Plant of the Week: Pink Chiffon® Hibiscus

Plant of the Week is written by Jane Beggs-Joles

August.

It's warm - perfect for beaches and barbecue. And Hibiscus syriacus.

Pink Chiffon® H. syriacus habit

Rose-of-Sharon is beautiful right now, flowering happily when many other plants are kind of tired. What color do you want? Blue, white, purple? How about pink?

Pink Chiffon® H. syriacus is a delightful plant, charming even those of us who aren't partial to the color. The large blooms hit just the right part of pink: bright enough to stand out in the garden yet not disruptive.

Pink Chiffon® H. syriacus bloom

Like other H. syriacus, Pink Chiffon® grows best in full sun. It will get 8-12' tall and 6-10' wide, and is hardy to USDA Zone 5. It is one of several outstanding varieties brought to us by plant breeder Dr. Roderick Wood. His selections all have large, unique flowers and a full, graceful habit. They are much more appealing in containers than older varieties.

In addition to having abundant late summer flowers, rose-of-Sharon is a durable plant that will tolerate some challenging conditions. Heat, drought, clay soil - even deer in most areas don't bother it.

Get ready to celebrate!

August 18 is this Sunday, and it's a day to celebrate. Why? I'll give you two good reasons: it's the day U.S. women gained the right to vote in 1920, and it's the anniversary of the first plant patent! Wow!

The first plant patent was issued to New Jersey resident Henry Bosenberg in 1931 for the 'New Dawn' rose. Since then, thousands of plant patents have been granted. Breeding a new plant is no different than any other creation, and protecting intellectual property like songs, books, and yes, plants, is a critical element in our economy.

As exciting as plant hunting can be, it's a lot of work. It takes time, dedication, and attention to detail. And don't you think the person who spends years breeding a better hydrangea deserves both credit and compensation?

So how will you celebrate plants and women's suffrage? Buy a lady a plant! And cake! Wine, too, if she's old enough to enjoy it. After all, you only need to be 18 to vote. And if you know a young lady who's turning 18 soon, remind her to register to vote. (Young men, too).

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