Download Paul`s Picks - Saunders Brothers

Paul’s Picks
Here’s an idea to increase sales: market to your local real estate agents. Reports from all over reveal
landscaping – particularly annuals - helps sell houses. According to industry economics expert Charlie Hall,
landscaping is one of the few renovations you can make to your property where you see more than 100% return
on your investment. Certainly, most people could use some help selling and everyone would like to sell for
more money. The trouble is, many homeowners look to real estate agents for help selling and many agents are
just as flummoxed by horticulture as the general public, so…teach them. Containers are a great idea, so are
pansies (our second pansy planting is happening now) which will provide color all fall and into spring. You sell
more plants, they sell more houses for more money, and you teach homeowners the value all at the same time!
Flowers first:
Aster ‘Alert’ and ‘Professor Kippenburg’: These two cultivars are the first to open their eyes and start the
march toward full bloom. Just enough early color to confidently create a mixed container that won’t clash.
Echinacea 'Magnus’, ‘Sunrise’, and ‘Ruby Star’: These summer planted cultivars have filled out and are
starting to bloom. We also have several of the brightly colored hybrids that aren’t quite as full...’Tangerine
Dream’, ‘Tomato Soup’, and ‘Firebird’. Remember to tell your customer to cut the flowers off of these before
they plant them in the landscape. Removing the flowers helps the plant spend energy rooting and bulking up
both of which are key for overwintering success.
Hemerocallis ‘Going Bananas’: This is a new one for us this year. It’s the same cheerful color as Happy
Returns, but 2-3’ times the flower size and at least as good a rebloomer if not better.
Sedum ‘Autumn Fire’: One of the classic perennials of fall. Ours are heavily budded and ready to ship.
Eupatorium ‘Chocolate’: Like a chocolate cupcake, dark chocolate colored leaves with a purplish cast are
themselves terrific in the fall garden, but the white button-like flowers are icing on the cake and favored by
butterflies. A great plant for large, fall themed mixed containers.
Heuchera ‘Electric Lime’ is beautiful and ready to ship. Heucherella ‘Sweet Tea’ is as well. ‘Golden Zebra’
and ‘Brass Lanterns’ are the first of our 4.5” Heucherella to make availability. Brass Lanterns looks like
‘Sweet Tea’ with shiny leaves.
Lysimachia ‘Aurea’: The chartreuse foliage of creeping jenny makes a great addition to fall containers.
Selaginella uncinata: I love the iridescent, feathery foliage of peacock moss for shade containers.
Stachys ‘Helen von Stein’: Nice full pots of silver foliage. Great for containers or the landscape.
Yucca filamentosa ‘Color Guard’: I’ve pooh-poohed Yuccas for many years, but more and more I appreciate
their toughness and bold, spiky form. My mind was finally changed for good when I saw ‘Color Guard’ backlit
in the evening sun – it simply glows. Also makes a terrific container plant since it likes it dry.
Fall 4.5”: Prime for next week. Peppers, kale, Bracteantha, Salvia, Ajuga, Phlox Intensia and on and on.
These plants are full, colorful, cold tolerant, and ready to dress up containers across our region. Fresh product
this time of year makes a big impact at retail as well – let customers know it’s time to plant with a few flats of
fresh, beautiful product. Happy planting ☺
Grasses:
Pennisetum: ‘Hameln’, ‘Cassian’, and alopecuroides are all in full bloom right now. Mix with any other plant
for an instant vignette.
Muhlenbergia capillaris: I know, it’s out of alphabetical order, but I couldn’t wait any more. These are tightly
wound are ready to spring forth in flower. Please, please, please take them now so they reveal their full glory at
your garden center or in your landscape rather than here where they’ll only get harder and harder to ship.
Miscanthus: ‘Adagio’ and ‘Little Kitten’ are blooming while the similarly textured ‘Gracillimus’ is biding its
time. ‘Little Zebra’, ‘Cabaret’, and ‘Variegatus’ are full and striking thanks to their respective variegation.
Paul Westervelt: Annual & Perennial Production Manager; [email protected]