What's New for Perennials

WHAT’S NEW FOR PERENNIALS

The number of new varieties of perennials coming on the market is staggering! We carry about 200 varieties of different perennials in stock (and this is just a fraction of what is available!)  

We thought you might enjoy hearing a little bit about where we buy our perennials. We have 3 suppliers of perennials, but our main one, and one of the most outstanding, is Walter’s Gardens of Michigan. They are a family owned business of 70 years and grow thousands of perennials. They offer some of the highest quality perennials grown anywhere. Their staff has hybridized and grown hundreds of award winning perennials, and they have hundreds of new introductions.  Every year they offer more new introductions. So we have access to the “latest and best” in perennials!  The main problem we have is that there are too many to choose from, so many we would like to carry!

Here are some of the newer varieties of perennials we are carrying this year:

Bee Balm (Monarda): Pardon My Cerise – A butterfly favorite, dwarf  variety (14”) with red blooms

Black Eyed Susan : Little Goldstar – A dwarf version of the old favorite Black Eyed Susan, grows 14” 

Butterfly Weed: All butterfly favorites.

• Cinderella (pink)

• Hello Yello (yellow)

• the old fashioned Tuberosa (orange).

Clematis: In addition to the old favorite Jackmanni, we carry other colors including (but not limited to):

• Julka ( burgundy red)

• Sapphire Indigo (sapphire blue)

• Sweet Autumn (a white fall favorite)

Coral Bells:  The number of new varieties is huge. This year look for a few of our new ones:

• Electric Plum (bright purple with black veins)

• Midnight Rose (Purple/black with pink accents)

• Peach Parfait (Ruffled peach/orange)

• Plum Pudding (plum purple with pewter)

Day lilies: So many to choose from including:

• Big Time Happy (Ruffled, rebloomer, yellow)

• Chicago Apache (Ruffled scarlet red)

• Passionate Returns (Ruffled rosy red, rebloomer)

• Rainbow Primal Scream (orange).

Hibiscus: These varieties are very north hardy, easy to grow, and have blooms the size of a dinner plate! :

• Dave Fleming (Red foliage, pink variegated flowers)

• Starry Night (Burgundy leaves, pink/white flowers)

• Vintage Wine (Green leaves, scarlet red flowers)

Hostas – We carry about 20 varieties and get new varieties each year along with a few of the old favorites. They vary in size from Sun Mouse (6” with yellow leaves with green edge) to Empress Wu (thick green leaves growing 4’ tall and wide) and every size in between.  Colors vary from blues to whites to greens to yellows.

Lavender – Finally !!! A north hardy lavender Phenomenal – Zone 4.

Peonies- Always a favorite – Now in yellow! Sunshine – it is expensive but worth it!  This year we also have the very hard to get Fern Leaf Peony

Turtlehead- A shade tolerant perennial with the cutest pink “turtle heads” popping out of bright green foliage.

Sedums – A must have for fall gardens. They attract butterflies like magnets. We carry several varieties in both groundcovers and upright varieties. A favorite is Mr. Goodbud– Compact, upright, vibrant purple/red flowers in fall.

 FINAL DAYS OF OUR OPEN HOUSE SALE HAPPENING NOW!

What's New for Shrubs

The varieties of new shrubs coming on the market is staggering! We can hardly keep up with all the new ones. But the new varieties offer great qualities of disease resistance, better and longer lasting color, more blooms, and dwarf selections of some of the “old favorites”.

Here are just a few of the newer varieties that we carry at NP that you may want to consider.

Barberries (Multiple new varieties -here are some of the ones we carry)

Cabernet:  Deep burgundy foliage, grows 2-3’

Cherry Bomb: Crimson burgundy red, compact, grows 3-4’

Japanese Concord: Deep burgundy/purple, compact grows 1 ½-2’

Golden Ruby: Coral to orange foliage, Grows 2’

Orange Rocket: Bright coral to orange foliage, Grows upright 4-5’

Sunsation: Golden Yellow, slow growing 3-4’

Exochordia (Pearlbush)

Green with profuse beautiful pearl like white blooms in spring. Grows 4-5’

Hydrangea (Multiple new varieties -here are some of the ones we carry)

Bobo – Dwarf, white flowers turn to pink, grows 3’

Candy Apple – Flowers lime green, grows 4-5’

Quick Fire – White blooms turn fiery red , grows 6-8’

Seaside Bar Harbor – Similar to Annabelle but more compact, grows 4’

Seaside Cape May – Large lacecap blooms in blue/pink, grows 3’

Strawberry Shake- Large blooms white turning pink, grows 4-5’

Spireas:  (Multiple new varieties- here are some of the ones we carry)

Birchleaf: A smaller version of the old fashioned “Bridal Wreath”, blue green foliage which resembles eucalyptus leaves, grows 3-4’

Dakota Goldcharm: Dwarf, compact, gold leaves, pink blooms, grows 2-3’

Pink Sparkler First Edition: Deep green with pink blooms, Grows 3’

 Weigelas (Multiple new varieties – here are some of the ones we carry)

Dark Horse: Burgundy/bronze leaves with pink blooms, grows 3’

Rainbow Sensation First Edition: Variegated leaves, pink blooms, grows 3-4’

Wine and Roses: Deep burgundy foliage, pink flowers, grows 4-5’ 

WHAT’S NEW FOR TREES

What’s NEW for Trees

The number of new varieties of plants coming on the market is literally exploding!! We struggle to keep up with all of the new options. Growers are propagating new varieties of old favorites that are now more disease resistant, less finicky about watering, grow faster, bloom longer, have more vibrant colors, and are dwarf versions of the parent plants.

At Natural Plus we carry a large collection of some of these newer varieties, as well as the “old favorites”.  Here are a few of the newer varieties that might interest you:

 Shade/Larger Trees:

Elms – Elms are back! The elms that survived Dutch Elm Disease have now been propagated and are resistant to Dutch Elm Disease. Elms have a beautiful upright vase shape and would add a nice option to your yard.

Maples– Some maples are selected for fast growth, some for vibrant fall colors, etc. Many of these have now been crossed and have both characteristics. Some newer varieties of maples include:

Autumn Blaze: A cross between a silver and red maple. Upright growth. Vibrant red fall color. Fast growing but not as sturdy as hard maples.

Brandywine: A cross between October Glory and Autumn Flame. A small seedless maple (25’). Outstanding fall color from red to red/purple.

Burgundy Belle: Oval shape. Grows to 45’. Fall color brilliant red changing to intense burgundy.

Fall Fiesta Sugar Maple: Leathery green leaves, resistant to sun scald and frost cracks. 50-75’. Fall color oranges and reds.

Red Sunset:  2000 Tree of the Year, A Rubrum Maple, upright, brilliant red fall color, grows 50’

Magnolias – We are offering some varieties this spring that are hardy for our zone:

Royal Star: Small tree 10-15’, Small white fragrant blooms spring

Gold Star: Grows 20-30’, Light yellow flowers spring

Sunburst: Grows 30’, Lemon yellow flowers spring

Crab trees add spring color to your landscape

Smaller/Dwarf Trees:

 For people with small spaces, there is now a wider selection of dwarf trees.

Crabs are now resistant to Cedar Apple Rust (which caused the trees to lose their leaves mid-summer). The apples are very small and will be cleaned by birds.  Some newer selections of crabs include :

Camelot: A very small crab with blossoms changing from red buds to pink to white, very small berries, grows 10’

Prairie Fire: One of the deepest pink/red blooms, small berries, 15-20’

Royal Raindrops: Burgandy red foliage with deep pink blossoms, grows 20’

 Tree Hydrangeas : These are basically a hydrangea bush on a stem and grow only 8-12’ tall! We carry several varieties including:

Limelight: Lime green/white large blooms in summer, grows 8’

Quick Fire: Large white blooms turning deep pink/red, grows 6-8’

Vanilla Strawberry: Large white blooms turning pink, grows 6-8’

Tree Lilacs: These are basically a Dwarf Korean Lilac or a Miss Kim Lilac on a stem. These will bloom in early June and the fragrance will fill your entire yard.  Grow 5-6’.

Read more about what we recommend for SPRING FLOWERING TREES.  

Pruning Evergreens and Boxwoods

Pruning evergreens and Boxwoods

I hope you have enjoyed some of our other articles on pruning (click the title below to view the other articles!)

• Pruning Leafy Shrubs

• 4 Reasons to Prune Your Plants

Today’s topic is all about pruning your evergreens (shrubs and trees) and your boxwoods.

Evergreen shrubs and Boxwoods

A few of the varieties of evergreen shrubs require little or no pruning.

Some of these include Hetz Midget and Danica Arborvitae, Blue Star Junipers, and Dwarf Japanese Garden Junipers.

Most other evergreen shrubs will benefit from trimming. These would include plants such as Boxwoods, Yews, Mint Julep Junipers, Mugo Pines, upright evergreens, and many others. 

Generally trim once or twice a year in early spring and/or in early fall. Trim just to shape the plant. Do not do extreme pruning.

If evergreen plants have become very overgrown, you may have to trim severely to get them back in to a good shape. However, they may not look good for a season or two. Avoid this problem by trimming once or twice a year.

Evergreen Trees

Young evergreen trees can be trimmed to help shape them. Trimming will also cause them to be more full and dense.

Check the leader (top branch ) of the tree. If there are 2 main leaders, trim out the weakest of the 2. This will allow 1 strong leader to take over.

Generally the best time to trim evergreen trees is just after the new growth, or the “candle” has emerged (usually early June). Trim off about ½ of each candle. You may also trim as needed to shape the tree.