New Plants 2011

Here is a blog post taken from Jane Berger is a journalist and landscape designer.

A few more new plants that caught me eye -- all from Bailey Nursesries.

First Editions® Great Star™ Hydrangea
(Hydrangea paniculata 'LeVasterival')

Can't wait to try this show-stopping hydrangea that flowers, they say, from mid-summer to hard frost.  Creamy star-shaped flowers with a bit of a curl in the petals, a shrub that's about 6 to 7 feet high and wide. the plant is from the French garden of long-time gardener Princess Greta Sturdza, and it's hardy Zones 4-8.

First Editions® Little Devil™ Ninebark
(Physocarpus opulifolius 'Donna May') 

For all of us who have not grown ninebark because of its large size, there's now this little one to fit the tiniest of gardens.

At just three to four feet high and wide, it features the usual deep burgundy-purple leaves.  It does flower in spring (little pinky-white blooms), but you plant this one for the impact of its foliage. Free of pests and diseases, it's a true low maintenance plant.  Zones 3-7.

Endless Summer® Bella Anna
(Hydrangea arborescens 'PllHA-1'

Endless summer bigleaf hydrangeas have been around for awhile, and they're exceedingly popular because they just keep on blooming until frost. Now, there's an Annabelle hydrangea version -- this one with dark pink blooms.  Bella Anna comes from the plant breeding program directed by Dr. Michael Dirr, and it's happy in Zones 3-9.

  First Editions® Fiji Hibiscus
(Hibiscus syriacus 'Minspot')

Yes, you can imagine this bloom behind the ear of one of those lovely maidens in almost any of Gaugin's paintings. The blooms emerge a medium pink color, then open to a lighter pink with a deep pink accents and a red center.  They grow 5-8 feet high with a spread of 4-7 feet, and are hardy in zones 5-8.

Best of all there are two other hibiscus in this series:  Bali, which has white blooms with a purplish-red center and Tahiti, deep pink flowers with a red center as well.

Visit the Bailey website here for more info on these plants and other new introductions for 2011.