Bill's Picks for August

Clethra Summer Sweet (Clethra Alnifolia): 

This plants name says it all it gives a fragrant abundance of cinnamon spice fragrance in you’re summer garden.  Most will tolerate sun to shade with varied heights of white and pink flowers that bees, humming birds and humans love.  This plant will naturalize but can be contained easily in the landscape.  The yellow fall foliage is a bonus!

Purple Leaf Birch (Betula Populifolia): 

I really like this tree, grown as a clump, in a summer garden with yellow foliage plants and hot colored perennials (purple, red, yellow, etc.).  The purple-red leaves against the mature, white bark makes this a stunning specimen.   

Cone Flower (Echinacea):

For a summer garden these plants are a must!  With their long bloom time and wide range of colors (pink, yellow, orange, red, white, etc.) all they need is some good sun and a little dead-heading and they will perform all summer long and well into the fall.  Some of the new varieties are really exciting!!

Bill's Picks for July

Bill's picks for July:

Hydrangea (Anomala, Arborescens, Macrophylla, Paniculata, etc.):

These beauties cover a wide range of placement in your landscape with size, sun exposure, and length of bloom.  Colors of pink, blue, white, etc., can add a blast of long changing bloom to your gardens.  Some of my favorites are “Twist-and-Shout,” “Limelight,” “Quickfire,” “Hydrangea Vine,” as well as the old stand-bys.  There are so many varieties coming out as well as the tried and true—hydrangeas are an excellent choice for any landscape. 

Katsura (Cercidiphyllum Japonicum):

This is a wonderful specimen tree with two-tone coppery heart-shaped leaves that seem to dance in the summer breeze.  I have found this to be a hardy, versatile tree which becomes quite large over time (60’ tall X 50’ wide).  If you were limited on how many trees you could have this would be one of my first recommendations.
(pictured here in all its fall glory)

Hyssop (Agastache): 

This fragrant plant will provide color all summer long and into the fall with spikes of blue/lavender flowers.  I love just brushing by it with its licorice scented foliage when working in the garden.  If you cut back lightly mid-summer it will reward you with a whole new flush in the fall.  An added bonus:  Bees and butterflies love hyssop!