Plant of the Week: Lollipop Malus

National Lollipop Day

Other than helping a bit with laryngitis, I don't think of lollipops as being very useful. They certainly have never satisfied my 4 pm chocolate craving.

But here's a Lollipop® that actually is useful: it's a truly dwarf crabapple tree. It was selected by the breeder because it maintains its neat habit and dwarf (8') form.

Lollipop® Malus is one of seven Proven Winners® ColorChoice® trees available now - with more to come in the future.

Lollipop® crabapple has loads of white flowers that will produce shiny red fruits in fall. Birds and wildlife love them.

This is a useful plant for formal mass plantings or as a well-behaved specimen. Homeowners often want assurances that a plant won't get "too big". Here's one that won't.

It will do best in full sun, and is hardy to USDA Zone 4 (AHS heat tolerance of 8).


Yes, National Lollipop Day is a thing, and it's happening on Saturday

I admit the timing seems a little off. Mid-July is when I'm looking for a frozen treat rather than room temperature candy. Still, I did think it was pretty great when the drive-through bank teller sent a lollipop to me when I was sweltering in the back of my parents' un-air conditioned, vinyl-seated Dodge Coronet.

You can make the day more meaningful by skipping the standard issue sucker and going for an artisan lollipop. I'm the driver now, and maybe I need to keep a stash of these in my air conditioned car for when I'm waiting for my kids to get out of practice.

Plant of the Week is written by Jane Beggs-Joles

Plant of the Week: Scentlandia® Itea

North America has some pretty cool plants. Native plants are popular for a lot of reasons, but sometimes it seems like the discussion misses the fact that they would be worthwhile plants even without the bonus of being native.

Itea virginica, or sweetspire, is one such plant. It has lovely fragrant flowers, is adaptable to wet soils and shade, and will reward you in fall with nice foliage color. Who wouldn't want that?

Scentlandia® Itea 

Scentlandia® Itea features exceptionally fragrant flowers and a compact (2-3') habit. Normally, the species can get up to 5' tall, so if you have a smaller space this dwarf selection will be a better fit. Note: Love fragrance? This native beauty made our Top Ten Fragrant Shrubs video.

Scentlandia® Itea fall color

While we consider it to be hardy to USDA Zone 5, it has shown better bud hardiness, which helps it flower better than generic members of the species after harsh winters. If you're toward the northern edge of its zone, you'll like that. Remember that Itea virginica flowers on old wood, so you don't want to prune it back in fall or winter.

Plant of the Week is written by Jane Beggs-Joles