May 2006
By Jayne Haugen Olson and Melissa Colgan
PERENNIALS
Echinacea (Coneflower)
Long-blooming new varieties include ‘Sunrise’ (lemon yellow flowers with green cone), ‘Harvest Moon’ (gold flowers with gold-orange cone) and ‘Jade’ (greenish-white flowers with unique green and black cone). Heights from eighteen to thirty-six inches, full sun.
Astrantia
‘Moulin Rouge’ (Masterwort)
Dark red to plum purple blooms on a compact plant. Neat, rounded, dark green foliage. Eighteen inches high, part to full shade.
Heuchera
‘Frosted Violet’ (Coral Bells)
Large-growing, mounding coral bells with unique pinkish-red spring foliage maturing to mottled burgundy violet. Pink pearl-like flowers dangle above the leaves from thirty-inch stems. Part shade.
Polemonium
‘Stairway to Heaven’ (Jacob’s Ladder)
Dazzling variegated leaves are green with cream margins brushed with pink. True-blue flowers. Twelve inches high, part shade to sun.
Geranium
‘Jolly Bee’ (Geranium)
Floriferous, long-blooming geranium with large blue flowers with white centers and dark veining. Eighteen inches high, full sun to part shade.
Panicum
‘Northwind’ (Switch Grass)
A hardy variety featuring strong vertical form and golden yellow fall color. Height to five feet, spreading clump with age, full to part sun.
Hydrangea paniculata
‘Limelight’ (Limelight Hydrangea)
Extremely vigorous and long-blooming hydrangea with bright lime green flowers. Height to eight feet by five feet wide, full to part sun.
ANNUALS
Oxalis regnelli
‘Charmed Wine’ (Oxalis)
Deep merlot red shamrock leaves with delicate white blossoms. Height to twelve inches, full to part shade.
Fuschia
‘Magellanica aurea’ (Fuschia)
Trailing fuschia with golden yellow leaves, delicate red blossoms, and red stems. Length to fifteen inches, full sun to part shade.
Bacopa
‘African Sunset Improved’ (Bacopa)
Smaller trailing bacopa with airy appearance, bright copper red flowers, terrific container plant. Trailing to ten inches, full sun.
Angelonia angustifolia
‘Dresden Blue’ (Summer Snapdragon)
Long-lasting, fade-proof true-blue flowers with showy white throat. Height to twenty-four inches, full sun.
Origanum
‘Kent Beauty’ (Ornamental Oregano)
Intriguing hops-like bracts of rose, cream, and chartreuse dazzle when spilling over edges of containers. Semitrailing to six inches, full sun.
Argyrantheum frutescens
Meteor Red’ (Marguerite Daisy)
Deepest red color daisy with deep red center rimmed in yellow and white. Twenty-four inches high, full sun.