Alstroemeria 'Inca Ice' New! Z 5 - 9 sun - part shade

[Inca Ice Peruvian Lily] You probably know this plant from seeing the flowers in floral arrangements during holidays such as Valentine's Day. Now there is a perfectly hardy version for your containers and gardens. A fast forming clump with long linear leaves, bushy in outline, reaches 2 to 3 feet in height. Flowers are in tight clusters of 20 or more cover the clump during summer with blooms of soft apricot pink and cream, each having a yellow flare center streaked with bee-landing indicators of brown.

Transplant: This Peruvian lily was bred for cold hardiness and the open garden. It has overwintered in Michigan for the past 3 winters. Not hard to grow. Transplant the brittle roots in sun to semi-shade in a location such as beneath or in between shrubs. Rich well-drained soil works best. Mulch with chopped leaves in November. Protect newly emerging sprouts from frost. Give them room to grow and then leave them alone.

From 5 pint containers.

Photo courtesy Walters Gardens

Euphorbia x martinii 'Ascot Rainbow'        New!      Z 5 - 9        sun - part shade

[Ascot Rainbow Spurge] Super showy evergreen foliage that is green and yellow variegated. "Blooms" are bracts making an appearance of large showy clusters in spring.  Come cool of fall, watch out! If the variegated foliage were not enough, final show of the year is topped off with pink and orange tones. Expect a show just under 2 feet in height, and a spreading dome across.

Transplant: Well drained soils work best with Euphorbia. Probably the best companion would be large stones. Medium grasses that turn color in the fall could make an exceptional show in late fall. Easy to grow requiring little to no maintenance.    

From 5 pint container.



Photo courtesy Walters Gardens

Lobelia cardinalis        New!       Native            Z 3 - 9        sun - part shade

[Cardinal Flower] While this native may not be the rarest of plants, it remains one of the best for summer show, hummingbird and butterfly magnets. Strong up-right growth reaching 3 feet or more. Long narrow leaves of dark green overlaid with newly emerging foliage in bronze-red. Tall sprays of cardinal-red (religion's cardinal red) flowers in July through September give this species its common name.    

Transplant: All the books talk about extra moisture being required, but my stands are in ordinary garden soil and do just fine. In fact, they have seeded about for the past 7 or 8 years now. Great late summer color to pair up with Delphinium exaltatum, and fall blooming anemone of choice.

from 5 pint containers.

Spiranthes cernua var. odorata       New!         Native         Zone 3 -    part shade

[Ladies' Tresses] Among the easiest to grow of our native orchids, and one of the least expensive. Individual leaves are deep green with heavy substance, narrow, lance-shaped, in a rosette with a few leaves growing up the flower stems. Colonies form from shallow underground runners. The highly scented flowers are small, hooded, and porcelain white, running in a spiral around the 12 inch stems. Bloom is from late summer through first frost.

Transplant: Damp, somewhat acidic, organic soils are preferred by this orchid. If you take just a touch of extra attention to growing it properly it will reward you with seedlings as well as colonies from the original transplants. Small ferns are perfect companions.

From 5 pint containers.



Photo Courtesy Bluebird Nursery

Thalictrum 'Tukker Princess'          New!            Z 5 - 7            part shade

[Tukker Princess Meadow Rue] Strong sturdy stems reaching 7 feet in height that do not need staking. Foliage is gray-blue green. In June large pom-pom heads of rich yellow made up of dense clusters of anthers dress the stems. Probably one of the most showy of meadow rues when in bloom from June through August.

Transplant: Easily grown perennial if given that traditional moist but well-drained soil with some organic fertilizer. Protect from harsh afternoon sun. This meadow rue needs more light so stems are extra strong to support the large full heads of bloom. Think fall blooming anemone and Monkshood for companions.

From 5 pint containers.

Veratrum viride             New!         Native        Z 5 - 8       sun - part shade

[False Hellebore] False hellebore is a large bold plant reaching up to 6 feet in height. Leaves are wide and ovate with a sharp point. Strongly ribbed prominently along the parallel veins, each leaf is alternate and tapers to a sheath somewhat resembling a stalk of corn. Flowers are in a terminal inflorescense, numerous and yellow-green to green. The roots are rhizomatus so a tight colony will form to make quite a statement in a moist, fertile environment. Be advised that all parts of the plant are poisonous, especially the roots.

Transplant: False Hellebore need an environment with consistent extra moisture such as a seepage area or edge of a bog. If the soil does not dry out come hot and dry of July then Veratrum will perform. Use with Aralia, Lobelia, Aruncus, Arisaema dracontium, Chelone, along with Mertensia and royal ferns.

From 1 Quart containers.