Plant of the Week - Oso Easy® Lemon Zest Rose

 

 

Let's Celebrate!

 

Yellow roses symbolize friendship. Is there a better weekend for celebrating friendship than this one? It's bracketed by Canada Day on July 1 and the U.S. Independence Day on July 4. Two countries that share the longest international border on the planet have national holidays that are perfectly aligned for a continent-wide block party.

 

Oso Easy® Lemon Zest Rosa is a fabulous landscape rose with sunny canary-yellow flowers that retain their color through their entire life cycle. Other yellow roses will fade to white before shattering, but Oso Easy® Lemon Zest is sunshiney all the way to the end.

It is hardy to USDA Zone 4, and grows 1.5-2.5' tall and wide. It is very disease resistant and does not need spraying.

Story ideas:

10 varieties available in Oso Easy® series
Disease resistant roses
Low maintenance and easy to grow
Long-blooming varieties
New varieties: Oso Easy Urban Legend™ rose and At Last™ rose



Plants for Father's Day

Father’s Day is just around the corner and I’ve been wondering what to get dear old dad this year.  I typically stick to plants and flowers for Mother’s Day (this year it was Invincibelle Spirit II hydrangea) but what about plants for Dad?  There’s lots of dads out there…mine included…who are not gardeners but do enjoy having a nice looking yard.   As you write blogs and articles in the coming week, consider a Father’s Day theme including easy to grow plants for dads that wouldn’t label themselves as gardeners.  Picking colors for dad could be tricky but I’m planning to stick to colors that complement the house, his favorite colors, and of course, favorite sports team colors!

Here are my plant picks for dad this year:     

Double Play® Blue Kazoo® Spirea

I picked this variety up last year when I first started at the nursery and boy, did it grow a lot in just a year! The cool bluish foliage contrasts nicely with the hints of burgundy in the new growth with rich red foliage in fall…and don’t forget about the white blooms!  

 
Kodiak® Black Diervilla

This plant really has it all, and perfect for those pesky landscaping projects dads everywhere are working on.  Drought-tolerant, deer-resistant and colorful!  This tough, easy-growing shrub is a standout with its dark burgundy-black foliage. This is a durable native that thrives in sun or shade, and is a very useful landscape plant. (Check out other varieties in red and orange).

 
Beyond Midnight™ Caryopteris
This is a great landscape plant! It has lots of rich blue flowers contrasting with dark foliage.   Deer resistant and hardy in USDA zones 5-9, dads everywhere will love it!    

Handsome Devil™ Viburnum

A glossy-leafed evergreen with some curb appeal!  With green, burgundy, orange and bronze hues with give a nice of color in a hedge or accent in the landscape or garden.  Hardy in USDA Zones 7-9.

Summer Shandy™ Humulus

For those beer loving dads out, here’s Summer Shandy.  Yes, hops are used for brewing beer, but this variety was bred for its ornamental features.  The bright golden-yellow foliage of this vine is colorful all season, and has a refined habit and less aggressive growth than other varieties.  Dads will love it!   

 

Wishing all the dads out there a happy and relaxing Father’s Day!