Blog

Doesn’t ‘Lime Zinger’ sound like a sparkling, citrus-y summer cocktail? Perfect for a tailgate party at the polo match, or poolside? Oh, waiter! Another round of Lime Zingers, please!Well, our version is as succulent as it sounds, but it brings a different kind of sparkle to a sunny setting. ‘Lime Zinger’ is one of our favorites from the famous SunSparkler® series of nifty, hardy, low-growing Sedum.Your customers will love the firm, lime-green leaves with nicely-contrasting cherry-red picotee ed

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

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

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

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