Plant of the Week: Show Off® Forsythia

Show Off® Sugar Baby Forsythia

I was in Iowa last week and never got a chance to complete the plant of the week blog, so I'll see if I Forsythia. I don't can churn out two this week, starting with Jane's post about a "perennial" favorite, know about you, but mine is gorgeous right now.

Also, don't forget about the Mother's Day giveaway! There are still two days to enter to win! See details below:

Click this link to enter by May 1, and you could win Lorraine Ballato's book Success With Hydrangeas: A Gardener's Guide plus a Proven Winners® ColorChoice® hydrangea, shipped from Great Garden Plants, directly to your mom's home! It's a $50 value, free to one lucky winner.

Lorraine is an Advanced Master Gardener and like me, a hydrangea lover. In her book she gives tips for knowledgeable and novice gardeners alike on how to grow this favorite garden shrub. Each of the thirteen chapters covers the whys and wherefores in easy-to understand language with nearly 150 photos and illustrations. I got one for my mom last Mother's Day and she loves it!

Don't want to leave it up to chance? You can order a signed copy of Lorraine's book right on her website and get it shipped in time for Mother's Day!

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Plant of the Week: Show Off® Forsythia

It's a bit unfair to say that Forsythia are good only for their flowers. That may be true in an
ornamental sense, but these are tough, durable plants. They are a useful choice for places that face pressure from deer browsing, and will also tolerate clay soil.

Plant of the Week and a Mother's Day Giveaway!

I think I can safely say it's spring! Okay, yes, we had a blizzard last Sunday, but that's all in the past. The last lumps of snow are melting (I actually spent a little time scooping handfuls off my daffodils that were just ready to pop before the storm) and I just finished deadheading my hydrangeas and pulling out the spent canes. It's exciting to see all the buds waiting to bloom - very soon now!

Speaking of hydrangeas... ya' know, they make a great Mother's Day gift. In fact, what have you gotten for your mom this year? Nothing yet?

Never fear...I have a way that you can win an excellent gift for her, (or maybe for yourself, you deserve something special too!) just in time for the holiday.

Click this link to enter by May 1, and you could win Lorraine Ballato's book Success With Hydrangeas: A Gardener's Guide plus a Proven Winners® ColorChoice® hydrangea, shipped from Great Garden Plants, directly to your mom's home! It's a $50 value, free to one lucky winner.

Plant of the week: Yuki series of Deutzia

Hello and happy Thursday -

Happy Face Hearts Potentilla in bloom

Spring is in the air...finally! Even those of us who live close to the chilly shores of Lake Michigan are seeing bulbs poking their heads out of the soil and new growth is appearing on once-dormant shrubs.

In fact, this is photo of a Happy Face® Potentilla I put in last summer. I was thrilled to see these tiny green buds all along the stems already.

Happy Face Hearts new growth

Soon my bulbs will be in flower and I'll share lots of photos. Last fall I put in a bunch of new ones from Brent and Becky's Bulbs... I'm excited to see them bloom!

Until then, I'll have to be patient, even during the few cold days that we most certainly have in store. Reading Jane's Plant of the Week posts help. Beautiful flowering shrubs shared with a truly original viewpoint!

Enjoy it, copied below - Natalie

CAST 2019

Natalie talking about cool, new shrubs.

Hello and happy Thursday!

Oh my goodness, CAST was a whirlwind. I just got done uploading some pictures of the beautiful shrubs we showed this year. Mind you, these are plants that are available to growers this year, so they will be at garden centers in 2020.

I loved spending the week in the California sun (okay there was a little rain, but I'm not complaining) talking about shrubs. What could be better!

Two of my favorites are:

Interstella® Pieris

Whether you call it Japanese andromeda or lily of the valley shrub, Interstella® Pieris will have you seeing stars when it bursts into bloom with thousands of lantern-like ruby-colored blooms in early spring. You may have seen a Pieris with white flowers or pale-pink flowers, but we selected this one for its ruby red blooms. 

The long-lasting display is followed by the emergence of dramatic red new growth, and handsome evergreen foliage secures year-round presence and beauty. Thrives in the same conditions as rhododendrons. 

USDA Zone 5 - 8 exposure full to part sun. This will actually do well in the shade, too!

Ringo™ Rosa

I know you could say Ringo™ rose but it's so much more fun to say Ringo™ Rosa... 

This rose has already won six awards overseas, and will finally available in North American garden centers in 2020. 

The blooms of this colorful, appealing R. hulthemia hybrid open a bright golden yellow with a blazing red center. They mellow to a soft yellow, before finally turning white with a distinct pink center. The effect is of three colors blooming at once. 

Disease resistant and reblooming, hardy in USDA zones 4-8. This rose will get to about 3-4' tall. I can't wait to get my hands on one.

The rest of the photos from CAST are in my online Adobe Portfolio. I wish I could say I took them all, but that wouldn't be true... my co-worker Adriana Robinson also came to CAST this year and she took lots of great video as well as most of the photos on the page (and the photo of Ringo™ Rosa on this page.) She's super-talented and hopefully we'll be posting a few of her videos soon. Check out the CAST 2019 photos here.

Thanks for stopping by and see you next week!

Natalie