Showing posts with label Abelia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Abelia. Show all posts

Award Winning New Plants at Plantarium

Every year plant breeders from around the world bring their best new plants to the Plantarium in the Netherlands. The best of the best win either bronze, silver or gold medals. With over 150 new plants being introduced, winning an award is very difficult so even those plants that receive a bronze medal are very fortunate. Here are a few of the best new plants of 2014-2015. What's your favorite?


The yellow flowered Sunny Anniversary wins a silver medal



Denny Werner's Buddleia Lo & Behold Pink Micro Chip wins a silver


Caluna 'Silvia' wins a bronze


Campsus Orangeade wins a bronze


Campsus Summer Jazz Fire wins gold

Echinacea lMooodz Shiny wins a bronze


Helenium Fuego wins a bronze


Hydrangea Miss Saori wins a bronze


Nepeta Purssian Blue wins a bronze



Tiny Wine dwarf Physocarpus wins a silver medal



Lemony Lace Sambucus wins a bronze medal to go along with it's two Far-West awards 



Bert Verhoef's All Summer Red Weigela wins a silver

New Plant pics: Holland 2012

Here is a quick pictorial of some of the new plants that I ran across on my last trip to the Netherlands. We saw some pretty cool plants. What do you like? 

Fairy Dance Abelia a dwarf with lots of flowers

 Flutterby Pink Buddleia - A new Butterfly Bush

Ivory Buzz Buddleia

Lo & Behold Lilac Chip Buddleia wins the best plant award

Denny Werner's Lo & Behold Ice Chip also won an award

Cercis Ruby Falls, a Denny Werner plant, wins a medal 

Calluna vulgaris (heather) Notre Dame

Blue Bunny - Carex laxiculmis 'Hobb'  - An American variety from Robert Head

Clematis Princess Kate

Clematis Fond Memories

Cornus kousa 'Summer Gold'

Euphorbia amygdaloides 'Frosted Flame'

A trio of colorful Hebes

Hydrangea a. petiolaris 'Silver Lining'

Heuchera 'Circus'

Flair and Flavours Hydrangea is called Tuff Stuff in North America

The flower color can be changed to purple-blue with Aluminum Sulfate

Tuff Stuff Hydrangea wins a Gold Medal

Incrediball Hydrangea and Jane's Hand on a truck

Hypericum nodorum Magical Triumph 

Mr. H.J.M. Kuijf with his new variety Happy Face Pink Paradise Potentilla 

Happy Face Pink Paradise Potentilla 

I didn't have to travel far to find these new plants



You don't have to get on a plane and travel to an exotic location to find great new plants. Here in West Michigan we are blessed with many fine nurseries that develop or introduce new plants. The relatively mild climate, an abundance of water and our Dutch heritage have all contributed to the local nursery industry.

Walters Gardens, which is located about 20 minutes south, in Zeeland, Michigan, has a long history of introducing new perennials. Walters is introducing some 30 new plants under the Proven Winners brand in 2012. Here are some of my favorites.     

DECADENCE™ ‘Blueberry Sundae’

Baptisia is one of my favorite perennials. It is adaptable, easy to grow and once established quite drought tolerant. The Decadence series brings us an array of vibrant colors, attractive blue-green foliage and a more compact plant that is better suited for the garden.

  • Spikes of deep indigo blue blooms provide superior floral display from late spring to early summer
  • Blue-green foliage forms a more compact, uprightmound with excellent branching
  • Low maintenance and drought-tolerant
  • Vigorous grower
  • Zones 4-9
  • 36" height; 30-36" spread
  • Part to full sun
DECADENCE™ ‘Cherries Jubilee’

  • Unique flower color features deep maroon buds that open to bicolor maroon and yellow blooms
  • Secondary branching on the flower stems makesthis variety especially floriferous
  • Superior floral display from late spring to early summer
  • Well-branched stems form a bushy, upright spreading mound of foliage that is relatively short for Baptisia
  • Zones 4-9
  • 30-36" height; 36" spread
  • Part to full sun
DECADENCE™ ‘Dutch Chocolate’

  • Rich velvety chocolate-purple blooms on upright stems provide superior floral display from late springto early summer
  • Foliage remains densely compact as the plant matures, making it ideal for smaller urban gardens
  • Leaves start lower on the stems, covering the base of the plant better than other Baptisias
  • Low maintenance and drought-tolerant
  • Zones 4-9
  • 30-36" height; 24" spread
  • Part to full sun
DECADENCE™ ‘Lemon Meringue’

  • Spikes of lemon-yellow blooms provide superior floral display from late spring to early summer
  • Forms an upright, vase-shaped mound of attractive blue-green foliage
  • Long, charcoal-colored stems offer a stunning contrast to the lemon flowers
  • Vigorous grower
  • Zones 4-9
  • 36" height; 36" spread
  • Part to full sun

Hosta ‘Empress Wu’

I'm crazy about plants with bold foliage and Hosta Empress Wu is in my mind a most have perennial. Weeds don't stand a chance against this large leafed beauty.

  • Huge, thick, dark green, deeply veined leaves can measure 18" wide and long
  • Strong, upright habit forms a massive clump topped with pale reddish-violet flowers in early to midsummer
  • Zones 3-9
  • 3-4' height; 5-6' spread
  • Part to full shade
‘Autumn Frost’

Don't you just love the foliage on this plant. Autumn Frost is a bold plant that offers gardeners season long color. 

  • Leaves emerge frosty blue with a bright yellow, extra wide margin that lightens to creamy white during the summer
  • Forms a medium-sized mound topped with light lavender flowers in mid to late summer
  • Zones 3-9
  • 12" height; 24" spread
  • Part to full shade
Wedding Ring Boxwood

Wedding Ring boxwood comes from a small nursery down the road in Spring Lake, Michigan. There are other variegated boxwood out there but none are as hardy and attractive as this compact boxwood. Its rich glossy green foliage has a lime margin that matures to gold as summer progresses. It holds its color well in summer and winter. This is an excellent addition to formal gardens, or as a year-round accent plant in any home landscape.

  • Huge, thick, dark green, deeply veined leaves can measure 18" wide and long
  • Strong, upright habit forms a massive clump topped with pale reddish-violet flowers in early to midsummer
  • Zones 5-9
  • 1-3' height; 2-3' spread
  • Part sun to shade
North Star Boxwood

This cold hardy boxwood comes from the same nursery as Wedding Ring. It is a dense globe that requires little if any pruning to form a low, dense, thick hedge. Shiny dark green leaves maintain good winter color. Use NORTH STAR™ as a low-growing hedge, or even to create the borders of a formal herb garden. It’s a beautiful evergreen that will provide four seasons of enjoyment in the landscape. Plus deer won't eat it!

  • Dark green foliage remains attractive though the winter
  • Extra hardy and dense growth habit
  • Zones 5-9
  • 2-3' height; 2-3' spread
  • Full sun to part shade
Pinky Bells Abelia

This flowering shrub originates even closer to home as it is a plant that I hybridized here at Spring Meadow Nursery. It is a cross between Abelia Bumblebee and Abelia Little Richard. This resulted in a compact plant with the largest flowers I've ever seen on Abelia. The flower buds are purple and open to a purplish-pink. 

    • Big, colorful flowers mid-summer to fall. Attractive reddish new growth.
    • Extra strong root system and dense growth habit
    • Zones 6-9
    • 1-3' height; 2-3' spread
    • Full sun to part shad


Discovered a New Plant?

Discovering and introducing new plants is not just for professional plant breeders. There have been some really great plants introduced by amateur plants-people. Perhaps the most famous or most successful amateur was Kathleen Meserve of Long Island, New York that developed that Blue Holly by crossing the hardy, low growing Ilex rugosa with the Ilex aquifolium the English Holly.

More recent examples of good new plants introduced by amateurs include Ruby Anniversary Abelia (A. chinensis 'Keiser'). This is a plant that was selected by Susan Keiser of Ossining, New York. Ms Keiser, while not a regular plant breeder, does know a thing or two about plants. She owns and operated Greystone Gardens, a design company that creates high end specialty gardens. One her most famous designs is a terrace garden on third floor of the 10 Rockefeller Plaza. Building rooftop gardens requires an in depth knowledge of plants, so Ms. Keiser is continually testing and evaluating new plants. She selected Ruby Anniversary out a group of seed propagated Chinese Abelia plants in her garden. She noticed that one plant was very different from the rest, as it was fuller in habit and the foliage was much darker than was typical of the species. The new growth also had attractive burgundy coloration. She know she had found a very special plant. Ruby Anniversary Abelia has some other advantages too as it is hardier than Abelia x grandiflora and the flowers are fragrant. It is adored by butterflies!




Bronze Anniversary Abelia is another plant introduced by an amateur. This plant was the the result of a discovered sport mutation on Abelia x grandiflora by Rika Bronsther of Hempstead, Long Island. Ms Bronsther also know a bit about plants. While she is currently employed as a graphic designer, she previously owned and operated a landscape design and build company. She has a great eye for plants and especially sports, or mutations. She is alway on the look out for sports and variegations, or unique seedlings. Ms. Bronsther has introduced a number of outstanding plants including Anemone 'Party Dress' and the Autumn Crescendo Series of Dendrathema (hardy mum).




Bronze Anniversary was selected from a number of yellow leafed sports found by Bronsther. After comparing it her other sports, as well as, the other yellow leafed Abelia cultivar the plant was selected because it had attractive orange coloration on the new growth. It was also the strongest grower, the most floriferous and did not revert as did the other selections. The plant also has a good strong root system compared to many cultivars that do not and thus cause production problems.



Sugar Tip Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus 'America Irene Scott') was discovered by Sharon Gerlt of Independence, Missouri as sport mutation on a plant growing in her yard. While I get about 4-5 people a year offering me variegated forms of Rose of Sharon, none have been as nice as this plant. Sugar Tip Hibiscus has very attractive, stable variegation. Unlike Hibiscus syriacus 'Pupureus Variegatus' the flower actually open. And unlike other selections I've seen, this plants is easy to grow and has very consistent variegation that's very pleasing to the eye. The soft pink flowers go well with the foliage. This variety is seedless so there is no issue with unwanted seedlings in the garden. In addition, the growth habit is compact and refined.    







Have you discovered a new plant that you think has commercial value. Send me an email at tim@springmeadownursery and I will let you know if your plant is worthy of introduction, how new plants are launched and if the plant is good, earn royalty income on each plant sold. 












Reblooming Shrubs- Part III

This the my last installment in the Reblooming shrub series. Cearly there are plenty of shrubs that bloom for a long period of time. I'm sure I left something out so please feel free to comment and share your favorite rebloomers.
Abelia x grandiflora is a superb rebloomer if you live in zone 6 or a warmer climate. Hummers and butterlies will visit the plant providing added enjoyment. This selection is called Bronze Anniversary. Its leaves emerage an attractive bronze-orange color then age to lime-green.

While most all Buddleia are reblooming if you dead head them Lo & Behold 'Blue Chip' starts blooming early and continues without having to deadhead. Additionally this selection non-invasive and is the only available cultivar that can be sold in Oregon.



Daphne transatlantica (D. caucasica) is a favorite of mine. It has small, fragrant, white flowers that start in April and can continue sporadically right up into fall.. It a small shrub about 3-4 feet tall and is one of the easiest daphnes to grow. I took this photo in the fall at the Arnold Arboretum in Boston.

One of you commented about Kerria japonica. You're right - it is a good reblooming shrub. It's a great shrub for the shade or semi-shade. This cultivar is called 'Alba' which is not white as the name would indicated but rather a butter yellow as opposed to the typical bright gold. It's hard to find but worth growing. I like it!