You know... these are the perennial plants you don't have to go get, they will come to you.
Since 1988, Plant Delights Nursery has been the choice of serious gardeners and plant collectors looking for the best and rarest perennial plants. We are pleased to have received the Perennial Plant Association Retail Award in 2011, the American Horticulture Society Commercial Award in 2002, and to have been selected as one of the Best Mail Order Plant Sources - Garden Design Magazine 2010. Welcome to our family of plant lovers!
Imagine an asparagus that behaves like a twining vine to 15' tall, has glossy green foliage covered in fragrant white flowers in late spring, and is smothered with 1/2" bright red berries in late summer. Did I mention it's hardy to Zone 3? Would you believe it? Well, it's true, and we are pleased to be able to share one of the most bizarre plants we have encountered. The original seed came from the old DeGiorgio Seed Company via Harlan Hamernik, who also adores this plant in his Nebraska garden. The foliage stays green into the mid-20s F, serving as a perfect foil for the red berries. Any sturdy trellis, old junked pickup, or stationary highway worker is perfect for support...stand back and watch it grow. Fruiting should take about 3 years from potted plants...very cool! Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
If you enjoy winter gardening, you must have the fantastic winter-flowering clematis. This Mediterranean native makes a 20' tall, well-behaved vine of glossy evergreen foliage, topped, starting in October, with 1" bell-shaped flowers of cream with dark speckles. The delightful seed heads remain on the plant for long periods after flowering. In midsummer the vine goes dormant but reemerges again in early fall. Clematis cirrhosa has proven much hardier than many references indicate, taking 0 degrees F with no problem. Although it is native in scrubby woodlands, we have found a sunny western exposure works best. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
WOW! Another alien introduction. This really cool, deciduous groundcover Dutchman's pipe spreads out to 2' on little green stems. Each rounded leaf is medium green, highlighted with dramatic silver veining. The cute, little, 1" long, yellow and brown flowers resemble miniature elephant trunks and are produced along the stem all summer. In winter, the stems retreat back to the base so there are no invasive problems with this gem! The only "ornamental" downside is that aristolochia is a delicacy for pipevine swallowtail butterfly larvae in midsummer...less foliage, but more butterflies! Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
We have grown this splendid South African native asparagus fern in the garden since 2000 and would have shared it by now if it wasn't for the paucity of seed production. The thin upright stalks emerge as a 1' wide clump, producing very stiff dark green "fronds" that fill a 4' tall x 4' wide space. The stems are so durable that the plant acts like a punching bag that bounces back to an upright position if the plant is punched, kicked, or hit with an errant small vehicle (all of which are illegal in states with asparagus hate crime statutes). Asparagus africanus makes a superb textural contrast against bold foliage plants. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
Our form of Asparagus cochinchinensis comes from Korea's Chuwang Mountain where it grows on very dry rocky acidic (pH 4.3) cliffs. The 7' long twining deciduous stalks are clothed with soft, fleshy, dark green foliage and adorned with tiny white flowers in mid-May (NC). We have found this to be a wonderful textural element in the garden, best when planted where, like an inebriated partygoer, it can lean on a sturdy friend. In fall, the foliage turns a fabulous bright golden yellow. The tubers of Asparagus cochinchinensis have been used in Chinese medicine for lung and kidney cleansing, and to treat chest pain, cough, bloody phlegm and dry stools...I'm not making this up. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
(aka: Asparagus denudatus A1SA-124) I nearly jumped out of the van when I first saw this cool asparagus fern near the town of Rhodes at the southern end of South Africa's Drakensberg Mountains. I returned home to delightedly find I had already overwintered a small plant in the garden. The species name, "denudatus," is nothing more than a fancy Latin word for "nekkid." The upright, glaucous-green, stiff, wiry stems sans leaves compose this 4' deciduous clumper. The glaucous foliage color doesn't show up until the second growing season. In fall, the clumps are adorned with small red berries. Asparagus denudatus makes a stunning textural combination plant that has immeasurable possibilities in the garden. I love this plant! Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
We are thrilled to offer our winter-hardy selection of the popular houseplant, Asparagus setaceus. This form hails from near Cathcart in South Africa's Eastern Cape at 4,773' elevation, where it grows in dry rocky fields. For us, it has made a wonderful vigorous specimen against a board-on-board fence. Asparagus setaceus is composed of 8' long twining stems, adorned with soft, but bristly dark green foliage and tiny white flowers in spring. In fall, the deciduous plants are covered with tiny red fruit. So far, this has been through 7 degrees F with no adverse affects. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
From Holland's G.C. Stolwijk and Co. comes this dazzling new selection of the European Clematis alpina with bright yellow foliage...yes, you read that right! The new growth on this 6' tall scrambler is bright gold, later changing to chartreuse. The incredible foliage is adorned in May/June with pendent blue hummingbird attracting flowers...what a sight to behold! Just like those Christmas visions of sugar plums dancing, I can see those plant combinations forming in your fertile minds already. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
Clematis pitcheri is a little-known but fabulous native, ranging from Iowa south to Texas. The scrambling 6' tall vine with opposite trifoliate leaves mingles unobtrusively like an accountant at an eyewear convention. We have ours growing through a michellia, and you don't even notice it is there until it begins to flower. The dainty, pendent, purple bell-shaped flowers with recurved tips adorn the vine from mid-May through September...a simply delightful hummingbird haven. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
This little-known US native cousin to Clematis pitcheri calls the dry sandy scrub lands from Oklahoma southeast to Florida home. I'd like to thank We-Du founder Dick Weaver for introducing me to the plant in northern Florida. The short vine, eventually to 9' long, is composed of wiry stems and single, round leaves featuring its namesake netted veins (aka: reticulation). The plants are adorned with small, down-turned pitchers, often bicolored white, purple, yellow, or pink, from late April to June...a hummingbird favorite. Clematis reticulata is perfect to be woven through evergreens and conifers for added interest. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
Clematis 'Jan Fopma' is another of the wonderful new scrambling hybrids from Dutch clematis breeder Wim Snoeijer. Wim named this clematis after another famed Dutch clematis expert, Jan Fopma. Clematis 'Jan Fopma' combines the best traits of Clematis integrifolia and Clematis fusca to produce a 5' long scrambler that is adorned from July to September with small, red-lavender, flared bell-shaped flowers, each with a lighter edge. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
This superb form of the Chinese scrambler, Jasminum officinale, comes from Fromefield Nursery in the UK. Unlike the species that has green leaves, this seedling boasts brilliant gold foliage that holds beautifully even in our hot, humid summers. The stems are also home to deliciously fragrant flowers throughout the summer. As a gesture of forced integration, we encourage Jasminum 'Frojas' to scramble through other colored foliage plants, such as purple loropetalum and smoke tree. Each branch can reach up to 10' in length when happy or can be kept shorter with a pair of sharp clippers. Lest we forget, tea from this gem is drunk for its aphrodisiac qualities, and who could forget that carrying the flowers attracts money and wealth. Attract a little bit our way, if you please. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
This is one of our favorite southern vines, yet it is virtually unknown. It emerges in very late spring and, with the aid of tiny tendrils, sends its equally tiny leaves climbing skyward on anyone or anything nearby. In late summer, the vines burst forth with tiny 1", red-orange blooms (until fall) that look like miniature firecrackers (red with a yellow tip)...irresistible to hummingbirds. Firecracker vine grows just fast enough to be garden-worthy, but not fast enough to be a pest...simply exquisite! We offered this under the incorrect name of Manettia inflata for several seasons. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
Faster than a speeding bullet...able to climb buildings in a single bound...more powerful than kudzu (sorry...got carried away). This incredible form of Boston ivy was discovered as a sport on the venerable "Green Monster" (the Boston Ivy wall at Fenway Park ball stadium) in 1988 by Peter Del Tredici of the Arnold Arboretum. The leaves on this great vine emerge bright golden and retain the color when growing in sun. In fall, the cool weather provides the golden foliage with a lovely red overlay. The clinging tendrils make Parthenocissus 'Fenway Park' a great choice to suck up to brick walls without any assistance! The top conversation piece in our garden! Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
(syn: Cissus incisa) This unique and wonderful cold hardy grape ivy is similar to the type you kill indoors in baskets. Native to the US, from Kansas south into Mexico and Florida, this non-invasive vine grows naturally in habitats as diverse as dry rocky ledges as well as salt marshes...we recommend fences, gazebos, and ugly buildings. Cissus trifoliata is composed of purple stems and adorned with thick, rubbery, artificial-feeling, trifoliate foliage. Cissus trifoliata attaches to objects (usually not pets) by means of miniature suction cups. In summer, the green foliage develops a red tint to the leaf edges and in late September the 15' long vine is adorned by clusters of small, black, grape-like fruits...truly an amazing and underused plant. Thanks to plantsman Jim Waddick for turning us on to this gem nearly a decade ago! Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
For the gardener who has everything or as the perfect gag gift for a garden party, yes, it's variegated kudzu. Originally discovered in Japan, it was named by plantsman Barry Yinger, who's never met a variegated plant he didn't like. This fast-growing deciduous vine...rumors of several feet per hour when established are probably true...is covered with lovely trifoliate light green leaves edged in white. The vines are adorned with small clusters of Nu-grape soda smelling flowers in late summer. If you 're going to have a weed, it might as well be variegated. Not recommended for states where it has been banned, and because there are so many, we won't ship out of state. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
.jpg "Epimedium wushanense (Wushan Fairy Wings)")
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.jpg "Clematis cirrhosa (Winter Clematis)")
.jpg "Clematis pitcheri (Pitcher's Leather Flower)")
.jpg "Clematis reticulata (Netted Clematis)")
.jpg "Clematis 'Jan Fopma' (Jan Fopma Clematis)")
.jpg "Manettia cordifolia (Firecracker Vine)")
.jpg "Cissus trifoliata (Possum Grape Ivy)")
