Plant of the Week: Berry Poppins Winterberry Holly

More Berries!

The questionable berry puns continue with Berry Poppins® Ilex verticillata (winterberry). This is a heavy fruiting dwarf selection of our native I. verticillata: it grows to just 3-4' as compared to the more typical 6-8'.

Winterberry hollies like Berry Poppins Ilex are great for cut stems fall and winter.

This plant has everything that landscapers seem to be asking for. It's a hardy, native plant with minimal maintenance requirements, and will do well in the rain gardens and bioswales that so many regions need. Homeowners will love it, too - it fits into their residential landscapes and provides much needed winter interest.

Female Berry Poppins holly needs a pollinator to fruit. Try compact Mr. Poppins holly.

Just remember that Berry Poppins winterberry holly won't fruit unless she's got a beau nearby. We recommend equally compact Mr. Poppins I. verticillata. No picture of him here, because he's there to work, not to look pretty. 

Plant of the Week is written by Jane Beggs-Joles.

Plant of the Week: Proud Berry Coral Berry

It's the berries!

Proud Berry™ Symphoricarpos is an improved new coral berry with compact growth and a profusion of bright pink berries in late summer and fall. The berry display on this plant is just outstanding. Use this native plant in cutting gardens or as a mass planting.

Proud Berry Symphoricarpos grows in full sun or partial shade and is deer-resistant. It gets 3-4' tall and wide and is hardy to USDA Zone 3.

Look for this new variety at retail, spring of 2017.

Proud Berry coral berry stays a compact 3-4' tall and wide.

Have you heard that expression before? "It's the berries" was one that my grandmother used. Apparently it was very trendy slang in rural 1920's Illinois. OMG LOL!

It means something that's really nice. I think it's rather charming. After all, few things are nicer than berries. Whether you're putting them in pancakes, eating them with ice cream, or just admiring them in your garden, berries are delightful. Note: Symphoricarpos berries are not edible. Hold on to your ice cream cone and just look at them.

One of the few drawbacks to berries is that they usually aren't obvious to spring garden center customers. So now is the time to remind your readers of how lovely berries and other fall features are in gardens. There are a lot of landscapes out there that look great in spring (when homeowners shop) and fade into nothing in fall. That's too bad, because a fall garden is a real delight.

Another hazard with berries is the the temptation to indulge in bad puns. My younger daughter went through a long Strawberry Shortcake phase; eventually I made her watch the videos in Spanish to preserve my sanity. Seriously, if you're the parent of a toddler, try it. Barbie in French is magnifique.

Native Proud Berry coral berry erupts in a profusion of bright pink berries in late summer and autumn.

Plant of the Week is written by Jane Beggs-Joles.

Plant of the Week: Red Balloon Viburnum

99 Red Balloons

Red Balloon™ viburnum is an outstanding new selection for anyone looking for a fall fruit display. This cross between Viburnum lantana and V.rhytidiphyllum is a very showy plant with a nice compact habit. It produces tightly packed clusters of bright red fruit in late summer and fall. For the best fruiting, plant it near V. 'Mohican' or V. rhytidiphylloides.

Red Balloon viburnum is hardy to USDA Zone 4 and grows 6-8' tall and wide. It's super easy to grow, and unlike many great landscape plants, it looks good in a container. It has pretty white flowers in spring, too! Really, what's not to love about this deer-resistant plant?

Red Balloon viburnum's white flowers appear in April and May.

Viburnums are wonderful plants. You'd be hard pressed to find a landscaper or nursery grower who doesn't appreciate this varied genus. Fragrance, flowers, foliage, fruit - you'll find it all in the Viburnum section.

The only problem with viburnums is keeping track of what's what. When I worked on the Spring Meadow Nursery catalog, I came to dread the viburnums. For one, it comes late in the alphabet, so there often wasn't a lot of flexibility in the pagination. Secondly, there are just so many, and the species and subspecies make for a tangled mess, especially when making cross-pollination recommendations.

Generally speaking, you want two different cultivars of the same species to get good fruiting. However (and there's always a however), cross-pollination between species happens regularly. If there was a Tinder for plants, viburnums would be on it. You do need to pay attention to flowering time, though. It's no use telling that cute viburnum that you'd like to meet it if it works the day shift and you're on nights.

The fall fruit of Red Balloon viburnum is an eye-catching cherry color.

Sometimes, though, fruiting isn't what's important. Some viburnums, like V. carlesii, are grown for their fragrance. Others are grown more for their foliage: Emerald Envy® V. rhytidiphylloides and Handsome Devil™ Viburnum are two selections with outstanding foliage.

Then there are some viburnums that seem to have it all. Red Balloon viburnum, with its handsome foliage, compact habit, pretty flowers, and spectacular berry display, is one. It may not be fragrant, but this easy-to-grow variety does just about everything else you'd want a viburnum to do.

OK, so here it is: Your Big '80's Flashback. If you were really cool in 1983, you sang along in German...

Plant of the Week is written by Jane Beggs-Joles.

GWA Symposium

Greetings everyone! 

I hope everyone had a safe trip home from the Annual GWA Symposium in Pasadena, California. It was my first symposium so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I had so much fun! It sure is a welcoming group! It was so nice to meet many of you in the exhibit hall at the Proven Winners® ColorChoice® booth, during receptions, and throughout the week. It’s always great putting names with faces! Our booth focused on the Invincibelle Spirit Campaign and the new Invincibelle Spirit II Hydrangea. 

The garden tours were just amazing, even in the 100 degree weather. My favorite tour was the LA Arboretum. There was so much to see! My group had a terrific tour guide that gave us a good overview of each of the garden areas. We even made it up to the scenic outlook for some awesome views of the mountains!

The educational sessions were outstanding. I learned a lot and left feeling energized with several ideas to make 2016 a great year…hopefully you did too! I also want to congratulate all of the 2015 Award Winners.

Thank you to the GWA board and committees for their hard work to make this event a success. Next year, the symposium is being held in Atlanta, September 16-19, and I look forward to seeing you there!