I know this gardening season isn’t over yet, but I’m already looking forward to next spring and all the fabulous new plant introductions that will be available for our gardens and patios. Some are already being grown on a limited basis by the wholesale growers, while others won’t become available until 2011. Recently, I had the opportunity to view up-close and personal some of these new unique perennials, shrubs and grasses. It’s exciting to envision them in our own gardens.
It’s no secret our weather is just about perfect here. That’s why so many of the wholesale nurseries have operations in this county. They know the growing conditions are excellent for annuals, perennials, grasses and woody ornamentals.
Many of the plants we buy start life as small plugs and liners. Some of these are produced in tissue culture labs in places such as India, China, Guatemala and Holland. They are then grown up to sellable size by other wholesale growers before they eventually arrive at your local nursery.
If you have a Black Mondo or carex grass or a cordyline, hellebore or heuchera in your garden, it might have been started from a tissue culture somewhere on another continent and have racked up more frequent flyer miles than you have.
Plant tissue culture consists of taking a piece of a plant, such as a stem tip, and placing it in a sterile (usually gel-based) nutrient medium, where it multiplies. It’s similar to taking a cutting of your favorite houseplant and growing it to share with a friend. The production of plants in sterile containers allows the propagator to reduce the chance of transmitting diseases, pests and pathogens.
One of the new plants I saw that really caught my eye is a grass, Pennisetum Fireworks. The variegated pink-striped blades are just as spectacular as the pink flower heads. Some gardens with clay soil and heavy frost in winter might need to grow this plant in a container, but it’s worth babying this one, it’s so beautiful.
You might have bought a bright orange Begonia Bonfire this year and been impressed with the hundreds of flowers it easily produced over the season. Well, next year you’ll see the similar Sparkle series begonia. This tuberous begonia is nothing like the classic. One plant will grow to about 24 inches in the ground or in a container, and depending on which color you choose, it will be covered with scarlet, white blush, rose or apricot flowers.
And don’t even get me started on all the new mimulus colors that are going to be available next year. The Jellybean series comes in classic orange and gold, but also red, purple, pink, light pink, lemon and terracotta. Remember, these are deer resistant, too.
Also, there are new hummingbird-favorite agastache flavors out now. Picture them in your garden, flower spikes in colors that look like fruit — grapefruit, apricot, grape and orange nectar.
I haven’t even touched on new introductions like Green Jewel echinacea or dwarf butterfly bushes in magenta, violet or pink. How about a bush form of the vine Hardenbergia? Meena will grow 36 inches tall and have purple flowers in winter.
Look for one of these new perennials next year. It’s going to be a colorful year in the garden.
Jan Nelson, a landscape designer and California certified nursery professional at Plant Works in Ben Lomond, will answer questions about gardening in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Contact her at
ja******@ao*.com
or JanNelsonLandscapeDesign.com.
