We’re off to a great season with warmer weather on the way and great plants to introduce. Our PlantHaven trial gardens are bursting with new growth and fantastic blooms. One of the stellar varieties to look out for is Gaillardia ‘Fanfare Blaze’. This fantastic new introduction has all the standout features of Gaillardia ‘Fanfare’ – unique pinwheel blooms, compact tight habit, and exceptionally long flowering period. It is unsurpassed performance in containers, beds, borders. Zone 5 hardy! Check out our new video feature on ‘Fanfare Blaze’ hot off the camera from the PH Trial Gardens. |
Gaillardia 'Fanfare Blaze' |
Geum Totally Tangerine (‘Tim`s Tangerine’) has been selected as a Plant Of Merit for April at the University of Georgia in Athens. Jeanette, who is the Plant Project Manager at PlantHaven for this crop says: "The gardens at UGA have many plants, so for a plant to be selected as a Plant of Merit is a great endorsement."
Totally Tangerine is totally sterile, blooming from early summer through the heat of summer. Sources claim that this plant produces 5 times the number of flowers as a typical Geum! The deep green, fuzzy foliage forms a compact mound which measures about 14” tall. In full bloom, the plant makes a superb specimen flowering at a whopping 30” tall. The bright tangerine orange flowers make an outstanding color statement in the garden. |
Geum Totally Tangerine
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Erysimum Fragrant Star was indeed a standout “star” at Spring Trials this year. This shining star glows with highly scented, bright yellow blossoms and vibrates with radiant, variegated green and yellow foliage. With a very compact and bushy form, it's a beacon in any garden. Flowers are sterile, producing a long bloom season. Fragrant Star, along with its companion Erysimum Fragrant Sunshine, is versatile when planted in beds, borders, rock gardens and containers. Erysimum is a great cool season crop for early color and fragrance. It can be planted in late fall and winter in a cool (45–50º F) greenhouse for very early sales, or planted directly outside once danger of heavy frost is past in spring. See the video. |
Erysimum Fragrant Star
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One of the special delights in the spring is to glimpse hummingbirds in the garden. Hummingbirds are the smallest of all birds. Because a hummingbird can rotate its wings in a circle, they are the only bird that can fly forwards, backwards, up, down, sideways and hover in mid air.
Hummingbirds can beat their wings up to 80 times a second during normal flight and up to 200 times per second during a courtship dive when they can reach speeds up to 60 miles per hour. A hummingbird has a heart rate that can reach up to 1,260 beats per minute.
During migration, some hummingbirds make a non-stop 500 mile flight over the Gulf of Mexico. Some species annually migrate as much as 3,000 miles each way.
Hummingbirds have no sense of smell but are drawn to drink the sweet nectar inside certain flowers. They may appear tiny and delicate: the average hummer weighs only about 1/10 ounce, yet they are hardy and resilient. Percentage wise, the hummingbird has the largest brain of all birds (4.2% of its total body weight).
A list of PlantHaven varieties that are sure to draw hummingbirds are: Lucky Lantern Abutilons, Agastache ‘Heatwave’, Ajuga ‘Black Scallop’, Canna ‘Chocolate Sunrise’, Dahlia “Mystic” Series, Echinacea ‘Elton Knight ’, Gaura ‘Passionate Rainbow’ and ‘Passionate Rainbow Petite’, Hosta ‘Liberty’, Kniphofia ‘Peachy Cheeks’, Penstemon ‘Lilliput Rose’, Phlox ‘Cotton Candy’, Physostegia ‘Miss Manners’, Salvia ‘Ultra Violet’ and ‘Wendy’s Wish’, Sedum ‘Elsie’s Gold’, Solidago ‘Little Lemon’, Verbena ‘Little One’, and Yucca ‘Bright Star’.
Visit our website at http://www.planthaven.com to learn more about these varieties.
Until next month have a wonderful May.
Kind regards
Geoff, Maureen & The PlantHaven Team |
Colorful hummingbird
Abutilon 'Lucky Lantern Tangerine'
Gaura 'Passionate Rainbow Petite'
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