http://statebystategardening.com/state.php/la/hotplants en webmaster@statebystategardening.com Copyright 2012 2012-05-11T13:00:41+00:00 http://statebystategardening.com/state.php/site/hotplants/new_hybrid_echinaceas/ http://statebystategardening.com/state.php/site/hotplants/new_hybrid_echinaceas/ How many times have you pined over a new variety you’ve seen in a catalog or nursery? Speaking for myself, I’ve been seduced by the newest varieties too many times and then disappointed by their performance. My most recent disappointment has been the new Echinacea hybrid, ‘Sunrise’. When I first saw ‘Sunrise’ echinacea I was spell-bound with its beautiful yellow color and intoxicating fragrance ... 2012-05-11T13:00:41+00:00 http://statebystategardening.com/state.php/site/hotplants/chardonnay_pearls_deutzia/ http://statebystategardening.com/state.php/site/hotplants/chardonnay_pearls_deutzia/ Living in the heart of Virginia wine country has many benefits. My favorite vineyard is literally just a skip from my office door. While I most often lean towards the reds, a crisp Chardonnay on a hot day is hard to beat. Crisp and refreshing certainly describes the Proven Winners introduction Chardonnay Pearls® deutzia. The white pearl buds appear above the clean, chartreuse foliage like grapes on the vine and are slightly fragrant when fully open ... 2012-05-11T05:01:11+00:00 http://statebystategardening.com/state.php/site/hotplants/chinese_fringe_tree/ http://statebystategardening.com/state.php/site/hotplants/chinese_fringe_tree/ Chinese fringe tree (Chionanthus retusus) is a small deciduous tree or large shrub native to China, Korea and Japan. Do not confuse fringe tree with Chinese fringe flower (Loropetalum chinense) or our own native fringe tree (Chionanthus virginicus) which grows very shrub-like, and is fragrant. 2012-05-04T05:01:12+00:00 http://statebystategardening.com/state.php/site/hotplants/cool_coleus/ http://statebystategardening.com/state.php/site/hotplants/cool_coleus/ Coleus are certainly not new. They have gone in and out of popularity since Victorian times. Now they’re back with exciting new and beautiful varieties that add some real dash to beds and containers. They can be as bright and gaudy as a Hawaiian shirt or as formal as a black tie. Since the foliage is always ‘in color’, you never have to worry about the flowers, which are actually rather ugly and should be pinched off ... 2012-05-04T05:01:05+00:00 http://statebystategardening.com/state.php/site/hotplants/tulip_poplar/ http://statebystategardening.com/state.php/site/hotplants/tulip_poplar/ In Andrea Wulf’s fascinating book Founding Gardeners, we discover that George Washington was not only “first in war, first in peace and first in the hearts of his countrymen,” but he was also the new nation’s first serious tree hugger. One of his all-time favorite trees was the majestic tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera), a species native to the vast hardwood forests east of the Mississippi. 2012-04-27T13:00:46+00:00 http://statebystategardening.com/state.php/site/hotplants/tibouchina_grandifolia/ http://statebystategardening.com/state.php/site/hotplants/tibouchina_grandifolia/ The first time I saw Tibouchina grandifolia was in a mass planting at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. It was many years ago but I was taken aback and have never forgotten the 5-foot-tall plants loaded with vibrant purple blooms. It was not until six years ago that I purchased a plant and was able to enjoy its beauty all year. In fact, our Tibouchina stored in the greenhouse bloom heavier in the winter to the delight of all ... 2012-04-27T13:00:37+00:00 http://statebystategardening.com/state.php/site/hotplants/jack_frost_brunnera/ http://statebystategardening.com/state.php/site/hotplants/jack_frost_brunnera/ Every garden has shady areas, and gardeners are often in doubt about which shade perennial plants to use. Chosen by the Perennial Plant Association, the 2012 Perennial Plant of the Year may provide the answer with ‘Jack Frost’ brunnera (Brunnera macrophylla ‘Jack Frost’). This introduction was discovered in the well-known perennial nursery of Walters Gardens and was introduced in 2000. These perennials are treasured for their shade tolerance and lovely powder blue clustered flowers ... 2012-04-20T13:00:56+00:00 http://statebystategardening.com/state.php/site/hotplants/chinese_woodland_peony/ http://statebystategardening.com/state.php/site/hotplants/chinese_woodland_peony/ I met perennial Chinese woodland peony (Paeonia obovata ssp. obovata var. willmottiae), a come-hither autumn siren, in the woodlands of Chanticleer garden in Radnor. Her scarlet sterile seeds in split seedpods beckoned full attention in an otherwise green textural setting with some pastel blooms. Come spring, the Chinese woodland peony is a delicate white beauty. A single cup-shaped flower per stem sits on soft green, tapered, ovate foliage ... 2012-04-13T13:00:37+00:00 http://statebystategardening.com/state.php/site/hotplants/sundance/ http://statebystategardening.com/state.php/site/hotplants/sundance/ Most all of us are drawn to golden plants in the garden, and Choisya ‘Sundance’ is one of my favorites. This mounding shrub has soft golden leaves, white flowers in early summer, and (to my complete surprise) has been evergreen in my garden for several years. Don’t let the delicate foliage fool you — it’s a tough plant to kill. Young plants are very attractive and useful in containers and hanging baskets because of their naturally arching and weeping habit ... 2012-04-13T13:00:25+00:00 http://statebystategardening.com/state.php/site/hotplants/arkansas_beardtongue/ http://statebystategardening.com/state.php/site/hotplants/arkansas_beardtongue/ Arkansas beardtongue (Penstemon arkansanus) is an herbaceous perennial native to portions of the Central and South Central U.S. However, when planted in the garden, it is hardy to a much broader geographical range that includes Pennsylvania. Its unusual common name comes from the appearance of a prominent hairy, sterile stamen called a staminode within each flower ... 2012-04-06T13:00:51+00:00