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A Bread-&-Butter Garden Gem (Panicum)

A Bread-&-Butter Garden Gem (Panicum)

Posted by John Friel on May 5th 2021

Panicum (Switch grass)Indigenous American grasses aren’t just for native plant enthusiasts. Tough and carefree, clump-forming, warm-season “switch grass” is perfectly at home in any sunny landscape. Its surprisingly formal-looking upright habit works in masses, or as specimens punctuating the perennial border. Panicum virgatum Ruby Ribbons™ (‘RR1’) PP17944Bred at the University of Connecticut, Ruby Ribbons™ comes by its good looks honestly. One of its parents is the best-selling ‘He
Get connected! Miscanthus Bandwidth™

Get connected! Miscanthus Bandwidth™

Posted by John Friel on Apr 30th 2021

Miscanthus Bandwidth™ Will Bandwidth™ magically endow the border with wifi? Probably not, but the broad bands of gold on its stiff, upright blades guarantee great garden and retail reception. And it’s infertile -- functionally sterile – so you won’t need to block any pesky pop-ups.No other grass crams more gold bars into such a small space. Rising just 3’ at maturity, the rich green foliage is heavily cross-hatched for a dazzling sunlit display. It’s the perfect hotspot for
CRITTERS IN THE GARDEN! Reality, Botany and Mythology (Echinacea)

CRITTERS IN THE GARDEN! Reality, Botany and Mythology (Echinacea)

Posted by John Friel on Apr 6th 2021

Echinacea purpurea and hybridsOf all the native plants that have gone from America’s prairies to the world’s gardens, few have a history to rival that of the purple coneflower.For many years gardeners had two choices: Pinky-purple, and Not-quite-white. Then came 2002, when breeder Jim Ault of Chicago introduced the first orange and yellow hybrids. That was the genus’s Big Bang, and like the universe, it’s still expanding.Now, you can have your “purple” coneflowers in myriad hues, solids and bi c
BLOOMS IN THE BOTTLE: Part 2 (Ornamental Grasses)

BLOOMS IN THE BOTTLE: Part 2 (Ornamental Grasses)

Posted by John Friel on Mar 26th 2021

Talk about intoxicating beauty! Spirits and flowers go together like, well, like wine and roses. Here’s a round of some of our favorite ornamental grasses. All share their names with fancy adult beverages. Miscanthus sinensis var. condensatus ‘Cosmopolitan’The Plant:Beautiful broad blades with longitudinal striping. Creamy white margins surround rich green centers. This is an impressive specimen, reaching up to nine feet in flower. Hardy in Zones 5 – 10.The Beverage:Every bar and bistro has its
Where in the World Did We Get This Plant? Catmint Comrade?

Where in the World Did We Get This Plant? Catmint Comrade?

Posted by John Friel on Mar 10th 2021

Geography Lessons in the GardenA good mixed perennial garden can be a trip around the world – or at least across a continent or two. Today’s tour involves a plant whose name sounds deceptively like a land it did NOT come from. Nepeta kubanica Neptune (‘Bokratune’ PP29556)Is that a funky way to spell Cuba, land of cigars and Castro? Nyet! The specific epithet refers to “big-leaf catmint’s” ancestral home on the Kuban Peninsula in Southern Russia, on the Black Sea. This particular beauty was bred

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