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Last year we redid all of our landscaping, so I had the opportunity to research and select a lot of plants all at once. This year I will be working on filling in holes and in a few cases, replacing our not-so-favorites. So, as I prepare to make out new orders, I am pausing to reflect on what I really liked, what I kind of liked, what I’m not so sure about, and what was a total bust.
Plants that delighted me last year:
1. ‘Ava’ Hummingbird Mint (Agastache)–This is a High Country Gardens exclusive. I felt very foolish after I ordered this–sucked in by the hype, I was frustrated to realize that in my zeal, I’d paid an amazing $9.79 per plant plus shipping. And, make no mistake about it, the plants they mail you are not large. Further, because they are late season bloomers, the plants will not be large for a long time. (In fact, I thought that all of my expensive hummingbird mint had been killed by the frost. I was so happy when I discovered that I was wrong. ) BUT when the Hummingbird Mint finally bloomed at the end of the summer. It was gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous. Vivid color! And we had at least a couple of hummingbirds in our yard all day long every day. Agastache really does attract hummingbirds–It’s not just an advertising come-on. So, you’re not paying $10 just for the plant, you’re also paying $10 as a fee to help you set up an aviary on your property. We have two large sliding glass doors that looked out on the Hummingbird Mint and its pretty visitors. What a show–a thrill for me and the kids!
2. Poppy Mallow (Callirhoe Involucrata)–This was the energizer bunny of the garden. The flowers are pretty and seem to bloom almost the entire growing season. The poppy mallow was in bloom more than once when absolutely nothing else was. It just keeps going, and going, and going. It looks very nice cascading down our rock wall.
3. Hens n Chicks (Sempervivum Tectorum)–I’d seen this as a potted plant before and thought it was exotic yet ugly. But it looks great wedged in between the rocks in the rock wall. It is much better at crowding out the weeds in those nooks and crannies than the sedum was. Also, I like how it is very different from the other plants, but busy being its own kind of beautiful.
4. Purple Ice Plant (Delosperma Cooperi)–Apparently, this is a harmful, invasive plant in many parts of California and elsewhere, so please don’t plant it if you live in one of those places! Here, however, our harsh winters keep it in line (in fact, I’m still a little nervous about whether mine overwintered successfully). This is a succulent plant and the leaves remind me of tiny sea anenomes. This was another great “between the rocks in the rock wall” selection. It also bloomed and bloomed and bloomed and required no maintenance. I loved the tiny bright purple flowers that open when the sun shines on them. They are cheerfulness in plant form!
5. ‘Pink Cloud’ Apple Blossom Grass (Gaura) I’d been led to believe that the white version was hardier or better than the white in some way, but because our house is white I wanted a stronger color contrast. All I have to say is, if the white version is better/prettier than the pink, it must be pretty amazing! The Gaura (I asked at the nursery for Apple Blossom Grass, and they acted like I had something growing out of my head. “Oh . . . Gaura! It’s not a grass!”) grows nice and tall quickly. It is lovely and a very vigorous bloomer. This year I will pinch it back more assertively, now that I’ve gained more confidence.
6. ‘Walker’s Low” Catmint (Nepeta)–The foliage is lovely and the flowers are so pretty. This looks great paired with the May Night Salvia.
7. ‘May Night’ Salvia–This was my #1 favorite plant last year. I love the dark purple color. I love how the flowers get better and better looking each day as you watch! I love how it grows despite frost! I love how it blooms and blooms! This is a garden superstar. I was a bit disappointed though, because I felt like it was my special discovery, and then I started noticing it everywhere. The good news is though, that you should be able to buy it inexpensively because of its popularity and wide availability. No need to pay the mail order prices, because this should be in stock at your local nursery or Home Depot during planting season.
8. ‘Powis Castle’ Artemisia–I’m usually not sophisticated enough to appreciate plants that are just foliage with no flowers. But High Country Gardens recommended Powis Castle as a companion for several of the other plants I was interested in, so I decided to try it. I was impressed with its vigorous growth and beautiful foliage. A garden really does need to offer contrast to set off the colors and shapes of the flowers, and Powis Castle provides this beautifully. Although the HCG literature warned that Powis Castle would spead to 3 feet, I was amazed when it actually did. This is another plant that you could probably pick up cheaply at Home Depot, if that is your desire.
Edited to add: So what about you? What are your favorite plants and why are they your favorite?
Comments
3 Responses to “My 8 Favorite Plants So Far”
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In the interest of full disclosure I want to point out what I thought their negatives were (some had none that I recall). Don’t get me wrong. i agree that these were all wonderful plants. Pmom did a wonderful job of researching the plants. I learned this year that you cannot appreciate nice plants if you haven’t gone to the work of planting them and watching them grow. No doubt Pmom, who did more of the work than I, appreciated them even more than I.
ugly in winter.
1) none.
2) Keeps blooming so that part is great. But at any one point in time several of them look half-dead. I think it would sort of die back after blooming. Maybe we shoudl pull that part off? Not sure though because the dead part would seem to come back to life and bloom again.
3) looks a little ugly/gangly when it sends out its streamers.
4) none
5) none
6) none
7) looks a bit like a weed when not in bloom. But agree it keeps blooming and blooming. Is MUCH better when you aggressively pinch off old blooms. That requires some work.
I think both Pdad and I have had the problem that because we are gardening novices, our experience with flowers stems mainly from the flower shop. It has been a disappointment to discover that no plant looks 100% 365 days a year–especially not in our climate. Also, we do not have a professional gardening crew, so there is no one to swoop down and change out the plants that are past their prime with new ones. Nope–it is our lot to enjoy our outrageously beautiful tulip display and then watch the tulip foliage wither over many weeks. We just don’t have the manpower to dig them all up and plant them again. And this is true for many of the other plants. I like these particular plants because they are low care and even where they would benefit from more care (deadheading, for example, in the case of the Salvia) they don’t die from low care.
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