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It seems like 2008 just got started and now it's heading down the
homestretch. They say the years pass by faster as you get older, and I
guess they must be right. We've been thrilled to see so many of you take
time out of your busy lives to visit during our Open Nursery and Garden
days this year ... a trend we certainly hope will continue. We feel
honored to have hosted the Garden Centers of America tour this June, when
many of the top garden center owners from around the country visited,
looking for new ideas. Since our region of North Carolina is so wonderfully
rich with great horticulture, we have been fortunate to be a small part
of attracting such major events.
Spring has seen another media blitz, and we're thrilled to still be a
popular flavor. Articles about PDN appeared in both Horticulture Magazine,
(www.hortmag.com) and Garden & Gun
magazine (gardenandgun.com) while
another appearance on The Martha Stewart Show (
www.marthastewart.com/television)and recent filming for upcoming
episodes of Cultivating Life (
www.cultivatinglife.com) and The Coastal Gardener (
www.thecoastalgardener.com)
gave us something to do in our spare time.
Sometimes it seems like we're running in slow motion trying to keep up
with the tracking and evaluation of new plants. With new horticultural
introductions hitting the market faster than a presidential candidate
can pander, it's often dizzying trying to cut through the also-rans and
find the real treasures. Customers often ask why we don't carry this or
that, plants they have seen heavily promoted, and we explain that the
plant's PR agent and reality have yet to meet. We've certainly got
burned on a few duds through the years, but we hope our extensive trials
and evaluations have resulted in a high percentage of successful
performers in your gardens.
Much of the country wished for rain this spring and most got it. As the
old saying goes, be careful what you wish for. The Northeast has seen
more than its share of rainy weekends, while those along the mighty
Mississippi River are exploring a switch from corn to rice. Is there
such a thing as a normal year, or is normal simply the average of extremes?
It's not just the weather this year: the economy, gas prices, and stock
market have been bouncing around like a young Van Halen. Geez, about
the only things whose sales have gone up this year are anxiety drugs and
hair loss/color products. Despite all of the woes in the world, we
continue to trudge on in our quest to bring you the best and coolest
plants for your garden. Once again, our Fall Catalog contains over 70
new plants we think you will really enjoy.
Starting with big, bold, and bodacious, it's hard to top Brugmansia
'Cherub', which is the most vigorous and floriferous angel trumpet we've
ever grown. To plant nearby, how about Curt Hanson's 6' tall daylily,
Hemerocallis 'Notify Grounds Crew'? Then, maybe the screamin' black-red
Hibiscus 'Robert Fleming', from the late Fleming Brothers ... a true
WOW mallow. Maybe we'd finish the combination off with a clump of the
amazing bicolor-flowered Zantedeschia 'Picasso' for those who like their
gardens a little on the tacky side.
In the hardy tropical arena, we've added another of John Cho's wonderful
elephant ears, the incredibly ruffled Colocasia 'Waikiki'. For those of
you who like tree ivies, xFatshedera 'Angyo Star' from Japan is the best
we've seen. In the ginger world, how about another hardy zingiber?
Z. mioga 'Silver Arrow' adds another bold, tropical texture to the summer
garden.
If your climate is set on dry and bake for the summer, check out the
elegant Agave parryi 'J.C. Raulston', named after our long-time mentor.
From our friends at Yucca Do, we are pleased to offer three of their
introductions; Agave victoriae-reginae 'Porcupine', Eryngium 'La Canada',
and the wild and crazy Manfreda undulata 'Chocolate Chips'. Two
little-known square-leaf sotols made the fall list; Dasylirion
quadrangulatum and the rare D. treleasiae. Rounding out our new fall
woody lily offerings is Yucca gloriosa 'Lone Star', one of the most
regally beautiful yuccas we've had the pleasure of growing.
Where Credit Is Due
The majority of the text was written by Tony Avent, who is
solely responsible for its absurd nature and content.
Unless indicated, all photos were taken at Plant Delights Nursery by Tony
Avent. Other photos new to this fall catalog were provided by
Boo-Shoot Gardens,
Rene Heuermann,
Hoffman Nursery,
Luc Klinkhamer,
Thierry Van Paemel,
Darrell Probst,
and Terra Nova Nurseries.
We are deeply indebted to those who have allowed us to use their photographs
and to photograph plants in their wonderful gardens.
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From Peckerwood Gardens in Texas comes one of the most exciting new
ornamental grasses in years, a hybrid of Muhlenbergia capillaris and
Muhlenbergia lindheimeri, named 'Pink Flamingos' ... and you thought
you'd never have pink flamingos in your garden! Another fabulous new
ornamental grass is Mark Brand's Panicum 'Ruby Ribbons', a dramatic
colorful addition to the summer garden.
For the same conditions, Euphorbia 'Dean' is an absolutely remarkable
flowering machine. Lest I forget, another specimen for baking hot sun
is our new introduction, Sinningia 'Scarlet O'Hara', aptly named for
the procession of summertime flowers and a perfect companion to
another heat-loving screamer, Gaillardia 'Tizzy'. Need something to
tie it all together? How about a climbing vine such as the US native
Clematis reticulata, which calls the dry sandy soils of the Southeast home.
In the Bulbs-R-Us section, you'll be dazzled by the monstrous
Hymenocallis 'Tropical Giant Sister' with its huge 11" wide tepals. As
our friend Carol Reese once mused, how did those taxonomists who spend
all their time in the wilds of foreign lands even know what a hymen
looked like when they found one? Hmmmm... Finally, we have enough
of the amazing Agapanthus 'Stevie's Wonder' to share. While this has
been a star in our trials for years, we are only now able to produce
enough stock to share with you. Two new crinum lilies also come on line
for the summer; Barry Clark's C. 'Rose Parade' and Russell Adams's
Crinum 'Eden'. And, for those of you who like your geophytes on the
small side, Bletilla ochracea 'Chinese Butterfly' is cuter than a
newborn baby.
In the coral bell world, we are pleased to offer what we view as some
of the most dramatic breakthroughs in the history of the genus, all
because of the addition of the heat-and humidity-loving Heuchera villosa.
These new offerings include Heuchera 'Miracle', 'Pinot Gris', 'Pistache',
and 'Tiramisu' from Thierry Delabroye's French breeding program and
Heuchera 'Southern Comfort', xHeucherella 'Alabama Sunrise' and
xHeucherella 'Tapestry' from Oregon's Terra Nova Nurseries. I almost
forgot to mention a new variegated foam flower, Tiarella 'Mystic Mist',
that is just too cool.
We've long been awaiting the availability of Terra Nova's Echinacea
'Tiki Torch', and it's finally here. This new twist on the color
orange is sure to set your garden on fire. Then there is Echinacea
'Green Envy', which certainly gets the nod for the most unusual of the
new echinacea hybrids with its unique bicolored green and pink flowers.
If you like chrysanthemums, but are looking for something new, look
no further than Chrysanthemum 'Snow Dome' an amazing cross between
garden mums and Chrysanthemum pacificum. The tight mounds of silver-edged
foliage are really quite special. How about salvias? You simply must
try Salvia guaranitica 'Van Remsen', a 7' tall tight clumping form of
the popular hummingbird favorite, S. guaranitica.
There are so many cool new hellebores we simply couldn't wait until
spring to list them. Two new H. x ericsmithii hybrids 'Candy Love'
and 'Winter Moonbeam' and one new H. x nigercors 'Snow Love' are ready
to plant and if established now will make a superb show next winter.
We're already thinking about next spring with the release of Robin
White's exciting new epimedium hybrid, E. 'Pink Elf'.
A few of the other exciting shade introductions include five new cast
iron plants; Aspidistra ebianensis 'Sei Ryu Ho', Aspidistra elatior
'Bubba', Aspidistra linearifolia 'Skinny Dippin', Aspidistra lurida
'Amanogawa', and Aspidistra lurida 'Seiun'. For a small-growing
woodland groundcover, it's hard to beat Ajuga tenorii 'Toffee Chip',
a creamy-edged form of the popular A. 'Valfredda'. While we're talking
variegated, how about a new gold-center leaf Phlox divaricata, P.
'Lemon Slice'?
As always, one of our favorite groups of plants is the sturdy Solomon's
seal, and we are pleased to add two of our newly released selections,
Polygonatum humile 'Run DMZ', and Polygonatum involucratum 'Green Hankies'.
If you've got the rohdea collecting bug, check out R. 'Gyoku Ho Nishiki'.
Then, of course, there are always new hostas floating about, including
our newly released sport of H. 'Blue Umbrellas' that we named H. 'Parasol'.
As always, the back pages of the catalog list items from the spring
catalog which are still in stock at the time of printing. We hope you
find something of interest, and we thank you again for your continued
support!
-tony
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