OLD FAVORITES AND NEW ONES - Judy Ziemba, State Horticulture Chairman

In the excitement of springtime, if you are like many gardeners, you may be guilty of some unplanned purchases in your visit to various nurseries. It might be helpful to carry a list of plants that you have predetermined would be great additions to your containers, floral borders or landscape. Each summer as we watch our impetuous purchases struggle from poor placement or overcrowded conditions, we might vow to be more selective in the Spring madness which overcomes us. Of course we can always defend our decisions as being open-minded, but there are always plants we wish we had chosen. The AAS 2004 Selections winners are well publicized so they are automatically on my list.

"Mr. Big", English pea. Photo provided by National Garden Bureau. The National Garden Bureau has named 2004 Year of the Pea.

This year my quest is for a Spindle tree or Wahoo (Euonymus atropurpureus). It is a small tree or large shrub and there is a cultivar 'Red Cascade' that is recommended for the Midwest area. It is a round shaped 6'to 20' tree with fine textured branches and hardy to Zone 3. The primary reason to grow it is the wonderful rosy red capsules, orange seeds and colorful foliage, which is displayed in autumn. Every time I see it in the fall, I wish I had planted one. Since we lost a tree this year, I have a spot for a newcomer.

Among the perennial plants on the acquisition list is the Pineleaf Garden Pink (Dianthus pinefolius) with flowers held on wiry stems and the Euphorbia 'Tasmanian Tiger' (E. characias) with its variegated foliage and heat tolerance. The new coral-foliaged Heuchera 'Marmalade' is interesting along with a new Thalictrum called 'Amy Jan' with lime colored spring foliage and puffy pink flowers. While I am on the foliage wagon, I need to find the fuzzy mullein or verbascum called 'Jackie in Pink'. The 'Volcano' series of garden phlox are described to be very resistant to mildew and there is new long blooming daylily called 'Hot Chocolate' which needs to be tried. I am also on the lookout for 'Miss Lucy' which is a truly double Oriental lily with white petals touched with pink. Blooms are said to last two weeks when cut.

I miss the fragrance of the new compact nicotianas so I am excited to try the flowering tobacco called 'Fragrant Mix' in rose, lime and red and white. An annual which is not often seen, is clarkia, probably because of a short bloom period but clarkia 'Pink Buttercups' is recommended as a great filler in the perennial border. The 'Intensia' series of spreading phlox looks promising for my dry half sunny area. The AAS 2004 winners are always dependable and are always on my list but the winners of the past still perform well and should not be neglected. Check them out at http://www.all-americaselections.org/. I imagine some unplanned open-minded purchases will show up in the garden this summer but maybe some preplanning will welcome some old favorites along with the new.