Here are this week’s “best of the best.” Enjoy! Simply, click on the attachment and download it to open. If you have any problems viewing the document or with formatting, please feel free to contact to us and as always, you can find our POD’s online at http://ugatrial.hort.uga.edu/. Click on the Plants of Distinction button near the top right corner and start browsing. (The naming of our plants are as follows: Scientific name ‘Cultivar’, common name, company).

Also, save the date! The date has been set for this year’s “An Evening in the Garden” presented by the UGA Trial Gardens. Thursday, September 29th, 2011 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. the Trial Gardens will be hosting an evening of wine and hors d’oeuvres, featuring live jazz by “Dial Indicators,” guided tours by Dr. Allan Armitage, and a book sale and signing. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased at the entrances. This is a beautiful and relaxing evening that gives all visitors a unique view of the garden as the sun goes down. Don’t miss out!

Happy Gardening,

UGA Trial Gardens Staff

Michael Elliott

Director of Marketing

Meg Green

Trial Gardens Supervisor

Dr. Allan Armitage- Professor of Horticulture

The Trial Gardens at UGA

www.ugatrialgardens.com

www.ugatrial.hort.uga.edu

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Blog ]]> http://www.ericaglasener.com/news/trial-gardens-at-uga-best-of-the-best/feed 0 http://www.ericaglasener.com/articles/plants-to-try-in-2011 http://www.ericaglasener.com/articles/plants-to-try-in-2011#comments Mon, 31 Jan 2011 19:24:57 +0000 Erica http://www.ericaglasener.com/?p=867 On Thursday, Jan. 27, 2011 I attended the WINTERgreen show in Duluth, GA  put on by the GGIA (Georgia Green Industry Association).  A trade show with plants indoors at this time of year is always a welcome diversion.  Add to this a lecture about “some exciting plants to keep customers returning” by Ted Stephens  and I left inspired  to seek out some of these plants (including both familiar favorites and some new to me) to add to my own garden. 

Ted is a plantsman extraordinaire and owner of Nurseries Caroliniana, Inc., located in North Augusta, SC where the focus is on rare and unusual plants.  The challenge is how to incorporate some of these gems into an existing landscape.  What follows are a few of the plants he highlighted (a long list) including both native and exotic types, that made the cut for my list of plants to grow.  My list is fluid and may change but it is always growing.  Many of these plants  are pictured on Nurseries Caroliniana’s website www.nurcar.

Daphne odora 'Aureomarginata Alba' in March

 Begonia grandis ‘Heron’s Pirouette’- The species of this hardy perennial has been a mainstay of shade gardens for years; known for its late summer to early fall flowers.   If this selection really does bloom from late spring to frost, I want to grow it.  Hardy from Zone 5 to 9. 

Callistemon rigidus ‘Clemson Hardy’-Discovered at a home in Clemson, SC.  Once established this bottlebrush is drought tolerant and reblooms in the summer.  A good choice for containers.   Hardy from Zone 7 to 10. 

Calycanthus floridus var. laevigatus ‘Purpurescens’-The leaves have purple undersides and the  flowers have a fragrance similar to  overripe apples.  Found in Japan and admired by plantsmen at Hillier’s in the UK.   

Cyrilla racemiflora- This native( evergreen to semi-evergreen)  Titi tolerates wet feet and has showy spring flowers and attractive seedheads in fall.  Hardy from Zone 6 to 10.

Cyrilla racemiflora and Baptisia

Disporum pullum – This little known species of Fairy bells has pink flowers, grows up to 30 inches tall and will maintain evergreen foliage until 20 degrees F. Perfect for the woodland garden. 

Edgeworthia chrysantha ‘Winter Gold’- This late winter/early spring flowering shrub belongs to the Daphne family but does not suffer the root problems that many Daphne’s are prone to.  Hardy to Zone 6b.

Edgeworthia chrysantha in bloom

Hydrangea paniculata ‘Phantom’- Considered an improved selection over ‘Limelight’ with bigger flowers that do not droop.  Hardy to Zone 4.

Hydrangea paniculata ‘Silver Dollar’-This selection of pee gee hydrangea tends to be more compact

Magnolia chunghungtana-  Even the name appeals to me and Ted describes this deciduous magnolia as like M. sieboldi on steroids.   At the SC Botanical Gardens at Clemson it has survived single digits with no damage.  It must be budded or grafted.

Sedum ‘Neon’-Vibrant deep pink flowers on a compact stalk make this perennial a winner.  Plants don’t flop over which also makes it appealing.  Hardy from Zone 3 to 9.

Rohdea japonica ‘Claudia Phelps’  – A standout  for its glossy foliage, this perennial adds welcome structure to the shade garden.   Hardy Zone 8 to 10. 

As always I recommend that gardeners shop locally first.  If you can’t find what you want in your neighborhood try mail order sources including:

Plant Delights www.plantdelights.com , in Raliegh, NC or Woodlanders in Aiken, South Carolina.    www.woodlanders.net .

Even the hardiest of gardeners admit that with weather in the 20’s F sitting by a roaring  fire or under a warm blanket and planning ahead for next  spring and summer is the best way to spend garden time.    I already have a list of plants that I want to order from Plant Delights, some new to me and others that I have admired but never grown like Lycoris traubii, Traub’s surprise lily which produces golden orange spidery flowers in October. 

Zinnia 'Zahara Double Orange'

Many of the new introductions that appeal to me are compact, offer more than one season of interest and are adapted to grow well in hot, humid climates.  Of the All American Selections Winners for 2010 I look forward to growing Zinnia ‘Double Zahara Fire’with scarlet orange flowers and  Zinnia ‘Double Zahara Cherry’.  Both of these sun loving, heat tolerant annuals bloom for weeks from summer until frost and are perfect for the garden or in pots.  They are also resistant to leaf spot and mildew diseases.

To find out what other plant lovers are excited about growing in 2010 I decided toconsult with Jamie Blackburn, Curator of the Woodland Gardens at the Atlanta Botanical Garden and Bobby Saul of ItSaul Nurseries in Atlanta to hear what they recommend as far as new and favorite plants for our gardens.  What follows are some of their picks and a few of my own. 

Trees

Acer palmatum ‘Bihou’ – with golden bark  

Acer palmatum 'Bihou'

Acer palmatum ‘Ryusen’- a strict  weeping Japanese maple with outstanding fall color

Acer palmatum ‘Tsukasa Silhouette’- a fastigiate cultivar

Shrubs  Abelia ‘Kaleidoscope’- a compact selection with colorful foliage that changes with the seasons.

Buddleia ‘Blue Chip’- a dwarf butterfly bush I admired at the JC Raulston Arboretum in Raliegh, NC; easy to incorporate into the garden. 

Hydrangea paniculata cultivars including ‘Dharuma’- a dwarf selection with potential for smaller gardens and containers.  Other selections they have planted recently at the Atlanta Botanical Garden include ‘Big Ben’, ‘Early Sensation’ and ‘White Lady.’ 

Illicium parviflorum  ‘Florida Sunshine’-chartreuse golden foliage in spring and summer, bright yellow in fall and winter, upper stems take on a bright red cast

Perennials

Ceratostigma griffithii-great red foliage in fall with blue blooms

Coreopsis verticillata ‘Route 66’- this hardy yellow coreopsis has a red eye that bleeds to the tips of the petals

Chasmanthium latifolium ‘River Mist’-variegated Northern sea oats

Buddleia 'Blue Chip' and Phlox paniculata

Echinacea ‘Crazy Pink’- a 2’ by 2’ clump covered with pink blooms beginning in early summer

Heuchera villosa hybrids – great foliage color and they take the heat, including ‘Caramel’,  ‘Citronelle’, ‘Mocha’, ‘Pistache’

Sources for Good Plants including some featured here: call for hours of operation

Mail Order: Plant Delights,9241 Sauls Rd, Raliegh, NC 27603, www.plantdelights.com

Regional:

Ashe-Simpson Garden Center, 4961 Peachtree Industrial Blvd. Atlanta, GA 30341   770-458-3224

Full Bloom Nursery, 6662 Holly Springs St., Clermont, GA 30527 770-842-2345

GardenHood353 Boulevard SE, Atlanta, GA 30312 404-880-9848

Habersham Gardens,2067 Manchester St. NE
Atlanta, GA 30324 404-873-2484

Land Arts, 809 North Broad St. (Hwy 11 at 78) Monroe, GA 30656 770-267-4500

 McMahan’s Nursery, 5727 Cleveland Hwy., Clermont, GA 30527 770-983-3666

 Scottsdale Farms, 15639 Birmingham Hwy, (Hwy 372) Alpharetta, GA 30004 770-777-5875