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Paul’s Picks
Ajania pacificum: A great fall perennial for its fantastic foliage and very late flower. The green foliage with a
bright silver rim around each leaf is ornamental in its own right, but the contrast of the bright yellow
flowers against that foliage catches me by surprise every year. Best of all, they bloom very late in the
season (Oct and Nov) well after most plants have finished.
Ajuga ‘Chocolate Chip’: small and chocolate colored – makes a great addition to containers or as a
groundcover. Plant now for a show stopping display of blue flowers in spring.
Ceratostigma plumbaginoides and ‘My Love’: In this season of yellow, orange, and red, I find the electric
blue flowers of leadwort to be a welcome alternative. I’m also intrigued by perennials with changing
foliage color for fall and C. plumbaginoides delivers beautifully maroon foliage as the days get cooler and
nights shorter. ‘My Love’ is a yellow leaf version of a different species, but it too changes foliage color as
the season progresses – from chartreuse to yellow with orange highlights. ‘My Love’ is zone 8 so enjoy it
in a container.
Echinacea ‘Ruby Star’ and ‘Magnus’ are classics and in bloom. The very popular ‘Tomato Soup’, my
favorite ‘Flamethrower’, and the brand new ‘Day Dream’ are all ready but without flowers which is
perfect for successful establishment before winter (and therefore successful overwintering).
Eupatorium ‘Phantom’: One of my new summer/fall favorites and the shortest Joe Pye I’ve seen yet at threeish feet tall. These are just coming into flower now. Butterflies LOVE them at my house.
Helianthus ‘Lemon Queen’: I love LQ’s bright, clear yellow flowers in the late summer and fall garden. This
is naturally a very large plant, but we’ve tricked it into a smaller pot by planting it late. This makes it much
easier to ship and for you to retail. Buds and blooms now so bring it in for some instant perennial color.
Heuchera ‘Electric Lime’ and ‘Golden Zebra’ both intrigue me because of their changing foliage color. The
chartreuse leaves of electric lime will have prominent orange veins in the coming weeks and the red blotch
in the center of Golden Zebra will become much larger and more pronounced during the same timeframe.
‘Tapestry’ is also big and beautiful – green leaves with a moody, dark blotch in the center.
Kniphofia ‘Mango Popsicle’: Red hot pokers appear to be experiencing a bit of a renaissance. I’ve seen
several intros lately and know of several more in the pipeline. I was never a big fan of the old, red and
yellow flowered wide leaf form, but some of the new ones are impressive. The first we’re offering is
‘Mango Popsicle’, a beautiful yellow-orange flower that blooms constantly and has almost grass-like
foliage.
Lavender ‘Grosso’: Row run even and big enough to sell. If you want late season lavender, this is a good one.
Nipponathemum nipponicum: Looks like ‘Becky’ but blooms in late September (“…and I really should be
back at school.”). Ready with buds and blooms. Anyone know why they’re called Mauntauk daisies?
Penstemon ‘Dark Towers’: The deep maroon leaves make a terrific foliage plant for fall combos and fall
planting ensure lots and lots of stunning spring flowers.
Phlox paniculata ‘Franz Schubert’ and ‘David’ are ready with buds and blooms. ‘Laura’ is in full bloom
now, so she might wane a little by late next week.
Sedum ‘Autumn Fire’: Ready with buds and blooms – assuming you can see them through the cloud of
butterflies that lights over them anytime someone walks by. Butterflies have been GREAT this year.
Vernonia lettermannii ‘Iron Butterfly’: speaking of butterflies…here’s a funky North American native that
brings some excitement to the fall garden. Ferny foliage will be topped with electric purple flowers.
Miscanthus ‘Gracillimus’ is the classic. ‘Adagio’ is a slightly smaller version and an early bloomer. ‘Little
Kitten’ is smaller still and also an early bloomer. ‘Variegatus’ is the variegated classic and fine, but I
prefer the bolder striping and size of ‘Cabaret’ – both bloom late so reseeding isn’t likely.
Muhlenbergia capillaris: the finest of all the fall blooming grasses. A dense pink mist of flowers will obscure
the foliage for weeks on end. They’re close to full bloom now so don’t wait if you don’t have to.
Pennisetum alopecuroides is a reliable, tough fountain grass that shouldn’t be overlooked just because it’s a
species. If it’s too big, try ‘Cassian’ which is just as tough, but closer in size to ‘Hameln’.
Paul Westervelt: Annual & Perennial Production Manager; [email protected]