New plants '97

Flower & Garden Magazine, Jan-Feb, 1997 by Doug Hall

We preface this feature, FLOWER & GARDEN Magazine's annual preview of the best new plant introductions, with a warning: Reading "New Plants '97" could deplete your bank balance.

Why? The seed and nursery companies that bring us these new plants know the weaknesses of zealous gardeners, and they know how to exploit them. Every year their catalogs entice us with plants we've never seen before -- plants we must have.

One look at oriental poppy `Patty's Plum' (right) will have you reaching for your checkbook. Or perhaps you'll find yourself drawn to the hybrid tea rose `Timeless' -- a bold temptress if we ever saw one -- or to Thai basil `Siam Queen,' which promises to be as tasty as it is lovely.

Because you're sure to find something here to tempt your fancy, we accompany "New Plants '97" with complete ordering information (see "Source Guide 1997," beginning on page 65) and a catalog ordering service (page 70).

The pages that follow may be the fiscal undoing of many a gardener. Just don't say we didn't warn you.

ARMERlA MARITIMA `RUBRIFOLIA'

Bright pink flower heads on 4-inch stems adorn tufts of purplish red, grassy foliage. The strikingly colored foliage forms a mound 4 inches tall and 12 inches across. Armeria, commonly called thrift, is at home in rock gardens and other sunny locations with good drainage. Siskiyou Rare Plant Nursery

GAURA LINDHEIMERI `SISKIYOU PINK'

Many gardeners are familiar with the white-flowered form of "aura, a long-blooming Southern native. `Siskiyou Pink' grows shorter than the species, to about 30 inches, with a tangle of long stems that gracefully arch and twirl outward. The rose-pink blossoms appear from summer through fall. Hardy in Zones 5 to 10. Siskiyou Rare Plant Nursery

ORIENTAL POPPY `PATTY'S PLUM'

The vivid hues of many oriental poppies just don't fit with every color scheme; that makes newcomer `Patty's Plum' all the more welcome. Its dusky plum petals are blotched purple-black at the base for a look that's elegant, not shrill. A European import, it's hardy to Zone 3. Heronswood Nursery Ltd.

SPIRANTHES ODORATA `CHADDS FORD'

This nursery-propagated selection of a North American terrestrial orchid defies the finicky image of most native orchids. The waxy, vanilla-scented blooms, borne in early fall on 12- to 18-inch spires, are small but plentiful. Grow it in constantly moist soil in Zones 6 to 9. White Flower Farm

POLEMONIUM CAERULEUM `BRISE D'ANJOU'

Most polemoniums, or Jacob's ladders, are grown for their lavender-blue flowers in late spring or early summer. This one is more remarkable for its handsomely variegated foliage that lasts throughout the growing season. Plant it in a shaded spot in Zones 4 to 7. Wayside Gardens

HOSTA `LITTLE SUNSPOT'

Bring a ray of sunshine to your shady gardens with this diminutive hosta. When mature, it forms a symmetrical mound 6 inches high and 12 inches wide. Lavender-tinged flowers appear in late summer. Hardy to Zone 3. Wayside Gardens

Daylilies

Daylilies are the showy stars of many a summer garden. Every year brings dozens of astounding new varieties -- often with astounding prices to match.

From American Daylily & Perennials: `Perfect Peach Glory' boasts a compact habit, attractive foliage and a long blooming season. Its pale peach flowers display ruffled edges and a golden throat.

From Daylily Discounters: The round, ruffled blooms of `Pink Spirit' are small but plentiful. They appear early to midseason on 22-inch scapes.

From Floyd Cove Nursery: Lavender would be a better color description for `Big Blue' (shown below); still, it's one step closer to the elusive blue daylily. A tetraploid, it bears flat, 6-inch blooms.

From Hickory Hill Gardens: `Android' (shown at right) is a dark, exotic beauty with classic spider form. Midway through the daylily season, its burgundy-purple flowers open atop tall scapes.

From Jasperson's Hersey Nursery: Deep orange veining and a yellow throat highlight the ruffled, cantaloupe-colored blooms of diploid daylily `Pterodactyl.' The flowers are 7 inches wide and fragrant.

From Louisiana Nursery: Peachy pink `Chicot' is distinguished by a crimped gold edging on its broad petals. Flower scapes are 30 inches tall and abundant. Most remarkable is this tetraploid's long blooming season.

From Mike's Daylilies: Unabashedly colorful daylily `Golden Comic Eye' is apricot-gold marked with a flaring, purple eye and an orange throat. The 5-inch flowers top 30-inch scapes.

From Pinecliffe Daylily Gardens: The 7-inch, rose-pink blooms of `Joan Margaret Nonte' open wide to reveal a lemon yellow throat. It reblooms in the fall.

From Saxton Gardens: `Mohawk Maiden' (shown at right) blooms first in July, then again in September, offering many buds on its 20-inch scapes. The fragrant flowers are golden yellow with a green throat.

From R. Seawright Gardens: Luminous grange `Concord Militia' glows brilliantly, each blossom marked with a darker orange halo. A tetraploid, it bears 5-inch flowers on 20-inch scapes.

Irises

Few groups of perennial flowers offer the color range -- from soothing to strident -- of the iris. The new year brings a rainbow of iris introductions.