For the last couple of weeks I've been reminding you about Shrub Madness, and that's still going on... You can still get in on the voting and you can still get the prizes that will be distributed at the end of each round! I hope you decide to give it a try.
Now let's get back to the Plant of the Week, this week Jane wrote about the three beautiful varieties of My Monet® Weigela. Named after my favorite painter!
After the plant of the week post, be sure to check out the information about the brand new Proven Winners® Garden Book. Written by Thomas Christopher and the fabulous Ruth Rogers Clausen, who was one of the very first people I met at my first GWA (now Garden Comm) mixer. I was in the lobby of the Lord Baltimore hotel, feeling quite out of my element and she motioned for me to come over to where she was sitting in a comfy sofa, welcomed me to sit down, introduced herself and said "tell me about you." She made me feel right at home.
Enjoy this week's plant, My Monet® Weigela.
The original My Monet® Weigela is an interesting plant. The variegated foliage will often acquire pink coloration as the season progresses.
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| My Monet® Sunset weigela |
This year we have a third My Monet® weigela to offer you: My Monet Purple Effect™. As the name implies, this weigela has a purple tone in both the foliage and the flowers.
I think that having the three plants with such different color palettes really suits the name My Monet. One of Claude Monet's most famous works is the series of paintings of Rouen cathedral. It's the same subject, painted multiple times, but in different lights.
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| My Monet Purple Effect™ weigela |
My Monet Purple Effect™ weigela is also faster growing than the original, and more heat tolerant. It produces purple-pink flowers in spring, and then the variegated foliage stays nice and bright up to frost so you have quite a long season of color.
Hardy into USDA Zone 4, My Monet Purple Effect™ will grow in full sun or partial shade. The original My Monet® is also hardy to USDA Zone 4, but My Monet® 'Sunset' goes into USDA Zone 5.
Plant of the Week is written by Jane Beggs-Joles.
Looking for a good book?
The gardening season is still weeks away for many people, so they must content themselves with planning for the upcoming spring.While websites are great for learning about new plants, many people still like the feel of a book. There's something relaxing about turning real pages rather than clicking through screens.
Proven Winners® Garden Book is a nice addition to any gardener's library. If you'd like an autographed copy to give to a special gardener in your life, or maybe offer as a door prize at an upcoming event, you can order one here.
Soon enough we'll be able to garden in real life!
