Ordering Plants: Part One

Despite a promise not to go overboard on gardening at my new house...I do have a few plants on order that are just plain necessary for my mental well being. I went to our local $$$ Nursery and saw that while they are stocking lots of things I would like to have, the plant I simply must have was not there.  Which meant that I had to go looking online. Luckily I found a site in Michigan which was full of fabu stuff, on sale, and ready to ship to moi. 

First of these: Baptisia, aka False Indigo, is a plant that I have cultivated since gardening in Illinois, and it never disappoints. I got two varieties, Purple Smoke and Baptisia Australis. I assume they will look exactly alike, but so what? What I love about this plant is that it is tall, bushy and has beautiful foliage and wonderful seed pods after the flowers are gone. And for heaven's sake it is BLUE. I love me some blue in the garden. It stays put, doesn't flop, isn't bothered by bugs, or deer, or rabbits, and has a deep taproot, which means, put it in and leave it alone. A must have plant, as far as I am concerned.

The bed along the north side of our house has been cleared of stuff that had no chance of living, as it is always in shade, which is wonderful news to me. I love shade gardens, because I can grow hosta, another plant that always succeeds, making me feel like a champ. And there are tons of different varieties to choose from, and here is a new one called Sun Power, a bright chartreuse speciment which I can place at the very eastern edge of the shade garden where it will get the most sun. It is likely to get as wide as five feet at maturity, filling that space easily. 

  Sagae Hosta, a vigorous midsize specimen, which will multiply nicely, giving me lots more of itself to fill in the gaps. Gotta love the enthusiasm of a plant like this. 18" tall and 3 feet wide, until it gets too big and has to be divided. My pleasure!

 Another biggie, or gigantic variety is Wu-La-La, a sport of Empress Wu, said to be the biggest hosta ever. I planted two Empress Wu's at the last garden and they did really emerge to be giants. But alas I left them there. Now this sport is slightly different, and more interesting because it has an apple green edge on its blue leaves, so I am glad to have it. At maturity, before I die, I hope, it will reach 4 feet tall and six feet wide. Stand back!

 This cultivar is called Halcyon and is a lovely blue with thick glaucous leaves and an upright habit. All good attributes to keep the leaves off the ground and mulch underneath to discourage slugs. We have slugs here, for sure. I'll place this one next to Sun Power for contrast. Oooh, pretty. It will grow 18 inches tall and 36-42" wide.

 Krossa Regal, which as you can see is upright and proud of itself. As you would be if you were so tall and strong. Its height allows for smaller plants to be placed at its base and I have plans for that too. Stay tuned. 40" high and spreads to 6 feet. I have a big space to fill and each of these hosta will do the trick.

 

Sum and Substance Hosta. Is this photo doctored? It does get this big, but it takes a long time to achieve, so I am not bothered by its dimensions. The color is the best part, a really lush limey green. I've grown this variety in a pot and in the ground and it just kept on living no matter what. Big stalks of white flowers erupt in mid summer. I hope the owner of my last house enjoys it, as the big pot is still there. 

 And lastly, a smaller variety, Loyalist, a bright wide center makes this glow in the shade. It will grab the limelight even tho it is a shortie, but with that varigation, it deserves the attention. I admit to being a hosta nut, but they have served me well in every garden I have had and I expect they will do the same here.  The front porch deck that I am having built (when????) will have planter boxes surrounding it, and I will have a shady spot for more of these in the future. 

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We had a hard frost last night, arrgghh, but thankfully none of these plants have yet to arrive, so no worries. The peonies and Asiatic lilies didn't seem to care, and I brought in my patio planters of lettuces just in case. April is the cruelist month.

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Flowers!!!

Another absolutely necessary plant is the hardy geranium, or Cranesbill, which gets it name from the seed pods which look like a crane's bill. Obviously. Here's what's on order:

 Boom Chocolatta has darker bronze leaves in contrast with its blue flowers. A clumping mass of yumminess. Hardy geraniums usually are real stalwarts in the garden and there are tons of varieties. I like this one especially for its darker leaf color. 

 New Hampshire Purple. Dense foliage with great bright flowers emerging in the spring. Dependable and vigorous and will rebloom if cut back. The leaves are just a beautiful red-green in the fall. 

 Johnson's  Blue. How could I not have this plant in my garden? In the past I have grown it in near full shade and while it got leggy, it still continued to bloom. In this new garden it will get hard full sun and I expect it will thrive. The flowers are on long stalks making it easy to cut for a bouquet.

 Perfect Storm Geranium, what a name. A long bloomer with intense purple centers. A good example of the variety of colors in these long lived perennials, and I can't wait to see it in my yard.