It's mid-February, and the magnolias are starting to bloom in Alabama. It's hard to believe but spring is coming soon. The days are getting longer and the nursery catalogs are arriving so now is when people start thinking about what to add to their garden.
If you are a professional landscape designer, you should be thinking about adding at least one new plant to your pallet. If you are a nurseryman, you should be thinking of even more. Just like iPhones and software, plants are always improving.
On average, we introduce about 30 new woody plants a year. This is not set in stone; it just happens that we either found or developed that many when looking at thousands of trial plants. Today I'm going to introduce you to four excellent landscape plants. Let's get to it.
GLOW STICK™ and GLOW BALL™ Ilex crenata
Glow Stick™ holly is a plant that adds both color and architecture to the garden. Like all Japanese holly, it does best in well-drained and slightly acidic soil. It can take full sun or partial shade, but you get the brightest color in full sun and it does not burn or scorch. What I love about his plant is that you never have to prune it. Growers do not need to space it. It adds season-long interest to the garden and contrasts nicely with mounded and horizontal plants. Hardy to zone 5b, it is perfect for small gardens, narrow beds, and in decorative containers.
Glow Ball™ holly will also brighten up your landscape. It has the same cultural requirements but has a rounded habit. Shear it as you want it, into a ball or a low hedge. Again, the more sun you give it, the brighter it gets and there are no worries about scorching.
FIRE BALL SEEDLESS™ Euonymus alatus
This shrub is truly a game changer. Burningbush is one of the toughest and most useful landscape plants, but the species can be invasive. This seedless selection has solved this issue so we can now use it without worry.
It has the fire engine red fall color people love and expect. It gets its best fall color in full sun and is adaptable to most any soil so long as it is not in standing water. It is a workhorse.
KINTZLEY'S GHOST® Lonicera reticulata
The last plant I want to showcase today is Kintzley's Ghost Honeysuckle vine. While this plant is not new, it has been rediscovered and reintroduced to give it the spotlight it deserves.
This wild-looking plant is
actually native to North America. Each season, it begins like any other
honeysuckle, with typical dusty green leaves. As the season progresses, flower
buds pop out like saucers. These rounded bracts look a lot like eucalyptus, but
the flowers at the center feed native pollinators like hummingbirds! They turn
into red berries in the fall, but won’t become a nuisance like other
honeysuckles. Due to its size and interesting seasonal changes, it makes an
incredible specimen.
Hardy from zone 4a to 8b, This easy-to-grow vine is adaptable and carefree. It is deer-resistant and attracts bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.
Come back soon. I will be featuring more new plants to make your landscapes the best they can be.
