Between hybridizers and plant collectors the availability of ‘new’ garden plants is never ending. Each year the gardeners at Horsford’s select a few to grow and sell. This is what we chose for 2005.

Campanula ‘Kent Belle’ bears clusters of glossy dark violet flowers on 18 to 24 inch stems. The dark green foliage is a lovely contrast. You can use them in the garden or the vase.

Another eye-catcher for full sun is Cimicifuga ‘Black Negligee’ with lacy, black foliage to 5 feet tall and bottlebrush flower spikes 20” long in late summer. The flowers are cream, tinged with purple, and the scent, especially late in the day, is described as honeyed, or grape-jasmine – something utterly luscious. This is a striking plant and can easily be the focal point of a whole planting, or, en masse, form the backdrop for a silvery plant that will glow in the moonlight. The foliage will be darkest when grown in full sun.

The powers that be have decided that ‘chrysanthemums’ should now be called ‘Dendranthema’. Under that category, look for the new variety ‘Bolero’, a prolific bloomer which produces loose sprays of single, daisy-like flowers with yellow centers. They are bright yellow when young then fade to creamy yellow with pink tones as they mature. We suggest spring or summer planting so they have time to get established before blooming in September.

The new Echinaceas have been in the experiment stage for a few years. Breeders are finally releasing three new hybrids. Echinacea ‘Sunrise’ flowers are citron yellow. The central cone starts out green and turns gold. E. ‘Sunset’ blooms a vibrant orange with a prominent brownish central cone. E. ‘Orange Meadowbrite’ is a mellow mango shade.

Dry, sandy, well-drained soil in full sun is a good place to plant the new Gaillardia ‘Fanfare’. Huge upward-facing, scarlet flowers flare outward from the central crown like trumpets with bright yellow tips. It blooms over a long period and the central cone is very attractive after the petals fall.

The availability of Helenium dates back to the early 1900’s. Three varieties are listed in Horsford’s 1925 catalog. Now in 2005 it is still going strong. A new variety, H. ‘Red Army’ is a shorter form than the original H. autumnale, growing only two feet. Red and yellow flowers are stunning in August.

“The biggest and the bluest” is what the hybridizers of the new Hosta ‘Blue Angel’ are claiming. We are giving it a try and think you should too. Hosta ‘Sagae’ is another new one in the big and bold category, with wavy frosted blue-green leaves that have creamy white margins.

Looking for a contrast to the pure pinks, purples and whites of your Iris ensata (Japanese iris)? You might try the new Iris ensata ‘Eden’ hybrids. Flowers are huge and either
splotched or striped. Supply is limited.

Moving from tall spikes to ground-hugging, Thymus serphyllum ‘Doretta Klaber’ is one of those plants to have underfoot. Only 2” high with little fuzzy leaves, it makes tightly mounding mats to 12” wide. This growth habit, combined with the bright little lavender flowers, is superb with rocks or between stepping- stones. Like all the thymes it needs full sun and likes a gritty soil.

Tiarella ‘Ninja’ is a foamflower that likes full sun. With the characteristic black markings on handsome leaves, a grouping of plants makes an interestingly textured groundcover. The delicate, fragrant flowers are white with a touch of coral on 16” stalks rising like a mist above the 8” high foliage. This cultivar is an awardwinner in France and Holland.

Another fine Tiarella for part to full shade is T. ‘Pirate’s Patch’. Its relatively broad leaves have the biggest, darkest patch yet, contrasting with the “foam” of white flowers tipped with hot pink.

It is an extremely floriferous cultivar with up to 250 flower stalks recorded on a three year-old plant. Making sure the tiarellas have some moisture keeps the foliage looking good through the summer months. It is hard to imagine a perennial planting without the elegant, spiky form of Veronica as punctuation and contrast. Veronica longifolia ‘Eveline’ blooms almost all summer with purplish pink, 20” flower spikes that attract butterflies, but not deer, and are excellent cut flowers. The linear foliage is also distinctive against the rounder leaves of other perennials or against the backdrop of a shrub.

Horsford’s has many handsome native plants in our large collection of woodland perennials and ferns. We hope to include a limited number of a New England orchid, Goodyera pubescens, the rattlesnake plantain. The noticeable silver markings on the evergreen leaves are responsible for the name, and the leaves remain on the plant for four years. White flower spikes to 18” illuminate the summer woods in July and August.

A damp, woodsy site would be the perfect home for the hardy Heuchera relative Mukdenia rossii ‘Crimson Fans’. Large maple-like leaves emerge bronzegreen then age to mid-green splashed with bright red as the summer progresses. Foliage remains red all summer and is striking in fall as the green areas change to gold. Numerous white, bellshaped flowers are held in branched panicles in early spring. Use as a groundcover in part shade.

Tricyrtis, the Japanese Toad Lily, is one of Eileen’s new favorite plants. (We have a large enough supply to make sure they become your favorite plant also!) The latest beauty is T. ‘Blue Wonder’ with star-shaped dark purple spotted flowers. All toad lilies do best in a shady spot where the soil is organically rich. Keep them evenly moist. Blooms are from August to October.

Added this year to the selection of hardy and beautiful ornamental grasses is Miscanthus sinensis ‘Graziella’ (Japanese silver grass). The six foot tall clump of fine, narrow, graceful blades makes a sculptural specimen plant, a focal point in front of evergreens, or can be lined out as an instant hedge. The seed heads are showy from August right through the winter, and the fall orange-red coloring is striking.

These are only a few of the new additions to the collection at Horsford Gardens and Nursery. Be sure to get a copy of the 2005 catalog to see the full range of listings.