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

A Better Boxwood

When it comes to determining if you have a better plant, it is essential that you know and understand the plants that are currently available. New plants must be trialed and compared in side by side tests with the best varieties to know what you have. If you can’t beat the best, then you better keep breeding until you get it right.

This side by side comparison of boxwood is a great example of the power of trialing plants. I’ve been growing and trialing North Star boxwood for over five years. When we first got the plant from its originator Gary Katerberg I was skeptical that his plant could rival the best boxwood varieties available. In fact, I did not give it much of any chance of being introduced. But when we had it in a test bed with twenty other varieties of boxwood, it preformed so well, the results could not be ignored. When you see it side by side with Green Velvet, the number one variety on the market, you can clearly see that it is a better plant. Even during winters with temperatures as low as minus 15 degrees, North Star boxwood shined; the winter and the spring foliage color was so much darker. While Green Velvet turned a pale pea green, North Star boxwood remained very dark. Additionally the plant is very compact, with dense growth, yet at the same time it grows faster than other popular varieties.

Clearly “Seeing is Believing,” and side by side trialing is the only way to find out if a plant is truly better or not. North Star boxwood has passed the test.