The Plant Hunter

Abracadabra - Bark Can be Cool

2009-12-08T10:45:00.000-08:00

Regular people look at plants quite differently than your typical horticulturist. That’s why I get a kick out of reading comments by Mike Dirr where he gushes about the attractiveness of the bark on some particular shrub. As if the typical homeowner is going to actually crouch down under a shrub and exclaim “Wow, now that’s awesome bark.” From my experience, the public does not get overly excited about bark (that is unless it has in-your-face bark like a Paper Bark Birch).

I get excited about bark, but I have to remind myself that most people won’t even notice. Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Nigra’ (Syn.: H. macrophylla 'Mandshurica') is a good example. It’s a cool plant. I like it but it’s never been a big seller. It has very attractive back stems, but the feature is obscured by the leaves, so few people ever notice.

When I first saw the Abracadabra Series of Hydrangea in Germany, I got so excited I could hardly contain myself. That’s because, for the first time ever, I actually felt that the average shopper could get excited about bark. What makes these plants so unique is that they have internodes (the spacing between the leaves) that are large enough to give you a real good view of the dark, glossy black stems. Of course it doesn’t hurt that the plants also have funky blooms that are both massive and richly colored. I honestly think that these plants have a cool factor that will make them as popular as lucky bamboo. As a pot plant they would make great centerpiece on a table. You’d actually be able to see the person across the table from you.

Abracadabra Star has massive lace-cap blooms with hot pink flowers. The stems are straight and strong.

Abracadabra Orb is a mop-head hydrangea. The flowers emerge a blend of peach and green then mature to a deep pink. As with Abracadabra Star, the bloom size is massive. The sepals are thick in texture and again are held up on strong, upright stems.

Cool Conifers

2009-11-06T11:49:00.000-08:00

The great thing about dwarf conifers is that they require so little work to keep them looking so good. Just plant them and enjoy them. They add color and structure in the winter months. I like varieties that add interesting color or texture as they stand out in the garden. Here are a few of my favorites.

Thuja plicata 'Gruene Kugel' is a great little Western cedar. It requires little to no pruning and it has very nice shinny foliage and dark color.

Thuja occidentalis 'Linesville' is a soft, rounded, juvenile plant discovered by Joe Stupka of Pennsylvannia. Also sold under the name Mr. Bowling Ball.

Juniperus horizontalis 'Gold Fever' was introduced by Iseli Nursery. A colorful, low growing plant that benefits from dappled sun.

Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Little Keon' in a small rouned plant with foliage similar to 'Boulevard.' Blue foliage is always a great additon to the garden.

Thuja plicata 'Whipcord' is a very cooling looking shrub. The species has good deer resistance.

This is just one of the funny, sheared conifers that can be found at Iseli Nursery. While I'm not into shearing plants myself, you have to respect someone that can do it this well. It does make you smile.

Caryopteris is not a Spiraea

2009-09-25T09:40:00.000-07:00

It is unfortunate that Caryopteris has the common name of Blue Spirea for it is not a Spiraea and it’s just plain confusing. How this came about I do not know as they are not even in the same family; Spiraea is in the Roseaceae family while Caryopteris is in the Verbenaceae family.

The genus Caryopteris is comprised of roughly 15 species, most being native to Asia. Only are few of these species are grown in North America as ornamentals. The majority of the ornamental selections sold here are hybrids; Caryopteris x cladonensis (pronounced Cary-op-ter-is clan-don-en-sis) which is a hybrid between Caryopteris incana and Caryopteris mongholica. Unless otherwise noted, the following information here after refers to this hybrid.

Caryopteris is a fall flowering shrub with rich blue to purple-blue flowers. While it is hardy to USDA zone 5, it is typically a die-back shrub in the North, behaving much like a Buddleia. While the plant makes woody stems, they are tender and die back during the winter. As the plant grows back quickly in the spring and its flower buds (and flowers) are formed on new wood so the plant does not miss a beat.

Culturally there are three things necessary to grow a nice plant. First off, it loves full sun. It will grow in partial shade but it will not look happy or flower nearly half as well as a plant in full sun. In addition, the yellow leafed cultivars have much better color in full sun. In partial shade the leaves will appear a dull, washed out green. The next thing to know is that Caryopteris needs well drained soil. It will not tolerate heavy, wet clay soils, or at least not for long. People often blame the plant for not being winter hardy because their plant did not make it through the winter, but the real culprit is wet soil. Well drained soil is a must. Once established Caryopteris is very drought tolerant and requires even less water. My final bit of cultural advice deals with pruning – as the plant typically dies back in the winter, you should only have to prune the plant once and that is in the spring after the plant starts to grow. Simply cut the plant back to wood with active sprouts. If you wish you can give the plant a slight shearing in early summer to bulk of the body of the plant. Fall pruning is not recommended, as it stimulates the plant to grow when it should be going dormant - the result can be a dead plant the following spring.

Caryoteris is a wonderful garden plant because it offers a mass of colorful blue flowers in late summer when few other plants are blooming. It’s a great source of pollen for bees and butterflies. Its aromatic foliage is turn off to deer so it rarely bothered by Bambi and her four legged friends.

There has been a flurry of Caryopteris breeding over the past 15 years and we have never had such wonderful plants for the garden. Here are a few of the newest cultivars to hit the market.

Petit Bleu (‘Minbleu’) is one of my favorites as it is a semi-dwarf plant with very tight branching and a nice mounded habit. The flower color is a very dark blue and the foliage is very dark and glossy which makes a great background for the flowers.

Sunshine Blue (‘Jason’) is a yellow leafed form of Caryopteris incana. It is a larger plant than most (3-4’) with masses of clear blue flowers that appear a bit earlier than other varieties. This English selection has very good hardiness and is more adaptable to heavier soils. It was a vast improvement over ‘Worcester Gold’ which can look a bit ratty by mid summer.

Lil' Miss Sunshine ('Janice') is new variety that I hybridized using Petit Bleu and Sunshine Blue. This plant has be best attributes of both parents as it is hardy, compact with glossy bright yellow foliage. The abundant flowers are a rich clear blue. It should be available in summer of 2010.

‘Sterling Silver’ is a new selection from the renowned English plantsman Peter Catt. It is a silver leafed selection that will most certainly replace 'Longwood Blue' once it is more widely available.

There has been a rash of variegated forms released in the last few years. Two of the better looking plants are ‘Summer Sorbet’ which has green and yellow leaves, and ‘White Surprise’ has silvery-green leaves adorned with a thin cream margin of variegation. As with most variegated plants, these will throw the occasional non-variegated shoot. Simply prune and remove these shoots as they appear

Dr. Shim - The Mike Dirr of Korea

2009-09-04T13:47:00.000-07:00

Some of you may have read one of my older posts on plant hunting in Korea. It was one of my greatest adventures and it explains how I met Dr. Shim. Well Dr. Shim just spent three days with me at Spring Meadow Nursery. He came to see some of his new Hibiscus syriacus selections that we are evaluating for potential introduction. Dr. Shim developed Lil’ Kim Hibiscus – the first dwarf rose of Sharon. This is a great little shrub that unfortunately is still hard to find. If you can find it give it a try!

I like to call Dr. Shim the Mike Dirr or Korea. For roughly 30 years he was the Professor of Ornamental Horticulture at Sungkyunkwan University, in Suwan just outside of Seoul. Just like Dr. Dirr, Dr. Shim has roots at the University of Illinois. This is where he got his Ph.D., and where spent a year as a visiting professor. He is now retired and spends his time golfing and breeding Hibiscus, Forsythia and Korean Tiger Lilies.

Dr. Shim got into horticulture as a young boy. His family owned a pear orchard. He told me that one of his first jobs was bagging pears. In Korea, pear growers bag the fruit while still on the tree to protect them from insects and disease. Ten women would make bags out of old news papers and each tree would require up to 500 bags. You can image it took a good deal of time to bag every pear in the orchard yet this did not dissuade Dr. Shim from continuing on in horticulture. He went on to study post harvest physiology, just as I had. After working for three and a half years on his Ph.D. in Champaign we retuned home to teach pomology in Korea. In time, his position was changed to ornamental horticulture. The rest is history.

While traveling, looking for new plant is great fun; it’s also a pleasure when breeders come to visit me. We spent two days touring the nursery, looking over new plants, scouting the seed beds for treasures and most importantly evaluating his 20 or so cultivars we have under evaluation. I’m happy to report there are many fine plants and I suspect a few will make it to market in the coming years. The hard part will be narrowing the plants down to the best three or four cultivars. His dwarf Hibiscus selections look great and have the potential to widen the Lil’ Kim line with a broader color range.

As I’ve said before I have a great job. I get to see really cool plants long before anyone can buy them. But the best part of my job is meeting the special people that develop these plants. Dr. Shim is more than just a special plant breeder. He' is a special friend.

New Plants: Netherlands 09

2009-08-28T11:17:00.001-07:00

I just got back from a week in the Netherlands looking at new plants. Here are a few that I found interesting. Which do you like?

This is a greenhouse bench filled with Lo & Behold 'Blue Chip' Buddleia. It will be introduced in Europe next spring. I've never seen so many butterflies in one place in all my life. The Boskoop Royal Horticlture Society has it awared it a gold medal.

Chasmanthium 'River Mist' is acutally an American plant but it won a Gold Medal from the Boskoop Royal Horticulture Society. It was developed by Itsaul plants.

Echinacea 'Irresistible' is just one of may new Coneflowers on the market. Below is a vase shot of one assortment now on the market.

This is a new larged variety of Hibiscus moscheutos called GH7 or Guido Oak Red.

This is one the the best red leafed grasses I've ever seen. It's not hardy but can be used as an annual in the North. It's called Pennisetum setaceum 'Fireworks' and I love the contrast with the green interior leaves.

Pretty Much Picasso petunia is available here in the US but it has made a big splash in Europe as well. It won a metal from the Boskoop Roayl Horiculture Society for one of the best new plants for 2009.

Join the Proven Winners ColorChoice Fan Page on Facebook

2009-07-30T14:27:00.000-07:00

Proven Winners ColorChoice Flowering Shrubs on Facebook

Steal this Widget and Save Lives

2009-07-29T09:43:00.000-07:00

It’s very satisfying being in the plant business. Offering products that people want, love and that bring joy is a “good thing.” But it’s also satisfying to have the opportunity to do more. That’s why I’m proud to say that Proven Winners ColorChoice has partnered with the Breast Cancer Research Foundation® and have created a goal to raise $1,000,000.00 for breast cancer research. Yes – I said a million dollars! We’re calling it the Invincibelle Spirit Campaign and we’ll be donating $1.00 for each Invincibelle Spirit Hydrangea sold towards the cause.

But I want to do more – and will have to do more to reach a million dollars.

I’d like to enlist your help. I’m not asking you to make a personal donation, (although - if you feel so inclined that would be great.) What I’m asking for is for you to think creatively about how you or your company can work with us to make a difference. Get together with you’re your staff and come up some creative ideas to raise money and support the cause. And remember, I'm here to assist you.

If you have a garden center - perhaps you can sponsor an Invincibelle Spirit fundraiser. This spring, we worked with Fruitbasket Flowerland of Grand Rapids Michigan. They ran an on line auction and raffled off Invincibelle Spirit Hydrangeas raised $1,900. Chalet garden center did the same and raised $1,600. If you’re a wholesale nursery, maybe you can help and encourage your customers to conduct a fundraiser.

Or … at the very least copy the BCRF donation widget (badge) at the top of this post and paste it on your website or blog. Every little bit helps.

Breast cancer is an important cause to your customers. Give them opportunity to help and get involved. Breast Cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, exceeded only by lung cancer. It is estimated that in 2009 about 192,370 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed among women in the United States. At this time there are about 2.5 million breast cancer survivors in the United States.

About the BCRF

Teaming up with the Breast Cancer Research Foundation seemed a natural fit for Invincibelle™ Spirit. After all it’s a survivor and a thriver, with breakthrough pink flowers. We partnered with the Breast Cancer Research Foundation because it is the most highly rated charities in the United States. They have received a 4–star rating from Charity Navigator for 8 years running – something that only ten out our 5,410 charities can boast. Over 90% of the money raised by BCRF goes directly to research. BCRF is dedicated to preventing breast cancer and finding a cure in our lifetime by funding clinical and translational research worldwide. Find out more about this worthy organization at http://www.bcrfcure.org/.

Invincibelle Spirit Hydrangea Video

2009-06-30T11:42:00.000-07:00

I just bought a flip video recorder. What a great little device. This is my first attempt in using it - I suspect I should be using a tripod but I was very excited to use it and share with you what's looking good in the garden today. I've shared pictures of Invincibelle Spirit Hydrangea before but video seems to give you a better idea of what the plant looks like. If you have a blog or a website you might consider a flip. It films in HD and is very reasonably priced. Best of all it's easy to bring along so you're more likely to use it. Check out the quality of this video.

As for the Hydrangea, it will be available at better garden centers in spring of 2010. We're pretty excited about the plant. It appears that the flowers are larger than anticipated. We're also excited that the plant will help raise money for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

If you're a garden center retailer, think about how you can utilize this plant to raise even more money for breast cancer research. This spring Chalet Nursery and Garden Center featured this plant during their spring workships. They raffled off plants and donated the proceeds to the BCRF. Fruit Basket Flowerland did the same. The Morton Arboretum auctioned off a plant for $1,600. What could your garden center do for this great cause? Get your staff together and make a plan for next spring. Conact a Proven Winners ColorChoice Gold Key grower to purchase plants. Learn more at http://invincibellespirit.net

Breeding a Better Rose - UK Travels continued

2009-06-23T10:00:00.000-07:00

If you subscribe to this blog than you now Dale and I visited with Chris Warner the Oso Easy rose breeder while in England. Getting to his Shropshire home was not easy even with a GPS unit. English addresses are a tad bit strange and the GPS does not like them. Thank goodness for cell phones!

It was a great pleasure to visit with Chris and the get a better feel for how he breeds and selects his roses. For example - he leaves any diseased seedlings in his greenhouse seed beds so there is plenty of fungal inoculum available to infect and show which seedlings have the greatest disease resistance. We got to see all phases of his testing and selection. It is in the later stages in the process where Chris gets ruthless about culling out any diseased seedlings. Still even at these stages there are old rose plants near by to infect any susceptible roses.

One of the most disease resistant roses in the Oso Easy Line is called Honey Bun. Interestingly it is not a rose that Chris developed. Chris works with a network of breeders and tests their roses and helps them introduce their plants if they are good enough to make the cut. Honey Bun was developed my Leonard William Scrivens. Its beautiful honey yellow - white flowers are very prolific and it has outstanding black spot resistance.

New and Interesting Plants seen in the UK

2009-06-17T12:47:00.000-07:00

We'll I had a few moments to go through some of my pictures from England and gleened out a few to share. The first one is an English Oak (Quercus robur) tree we say along side the road. It was so large we just had to stop and get a picture. Turns out it has a name - The Big Belly Oak and is one of the largest in the country.

We had a chance to visit the Berberis traials at Wisely. I hope to revisit them in this blog at a later time but they had Sunjoy Gold Pillar Berberis 'Maria' there and it looked great. The color was bright and there was no mildew or bunring as with some of the other yellows.

This is a very nice Buddleia grown not for it's flowers but rather its silver foliage. I think Plant Haven offers it. It's called Silver Anniversary. It have white flowers but that's not the reason to grow it. It was developed by Peter Moore.

Another plant by Peter Moore is Choisya Goldfingers. What a pretty container plant for the patio. I suspect it's a good plant for California or Oregon but not for the rest of us. Still very stunning.

This is a variegated from of Hydrangea a. pet. with dusty variegation. It comes from Japan and I believe it's been patented but I forget the name.

Schizophraga is a relative of the climbing Hydrangea. This unusual selection has yellow blotches on the leaves. I kind of like it but I think many people would think it has chemical damage

I have always loved this shrub but have never had success growing it. It's Sophora davidii - a member of the pea family. This plant was loaded with blue flowers and was quite stunning.

Plants on Trial - Lonicera vines

2009-06-12T07:55:00.000-07:00

It’s a shame that Honeysuckle vine has gotten a bad rap. Lonicera japonica, the Japanese Honeysuckle vine is to blame of course. It has proven to highly invasive, particularly in the South East. Birds love the fleshy fruit and deposit the seeds along fence rows and thus miles of fence lines in the East have been engulfed by this aggressive vine. As with most invasive plants, it is a regional issue. The USDA plant database shows it as being escaped in Michigan, however, I’ve never seen it to be a problem. The point is that there are many excellent vines in this genera that are well behaved and garden worthy depending upon where you live. In addition there are also native species that get neglected simply because of this guilt by association.

On my trip to England, I was fortunate enough to catch some of the early flowering varieties of Lonicera in bloom at the RHS trials in Wisley Gardens. The bright orange, red and yellow flowers drew me in and the thick, sweet fragrance lured me even closer and I ran from plant to plant clicking photos and sticking my nose into each bloom inhaling the rich aroma. These are twining vines and they need support to climb. They will not adhere to brick or bark as would ivy or climbing Hydrangea. And as a twining vines go these plants require more structural support than Wisteria or Clematis. At Wisley they loosely wrapped a tube of chicken wire around wooden poles with the vines planted in between the two. This worked brilliantly, as the British say.

It was a tad early to see the majority of these vines in flower, so what follows is a snapshot of some of the early flowering varieties.

The showiest plant in bloom was Lonicera x heckrotti (Goldflame Honeysuckle) which to the best of my knowledge is a hybrid that contains the genes of three species; our native Lonicera sempervirens, Lonicera etrusca a Meterianian species and L. implexa a species native to Africa. It is an everblooming vine with rose-pink tubular flowers adorned with an orange-yellow interior. The plants I sniffed were wonderfully sweet and intoxicating.

Lonicera x italica is another early bloomer. It too was fragrant but the blooms were not as showy as Goldflame.

Our native species Lonicera sempervirens was in flower. While it does not have the fragrance, I love the contrast between the intense orange-red flowers its attractive blue-green foliage. The flowers are more pendulous, more tubular than other and so you only get a slight glimpse of the yellow hues hidden within the tube.

Two Lonicera periclymenum (Woodbine Honeysuckle) cultivars were in flower. The cultivar ‘Munster’ sported yellow flowers with a hint of pink in the buds, while ‘La Gaserie’ was a lighter cream-yellow and pink in bud. Both plants had good fragrance. The cultivars ‘Belgica Select’ and ‘Graham Thomas’ were showing buds but were not in flower. The popular cultivar ‘Serotina’ was even further behind.

Lonicera x tellmanniana, Lonicera henryi, Lonicara x brownii and their cultivars were not yet in flower.

If you are interested in learning more about these interesting vines I would suggest you visit http://www.clematis.com.pl/wms/2494791.html. It is the website of ornamental vine expert and Clematis breeder Szczepan Marczyński.

I’ve visited Szczepan in Poland a few years ago and fortunately for me the Lonicera vines were in full bloom. Oh how I love fragrant plants.

Off to England

2009-06-01T09:17:00.000-07:00

Later this week Dale and I are heading to England. The plan is to visit plant breeders, small specialty growers and hopefully find some new plants for North American gardens. We’ll start the tour with a stop a Wisley Gardens in Surrey. The Royal Horticulture Society conducts plant trials at Wisley so we will have a chance to see a number of plant trials and evaluate cultivars growing in side by side comparisons. It should be fun.

Another stop will take further north in Shropshire, where we’ll visit Chris Warner, the OSO EASY rose Breeder. We have been growing and trialing Chris’s roses for about 7 years but this will be the first time we get to see his breeding program up close and personal. While the rose market is difficult at the moment, we are getting great feedback from both growers and gardeners on the Oso Easy roses. This does not surprise me as Chris is one of the best rose breeders in the world. His plants have superb disease resistance, excellent hardiness, attractive glossy foliage, and unique vivid flower colors. Oso Easy Paprika seems to be the early favorite, but Chris is getting praises for all his roses. Our visit with Chris will give us insight into potential Oso Easy roses.

Do you know any of breeders or interesting nurseries in England that we should visit? If so – please send me an email. Perhaps we can fit in a few more stops.

Join us in supporting the Children's Neuroblastoma Cancer Foundation.

2009-05-21T11:17:00.000-07:00

I'm pround to announce that Proven Winners ColorChoice has teamed up with 720 WGN-The Voice of the Cubs and Chicago Cub Alfonso Soriano to raise awareness and find a cure for this disease.

Proven Winners ColorChoice is making a $5000.00 donation and is sponsoring the CNCF Grand Slam Gala on Saturday June 20th, after the Cubs-Indians game at the Cubby Bear Restaurant in Wrigleyville. Join us at the Grand Slam Gala, as some of the biggest names in Chicago sports are committed to making the 2009 CNCF Grand Slam Gala a memorable and meaningful annual event. Be part of the team that brings hope "home" to the children and families of neuroblastoma.

THE Conference for Plant Professionals!

2009-05-18T05:08:00.000-07:00

IPPS, the International Plant Propagators Society, provides education and information exchange among plant production specialists. Plan to attend the IPPS-Eastern Region annual meeting in Cleveland, Ohio from October 14-17, 2009. Come to Cleveland to network with green industry professionals, benefit from a comprehensive educational program and attend tours of leading area nurseries where you can see firsthand how they employ innovative propagation and production techniques. Visit www.ipps.org/EasternNA for conference and membership details.

Gardening Gone Wild - Takes 10 with Tim

2009-05-13T12:55:00.001-07:00

Thank you to Fran Sorin at the blog "Gardening Gone Wild". Fran interviewed me for the blog she co-authors with five other bloggers and recently posted "Take 10: Q&A with Tim Wood. You can read Fran's interview by clicking in the link above. You'll get to see a rather good looking picture of me comparing the blooms of Increidball Hydrangea with an Annabelle Hydrangea. Fran asked me some crazy, and some not so crazy, questions. For example "What is the one thing that people would be suprised to learn about me?"

On a different note, I've been created a Proven Winners ColorChoice Fan Club on Facebook. If you're into Facebook, simply seach the term "Proven Winners" and you'll find us. Join the club and share your experiences! Connect with others that have the same passion! Invite your friends!

Initially, I could not understand Facebook, but after doing it for a few weeks I now understand its value. The fan club page allows me to post videos, files, links to articles, photo albums etc. and it gives everyone the opportunity to share their opinions and comments. If you're a Facebook fan check it out!

Reblooming Shrubs- Part III

2009-04-27T10:17:00.000-07:00

This the my last installment in the Reblooming shrub series. Cearly there are plenty of shrubs that bloom for a long period of time. I'm sure I left something out so please feel free to comment and share your favorite rebloomers.

Abelia x grandiflora is a superb rebloomer if you live in zone 6 or a warmer climate. Hummers and butterlies will visit the plant providing added enjoyment. This selection is called Bronze Anniversary. Its leaves emerage an attractive bronze-orange color then age to lime-green.

While most all Buddleia are reblooming if you dead head them Lo & Behold 'Blue Chip' starts blooming early and continues without having to deadhead. Additionally this selection non-invasive and is the only available cultivar that can be sold in Oregon.

Daphne transatlantica (D. caucasica) is a favorite of mine. It has small, fragrant, white flowers that start in April and can continue sporadically right up into fall.. It a small shrub about 3-4 feet tall and is one of the easiest daphnes to grow. I took this photo in the fall at the Arnold Arboretum in Boston.

One of you commented about Kerria japonica. You're right - it is a good reblooming shrub. It's a great shrub for the shade or semi-shade. This cultivar is called 'Alba' which is not white as the name would indicated but rather a butter yellow as opposed to the typical bright gold. It's hard to find but worth growing. I like it!

Reblooming Flowerings Shrubs: Part II

2009-04-09T05:52:00.000-07:00

Typically perennials and shrubs bloom for three to four weeks, perhaps longer depending upon the weather. So utilizing plants that bloom for a long period of time, or that rebloom, is a real bonus. Once I started going through my pictures I was surprised at how many shrubs fit the bill. Certainly enough for a nursery or garden center to sell a rebloooming shrub program.

This weeks installment is made up entirely of Hydrangea. I sometimes get tired or writing about Hydrangea but it's difficult not to; it's such a vast and diverse genera. Additionally there is a lot of great breeding going on in Hydrangea.

Endless Summer Hydrangea is one of the most successful plant introductions in history. A brilliant marketing campaign has made this plant a household name. It has also piqued peoples interest in other reblooming Hydrangea and shrubs.

Forever and Ever TM Hydrangea comes from Europe. I've not seen all the plants in the collection but the red and pink mopheads look very good. Nice full flowers and dark foliage.

Let's DanceTM Moonlight Hydrangea is a personal favorite as I hybridized the plant. I'm still breeding Hydrangea and my goals are to improve the quality of the flowers (color and substance), thicker, darker leaves, wilt resistance and better stem hardiness.

On a side note, I got an email from someone that complained that I show and write about too many Spring Meadow plants and show nothing interesting or new that is not sold by Spring Meadow. I though I would respond by saying that I don't hide the fact I work for Spring Meadow Nursery - just read my profile. Additionally we grow thousands of different types of plants, primarily shrubs, but also vines and smaller trees. So it stands to reason I write about what I know best. If there are breeders or growers out there that have new plants and would like me to write about them - send me plants so I can grow them and know them.

Incincibelle TM Spirit Hydrangea is a new pink form of Hydrangea arborescens. After growing the plant I was surprised to learn that in addition to being the first pink mophead form of Hydrangea arborescens it was also a strong rebloomer. You can expect to see this Hydrangea in garden centers in the fall of 2009 or spring of 2010. Developed by Dr. Tom Ranney this shrub is very hardy, blooms on new wood (meaning that flowering is very reliable) and flowers from early summer until frost.

Reblooming Flowering Shrubs: Part I

2009-04-01T13:57:00.000-07:00

With the advent of Endless Summer Hydrangea there has been a lot of interest in reblooming shrubs. And why not? Garden space is valuable and you should get the most out of your shrubs. Here are few of my favorite rebloomers.

Indigofera pseudotinctoria 'Rose Carpet'

Leptodermis oblonga

Bloomerang Purple Lilac

Viburnum plicatum 'Summer Snowflake

Ghost Weigela

I don't want to overload you with too many images so I will show you some more rebloomers in my next post. You can learn more about each plant by clicking on the plant name. What have I missed? What are good rebloomers for you?

Japan: Photographic Odds and Ends

2009-03-16T09:36:00.000-07:00

Cash and carry garden center. While Dale is the master of getting plants into a suitcase this could be beyond his abilities.

My favorite sushi chef. We tried one of everything and it seem to amuse the locals.

A sweet little flower girl at a horticultural trade show

A flower boy

Double Decker Highway in downtown Tokyo

A breeder shows off his genetics - African Daises

Old and New Technology

Dr. Yokoi 's Variegated Plant collection. We spent a few hours rummaging through this vast collection of plants. Dr. Yokoi wrote the book on variegated plants.

Variegated Ragweed. Now my collection is complete.

The Royal Horticulture Society Issues Final Report

2009-03-11T05:39:00.000-07:00

About 150 years ago German physician and botanist Philipp Franz von Siebold introduced Hydrangea paniculata ‘Grandliflora’, the Pee Gee Hydrangea, from Japan to the Western World. For nearly a century, Grandiflora reigned supreme and was the only cultivar available to buy. It was so ubiquitous that people eventually came refer to the whole species as Pee Gee Hydrangeas.

Today the market has been flooded with cultivars and we have over 40 selections to choose from. I’ve grown most of these selections and have chosen my favorites. Limelight and Pinky Winky Hydrangea are most certainly the top two plants on my list. Well scientists at the Royal Horticulture Society in England appear to a similar opinion.

The Royal Horticulture Society just completed a five year evaluation of 47 Hydrangea paniculata cultivars. The results are in – Limelight and Pinky Winky (‘DVPpinky’) earned the highest rating of Excellent (3 stars) and both were awarded the prestigious AGM – RHS Award of Garden Merit. And how did Pee Gee fair? It received the lowest possible rating of no stars – (average to poor).

While I sincerely appreciate the time and effort the RHS put into this study - in the end this trial is kind of like those scientific studies that go to great lengths to prove what we already know.

A Better Boxwood

2009-02-11T07:46:00.000-08:00

When it comes to determining if you have a better plant, it is essential that you know and understand the plants that are currently available. New plants must be trialed and compared in side by side tests with the best varieties to know what you have. If you can’t beat the best, then you better keep breeding until you get it right.

This side by side comparison of boxwood is a great example of the power of trialing plants. I’ve been growing and trialing North Star boxwood for over five years. When we first got the plant from its originator Gary Katerberg I was skeptical that his plant could rival the best boxwood varieties available. In fact, I did not give it much of any chance of being introduced. But when we had it in a test bed with twenty other varieties of boxwood, it preformed so well, the results could not be ignored. When you see it side by side with Green Velvet, the number one variety on the market, you can clearly see that it is a better plant. Even during winters with temperatures as low as minus 15 degrees, North Star boxwood shined; the winter and the spring foliage color was so much darker. While Green Velvet turned a pale pea green, North Star boxwood remained very dark. Additionally the plant is very compact, with dense growth, yet at the same time it grows faster than other popular varieties.

Clearly “Seeing is Believing,” and side by side trialing is the only way to find out if a plant is truly better or not. North Star boxwood has passed the test.

A Tale of Two Roses

2009-02-02T10:55:00.000-08:00

Just outside my office, growing side by side, are two excellent roses. Both are very free flowering and bless me with a continuous, summer-long display of red flowers. Each rose remains as clean as a whistle without the aid of sprays or chemicals. I suspect you're familiar with one of these roses. Perhaps you even grow it? It was developed Bill Radler and is called Knock Out.

But this is the story of the other rose. Its name is Candy Oh! Vivid Red and most likely you’ve never heard of it before. It was not developed by Bill Radler, however, it would not exist but for this well known rose breeder of the North.

At ripe old age of 13 David Zlesak read an article in the Milwaukee Journal that changed the course of his life. The article was about Bill Radler and how he hybridized new roses. Fascinated by the article and the idea of creating new plants, Zlesak wrote to Radler. To his surprise, Radler wrote back and this letter was the spark and inspiration that started David Zlesak on his plant breeding career and ultimately resulted in the rose Candy Oh! Vivid Red.

While working towards his PhD in plant breeding, David worked on numerous crops including small fruit, potatoes, Easter lilies and various perennial plant species. His first big breeding breakthrough came in 2006 when Proven Winners introduced Tuscan Sun Heliopsis a remarkable dwarf, continuous flowering perennial. Yet even though David found success in breeding other crops, his passion for roses never ceased - nor did his rose breeding. While other students were going to fraternity parties, David was up in his dorm room growing on thousands of rose seedlings under florescent lights. Out of these seedlings he selected the healthiest 1,500 plants and grew them out in garden plots he rented from friends and neighbors. Out of these, he selected the 50 healthiest, most floriferous plants. His selection process was further aided by the harsh Minnesota winters and the ubiquitous rose disease – black spot. Only the hardiest, most disease resistance roses remained.

Out of the thousands of seedlings that started out in his dorm room, David found that one seedling, a polyantha hybrid that stood out from all the others. It was vigorous, healthy and very floriferous. The vivid red flower color was so intense that it seemed almost to smolder in the summer sun. In 2008 David Zlesak introduced his first commercial rose selection - Candy Oh! Vivid Red.

That is the tale of two roses, and how Bill Radler had a hand in the development of both plants.

A New Pink Flowered Annabelle Hydrangea

2009-01-05T07:30:00.000-08:00

Until now, the quest for a pink ‘Annabelle’ hydrangea was just a dream. Today the dream is a reality; introducing Invincibelle™ Spirit Hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens 'NCSUHA1" ppaf, cbraf, pbraf), the first ever pink flowered Hydrangea arborescens with a mop-head flowers.

Sold by the millions, ‘Annabelle’ hydrangea is the most recognized and best selling hydrangea in the world. It is iron clad, blooms reliably and can be grown from Mobile to Manitoba. It is adaptable to many soil types and can be grown in full sun to fairly heavy shade. Pruning and care is a no-brainer. The only drawback - until now it only came in white. Everyone has been waiting for pink and now we have it!

Invincibelle™ Spirit hydrangea is the result of years of research, breeding and was developedment by Dr. Tom Ranney and his crew at North Carolina State University, Mountain Horticultural Crop Research Extension Center. This is a major plant breeding breakthrough! The flowers emerge a dark, hot pink color and mature to a rich clear pink. Soil pH does not influence the flower color. This plant will always have pink flowers regardless of the soil type.

And if that was not enough, Invincibelle Spirit Hydrangea is continuous blooming! It continues to produces new flowers right up until frost. In fact, a single plant can produce 100 or more corymbs (flower heads) over the course of a summer.

Invincibelle Spirit Hydrnagea will be available at retail under the Proven Winners® ColorChoice® brand in spring of 2010. In addition the plant will help in the fight against breast cancer. Proven Winners will donate $1.00 from each purchase to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation® BCRF is dedicated to preventing breast cancer and finding a cure in our lifetime by funding clinical and translational research worldwide. (For more about BCRF, visit http://www.bcrfcure.org/part_corp_provenwinners.html

This new plant is useful as a specimen, mass planting or incorporated into perennial gardens or into a woodland setting. The blooms are extremely attractive both in the landscape and as a cut flower. It is a durable choice for both fresh and dried arrangements.

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Hardiness: USDA Zones 3-9 (perennial in zone 3)

Bloom time: Late May early June (earlier under poly). Reblooms until to frost.

Bud set: Blooms on new wood so it will flower ever year!

Bloom color: The flowers emerge a dark, hot pink color and mature to bright pink.

Quantity of blooms: Often 100 or more corymbs per plant over the summer

Branching habit: Freely branching with as many as 100 or more terminal shoots per plant.

Exposure: Full sun to partial shade

Growth rate: Moderate to Fast

Soil: Very adaptable, but proliferates in rich, well drained, moist soil. It is pH adaptable. Soil pH does not effect the flower color.

Pruning: In late fall or early spring. Blooms on new wood and tolerates being cut back to the ground.

Watering: If planted in full sun, sufficient moisture is needed. It will require additional watering on hot dry summer days until established. In South, should be planted in partial shade.

Wildlife: Habitat for songbirds and butterflies.

Native: Eastern United States. Florida to Maine. Kansas to Eastern Seaboard.

Type: Deciduous

Fertilizing: Fertilize in early spring by applying a slow release fertilizer specialized for trees & shrubs. Follow the label for recommended rate of application.

Uses: Groupings or masses, perennial or shrub borders, specimen, winter gardens.

Breeder: Dr. Thomas Ranney, NCSU. Mountain Horticultural Crop Research and Extension Center. Fletcher, North Carolina.

Learn more at http://invincibellespirit.net/

An Eye for Award Winning Plants

2008-11-04T07:10:00.000-08:00

As I’ve said previously, one of the most satisfying aspects of hunting for and introducing new plants is getting affirmation that you’ve introduced a good plant. When growers and gardeners respond positively then I know my eye for a good plant is still working and on the right track. On that front, this last week has been a good one.

Just today I received a report from the Royal Horticulture Society at Wisley (England). They’ve been conducting an all European Buddleia trial that includes all cultivars available in the trade. That’s 107 different Buddleia cultivars in all, so the competition is very intense. In public voting this year, between July 31st to August 20th, , the top vote getters, by a decisive margin, were Buddleia x ‘Miss Ruby’ and Lo & Behold™ ‘Blue Chip’ respectively. The trial coordinator commented that the votes for Lo & Behold™ ‘Blue Chip’ would most likely have been even higher had the voting continued longer. That is because Lo & Behold™ ‘Blue Chip’ continued to flower well beyond all other cultivars. This is great news and is a good indication that each plant is in the running for the prestigious RHS award of Garden Merit. Dr. Denny Werner should be pleased that his plants took the top two spots. I expect that his breeding will garner ever more accolades in the future, as his Buddleia breeding is the best in the world.

I also got word that one of our new Oso Easy™ Roses won an award. The Rose Hills International Rose Trial awarded a Gold Medal to Oso Easy™ ‘Paprika’ as the Best New Ground Cover rose for 2008. Congratulations to Chris Warner and his outstanding breeding of disease resistant roses. Awards are nothing new to Chris. He has won over 100 international awards including two President’s Trophies and three Gold Stars.

Breeding a Better Spiraea

2008-10-09T06:50:00.000-07:00

When evaluating a plant species, its cultivars and its future potential, I like to start by growing all the available cultivars in our test garden. This gives me a better understanding of the strengths and weakness of a species and each cultivar. It helps me to know how a new plant stacks up and if it has potential for release. It also helps us identify breeding opportunities.

After growing and evaluating every possible cultivar of Spiraea japonica, we came to the conclusion that there was an opportunity for plants with new and better flower color, better foliage color, improved mildew resistance and better branching. Feedback from our growers indicated they wanted more impulse appeal, mildew resistance, burn resistant foliage, more flowers. Lastly they wanted plants that required less care in production and in the landscape. With this information in hand we started breeding Spiraea.

After six years of breeding Spiraea and three more years of evaluation, we were able to narrow 1,500 potential field seedlings down to twelve candidates. We then propagated and grew on these twelve selections and evaluated them in production as one gallon and three gallons. Plants were also placed in our test garden and again compared to what was on the market. Additionally test plants were sent to key growers across the US to get their feedback. The most difficult part of the process is narrowing the selection down to one or two potential introductions. A cool wet spring made our task a lot easier. It was the perfect spring for powdery mildew. If a plant was going to get mildew, this was the spring. Mildew eliminated about half of the selections left in program.

By August two plants rose to the top as clear winners and were chosen for introduction under a series name call Double Play™. The name Double Play™ was chosen because each plant delivered two or more improved traits; primarily improved foliage and improved flower color. The first introduction is called Double Play™ Artist. This plant was a clear winner early in our field trials because it was compact, had attractive foliage coloration and unusual purple flowers. The foliage is unique because the new growth is a vibrant purplish-red color. As the season progresses the leaves mature to an attractive bluish-green color. The flowers also caught our attention. The flower color is a unique shade of rich purple that we’ve never seen before.

Double Play™ Gold is a dwarf gold leaf selection. It stood out from the other seedlings because it had no mildew, tight branching and a tidy dwarf habit, eye catching pure pink flowers and the plant did not burn when grown in full sun. This plant also stood out in our container trials, as each plant produced was a perfect little soldier with very little pruning.

Growers will begin producing the Double Play™ series next spring and I expect that will be at retail in Spring of 2010.