The Giddiness of a good find, ‘Miss Ruby’ buddleia x 2010

‘Miss Ruby’ is my new favorite 2010 Proven Winners Color Choice shrub this week. I’m trialing it in my garden and it hasn’t stopped blooming since May. The blooms have been a deep magenta pink that makes me giddy every time I look at it which matches how I’m feeling tonight.

Below is a stock photo from Proven Winners and this is true to color. I think they have this paired with ‘Limelight’ hydrangea but it could be ‘Incrediball’.

Proven Winners sent me this plant in the Spring and I was excited about the color and its butterfly attracting qualities. I had the same idea and originally had it paired with ‘White Dome’ hydrangeas.

I moved the ‘White Dome’ to the back beds because it was just too hot out front for them and replaced them with ‘Incrediball’ hydrangeas also by Proven Winners and I’ve written about them HERE.  You can image the car wrecks that are going to happen when those two beauties collide next summer.

The reason I’m so giddy is cause I found a local herb farm called, Mills Garden Herb Farm.  I’m over the top excited about them cause they offer cooking, crafting, and medicinal herb classes. I told ya’ll I wanted to learn wildcrafting and this certainly is a form of it. My first class is wreath making. If you get a chance. Browse on down the main page and meet Madge and her dogs. You know I’ll go over and do an interview so you can see more!! I promise. You know it makes me giddy. I’m nuts about this sort of thing.

My very good friend Kevin Campbell who owns Campbell Family Nursery is the one who directed me to the herb farm. Kevin knows everything. His nursery has been in his family forever. He’s like me..been around since the early 1700’s. I’m going to interview him for you too. He just bought a whole bunch of land moved the entire nursery and has a grand story to tell. You should read some of the stories he has on his blog! Talk about folklore……..he can really tell it. Finding Plant Treasures

I’ve got one of the pure Campbell bloodline Japanese  maples growing in my backyard! So if I tell you that I like a plant and share it with you—-folks I don’t do it lightly—I do it from my heart and because I know it’s got a good bloodline and I trust who it came from. I trust Proven Winners Plants cause I grow them in my own garden.

From the Proven Winners Site: ‘Miss Ruby’ buddleia x

 

Growing Tips
Prefers well-drained, moist, fertile soils but can tolerate drought once established. Prefers medium moisture. Prune in late fall or early spring. In Northern states, this plant will die back to the ground though the roots are hardy. In the South, cut back as needed. To encourage reblooming, remove old spent blooms. Fertilize in early spring by applying a slow release fertilizer specialized for trees and shrubs. Follow the label for recommended rate of application.

Exposure
Full sun

Height
48-60″

Spacing
36-48″

Hardy Temp
-20°F (-29°C)

Uses
Excellent for use in perennial beds, wildlife gardens and mixed borders.

Features
Brilliant rich pink summer blooms unlike any other variety. Prune back in late winter/early spring. Attracts butterflies and hummingbirds. Fragrant. Deer resistant.

Snow Princess™ Lobularia hybrid Sweet Alyssum, Must Have

Incredible is all you can say about ‘Snow Princess’ Lobularia hybrid sweet alyssum. I grew it in containers and in the ground this summer and watching the never ending display of fluffy white blooms was absolutely satisfying. I thought you might like to see the photos from the Proven Winners site. Please enjoy!

You’ve all seen my gardens so let’s go look at some others around the Proven Winners’ world. All photos are used with permission from PW. You may not use these pictures without written consent from Proven Winners Plants.

Unlike most alyssums that fizzle out in the southern heat, ‘Snow Princess’ held up beyond measure. She’s on my list now appearing on a page at the top of my blog—-called***FGG’s FAV Annuals which is under construction.

This is one of the most stunning landscapes I’ve seen don’t you think? Bravo Proven Winners. I can name all their NEW VARIETIES in there? Can you? I see—Yep, I’ve grown everything in the picture above and it will look like that–now if I could just remember to put it together in that order!!

We had a frost last night which certainly took out most of my surviving annuals but ‘Snow Princess’ lobularia greeted me this morning still going strong. I just had to tell you about it. Girlfriends gotta share you know. And as promised, I told you I’d get the word out about the 2010’s before the nurseries finished ordering them so you could put your request in. Go tell them you want ‘Snow Princess”

This plant is very thirsty and hungry. You might need to water it twice a day. It will recover from a dry spell but I’d keep it on the moist side. I’d feed it once a week and give it plenty of pot room. I’m betting the one in the head above got a weak feeding every time it was watered and was probably watered at least twice a day if not hooked up to a slow drip system.

Good luck with your ‘Snow Princess’ . She sure looks worth it huh?

Meet ‘Pretty Much Picasso’, the new 2010 outrageous annual

Take a look at the new 2010 outrageous annual that is going to take seasonal gardeners to another level. Lots a wow coming at you with ‘Pretty Much Picasso’. He’s a Proven Winners Plants variety of course. Don’t be shocked when I tell you that my order totals 40! That’s right…..

I ask The Briar Patch last week how many they were ordering and they said–oh about 100. I said well I’m taking 40 of them for my clients and so Candy said—-well ok!….I guess we better get more—I said well I’m guessing you best cause it’s gonna sell like hot cakes—do you hear private nursery owners!!! I’m going to promote the socks off this one. I love it!!!!!!

I’m going to use it in pots with other taller plants that I’ll introduce over the coming days which are also new 2010 varieties. Two are new Ipomoes and one is a new papyrus. Such exciting things going on. So much to tell about that I might not get it all in before Spring planting. Goodness!

And in my garden one of the most important features would be that DEER do not eat them! I did not recieve one of these to trial in my garden this year but I’ve trialed so many PW petunias that it’s just a no brainer on this. I’m sold on the color. I’m guessing they will cost around $5 each for a 5″ pot which some people stroke over but out of that I get a healthy 3+ foot plant from May-November with proper soil prep and feeding schedule. You don’t have to removed spent blooms. I can’t find a better deal than that. My six packs won’t do that.

Proven Winner Cultivars are super athlete plants. They must be planted in good soil and they are heavy feeders needing weekly or bi-monthly liquid food and slow release is what I recommend. That was very evident this summer when my neighbor didn’t follow my instructions and the exact same plants as were in my garden grew to half the height and width.

Also, I’ve sold him on the idea of adopting my garden soil prep habits which you can read about HERE. <——If you follow my soil routine…..you’ll rarely have pest and disease problems and you’ll have beautiful plants. It’s that mushroom compost that’s the best ingredient.

My Product Wish List from the Garden Writer’s Symposium 2010

Ups-A-Daisy is a clever little creation. It’s a pot insert that saves on the amount of soil you’ll need to fill a container. Have you searched all over the house for pot fillers? I have. I’ve used old cans, plastic jugs, broken pots, and the list goes on. These inserts work by cutting down on your fill area and allowing you to use less soil and making the container lighter in the process.

These Ups-A-Daisy plastic inserts are light weight and save your back when you go to move your pot full of mature flowers. I rarely move my pots as they grow cause the thing is just way to heavy. Well here is the solution. And..most annuals don’t need a lot of root space. Annuals grow better with about 10 inches of soil and they love to be snuggled together. It’s perfect for pansies. The design improves drainage too. So no more rotting plants.

Ups-A-Daisy is just one of the companies I made a mental note about so I could go back home and research more about the product. These are new to me and I thought you might like seeing some of the products I’d enjoy using in my garden and home.

Another of these companies was:

Lechuza Self-Watering Containers are on my list of must haves for my porches. This will be the answer to who is going to water while I’m on vacation or when I simply forget about them.

This system waters your plants for up to 12 weeks. There is a gage indicator that tells you when the container needs to be filled again.

I am really impressed with the design and idea not to mention it’s going to assure the success of my containers and make my plants more attractive.

I will be testing these containers and writing more about them in the near future but I am so excited that I wanted to share and give you a sneak peak.

There is a video on their website that explains how they work and they have an online shop. The colors and textures are very classy.

These containers will help you conserve water because you will know exactly how much water your plant requires. No over or under watering.

And , if you leave the plug in the containers for inside—you don’t have to worry about ruining your furniture with water spots.

Are you looking for a hose that will keep up the wear and tear you dish out, or a nozzle that makes watering easier, or maybe you’d rather the watering take care of itself? Look to the Dramm company to do it stylishly and still be durable.

This display was full at the beginning of the Garden Writer’s Symposium. You can see that it was a popular product.

I enjoyed meeting these folks and learning about their consumer and commercial line.  What color would you pick. I think my favorite is the burgundy. Check out their site and you’ll recognize the Color Wand as you probably own one.

Actually, I have several and the garden center where I use to work full time—has lots. It’s a cinch to reach hanging baskets with the long handle. Dramm makes a Touch and Flow wand that allows you to start and stop the flow of water with more ease than traditional nozzles. The control mechanism is in the handle and works by the squeeze of your grip and it will not tire your hand as is the custom of most hand held nozzles.

These are just a few of the items on my wish list and I’ll be writing more about them as the season progresses.

There is a buzz in the world of gardening.

Wait till you see what the propagators and merchants have in store for you in 2010. I’m in on the buzz about gardening. I’m in the know and I’m going to share so you can be in the know too. It’s going to take me two weeks to post about all the good stuff and get the stories to you. I promise to make you the most prepared you’ve ever been for 2010. I mean why wait for us to grow the new plants and then post about them next year–right?. Don’t you want to know now?

Since Wednesday, I’ve been working the floor of the Raleigh Convention Center here in NC. We garden writers attend workshops during part of the day and in the afternoons we meet with propagators, nurserymen, product owners, lawn and garden amendment companies, and the list goes on. Our job as garden writers is to equip you with the new and most exciting things on the market today. I take that seriously. I’ve spent hours this week just getting to know these folks and hauling plants and information packets back to my room.

The packets contain catalogs and discs about their product. Often, we get new plant cultivars to test in our garden or they give us goodies like tote bags, hand cream, lip balm, visors, and plenty more logo reminding items. I’m going to share it all with you over the coming weeks. It may be one of the best years I’ve seen in gardening.

These companies want your business and they need you to get excited about gardening. I’m excited for you. I saw huge blooms, tall strong stems, and colors like you’ve never seen before. I’m telling you now so you can go ask for them at your local garden center. They need to know you want some of this stuff. Did you know if you don’t tell them—they might not know they exist. That’s right—don’t assume your local big box or local nursery will carry some of the varieties I’m going to share with you.

Nurseries get in a rut and they want to offer tried and true varieties. This means they stick with what is safe. If you want your local nursery to be on the cutting edge then you must get active in the process. You need to say—–Hey!, I saw this cool plant on flowergardengirl’s blog and I want it. In today’s competitive world—some of this new product technology is going to waste. I think it’s cause you just didn’t know it was out there. I mean if you never tried chocolate or never saw it then how would you know to ask for it—-and all this time you could of been a chocoholic like me.

You will not be disapointed in the next series of post from the 2010 Garden Writer’s Symposium.  I’ll be back soon. I am reading your comments but I’ve been working hard for you and I’m truly exhausted. It’s massive amounts of info to digest in such a short time. I do have the high quality images of the new plants to share with you but I also need to upload the information on the company behind the product.

I also would like to tell a story on each item so you’ll get to know the breeder or designer. That’s actually my favorite part. It’s intoxicating to listen to these stores. It will restore your excitement about gardening.

Got your interest peaked? It ain’t no ordinary year! Have you noticed a trend taking us back to the local garden center? I sure have. See ya real soon. Coming at you live from Raleigh, North Carolina. Good night! I’m off to bed.