‘Eskimo Pie’, this new sport is a much showier, larger specimen and a stronger grower overall. The wider, brighter blue margin and apple green jetting contrast nicely with the creamy white center all season long. The leaves are of heavy substance, exhibiting good slug resistance in the landscape. This plant forms a large mound of attractive foliage topped with near-white flowers on white scapes in early summer. PROVEN WINNER.

Large sized hosta with broadly, ovate leaves. Foliage is dark green with a slightly ruffled, gold margin and a trace of white between the center and margin. The white coloring needs the summer heat to develop. Near-white, tubular flowers are produced from late summer through early fall. PROVEN WINNER.

Evergreen Candytuft is finally available in a color other than white! The large clusters of purple flowers blanket the foliage in late spring. The outermost flowers in each cluster are light lavender and the innermost flowers are deeper lavender, while the whole cluster is dotted with tiny yellow stamens. An old-time favorite, Candytuft is a charming plant for perennial. gardens. Because of its drought tolerance, it makes a great filler for crevices in walls or between the stones of walkways. It is also effective as edging or groundcover. PROVEN WINNER.

Three inch wide, single, pure white, daisy-like flowers with a gold button center forms a solid dome of bloom. A super compact, highly floriferous selection. In the Midwest, this plant typically grows 20-24” tall and wide and blooms from early summer into late summer. However, to account for the national variability in Proven Winners trials, they describe this plant as growing 12-24” tall and blooming from spring to fall with deadheading. PROVEN WINNER.

The 4-5 inch wide flowers are lemon yellow when they open, brightening to light butter yellow and finally to creamy white as they mature. An extra row of ray petals gives the flowers a fuller appearance than truly single varieties. Since it produces flower buds at each axillary shoot, it blooms prolifically all summer long atop strong, upright stems. Compared to older cultivars, this plant has nicely compact, dark green foliage and exhibits increased disease resistance. It has proven to be a very strong grower and rapid multiplier. Try planting a few in the landscape or combination containers and you’ll be rewarded with loads of blooms for fresh bouquets. Flowers last up to two weeks when cut. PROVEN WINNER.

Clump-forming foliage is green with a silver vein and arches gracefully downward. Tiny buffy flowers with red tinges emerge in fluffy panicles above the foliage in August-September. Panicles fade to silver in fall, but remain showy throughout winter. Foliage turns reddish-brown in fall fading to tan over winter. ‘Yaku Jima’ is sometimes described in commerce as being a dwarf form of Miscanthus sinensis ‘Gracillimus’.

Compact variety with long-blooming, lavender-purple flowers May through September. Finely texture, mounding, gray-green, aromatic foliage. Drought tolerant. Aroma is attractive to cats.

Single shell pink outer petals with darker rose-pink to red center. Blooms May and June. Lightly fragrant. A long lived perennial.

Large, single, fragrant flowers with scarlet-red petals and gold center stamens. Blooms in early May. Glossy green foliage.

Single med pink, highly fragrant flowers with large orange center. Glossy green, sturdy foliage rarely needs staking. Award winner.

Large double ruby-red, fragrant flowers bloom in late May. Glossy green foliage. A long lived perennial.

It is similar to the ever-popular Panicum 'Heavy Metal' in foliage color and height, but 'Badlands' has the added bonus of having deep purple pigmentation on the tips of every blue-green leaf. This purple color begins to develop in midsummer and is striking when matching smoky purple flower panicles appear in late summer.

Compact clump of fine green foliage is highlighted by red accents in summer. Soft cream, bottle brush type seed head is produced mid to late summer. Excellent fall color. Prefers fertile well-drained soil. Sport of P. 'Little Bunny'. Tolerates heat, humidity and drought. Does not set seed in the garden. Winter interest.

A terrific companion to the temperennial grass Pennisetum s. ‘Fireworks’ PP18504, this green and white sport is a strong grower that exhibits stable variegation all season long. Green leaves with white striped margins form a beautiful vase-like clump topped with smoky pink, arching plumes that turn cream as they age. Since the plumes are sterile, the plant blooms from midsummer all the way into mid-fall. This tender grass is perfect for adding height and structure to combination container plantings. Like ‘Fireworks’, it should be grown as an annual in most parts of the country.

Bi-color rose-pink and white flowers bloom in June and July. Glossy green, narrow foliage forms tall spikes. Drought tolerant but blooms better with regular watering. Soil must be well drained.

Violet-blue, fragrant flowers bloom in April and May. Puts on quite a show when in blooms. A long lived, carefree native groundcover.

Pale blue, almost white fragrant flowers bloom April and May.

Golden yellow blossoms are held just above the short clump of rich green, bushy foliage. Very well branched scapes carry loads of flowers July through October. Over 80 flowers have been counted on a single plant, making this selection more floriferous than 'Goldsturm'. While 'Goldsturm' can stand waist-high in bloom, 'Little Goldstar' is much more compact. This variety is produced by tissue culture and provides a more uniform plant than the seed grown 'Goldsturm'. Attracts songbirds.

Improved Eveline.

Large, blue-green leaves on bright purple, upright stems with 5-7" flower heads bear red buds and light pink blossoms. Compact habit. Sport of 'Matrona'. PROVEN WINNERS.

Mat forming succulent with grayish-green, rounded rosettes that look like pinwheels. White pointed flowers rise above foliage on 4" stems in May and June. Native to the Appalachian Mountains.

Dwarf variety with dark burgundy almost black, rounded, succulent foliage. Star-shaped carmine-red flowers appear August through October. Drought tolerant.

This seedling of 'Osage' was selected by Rick Darke who saw great potential in its powder blue foliage and erect habit. This is a clump-forming grass that turns yellow in the fall, then fades to tan and remains standing through most of the winter. In late summer, copper brown flowers with conspicuous bright yellow pollen sacs attached are produced. They make wonderful cut and dried flowers. This heat tolerant, disease resistant, clumping forming grass is native to North American prairies.

Gray-green foliage sports airy clouds of flowers atop tall stems in summer. This grass is good as a single specimen or in a group as a showy backdrop. Fast growing. Drought, heat and salt tolerant. Supstitute for Pampas Grass.

Improved Sweet Kate. Offers a more compact habit, increased flower production and tougher yellow foliage. Gold foliage holds its color well all season and has a much greater resistance to burn, especially when planted in moist soil. PROVEN WINNER.

Deep blue-violet flowers bloom from late April to mid-May. Green foliage has silvery-blue cast and forms a dense, fast growing mat. Tolerates heat, humidity and drought. Tolerates some foot traffic.