Posts Tagged ‘Butterfly Lovers’

Marmalade Coneflower grows up to 30" tall and combines well with Ornamental Grasses, Butterfly Bush and so much more!

Coneflowers are one of the best garden plants.  They tolerate heat, wind, humidity, drought, clay soil, and some shade and come in an array of colors, heights, flower forms. It is really difficult to choose because they are so beautiful.   (ok – I’ll  take three of each just because I can’t make up my mind).

Echinacea Marmalade really caught my attention this past year.  It’s no wonder since it’s from breeder Arie Bloom (Plants Nouveau). Arie has been bringing  us so many amazing, mostly double flowering coneflowers such as Hot Papaya, Pink Double Delight, Coconut Lime, and Marmalade to name a few.

There are a few things I noticed about Marmalade Coneflower this past year and why it is such a  jammin great plant.

1 – Double the Color=Double the Fragrance

Beautifully formed 4” flowers each containing 150 vibrant orange petals. Blooms will range from a oh-so-pretty deep

150 FRAGRANT petals that make great cut flower bouquets

orange to a peachy buff color.  Double flowering forms means double the fragrance in your garden!  Plus Coneflowers make for a great cut flower!

2 – Longest Coneflower to Bloom

Marmalade was in full bloom in Mid-June.  In Michigan, Coneflowers don’t even start blooming in July and still in full bloom in September with any cutting back or deadheading!

3 – Lax Attitude

Coneflowers can vary in habit from upright to varying degrees of lax, more open habit.  The later, like Marmalade makes for a fuller plant while providing cozy company when nestled in between two taller plants  (such as Butterfly Bush and Pennisetum Karley Rose).

4 – Lasting Color

Deep orange blooms ages to a long lasting buff color.  Other coneflowers turn black immediately after the flower fades,

Marmalade has transitioned to a soft, buff color and still going strong in late September in Michigan

but not Marmalade. This coneflower will give you long lasting garden performance late in the season before turning dark.

5 – Highest Coneflower Rating

Every year, Great Garden Plants donate new plants to Chicago Botanical Gardens for their Plant Trials.   We were very pleased to hear from Richard Hawke, Plant Evaluation Manager that amidst hundreds of Coneflowers in their evaluation, this was his favorite Coneflower in 2011 for exceptional display and performance.

Add this charming Coneflower to your perennial garden this year, if you haven’t done so already.

Where to Buy Echinacea Marmalade

Tips on Growing Coneflowers

Rozanne Geranium is a terrific groundcover that will weave in between and around other plants

What apps are to computers, Geranium Rozanne is to the perennial  garden– functional, fulfilling and a fast growing groundcover I can’t live without.

I’ve grown tons of varieties of hardy geraniums over the years – some really terrific ones, but like an app, Geranium Rozanne just does something more for me in the landscape that no other geranium does equally as well.

Meandering Spirit – Spreading clumps fill in fast and weave here and there but never overly  ambitious or that would require extra work on my part.   I like to plant it where it can meander around spiked  or small shrubs  shrubs (I’m going to try it beneath Barberry Gold Pillar this year )

Carefree Color – Five-petaled saucer-shape blue flowers boast  blue-lavender blooms for over 12 weeks  and it doesn’t need to be deadheaded to continue blooming!  Rozanne geranium defies the early fall frost here in Zone 5 and just keeps blooming –  something you don’t see in most hardy geraniums. The foliage takes on a reddish tinge  in the fall, so there is even something more to enjoy!

Heat Tolerance – This award winning sun perennial groundcover is HIGHLY Heat Tolerant  – not something hardy geraniums are known for.

What it Loves – Rozanne Geranium thrives in a moist, moderately fertile, well drained soil in full sun to light shade.

Garden Staple – Rozanne Geranium works so well in lots of settings. It combines beautifully with another colorful, carefree and heat tolerant groundcover – Coreopsis Creme Brule!  This groundcover is to perennial gardening  like khaki

Rozanne Geranium & Creme Brule Coreopsis pair well as heat tolerant groundcovers

pants & blue denim are to weekend summer wear.

Flower power, ease of growing, fast growing habit and tons of combination possibilities make Geranium Rozanne my all-time favorite sun loving perennial groundcover.  Its’ like having a great app!

CLICK HERE for more info

Keep people on defined pathways and let the butterflies do the greeting!

If you want to prevent people from walking through your landscape and/or keep them on a defined pathway  you want a low growing hedge plant like Buddleia Blue Chip.

Blue Chip Buddleia is a hedge plant with a non-hedge look with its long flowering blooms that start in mid-summer and last well into fall with no need to deadhead or prune.

Buddleia Blue Chip is a compact deciduous shrub that grows about 30” tall by 24” wide with fragrant re blooming blue flowers that beckon butterflies & hummingbirds. This cold hardy flowering shrub is a new miniature butterfly bush that works well in a narrow spot.

This planting is near the office  entry at Spring Meadow Nursery.  How nice it must be walking to and from work and being greeted by hordes of butterflies!

Benefits of  Blue Chip (Lo & Behold) Buddleia:

• Create a  hedge plant barrier that prevents people from walking through your landscape
• Highly versatile flowering shrub
• Tolerant of road salts
• Highly deer proof
• Drought tolerant once established
• Easy Care
• Cold hardy to Zone 5

Butterflies swarm to the enticing fragrance of Buddleia

Whether your are defining a pathway, screening out undesirable views, it is hard to beat the overall beauty and  one time investment of easy to grow Buddleia Blue Chip

What a great way to great summer guests and keep them on a defined pathway to your office or your home.

See a VIDEO

Where to buy

Gaillardia Fanfare

Good gardening practices are sometimes difficult for the gardener.  Last summer I planted a variety of Gaillardia.  Now, I’ve learned from working with Mary and Chris, that the way to get the best results from your plants takes patience.  You should start by  preparing the ground, mix in some organic matter (either peat moss or compost) dig a big hole add some Osmocote fertilizer and make sure the plants are well watered.  If you want to achieve quicker branching and healthier plants you should also keep them trimmed.  That is the part that is tough for me.  I want the flowers!

Burgundy Gaillardia keeps going on for weeks even in the worst heat!

Well, last summer I planted my Gaillardia in July, after we bought our house, and I lectured myself into trimming the plants.  While it hurt me to trim off new buds and keep the plants fairly short (about 8-10 inches tall) I knew that by doing so the Gaillardia would branch out and I would have many more beautiful red and yellow blooms next summer and for many summers to come.  And it worked.  By the end of September each of my plants had about 6-9 blooms at a time.   I am not a patient person when it comes to flowers or my husband putting dishes in the dishwasher, but this was definitely worth the wait.  I can’t wait to see them this summer!

Drought Tolerant Gaillardia blooms for 5+ months!