rainyleaf

All Shades of Green—-A Plant Perspective

Tag Archives: great plant picks


by 2 Comments

Great Plant Picks 2012

Great Plant Picks for the Pacific Northwest

I like a party with a theme and the theme this year is shady.  Made in the Shade is the title of the 2012 list from Great Plant Picks.  Produced by the Elisabeth C. Miller Botanical Garden, a new set of hardy and reliable plants are recommended each year for the maritime Pacific Northwest.  Currently there are over 800 plants on this exceptional list.   Made in the Shade follows Fun in the Sun from last year.  The photos on this beautiful poster are outstanding and it’s easy to just stare and drool.  I usually grab a free one at the Northwest Flower and Garden show, which is fast approaching.  These lists make it easy to find the right plant for many situations (dry shade, gold foliage, small trees) with the knowledge and confidence that it can be successful  in our Northwest gardens.

This year a few of the chosen ones are the Red Lace Leaf Maple, Coast Trillium, Yellow Fawn Lily, Japanese Painted Fern, Umbrella Bamboo and European Wild Ginger.  103  total plants that will add style, color and beauty to your shade garden.  See the complete list at Greatplantpicks.org.


by 1 Comment

Dawn Viburnum

Viburnum x bodnantense ‘Dawn’ is a plant with a promise.  A promise that spring will come and flowers will bloom.  A promise that there is a sun behind the cloudy winter skies.  A promise of color in the December drizzle.  Dawn viburnum throws out it’s flowers in the winter, before the veined deciduous leaves appear.   Green all summer, the leaves turn a bronzy red in autumn. Blossom buds begin dark pink and the fragrant  flowers open in clusters of light pink, turning to white on the bare stem.  This viburnum continues to bloom for months.  It  grows in USDA zones 7-8 and reaches 8-10 feet high and 6-8 feet wide, a good sized shrub.  ’Dawn’ grows in full to partial sun and prefers moist, well-drained soil.   Winter bloomers, like Dawn viburnum and witchhazel, sarcococca and camellia are good to incorporate into any garden, giving that extra zing to a dormant landscape.  Dawn viburnum also was chosen as part of the Great Plant Picks program, a list of exceptional plants for the Pacific Northwest.

Dawn Viburnum in December

Dawn Viburnum at the Arboretum Dec. 2011

Dawn Viburnum in December


by Leave a comment

Great Plant Picks

Looking for a plant that likes you?  Or rather, likes where we live?  Knowledgeable professionals have compiled a selection of over 800 plants compatible to the maritime Northwest.  Plants picked just for our gardens.  This takes the guesswork out of many of our purchases.  Every year has a theme.  2010 was Fantastic Foliage and this year, 2011, it’s Fun in the Sun.  Plants picked for sun and drought tolerance.  The website features plant lists, pictures and all kinds and good solid information about plant qualities, culture, growing habits and hardiness.  These ‘chosen’ plants can bring confidence to the timid and familiarity to the unknown.  It’s fun to see which picks are recognizable (Mahonia nervosa–Oregon grape) and others that are not  (Dracocephalum grandiflorum–Dragon’s head).  Lately with our dry and warm summers, this list will be very useful.  Take a few minutes and browse the website and see how many of these plants are already in your garden.

greatplantpicks.org

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 258 other followers