Alstroemeria ligtu

Forget dwarf hybrid Alstroemerias! These tall, graceful seed-grown hybrids are nearer to their wild cousins and dearer to us for their long, tall grey-green stems and wildflower-like grace. They also make some of the showiest, longest lasting and popular cut flowers you can find! They’ve been growing in our parking strip outside the nursery for years, and when they bloom in mid-Spring through Summer they are quite traffic stopping. Elegant, pointed flowers come in a range of colors from almost pure white to deep magenta and orangey red, all with intricate striped markings. They do get tall enough (3’ or so, with a 1’ spread) to topple towards the end of their bloom, but if you plant them under a lower growing shrub to provide support or with a hoop or similar support structure that will keep everything tidy. Remove growth to the ground level after bloom. A. ligtu is long lived, but resents disturbance, so plant it where you want it and try not to move it around too much! It will spread by seeds, though, so remove seed heads if you would prefer not to have extra plants. Great in pots! Rich, well drained soil is best, but not required!

Full Sun/Part Sun. Low/Reg. Water. Perennial.
USDA Zones 9-11

Anchusa tinctoria
“Dyer’s Bugloss”
(syn. Alkanna tinctoria)

A brand new blue for 2008 that’s both useful and beautiful! Roots of this little Bugloss are used to make one of the best and richest botanically derived red dyes (attention knitters!) and the plant is still used today to make some forms of red food coloring. We’ve heard mixed reports from those who say this Mediterranean perennial is impossibly fussy in cultivation, but found that it was a cinch when we made sure we provided adequate drainage. It thrived and put on a marvelous display of gentian flowers all through the Spring on lax stems that trailed along the ground. It grew less than one foot high, but the blooming stems made the plant about 2’ wide. Rich & memorably blue flowers make a pleasing invitation to beneficial insects. Spoon shaped, hairy leaves are semi-evergreen and stay close to the ground. Native to Southern France.

Sun. Avg. water. Perennial.
USDA Zones 5-11

Fuchsia ‘Nettala’

This is easily one of our favorite Fuchsias. The flowers are also uniquely shaped and brightly colored and we’ve found it to be very resistant to those icky mites! ‘Nettala’ can get quite big – without support it becomes a substantial shrub 4-5’ high and about as wide. If it’s planted next to something it can climb through it can get even bigger! You can easily weave the new growth into trellis-work and in frost free years the vivid pink flowers bloom almost continually. Each petal is quilled at the base, so that you can see right up the flower’s “skirt!” Rich soil and part shade is ideal, but slightly more or slightly less exposure is also fine, so long as adequate water is provided. Cut back by half if the plant looks tired and top dress with compost. Hummingbird magnet!!

Part Sun. Reg. Water. Perennial.
USDA Zones 8a-11

Tiarella wherryi

Fragrant spikes of starry white flowers kissed with pink bloom for the first half of Spring on this durable and darling perennial for the shade garden or woodland border. This “Foamflower” from the southeastern States doesn’t run like its relatives, and as such is non-invasive! The maple-like leaves add seasonal interest in the Winter, as well, turning to a lovely bronze in the cold! Evergreen, but can be cut back to the ground when you want to refresh the plant’s growth. 1’ tall and wide when in bloom, shorter the rest or the year. Shade and moisture in well draining soil are preferred. Grows well in pots, too!

Part Sun/Shade. Reg. Water. Perennial.
USDA Zones 3-11