Hey, campers! It rained! It’s been weeks of nineties and high eighties. Drought everywhere.
Then it rains.
In days, plants relax, crimped and stressed leaves unfurl, even the trees show a sigh of relief knowing that fall is near. We westerners are getting used to the changes in the seasons.
And being good horticulturists, we yearly edit our plant lists to adapt to the powers of nature (and man.) I’m about to take beloved mophead hydrangeas off my list as they fry here, looking gorgeous until we hit our 100’s and they crisp. No flowers, scorched foliage. I don’t have a lot of shade, nor does Joe Suburban. We are the source of information. We want customers to come back and that’s why we responsibly evaluate Terra Nova™ plants for three years or more in sun and in shade. Here’s a few that take the scorching heat and glow when the weather cools. Aaaaah….
Come explore three remarkable offerings by the ORIGINAL innovators: Terra Nova.
Agastache ‘Prince’s Plume’
Terra Nova leads the pack when it comes to Agastache. Plants like ‘Blue Boa,’ “The Kudos Series,” and most recently, “The Pearl Series” are garnering international attention. Well world, we now have Agastache ‘Prince’s Plume,’ a strong vertical accent missing in today’s perennial plants. The flowers are insanely long and will be the exclamation point in a container or the back of the landscape. The stately, elegant, lavender-violet flowers crowd this plant with color from June until frost. Fragrant flowers and foliage attract throngs of hummingbirds and colonies of bumble bees. ‘Prince’s Plume’ impresses with its hardiness, excellent quality foliage, and floral display. Very disease resistant. The multitudinous flowers rise to thirty inches high on an upright mound to thirty inches across in full sun. Hardy in USDA zones six to ten.
Yowsah! Bright autumn-colored stars cover this dense, bushy plant. Fine needle-like foliage is plentiful and gives the plant an overall airy look. Exceedingly attractive to pollinator insects, especially honeybees. Flowers continually change colors, as well. Bright lemon gold shifts to tawny orange, then to a blushing pink and coral. Unique among Coreopsis. This has hardy verticillata breeding and is showing to be mildew resistant. Hardy in USDA zones six to ten. The warm amber flowers rise to thirty inches high with an upright, but compact habit, twenty-four inches wide by eighteen inches high. Excellent for gardens and as a specimen in a container. Coreopsis need full sun and supplemental summer watering. Continuous flowering in full sun from June through September. Pollinator haven. You can expect flowers on this native from June through September. As with all of our Coreopsis verticillata plants, they “bury the dead.” Flowers, that is!
You know that Echinaceas have a fragrance of honey. That’s what makes them a key target for honeybees with a nice side of pollen. This was bred for the pot crop market, being tight and compact. It’s another terrific addition to the PRINCESS™ series of Echinacea. Rich, honey-colored flowers are well scented and attract pollinators like crazy – including butterflies! Tight compact habit and long-lasting flowers for months. Deep green foliage, right to the ground, completes this clean and tailored Echinacea. Hardy in USDA zones four to nine. The warm amber flowers grow in a dense habit, twelve inches wide by fifteen inches high. Full sun is great, and you can expect blooms from June to October!
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. A 2025 Silver Laurel Award was granted by GardenComm International for their 2025 Commercial Catalog.
You may contact Dan at [email protected] Questions on culture and care or availability for a speaking engagement can be had at this email.
All articles are copyrighted and remain the property of the author.
Big news in the design world: The color for the year encourages true relaxation and focus. To find inspiration for weaving this elegant color into you garden designs this year, click here for an interesting article.
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