Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Skillin's Perennial Additions for 2010! A-D

Hello again!

Following is a list of Skillin's perennial plant additions for 2010. This list is compiled by Becky and Elaine from our Skillin's production facility. It is a long list but it makes for some practical and interesting reading! I will add some of my own comments (in black italics) to some individual plants as we go along but what follows is a good plant by plant description of what will be new in Skillin's perennial yard in 2010!

ALKANETBrunnera

Variegata’ 12”-15” tall. Green leaves with a irregular white edge. Cluster of ‘forget-me-not’ flowers blooms in late spring and early summer. Needs shade and adequate moisture or will get leaf scorch.

Deer resistant. Blooms late summer-early summer. Zones 3-8. Love the brunnera, it is known as the perennial forget me not. The white edge will surely be a nice touch!

ARKANSAS BLUE STARAmsonia

‘Blue Ice’ 12”-16” tall. A more compact form of Amsonia. Buds are a dark blue and open to star shaped, periwinkle colored flowers. Flower are larger than tabernaemontana. Willowy foliage turns yellow in fall.
Forms a compact mass like a small shrub. Deer resistant. Sun to part shade. Zones 3-9. I have the taller Texas Blue Star in my perennial garden and it is gorgeous. It is one of my longer lasting perennials--I think it has been in my garden for about 15 years so it is VERY hardy. The yellow fall foliage color is quite attractive--I recommend both plants!

ASTERAster

‘Alert’ 12”-15” tall. Dense clusters of purple-red flowers. Blooms late summer to mid-fall. N. American Native. Zones 3-8.

‘First Snow’ 18”-24” tall. Dense and spreading up to 40”. Profuse blooms of small white flowers in late summer and fall. Looks wonderful sprawling over walls or mixed with evergreen shrubs. Prefers poor to average soils and is mildew resistant. Zones 3-9.

BARRENWORTEpimedium

‘Merlin’ 10” tall. Flowers are spurless and dusky violet and white in color. Will tolerate dry shade. Part sun to shade. Zones 4-8.

BELLFLOWERCampanula

‘Pantaloons’ 28” tall. Dangling bell-shaped flowers that consist of a flower-within-a-flower. The edges of the petals are frilly with purple spots on the inside. Blooms early summer thru late summer if spent stems are cut back. This plant is a vigorous grower so give it plenty of room. Excellent cut flower. Deer resistant.

Sun to part shade. Zones 5-9.

BELLWORT Uvularia

‘Uvularia grandiflora’ 12”-14” tall. Pendulous, yellow bell-shaped flowers with twisted petals. Arching stems. Native to N. America. Shade to part shade. Zones 4-9.

BITTERROOTLewisia

‘Little Plum’ 6” tall. Purple-pink flower clusters with an orange tint. Deep green leathery leaves from low-growing rosettes. This plant need good drainage and is perfect for rock gardens. Blooms in spring Full sun to part shade. zones 5-7.

BLACKBERRY LILYBelamcanda

chinensis 24-36” tall. 2” star-shaped flowers in shade of yellow to dark orange all with red spots. Sword-shaped foliage similar to German Iris. Blooms late summer. Very attractive seed pods and seed heads. Tan pods open to expose dark purple-black seed heads that persist thru the winter and are great for fresh and dried flower arrangements. Zones 5-10. Full Sun. Attracts butterflies. This looks really, really interesting to me. Zone 5...could be a little tender for some of the interior and northern areas of Skillin's Country. The perennials that interest me most are those that have multi season interest. Late summer blooms, seed heads that persist thru winter make this a great candidate for that multi season look that I like! Great value!

BLACK-EYED SUSANRudbeckia

H. ‘Goldilocks’ 10”-15” tall. Golden orange semi-double to double flowers with brown centers. Blooms summer. Sun to part shade. Zones 5-8. The colors in the Rudbeckia family are always stunning!

H. ‘Maya’ 18”-20” tall. 3”-4” double flowers with green centers. Strong stems. Blooms summer thru fall. Full sun. Zones 5-9.

H. ‘Prairie Sun’ 28”-36” tall. Flowers have gold petals with light yellow tips and green centers. Blooms mid summer to early fall. Sun to part shade. Zones 5-9.

‘Henry Eilers’ 60” tall. A native rudbeckia with light gold flowers that have ‘rolled’ petals that form a tube.Clusters of flowers form on airy well-branched stems. Best in a natural setting or in the back of the border. Deer resistant. Blooms summer. Zones 3-9. I wonder how long this blossoms into late summer or fall? Sounds like a great plant for that time of year! Zone 3 to boot!

‘Viette’s Little Suzy’ 12”-14” tall. A dwarf rudbeckia. Compact plants with yellow daisy-like flowers. Blooms from mid-summer until fall. Deer resistant. Zones 3-9. How cute does this sound!

BLACK GROUNDSELLigularia

Late season bloomers that are both striking AND reliable like the Ligularia family are absolute "Mike Must Haves" in the perennial garden! These 2 look like outstanding additions:

‘Britt-Marie Crawford’ 36”-40” tall. Chocolate-maroon leaves that have a dark purple underside. Flat, daisy-like orange-yellow flowers. Deer resistant. Blooms late summer. Zones 3-9.

‘Przewalskii’ 48-60 inches tall. ‘Large arrowhead-shaped leaves with deeply cut edges. Black stems, tall spikes of bright yellow flowers’ in late summer. Deer resistant. Blooms late summer. Zones 3-9.

BLANKET FLOWERGaillardia

‘Amber Wheels’ 28”-32” tall. Large yellow-gold flowers with fringed petals. Blooms early summer thru early fall if deadheaded. Deer resistant. Zones 3-10. A tall gaillardia--intriguing!

‘Golden Goblin’ 15” tall. Gold colored flowers on compact plants. Blooms summer. Full sun. Zones 3-9.

BLEEDING HEARTDicentra

Spectabilis ‘Gold Heart’ 24”-30” tall. Stunning gold-green foliage with pink heart-shaped flowers.
Plants go dormant in summer. Deer resistant. Blooms in spring. Zones 3-9. The Dicentra clan are great early season plants. Hardy, reliable and great to look at early on!

BUTTERFLY WEEDAsclepias

‘Hello Yellow’- 8”-10” tall. Bright yellow flowers and attractive seed pods. Late to break dormancy. Prefers drier soils that are well drained. Deer resistant. Blooms July-August. Zones 3-7. The Butterfly Weed is one of THE most sought after perennial plants at Skillin's and this should be a wonderful addition!


CARDINAL FLOWERLobelia

Lobelia cardinalis 3’-4’ tall. Bright red flower spikes on upright plants with green lance-like leaves. Will grow in moist locatons. Deer resistant and hummingbirds love it. This plant prefers part shade. Blooms late summer to early fall. Native to the US. Zones 3-9. I am also a "sucker" for anything bright red; the flowering timing on this plant looks just great! We are only into the C's and I can already tell I am going to have to be digging more lawn out for new perennial beds!

CATMINTNepeta

‘Kit Kat’ 18” tall with a spread of 30 “. A dwarf variety of nepeta. Forms a wide dense clump good for rock gardens and ground cover in sunny, dry areas. Flowers are smaller but more numerous and very blue in color. Blooms early to late summer. Deer resistant. Zones 3-8. Nepeta is another popular perennial at Skillin's. Very attractive and so darned hardy. This plant looks very impressive!

CLEMATISClematis

‘Duchess of Edinburgh’ Double white flowers with yellow anthers. Blooms May, June and Sept.

‘Fireworks’ Light blue petals with a red bar down the center. Petals are slightly twisted. Red anthers. Blooms early and late summer.

Kilian Donahue’ Orchid colored petals with center bars that start out ruby red and fade to magenta pink and then pink as they mature. White anthers with burgundy tips. Early bloomer with repeat blooming throughout the summer.

‘Silver Moon’ Large silver-mauve flowers 7”-8” wide. Very long bloom time and blooms throughout the summer. Does well in full to partial shade.

‘Westerplatte’ Velvety red flowers with dark red anthers 4”-5” wide. Blooms late June and early fall.

COLUMBINEAquilegia

‘Black Current Ice’ 6”-12” tall. A dwarf Columbine. Flowers have are short spurred with dark purple petals and creamy yellow corollas. Short and compact mounding. Great for rock gardens. Columbine last for years and years because they have a long tap root; so once they are anchored in they are companions for a long time! Because of the long tap root they do not always transplant from one spot to another well so think carefully about where you want to plant them. We sell a few different varieties of columbine and any one of them qualify as a" Mike Must Have" plant.

‘Carol Ann’ 30” tall. Soft pink with very short spurs. Blooms late spring to early summer. Zones 3-9.

CONEFLOWER Echinacea

As a group, coneflowers are my favorite perennials and I will let these descriptions stand for themselves. Yes, more of "Mike Must Have" plants!
‘Bright Star’ 30”-48” tall. Large bright pink to lavender flowers with a burgundy cone. Blooms mid to late summer. Deer resistant. Zones 3-8.

‘Green Jewel’ 20”-24” tall. Green cone surrounded by light green petals. Blooms mid to late summer. Deer resistant. Zones 3-8.

‘Big Sky Summer Sky’30”-36” tall. 5” light orange flowers with a rose halo. Fragrant. Blooms mid to late summer. Sun to part shade. Zones 4-8.

CORAL BELLSHeuchera

You plant the Heuchera because of the leaves; the foliage is usually very attractive and gives interest for the entire season. Heuchera are hardy as can be and yes, are included in Mike's Must Haves!

‘Frosted Violet’ 20” tall. New leaves are a deep maroon-purple and mature to a plum purple with dark veining. Pink flowers. Compact habit. Deer resistant. Blooms early to mid summer.

‘Hollywood’ 8” tall. Purple leaves have a white cast and a slightly ruffled. Coral-red flowers. Long bloom time from late spring thru mid summer. Deer resistant.

CRANESBILLGeranium

The Cranesbill or perennial geraniums are long-time bloomers over the summer. Mike's Must Have!

‘Dragon Heart’ 24” tall. Flowers are 2” wide, magenta with dark veining and black centers. Clump forming with spreading stems. Blooms early to late summer. Deer resistant. Zones 5-8.

‘Jolly Bee’ 20”-24” tall. Cupped blue flowers with white centers. Heavily flowering. ‘Similar to ‘Rozanne’ but with a more upright growth habit’. Long blooming. Deer resistant. Blooms summer. Zones 4-8.

CUSHION SPURGEEuphorbia

‘Bonfire’ 18” tall. Leaves are a combination of purple, red and orange. Bracts are bright yellow in spring. Mounding habit. Blooms in spring. Deer resistant. Sun to part shade. Zones 5-9.

‘First Blush’ 12” tall. Leaves are light green with cream margins which are tinged with pink from spring into summer. Yellow bracts in spring. Forms low mounds. Blooms in spring. Deer resistant. Sun to part shade. Zones 4-7.

DAYLILY Hemerocallis

Hemerocallis--obviously a staple of Mike's Must Have--are so stunning in their flowering (typically mid July to early August) and so reliable in their hardiness! I love them too because their canopy of foliage shades the ground under them so as to really cut back on the weeds. Don't laugh--it's true!

Yellow Varieties

‘Big Smile’ – 24” tall. Large 7” flowers. Bright lemon yellow flowers. Petals are ruffled with a pink blush edge. Blooms mid-summer. May re-bloom.

‘Going Bananas’ 19’-22’. An improvement over ‘Happy Returns’. Larger flowers bloom continuously from early summer thru early fall. Flowers are canary yellow with recurved petals and slightly ruffled margins. Heavy bloomer with 10-15 flowers per scape.

‘Irish Envy’ 25” tall. Light yellow flowers 6” wide with a lime green throat. Flowers are fragrant. Petals are recurved with slightly ruffled edges. Flowers may remain open for up to 16 hours. Blooms in early summer. May re-bloom.

Orange Varieties

‘Pumpkin Festival’ 20” tall. Large peachy-orange flowers with a wine colored eye and matching pie crust edge and a god throat. Blooms mid summer.

‘Spellbinder’ 34” tall. Large 6.5” gold-orange flowers. Fragrant. Heavily budded with sturdy scapes.Blooms early to mid-summer. May re-bloom.

Red Varieties

‘Bela Lugosi’ 33” tall. We are bringing this one back because we absolutely love it. It is considered one of the best dark purple daylilies available. 6” dark purple flowers with a bright green throat. Color is incredibly sunfast. Heavily budded and well branched. Blooms mid summer.

‘Jungle Beauty’ 30” tall. Black-red flowers , 5.5” wide with a yellow-green throat. Color is very sunfast. Blooms mid summer.

‘Ruby Stella’ 18” tall. Beautiful ruby-red flowers with a small yellow throat. Flowers are slightly fragrant. Good re-bloomer. Blooms early summer. Re-blooms.

‘Velvet Thunder’ 28” tall. Dark red flowers with a narrow cream edge half way up the slightly ruffled petals. Flowers have a bright green throat and are fragrant. Flowers open in late afternoon and stay open for at least 16 hours. Scapes are heavily budded. Blooms mid summer.

Pink\Peach\Plum Varieties

‘Blueberry Candy’ 22” tall. Ivory colored flowers with a blueberry colored eye and a think blueberry colored picotee edge half way up the petals. Well branched, heavy bloomer. Blooms mid-summer. May re-bloom.

‘Eleonore’ 28” tall. Large 6” flowers. Flowers are lavender-blue with a prominent green throat. Inner petals are slightly ruffled. Blooms early to mid summer. Long bloomer. May re-bloom.

‘Hush Little Baby’ 22” tall. 5” rose-pink flowers with heavily ruffled petals and a yellow-green throat.
Blooms mid to late summer.

‘Inwood’ 25” tall. Pale peachy-cream flowers, 6.5 inches wide with a plum-purple eye and matching picotee edge and yellow-green throat. Scapes are heavily budded. Blooms early to mid-summer. May re-bloom.

Early Bloomers

Daylily ‘Eleonore’

Daylily ‘Going Bananas’

Daylily ‘Inwood’

Daylily ‘Irish Envy’

Daylily ‘Ruby Stella’

Mid Summer Bloomers

Daylily ‘Big Smile’

Daylily ‘Pumpkin Festival’

Daylily ‘Spellbinder’

Daylily ‘Bela Lugosi’

Daylily ‘Jungle Beauty’

Daylily ‘Velvet Thunder’

Daylily ‘Blueberry Candy’

Late Summer Bloomers

Daylily ‘Hush Little Baby’

Possible Re-Bloomers

Daylily ‘Big Smile’

Daylily ‘Blueberry Candy’

Daylily ‘Eleonore’

Daylily ‘Going Bananas’

Daylily ‘Inwood’

Daylily ‘Irish Envy’

Daylily ‘Ruby Stella’

Daylily ‘Spellbinder’

This perennials additions list is only A-D; just email us at skillins@maine.rr.com and we will send you the entire list as a Word Document. Or we will have E-J available here at the Skillin's Garden Log in just a few days!

Mike Skillin
Skillin's Greenhouses
February 16, 2010

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