Hiya campers. It’s dreary out there. But that’s a good thing! We get to drool over catalogs and read about upcoming new plants. With Terra Nova’s new introductions, they’re not just new… they’re better. It is common for us to drop a plant, not that it was a bad plant. It’s because we have produced an improved plant. We are constantly monitoring plant health and growth rate as well as finding novel colors. We place significant importance on attractiveness to pollinators. At the Mt. Cuba trials in Delaware, it was found that desirability is quite variable, even in a single genus like Echinacea. We were quite chuffed (British for being proud and elated) for having the number one Echinacea that the bees went crazy for, Echinacea ‘Fragrant Angel’ -a HUGE single white-flowered variety.
Our now legendary, award-winning coneflower series, the Kismet™ line has a new color with Kiwi.
How about pink Coreopsis? Yeah, baby! Terra Nova is launching ‘Sunstone’ with gorgeous pink flowers and excellent vigor. It is a Coreopsis verticillata selection, so hardiness is not a problem. Our nursery has set the standard for outstanding Sedums, especially the bronze forms. Sedum NOVA® ‘Cherry Fizz’ blows people away with its persistent bronze foliage and super showy “bee crack” flowers. It’s hard to take a picture without getting swarmed!
Come to www.terranovanurseries.com and download our latest catalog (it’s a doozy!). So many cool plants! Let’s have a look!
Echinacea KISMET® ‘Kiwi’
Wowsah! Here’s another gem from the Kismet™ series of coneflowers. Unique spider mum type flowers on tall, strong stems are two of the splendid features for this plant. The unusual green color is mellow yet showy, like the flesh of a melon. Pollinators love the feeding time on such a long blooming period. Great as a cut flower or garden plant. Bloomtime is June through October, though you may see flowers till frost! Features large, but proportional blooms. (This “not crazy” spreading is a Terra Nova feature.) Kiwi-green flowers rise to twenty-seven inches high on an upright, but compact habit, eighteen inches wide by fourteen inches high. Hardy in USDA Zones four to nine and is showy in large outdoor containers or in a bright garden location. Truly a brand-new novelty!
A PINK Coreopsis? Here’s a surprise result of our breeding that was everyone's favorite during the 2023-2024 trial season. Unusual rusty peach to sun tanned pink flowers cover every square in the beefy, vigorous plant. This Coreopsis garnered as much attention this year as Agastache 'Pink Pearl' did the previous year! This is not a petite plant and it's a powerhouse of impressive performance. Unusual pink flowers rise to fourteen inches high on an upright, but strong habit, fourteen inches wide by twelve inches high. Bloomtime is from June through September. (Though mine crept into October!) Hardy in USDA Zones five to ten and is showy in large outdoor containers or in a bright garden location. Vigor, health, color – who could ask for more?
No other Sedum has garnered this much attention from visitors quite like this one. ‘Cherry Fizz’ has an exceptionally large, very upright habit, and an incredible floral display for months in a sunny garden. Bloomtime is August through September though you may see some flowers in autumn. Excellent in a full sun in a mid-sized plant space in the border or for container use. Pollinator crack, just filled with nectar the honeybees love! Cherry-pink flowers rise to twenty inches high on an upright but compact habit, eighteen inches wide by eighteen inches high. Use with Rudbeckia or Echinacea in your late summer containers. Deep bronze colored foliage is a great foil for the enormous cherry pink flower heads, with extended interest from colorful burgundy seed heads. Big, beefy perennials are back! Hardy in USDA Zones four to nine.
Dan Heims is an award-winning author who lectures throughout the world. He was recently honored by The American Horticultural Society with the Luther Burbank Breeding Award, as well as the Perennial Plant Association’s Award of Merit. He was also honored in receiving the Royal Horticultural Society’s Reginald Cory Cup for advancements in breeding. You may contact Dan at [email protected] Questions on culture and care or availability for a speaking engagement can be found at this email.
All articles are copyrighted and remain the property of the author.
Tight on space? Go vertical! And your neighbors will thank you too. Click here for an interesting article with great ideas for planting vigorous Sun Parasol Giant mandevillas.
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