15 Quintessential Shrubs for Fall Foliage, Fruit & Flowers

Who let this handsome guy into the field?
Introducing The Husband, Mike Downey.

"'Limelight' will be perfect that time of the year!" greeted me when I announced my fall wedding plans what seems like a lifetime ago. I shrugged, laughed, or made some noncommittal statement to my coworkers. While they immediately began planning bouquet combinations with their go-to fall flower, Hydrangea paniculata, I was still wrapped up in the words "fiance" and "bling" like I had never heard them before.

Fast forward to a month ago, the eve of The Big Day. My fiance, maid of honor, and I were on a cut flower mission in the nursery's stock fields. We operated with "woodlandy" and weird as the criteria for bouquets and centerpieces (my only must-have was Sugar Shack® Cephalanthus). Hydrangeas didn't fit into those categories exactly, but as we turned the corner to find towering rows of 'Limelight', blooms teetering between its trademark green and coquettish pink, any reservations I had about our most popular shrub faded. My coworkers were right. They were perfect, and I suddenly couldn't imagine our fall wedding without them. 

Alas, this post is not about my (super amazing) nuptials or even the flowers I used. This post is about those plants, like 'Limelight', that give you the magical warm fuzzies of the autumn season. Here is my list of the 15 quintessential fall shrubs your readers should know, from hydrangea blooms to fantastic foliage and fruit.

Clockwise from left to right: Red Wall® Parthenocissus, Handsome Devil™ Viburnum, Little Henry® Itea,
Gatsby Moon™ Hydrangea quercifolia, and Yuki Cherry Blossom™ Deutzia

1. Yuki Cherry Blossom™ Deutzia (deutzia): selected for heavy-blooming, pink spring flowers, this dwarf deutzia also develops purple foliage when the cooler temperatures start.
2. Gatsby Moon® Hydrangea quercifolia (oakleaf hydrangea): while its over-sized blooms dry, this native hydrangea's oak-shaped foliage transforms to rich shades of red and burgundy. 
3. Little Henry® Itea (Virginia sweetspire): this compact native becomes a fiery mound of orange-red leaves in fall.
4. Red Wall® Parthenocissus (Virginia creeper): this native vine was selected specifically for its clear red fall color and as a quick cover for fencing.
5. Handsome Devil™ Viburnum (viburnum): a wash of orange, red, burgundy, and green makes this glossy viburnum a standout.

Clockwise from left to right: Purple Pearls™ Callicarpa, All That Glows™ Viburnum, Sugar Shack® Cephalanthus,
Little Goblin™ Ilex verticillata, and Brandywine™ Viburnum

1. Purple Pearls™ Callicarpa (beautyberry): the purple fruit, purple foliage, and purple stems of this native hybrid make it an autumn triple threat.
2. Sugar Shack® Cephalanthus (buttonbush): normally, the fruit on this native shrub stays a blushy-green, but Sugar Shack buttonbush pushes it to bright red. It is also dwarf, has glossy foliage, and crazy-amazing flowers.
3. Little Goblin™ Ilex verticillata (winterberry holly): this compact holly holds its own in the landscape with extra large red fruit.
4. All That Glows™ Viburnum (viburnum): the blue fall berries shine against the glossy foliage of this semi-dwarf variety (plant All That Glitters™ viburnum for its pollinating pal)
5. Brandywine™ Viburnum nudum (viburnum): the red fall foliage is showy enough on its own, but add pink and blue berries - that don't need a pollinator to form - and you're on to something spectacular.

Clockwise from left to right: Sonic Bloom® Red Weigela, Bloom-A-Thon® Red Rhododendron,
Fire Light® Hydrangea paniculata, Bloomerang® Purple Syringa, Oso Easy® Double Red Rosa

1. Fire Light® Hydrangea paniculata (hardy hydrangea): the red autumn flowers of this new variety recently wowed our Facebook fans. Rich color, strong stems, reliable blooms - what's not to love?
2. Bloom-A-Thon® Red Rhododendron (reblooming azalea): this reblooming, shade tolerant azalea also comes in white, pink, and lavender.
3. Oso Easy® Double Red Rosa (rose): the double red flowers on this disease resistant landscape rose will continue blooming (and blooming and blooming) until frost.
4. Bloomerang® Purple Syringa (reblooming lilac): fragrant lilacs in fall? A must!
5. Sonic Bloom® Red Weigela (reblooming weigela): the reblooming Sonic Bloom® series took weigela from a one-hit spring wonder to a shrub worthy of three-season praise.

I'm so fancy: Lemony Lace Sambucus

Among the new plant introductions for 2015, Lemony Lace™ elderberry (Sambucus racemosa) is developing a reputation as an attention hog. At the 66th Annual Garden Writers Association Symposium, it was the first plant people noticed in a booth full of new Proven Winners® annual, perennial, and shrub varieties. It beckoned writers to come closer and ask, "What is that? Tiger Eyes Sumac?" No, no, friends, it is something much better. Same color, but more compact, non-suckering, and with flowers. A deep and entranced "Oooh" escaped their lips. I was out of samples the first day.

Showing off at Farwest

A week later, the golden boy won two awards at the Farwest show in Portland, OR. First, it was deemed an "outstanding plant," earning the Award of Merit in the New Plant Showcase. Second, The Garden Center Group gave it the Retailers Choice Award. Danny Summers, Managing Director for The Garden Center Group, remarked, “This distinctive golden, thread-like foliage looks wonderful in mixed borders or as a high-impact specimen plant."

Why the hullabaloo? Lemony Lace elderberry's golden yellow, finely-cut foliage is highlighted by red new growth to create eye-catching texture in the landscape. Better color retention and sun tolerance makes it an option for both full sun and part shade gardens. At 3-5’ tall and wide, it is more compact than ‘Sutherland Gold’ and also features more deeply cut foliage. White spring flowers produce red fruit in fall. This North American native is deer resistant and hardy to USDA Zone 3.

No wonder it's showboating across the country. Lemony Lace elderberry possesses a versatile set of characteristics: multi-season interest, native, deer resistance, cold hardy, fruit for the birds, compact for small gardens... all deserving story topics.

Visit the slideshow of all twenty new Proven Winners ColorChoice shrubs for 2015. If you'd like more information or high resolution photos of Lemony Lace elderberry, let me know!

Lemony Lace elderberry in the landscape: add a pair of googly eyes, and you'd have the most adorable muppet.

The red new growth contrasts with the lemon-lime foliage.

Edibles Win at Cultivate 2014

At last week's Cultivate, what began as a normal trade show day quickly turned into something more exciting when Danny Summers, Managing Director of the Garden Center Group, stopped by the Proven Winners® ColorChoice® booth with great news: Sugar Mountain® Blue sweetberry honeysuckle (Lonicera caerulea) won one of ten Retailer's Choice Awards. Danny and his retail cohorts had searched through thousands of items on display at Cultivate to select ten new products they deemed exceptional. In our booth alone, the competition was fierce. Lemony Lace® elderberry and Lo & Behold® 'Pink Micro Chip' butterfly bush were busy dazzling attendees while our honeysuckle sat demurely in the corner. So how did Sugar Mountain Blue sweetberry honeysuckle outshine them? The answer is hiding within the complete lineup of winners.

Edibles. Five of the winning products fell under this rising category. Judging by the number of ornamental varieties being introduced, edibles will soon be escaping their raised beds to mingle with their flowering counterparts in the landscape. Enter shrubs.

Proven Winners and Edibles

You'll notice that there aren't traditional fruit and vegetable varieties in our collection. Our goal is to fill a niche in the crowded edible marketplace with selections rich in antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals; abundant fruit; good flavor; and trouble-free care. The hard working plants that make the cut are called Vitamin Berries®. This line kicked off with the introduction of Big Lifeberry® and Sweet Lifeberry® goji berries, super fruit that moved from a mainstay in Asia to popular health food in Europe. Sugar Mountain sweetberry honeysuckles are the newest Vitamin Berries.

The first thing you need to know about Sugar Mountain® Blue sweetberry honeysuckle is that it is delicious, pairing the flavors of blueberries and raspberries into one bite-sized, early summer fruit. After all, what is the point if an edible doesn't taste good? The second, third, and fourth things are that it is native to North America, super healthy, and cold hardy to USDA Zone 2. Oh, and the fifth thing: it debuts at retail in 2015, so you have to wait until next year to add it to your garden.

Sweetberry honeysuckle, also known as haskaps, are more common in Canada than the United States, and our friends to the north are certainly on to something. Compared to blueberries, this low-maintenance shrub is easier to grow without special soil requirements, and has higher levels of antioxidants and three times the amount of Vitamin C. They are one of the most cold tolerant edible plants on earth, standing up to winter temperatures as cold as -50°F (-45.6°C). If edibles aren't a trend you're interested in, what about plants that can take a polar vortex with ease?

Reaching five to six feet tall and wide, Sugar Mountain® Blue sweetberry honeysuckle makes an excellent hedge or stand-alone specimen in the edible landscape. Planting two different Sugar Mountain varieties will increase berry yield. There are three pollinators to choose from: Sugar Mountain® Balalaika™, Sugar Mountain® Eisbär™, and Sugar Mountain® Kalinka™.

For more details on this award-winning selection, visit our Sugar Mountain Blue information page.

In Their Own Words: Oso Happy Rose Breeder David Zlesak

Rose Breeder David Zlesak

To celebrate National Rose Month, I reached out to one of the nicest and most gracious breeders we have the pleasure to work with. David Zlesak, a Wisconsin native, is the man behind Proven Winners' Oso Happy® series of roses. I just added all three varieties to my garden this spring, and they are bursting with clusters of dainty blooms. Pretty, long-blooming, and, of course, disease resistant, these roses are quickly becoming a favorite mine. Read on to explore their background and how David got his start. Happy Rose Month!
- Shannon

When I was 13, in 1984, I started breeding roses from a newspaper article in the Sunday gardening section of the Milwaukee Journal about Will Radler's rose breeding hobby. It was long before Knock Out came out. I loved gardening then, and the idea of plant breeding and coming up with new kinds of plants seemed wonderfully creative and fun. The mystery of each seedling being different and growing them out to find those that combine the strong points of the different parents with many surprises along the way really drew me in. I wrote to Will, and he connected me with a wonderful older gentleman that bred roses in West Bend, WI, the same town I lived in. Elton Strack became like a grandfather to me. I would visit him almost every week and really cherished our time together and what I learned.

I would save money as a kid throughout the year to buy new roses to use as parents. I would be taken in by the pretty pictures in catalogs and buy the ones that were gorgeous, but needed preventative spray and insulation to get through the winter. Elton focused more on his large-growing hardy species hybrids and some were a bit stingy in bloom. They were hardy though and always came through the winter and bloomed great. Even with spraying and insulating my more tender roses, I would lose many. I felt like if I just do what is written about to protect roses from what they needed protection from, things would be fine. Over time, feeling disappointed losing roses, I started valuing and understanding Elton's passion and use of the hardier roses, and began crossing them with the more tender ones to try to combine the best of both.

Oso Happy Candy Oh and Smoothie trace back to some parent lines that I selected when I was living in Rhinelander, Wisconsin. I germinated a lot of polyantha rose seedlings during those years, and in Northern WI in zone 3 many of them were not hardy enough. Thankfully, a handful of polyantha seedlings survived consistently. One was a thornless selection and others were thorny. The thornless selection was used with our native R. setigera over a few generations to eventually come up with Oso Happy Smoothie combining the near thornless stems and also the wonderful mounded characteristic of the bloom clusters and rich magenta/mauve highlights of the R. setigera parent. Candy Oh! is a cross of one of the hardy selections that was a light pink with darker pink edges with the classic rose 'Robin Hood'. Candy Oh! is darker than both parents and has the wonderfully vigorous growth habit of 'Robin Hood', but greater hardiness from the other parent.

Oso Happy Petit Pink comes from work I began in the late 1990's, wanting to combine the wonderfully floriferous habit of miniature roses (well branched, dense, lots of blooms) with hardier and healthier landscape roses like 'George Vancouver' (Canadian Explorer series) and 'Applejack' (Dr. Buck hybrid from Iowa State). I called Sequoia Nursery, which was started by Ralph Moore. He started his nursery in the late 1930's and made modern minis what they are today.  He is known as the "Father of the Miniature Rose." In the late 90's when I called, he was always very helpful, and I got four fertile miniatures that he recommended. Two of these are in the background of Petit Pink - Rise N Shine and Orange Honey. All these parents together made this wonderfully floriferous, mounded hardy, healthy mini. I love that it has a nice habit and the stems don't get too lanky. The cultivar name 'ZLEMarianneYoshida' is for my dear friend and landlady that let me have lights in the basement to start all my rose seedlings. She really liked that one too. Petit Pink is from a very different genetic background than the other two, but shares that mounded well-branched habit with lots of blooms.

I continue to love and work with polyantha roses because I love their habit and abundant blooming. I have worked with crossing them with typical shrub roses (there are some challenges in getting the crosses to take, but am making some progress). I especially am excited to keep working with the R. setigera lines as R. setigera has resistance to the disease rose rosette, which is lethal and becoming more common. I don't have rose rosette in my area thankfully, but would love to learn if Smoothie inherited this resistance or not. I have other seedlings and descendants of R. setigera I hope to have tested.

I have limited space resources, so I plant out typically a couple thousand seedlings each year and put them very close (8-10" apart). It encourages diseases to build. Many go down from disease, and then it is easier to see which ones show good resistance and then over winter. After a couple years, the well-adapted ones tend to shine compared to their neighbors. Some I hold back and use in more breeding because they don't have enough of all I'm hoping for. Others that seem to potentially fill a niche not well filled at the moment, I send to {Proven Winners ColorChoice} for trialing.

Since I started my love of plant breeding with roses, I still focus most heavily on the rose breeding. Breeding roses, all the wonderful people I've met, and things I've learned kept me inspired to pursue horticulture for my profession. I earned my BS in horticulture and then worked for the Forest Service and Hanson's Garden Village in Rhinelander, WI. Brent Hanson let me use land for my roses which was wonderful and is where I selected the hardy parents in Oso Happy Candy Oh! and Smoothie. I then went back to grad school in the Twin Cities for Plant Breeding and Molecular Genetics and worked on potatoes and then lilies, but my advisors always humored me and let me have some space and opportunity to do some rose projects. I then worked in Extension at the U of MN in Horticulture and worked to establish a northern branch of the Earth-Kind Rose Trialing Program in our region. I'm back at River Falls and work teaching to inspire the next generation of horticulturists. Some of the students help me with Earth-Kind rose plantings and work to understand the reproductive biology of our US native Rosa setigera, which may be a good source for bringing in rose rosette disease resistance to our modern roses.

Three Lessons from P. Allen Smith's Garden2Blog 2014

In May, 24 bloggers were invited to P. Allen Smith's fourth annual Garden2Blog, where they were wined, dined, and treated to two days of southern hospitality. Proven Winners has enjoyed a great partnership with Allen and his hardworking team for several years, so Jeanine Standard and I were treated to the fun as one of the event's sponsors. While I could write essays on how wonderful everything was, I encourage you to visit the bloggers' sites to read about the experience in their own words (list below). I did take home a few lessons from Moss Mountain Farm that I hope you can apply to your work as a garden writer.

1. Audience is everything. | Jeffrey Rohrs kicked off the keynote address with this Bruce Springsteen quote: "The audience is not brought to you or given to you; it's something that you fight for. You can forget that, especially if you've had some success. Getting an audience is hard. Sustaining an audience is hard. It demands consistency of thought, of purpose, and of action over a long period of time." If Springsteen has to work that hard to capture and maintain the attention of his audience, what do we as garden writers need to do?
   
   Rohrs explained how an audience - your most important asset - can be divided into three groups, and interaction with each is different. SEEKERS are those casually looking for information and entertainment. AMPLIFIERS are in it for the thrill and social recognition gained from sharing content. JOINERS are the most valuable members of an audience, the ones who follow, subscribe, and engage. The G2B garden writers are P. Allen Smith's JOINERS, and he certainly knew how to make them valued. What are you doing?
   
   I'm only on the third chapter of Rohrs' book, "Audience: Marketing in the Age of Subscribers, Fans & Followers," but I would recommend it for ideas on how to work with and build each section of your audience.
   
   
2. Stay true to your style. | P. Allen Smith gets it. His list of accolades is miles long, from designer and TV host to founder of the Heritage Poultry Conservancy. All this aside, what impressed me the most were not his amazing gardens nor his never ending wit, but that he is genuine, staying true to himself across all fronts. It first struck me when he mentioned that when planning the farm, he wanted to prove that you could build a traditional home in a sustainable way. Let's face it, environmentally responsible typically reads modern, yet every inch of Moss Mountain Farm oozes southern charm from the Poultry Palace to the clover-filled lawn. Allen, as a person and as a brand, is a great reminder that keeping your values and passions at the center of everything is the key to success.
    
3. Step Dance out of your comfort zone. | The group of bloggers in attendance varied from rose aficionados to backyard chicken farmers, and everything in between. The DIYers took selfies with chickens. The edible gardeners put together beautiful containers of Proven Winners annuals, perennials, and shrubs. The chicken folks drank wine in the rose garden. Yet even with adventure embraced, there were a few sideways glances whenever Allen's producers broke out the speakers and asked us to dance to Pharrell Williams' "Happy." You want me to what? While you film it?
   
   When the finished video debuted during our final meal together, it was obvious that our trust in the Garden2Blog crew was well worth it. (You can witness my sweet moves at the 3:18 mark.)

Read more about G2B and visit the bloggers:

Julie Thompson Adolf | Julie’s Garden Delights 

Steve Asbell | The Rainforest Garden
Kylee Baumle | Our Little Acre
Jan Bills | Two Women and a Hoe
Stephanie Buckley | The Park Wife
Teresa Byington | The Garden Diary
Janet Carson | University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service
C.L. Fornari | Coffee for Roses
Susan Fox | Gaga’s Garden
Jerusalem Greer | Jolly Goode Gal
Robin Horton | Urban Gardens
Lamanda Joy | The Yarden
Linday Ly | The Garden Betty
Michael Nolan | My Earth Garden
Jenny Peterson | J. Peterson Garden Design
Kenny Point | Veggie Gardening Tips
Kathy Purdy | Cold Climate Gardening
Christina Salwitz | Personal Garden Coach
Mary Beth Shaddix | Mary Beth Shaddix
Lisa Steele | Fresh Eggs Daily
Rebecca Sweet | Harmony in the Garden
Kelly Smith Trimble | DIY Network's Made + Remade
Chris Van Cleave | Redneck Rosarian
Tina Wilcox | Ozark Folk Center 

Shout out to our fellow sponsors:

Bonnie Plants
Flexzilla
Hubbard Life
Jobe's Organics
Laguna
Le Creuset
Little Rock Convention & Visitor's Bureau 
Troy-Bilt
United Solutions
US Foods

Five for Friday

I love the Internet for putting pithy bits of information at my fingertips. Here is a quick list of five articles that struck my fancy and may help you as a garden writer.

1. How to Avoid Copyright Trouble When Using Online Images | PR Daily
   Infographic! Yea! This gem not only breaks down the differences between the types of image copyright licenses, but also gives tips on how to make your own outstanding photos. Remember, images are the currency of media, so you must use quality shots. If you don't have images of your own, you can always turn to plant companies. Proven Winners has a huge image library available to garden writers, and all we ask is that you give credit. 
2. 101 Career Tips, Each in 140 Characters or Less | Mashable
   While you have to wade through resume and interviewing tips, this article does have a few communication and productivity gems. The best part, however, is that it makes you think about how much wisdom can be packed in Twitter's 140 characters. The next time you tweet, make those characters count.
3. 10 Tactics to Improve Blog Readership | The Moz Blog
   Amazing mustache aside, my favorite part about this post is tactic ten: social media is not fire and forget. Content should be shared not just upon its publication, but a few hours later, the next day, and even two months later. I needed that reminder.
4. Why Writers Are the Worst Procrastinators | The Atlantic
   I was procrastinating every time I found one of these links. I may even be procrastinating now. 
5. The Right Colors Make Data Easier to Read | Harvard Business Review
   Whether on your website, presentation, newest article, or post, colors play a part in how we process information. This article draws upon concept-color relationships, using a fruit-based chart as an example. When the data was presented with blueberries in blue, cherries in red, and tangerines in orange, viewers were able to process the information with less thought and more speed. Interesting.

Next week, I'm heading to Little Rock, Arkansas for P. Allen Smith's Garden2Blog event. I am lucky enough to attend as a sponsor, but that doesn't mean I won't be taking advantage of every moment and tidbit of blogging goodness. Full recap to come.

In Their Own Words: From Midwest to Southwest with Chris Eirschele

Just as I’m beginning to think I have this gardening thing figured out, an early-April trip to California Spring Trials left me stunned, stumped, and sunburnt. The plant mix was unlike anything in Michigan. The seasonal timing was off. Everything was huge. Mother Nature continuously put me in my place during my seven-day trip, and as I returned home to the comfortable familiarity of snow piles, my thoughts turned to those in our industry that are thrown into climate confusion for longer than a mere week, someone like Chris Eirschele.

Chris Eirschele

She was in her early twenties when Chris moved to Germany for her husband’s military career. After a lifetime of digging in the dirt with her Wisconsin-based parents, it seemed second nature to begin her indoor and balcony gardens while abroad in an environment she describes as “a lot like the Midwest but with the Alps added in.” Her love affair with plants was firmly rooted, but took a back burner to moving home to the States, three careers, and raising her daughter. In 2000, however, she returned to school for horticulture and eventually began life as a Midwest-focused garden writer, freelancing for the likes of Ohio Gardener, Missouri Gardener, and various online publications including her blog, Stay Gardening. Then in 2011, a move took her gardening journey to completely unfamiliar territory – Arizona. Chris chatted about how her life has changed since moving from Zone 4/5 to Zone 9b.

What is gardening in Arizona like for you?

Arizona has a diverse landscape and climate, although it is dry. Phoenix and Scottsdale (where I live) are in what is called "the low desert." Freezing temperatures are almost nonexistent.

I grew what I loved May through September in Wisconsin, and now grow what I love November through April in Arizona outside. Tan and gray colors and spiky plants rule the day in the desert, but I still keep up my indoor gardens. I have had to find the plants I like that can grow here within the boundaries of living in a desert. I have had to learn to live without some plants that are not viable here, some of those plants which I truly loved.

On the left, Chris' young garden bed in Wisconsin. On the right, her current Arizona garden.

Such as what?

Peonies and hostas and daylilies. I might be able to stretch it with daylilies, especially if I lived in the higher elevations, but in the low desert the summers reach over 100 degrees during the day and, for part of the summer, only dip into the 90s at night. How much water I want to use to keep plants alive becomes a push and pull I struggle with.

How is garden writing different in Arizona?

It is very different in Arizona, beyond just the climate and plants. Meeting new plant professionals and networking with them is also new. I am beyond the world of Wisconsin and Ohio. Networking and building bridges in the Southwest will take time. Even back when I wrote regularly for Suite101, before I moved out here, I had already written about plants and public gardens in the Southwest. My muse has always been the plants and gardens, wherever I find them, and I do find that changing.

How are you still influenced by the Midwest?

I still want to write about Midwest gardening, and I can do that at Decoded Plants. I travel back to the Midwest and East Coast, as opportunities arise. For example, in April, I accepted an invitation to the press event for the spring planting event at the White House Kitchen Garden. I will work hard to keep my feet firmly in as many parts of the country as opportunities allow. I must preserve my "street cred" with Midwest publishers, while I expand my world in the Southwest.

I grow plants that can be grown in the Midwest and keep up to date with new plants; in the Southwest I grow plants I like and fit this environment and visit public gardens in the Southwest.

What advice do you have for someone writing in an unfamiliar environment?

In unfamiliar places, I go back to the basics. I build up new gardens and try plants I, perhaps, never grew. Keeping informed with new plants and techniques is hard work, no matter where a garden writer lives.

I suggest taking advantage of as many invitations as you can manage, so you can rub elbows with garden types in your new environment. Networking is, after all, about connecting for the long road. The opportunities from networking are rarely obvious at the beginning.

Nothing beats human contact, but as the world gets smaller, social media has its benefits. Choose social media that works best for you. Believing you have to do it all is just hype. Take advantage of any free feature you can Whatever social media you use, make sure the About tells your friends and followers who you are. One feature I often see bare is the "About" feature. 

Thank you, Chris, for taking the time to share your experiences with Through the Greenhouse Glass readers.  You can find Chris on her blog, Stay Gardening, and in her regular columns for Decoded Plants.

Happy Valentine's Day

Adjectives Running Amok

Midway through a press release about a very exciting, totally amazing announcement for next week, I found myself using phrases like "very exciting, totally amazing." Sigh. No, that won't do.

At some point, for whatever reason (Me? Too much coffee - always), we cross the adjective threshold, adding more and more words in an effort to make our writing better and clearer when the opposite happens. In these moments of flourish, there is only one thing to do. Immediately read Jack Finney's "Cousin Len's Wonderful Adjective Cellar." Now. This very moment. I will wait.

Did you read it? Are you forever changed?

In the world of horticulture, it is easy to describe plants and gardens as pretty, great, beautiful, unique, attractive and dozens of other words that amount to the same thing: fluff. Let's discover our internal adjective cellars and put an end to the fluff. For every ten words used, remove the least valuable one. Each time you begin to write "very" or "beautiful," stop and ask yourself, "What would Cousin Len do?" I think he would be excited about next week's announcement, but he would think of clean, concise way to say it.

Top Ten Cold Hardy Shrubs

In the nursery's marketing department, a bitter debate about winter is raging, as tumultuous as the piling drifts and ice-covered roads. Points and counterpoints are slung over the cubicle walls and a line drawn in the snow. I am decidedly pro-winter. Others in my near vicinity would rather take a shovel to the face than endure another two months of this.

The one thing we can agree upon? The colder than normal temperatures are going to result in more than a few holes in the landscape come spring. Just as drought-tolerant selections soared in popularity after the summer of 2012, cold-hardy plants will trend after the Polar Vortex finishes its path.

I took to our catalog to make a list of Zone 3 or lower plants, and there are 42 Proven Winners ColorChoice shrubs that fit the bill. While I would love to present a "Top 42 Cold Hardy Shrubs" list, we can agree that it's a bit excessive. Before I narrow it down to my top ten, here are a few winter plant facts to consider sharing with your readers.

• When it comes to plants, ignore the wind chill. Much like Minnesotans, they laugh in wind chill's face. It is deftly explained in this 60-second audio clip from LSU: "Plants Don't Feel Wind Chill."
• Wind can be a problem. So can bright sun on a cold day.
• Snow cover insulates and protects plants. Leave it be.

Now, on to the shrubs!

1. Pucker Up!® Red Twig Dogwood (Cornus stolonifera) | Zone 3 | Pucker Up! is a native shrub that always gets a double take in the display garden. Its thick foliage is distinctly quilted, making it both visually interesting and disease resistant.
2. Fire Light™ Hardy Hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata) | Zone 3 | Fire Light is the newest hardy hydrangea in the Proven Winners line and will be making its way to retail this spring. It was selected for its upright, tightly packed panicles that transform from white to pomegranate pink. It's small stature (2.5-3' tall and 3-4' wide) make it a great choice for large containers or small spaces.
3. Berry Poppins™ Winterberry Holly (Ilex verticillata) | Zone 3 | It's no surprise that a species commonly called "winterberry" can take plummeting temperatures. Berry Poppins, also new to retail this spring, stays a compact 3-4' tall and wide and produces more fruit than the comparable 'Red Sprite.' Mr. Poppins™ is the pollinator (even though there wasn't a "Mr. Poppins." I really wanted the plant to be called "Bert" but was outvoted in that naming meeting).
4. Tiny Wine™ Ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius) | Zone 3 | Continuing with petite plants, Tiny Wine is a new dwarf ninebark that is smaller than other options on the market. Its maroon foliage is accented with white flowers in late spring. Dare I say that they look like snowballs?
5. Happy Face® Pink Paradise Bush Cinquefoil (Potentilla fruticosa) | Zone 2 | Our friends to the north are no stranger to bush cinquefoil giving winter the cold shoulder. These reliable, low maintenance natives bloom from spring to late summer, and Happy Face Pink Paradise's doubled flowers keep its clear pink color under intense heat longer than other varieties.
6. Oso Easy® Fragrant Spreader Landscape Rose (Rosa) | Zone 3 | There are three Oso Easy roses that fit the Zone 3 requirement, but I love Fragrant Spreader in the landscape. While admittedly a bit silly, its name says it all: this low-spreading rose is continuously covered in fragrant, single pink flowers. 
7. Glow Girl™ Spirea (Spiraea betulifolia) | Zone 3 | Interesting foliage is making gardeners reconsider spirea. While a garden classic, it typically lacked extended interest. Glow Girl's lemon-lime foliage holds its bright coloring without burning through summer and shows burgundy in fall, making it worthy of space in any landscape.
8. Scent and Sensibility™ Pink Lilac (Syringa x) | Zone 3 | Lilacs and cool temperatures go hand in hand, so they, of course, have a place on this list. The lilac I'm most excited to see come in to its own in my garden this spring is the new Scent and Sensibility Pink. Not only is its fragrance heavenly, but it is only 2-3 tall and 4-5' wide, making it the perfect fit for smaller spaces.
9. Anna's Magic Ball™ Arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis) | Zone 3 | Anna's Magic Ball is cute. Is it terrible if that's why I love it? But it really is. This tiny arborvitae stays 10-15" tall in a perfect sphere, and its golden foliage just begs to be touched. I can't stop touching it. Why can't I stop touching it? On the serious side, it also has good burn resistance and keeps its color throughout winter.
10. Blue Muffin® Viburnum (Viburnum dentatum) | Zone 3 | At 5-7' tall, Blue Muffin makes a great low-hedge, covered in showy blue fruit in late summer. This compact native will produce more fruit with a pollinator, and we recommend Chicago Lustre™ (also Zone 3). 

Now that the list and my cocoa are finished, I think it's time to suit up and enjoy the snow that everyone seems to be complaining about.

Other Proven Winners ColorChoice Shrubs rated Zone 3 or lower (because I can't help myself sometimes):

Arctic Fire™ Red Twig Dogwood | Incrediball® Smooth Hydrangea | Invincibelle® Spirit Smooth Hydrangea | Bobo® Hardy Hydrangea | 'Limelight' Hardy Hydrangea | Little Lime™ Hardy Hydrangea | 'Little Lamb' Hardy Hydrangea | Quick Fire® Hardy Hydrangea | Pinky Winky® Hardy Hydrangea | Berry Heavy® Winterberry Holly | Berry Heavy® Gold Winterberry Holly | Berry Nice® Winterberry Holly | Little Goblin™ Winterberry Holly | Sugar Mountain™ Blue Sweetberry Honeysuckle | Celtic Pride™ Siberian Cypress | Red Wall® Virginia Creeper | 'Yellow Wall' Virginia Creeper | Coppertina™ Ninebark | Summer Wine® Ninebark | Happy Face® Bush Cinquefoil | Happy Face® White Bush Cinquefoil | Fine Line® Buckthorn | Oso Easy® Paprika Landscape Rose | Oso Easy® Peachy Cream Landscape Rose | Lemon Lace™ Elderberry | Amethyst™ Coral Berry | Bloomerang® Purple Lilac | Bloomerang® Dark Purple Lilac | 'Filip's Magic Moment' Arborvitae | North Pole™ Arborvitae | Polar Gold™ Arborvitae

The French Connection: Minier Nurseries' Patrick Pineau

Patrick Pineau with Coppertina ninebark

It takes the French touch to reinvent a North American standard, or so Minier Nurseries would have us believe. Located in the famed Anjou region of France, Minier has established itself as a leading name in European horticulture after a century and a half of breathing excitement into plants that may have been otherwise overlooked. Consider the Show Off® forsythia series whose compact varieties bloom from base to tip. Minier's work with Ceanothus hybrids like Marie Rose™ and Marie Bleu™ combines the color of California lilac and the hardiness of New Jersey tea for attention grabbing landscape options. Perhaps you have heard of a little plant called 'Josee' lilac. Yup, also from Minier.

Patrick Pineau, head of Research and Development for Minier Nurseries, has worked with us to bring 13 varieties to the Proven Winners flowering shrub collection. It was this ongoing relationship that prompted our invitation for him to join us at MANTS for the annual garden writers luncheon. Unfortunately, the Polar Vortex had other plans, and Patrick made it as far as Toronto before turning back to France. After recovering from his travels, he sat down to answer a few questions about French gardens today and the plants that make up this new landscape.

How did you become involved in the horticulture industry?
Minier nurseries have been a historical anchor of French horticulture since 1856, but its main development was after the second world war at the impulse of Robert Minier, who has developed international connections with other nurseries, especially with US nurseries like Iseli for conifers.

In that same time, Minier started breeding activity, especially in Hibiscus syriacus and Syringa vulgaris. Now, in 40 years, Minier has launched more than 40 selections to the market, and some of them are now mainstays for all growers in Europe.

In your opinion, what does the quintessential French landscape look like?
Of course, everybody knows the classical French gardens: the old castles with Buxus, Carpinus and Taxus pruned, but now the French landscape is more about the use and layout of little urban spaces with compact shrubs, grasses, climbing plants, and little trees. Using color is also important; French gardens are not green and uniform like in the past, but evolve across the seasons while keeping a certain structure and using perspective.

How are the plants bred by Minier changing or continuing this French tradition?
In the past 20 years, plant consumption habits have changed, linked to decreasing available space. It's the reason why we focus on compact plants and little trees. Minier carries on its work on Syringa vulgaris genus (a historical genus by well-known French breeder Lemoine at the beginning of last century) and Hibiscus syriacus, but, of course, we are looking for compact habits, sterility and diseases resistance, three of most important things demanded by new gardeners.

What trends are you seeing in new woody ornamentals? What traits are you looking for in a plant?
Disease resistance and drought resistance seem to be important, and we focus also on maintenance in the garden. Also, we have to think about the main needs of the market in 10 or 15 years, especially for trees.

Which Minier plants in the Proven Winners line have the most unique or surprising traits?
Of course, as a breeder, Minier considers all his plants unique, but we are also growers, and we focus also on improved performance in production for our partners. For example, Forsythia Show Off® Starlet is a neat, sanitary improvement in container production in comparison to the recent compact varieties on the market. It's the same for Ceanothus Marie Rose®, which needs less pruning for the growers. And, what is good for growers is also good for the gardens.

What is your favorite Proven Winners ColorChoice shrub?
One of our favorites is Physocarpus Coppertina® with its new copper colored leaves in spring. It is easy to grow and without problems in garden - well in phase with the new trends in the garden.

Thank you for your time, Patrick!

For a detailed look at the 13 Minier varieties in the Proven Winners ColorChoice collection, please visit our slideshow: The French Connection: Proven Winners ColorChoice Flowering Shrubs from Minier Nursery.

*Interview was edited for clarity.

MANTS 2014 Recap

While the biggest surprise during Baltimore's Mid-Atlantic Nursery Trade Show (MANTS) was a weather-related fire alarm emptying the crowded convention center, last week's event featured a few noteworthy gardening trends to keep in mind this spring.

Beneficial Insects | Colony Collapse Disorder continues to make headlines, and people across the globe are raising banners on behalf of bees and other six and eight-legged friends. In addition to bags of lady bugs and a variety of sustainable products that won't disrupt your garden's ecosystem, several booths displayed beautifully designed bee hives, similar in size to a bird house. Could hives be the next chic garden accessory?

All Things Edible | The most recent Garden Writers Association survey (October 2013) showed that 54% of gardeners had a vegetable garden and 60% were interested in growing their own food. The industry is eagerly embracing the resurgence in edible gardening, and products making it easier were well represented at the show. Creating raised beds are a snap with cedar kits, and I'm particularly excited for options made of durable, fiber materials like felt. Imagine just unfolding, filling, and planting. 

Edible plant options were also displayed at many booths, ranging from traditional seeds to ornamental peppers. At the Proven Winners ColorChoice booth, sample tastings of the Vitamin Berry® line, which includes Lifeberry® goji berries (spring 2014) and Sugar Mountain™ Blue sweetberry honeysuckle (spring 2015), drew constant attention and a few surprised reactions. Yes, there is an edible honeysuckle (Lonicera caerulea), and it is delicious.

White Is the New Black | Trade shows often leave me drooling over the colorful pottery and wondering why my college ceramic projects never turned out quite so well. The palette at MANTS seemed subdued, however. Many vendors were featuring earthy and unglazed options, and as I admired an elegant display of all white pottery, Justin Bradshaw of Pacific Home & Garden shared that neutral finishes have been their top sellers, and when it comes to color, currently white reigns supreme. I am a fan, and if I wasn't flying back to Michigan, I would have talked him out of the whole display.

For writers, it is important to note that this year was the first that MANTS organized a press room. Members of the media can now receive complimentary registration to the annual event. If you live in the Mid-Atlantic region, mark your calendars for early January 2015. It is one of the largest horticulture trade shows in the States and definitely worth attending, fire alarms aside.

Greenhouses in Winter

During the spring and summer months, this now empty greenhouse showcases a colorful display of just-released varieties for visitors to enjoy. Since most shrubs require a period of dormancy, even as liners, the greenhouses stay between 28-34°F. Only one house is heated to force plants to bloom for winter trade shows.

Resolutions of a New Blog

“That’s right,” I say in my toughest voice. “Bring it.”

2014 bristles in response, but after a moment against my steely glare and best super hero stance, it backs away slowly. I am armed with the overzealousness of a fresh year, a color-coded plan, and a list of resolutions. Against 2014, I am invincible.

The year wields an intimidating mix of professional and personal chaos, including a record number of new shrub introductions, coast-to-coast traveling, and planning my wedding, but I am determined not to let a busy schedule and bride brain stop me from a successful 2014. I created “Through the Greenhouse Glass” as a way to share beauty, craft, knowledge, and inspiration with garden writers, my favorite group of people to work with as PR & Marketing Specialist for Proven Winners ColorChoice. To get started, I present the short list of what you can expect: four resolutions for the new year and a new blog.

1. Create something beautiful.
   Calling upon a background in art, I want to create, and hopefully inspire you to create, a beautiful aesthetic through design, photography, and lovely plants. It is said that images are the currency of media, so we do both ourselves and horticulture a favor by communicating its graces with the beauty and care they deserve. 
2. Showcase my inner nerd.
   Years ago, at a coffee house, book in hand, I giggled openly and frequently. When a passerby asked about my source of mirth, she was disappointed to learn it was “Eats, Shoots & Leaves,” a grammar book. She gave me the same sidelong, blank stare I sometimes get from the dog when I dance around the living room. Or when I begin a tangent on marketing. Or history. Or the history of words used in marketing. As my good fortune has it, writers need to promote themselves, so I get to share my collection of writing and marketing tips, tricks, and hilarity with you. Yea!
3. Learn from the best.
   Whether it’s advice penned by the great authors of the past or those making it happen in communications today, there is so much to learn from the brains of others. Let me pick yours and feature your greatness.
4. Celebrate horticulture.
   The last thing to expect from this blog is a look at what life is like at the nursery behind Proven Winners ColorChoice Shrubs, Spring Meadow. It’s weird. It’s colorful. It’s full of cool plants.

{resuming super hero stance} Give it your best shot, 2014. I'm ready.