We recently had a visit from Jessica from Proven Winners because we are trying to develop our store into a Proven Winner destination, and because of the number of perennials and shrubs from PW that we are currently growing. If you haven’t visited us recently we have a PW display garden that has been growing for a year! We have also added a covered area for all the PW shade plants as well. The selection of plants can be very overwhelming but the following are some of my favorite ones to grow and some are PW plants of the year.
The first is the annual of the year. Lemon Coral Sedum is an excellent choice for Kamloops baskets and containers as it is a very tough and drought tolerant plant. It has lime and chartreuse foliage that is vigorous and beautifully textured. It has been a hit this spring in store! Just remember that it is considered an annual in our climate and is not like the other hardy sedum we sell.
One of the PW perennials we are growing that is a Maury Winner is Shasta Daisy Banana Cream. This is a compact growing plant that has been made even more compact with the marmots eating the foliage. Who knows – maybe it tastes like banana cream! When the marmots finally get their fill and hibernate this plant has an amazing show of 4-5” flowers that open lemon yellow and fade to creamy white. The flowers are on sturdy, stalky stems that hold the massive flowers upright, keeping them from falling over or drooping after a summer rain or hard wind. It’s an easy plant to grow in the yard for any gardener.
Two other perennials that I think are winners are hardy sedum called Popstar Sedum. I love this sedum as it is very compact and mounding and has the cutest little blue-green foliage. In the fall it has a mass of salmon pink flowers.
The second is a Heuchera. Yes, I know there are hundreds to choose from but this one is just the cutest! It’s called Cinnamon Curls. It is a more compact and shorter variety of Heuchera that has a unique blend of coppery orange, red and purple tones of ruffled leaves. The leaves have magenta undertones as well. It looks like a happy little plant that will add a distinct flavor to your garden.
Out of all the available shrubs that PW has their hydrangeas are hard to beat – and there are a lot of hydrangeas to choose from! There are two, however, that just catch my eye every time I’m in the nursery. The first is Fire Light, and the other is Pinky Winky. The latter I like because of the name (I must admit) as well as the flower. It’s a two-toned white flower with a red bottom on sturdy, stalky stems. It reminds me of a sundae! It also happens to be the 2015 Shrub Madness champion.
So, if you have a chance, come by and smell all the flowers in the Proven Winner garden and enjoy!
– Maury
