This week's standout plant in your garden--7-25-07

16 years ago

Runktrun, I hope you don't mind if I continue the threads you have started.

With all the attention on new introductions, sometimes the standout plant in my garden is not only an oldie but not even a hybrid or fancy cultivar. For this week, the palm has to go to Hosta ventricosa. This hosta is medium size with shiny green leaves that light up deep shade. Very attractive just for the leaves but it's also one of the few hostas with truly showy flowers--bright purple and lots of them.

Hosta ventricosa self-seeds and from the original plant stuck in a dark, neglected corner, I now have at least twenty. And I've given away plenty. They grow densely so the flower show is really amazing for this corner--and no weed but jewelweed can get thru. I've definitely gotten my money's worth out of this one plant.

If you love historic plants and gardens, you may be interested to know that this hosta, native to China and northern Korea, was one of the first to reach the West in the late 1700s. It then became one of the first hostas grown in American gardens--and one of the few til after the Civil War.

Two other things: Tho in a dark corner, the soil is good and quite moist, which it seems to like. And for botanists, maybe self-seed is not the right word. It propagates itself in an unusual way.

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Comments (11)

PRO
Nancy Vargas Registered Architect
16 years ago
Nikko Blue hydrangea in all shades of blue and purple (yes I do have other garden areas that are not white! LOL!

Echinacea "White Swan." It is stunning in the white border.

Phlox "David" is finally in bloom.

That's all I can think of.

WG
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triciae
16 years ago
Mine would be h. 'Autumn Wood'. It started blooming in my trial bed July 5 & still has a few buds left. I purchased it from Oakes two years ago. I have 3 of them & will transplant them in front of h. 'Mary Todd' this fall where I think the bright yellow of 'Mary Todd' will bring out the yellow-highlighted throat of 'Autumn Wood' nicely. Every flower has been consistently ruffled & rain has not streaked nor spotted the flowers. I don't grow a lot of daylilies because of the ratty foliage issue but this one's a keeper. It's short (20" tops) & stocky so can easily be used in the front of the border. Also, doesn't throw an excess of foliage.

Tricia
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triciae
16 years ago
Oops, how could we forget about BESs in late July? What else is so reliable & easy care? In my case, they also tone down the screaming blue of the hydrangeas which as much as I love 'em can get on my nerves a bit.

Tricia
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ego45
16 years ago
Not truly standout in terms of being more visible than anything else in a garden, but standout in a particular bed where it planted,
Astilbe 'Color Flash'
{{gwi:248608}}
{{gwi:248609}}

Foliage start bright salad green then getting red from buttom up as season progresses and finaly will turns into orange-red-burgundy by the fall.
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diggerdee zone 6 CT
16 years ago
Wow, cool astilbe! I like the changing foliage.

I don't have anything at the moment that is a shining star. I had some gorgeous Sunrich Lemon sunflowers, but those are for cutting, (so they are cut and gone!)and my zinnias and dahlias are starting to get going, but this is the time of year I need to do some planning for.

Most people won't think much of this, but yesterday I saw a bloom that literally stopped me dead in my tracks. I had to walk back a few steps to take a closer look. What was it, you ask? Just a bloom on a hosta. But I usually pick my hostas for foliage (as most people do), and this hosta was new last year. It's Guacamole, and the bloom on it was so large and double and pure white, that it really caught my eye when I walked by. I guess I never paid attention to any descriptions/photos of the bloom before, so it was unexpected.

I do have some daylilies that are beautiful right now - Woodside Ruby, Lullaby Baby, Love Those Eyes, Ice Carnival, and a beautiful one from last years' swap that I didn't seem to label, and lots more - but the plants are all still small, so while the blooms are beautiful, it doesn't make for a grand showing yet.

:)
Dee
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diggingthedirt
16 years ago
Can't pick one, sorry.

A wonderful daylily from Katy, I think it's called 'Polly Forever':

Double ditch lilie, out in the woods:

Rudbeckia, one of a zillion that are showing some initiative. The original plant was plain yellow, a Mothers Day gift from my son, who was 6 at the time. I have too many of these, but just can't make myself pull them up:

{{gwi:248238}}
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sunshineboy
16 years ago
I just really enjoy this thread, seeing the pix and whats blooming everywhere.

My standout is for both beauty and smell this week. This corner of my yard wafts of stargazer lily. Can you tell my daughter just finished blowing bubbles?
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mayalena
16 years ago
Love sunshine boy's lilies, and love dtd's double ditch lily. I think it is being sold as 'Kwanzaa'. So pretty, that I am thinking about willingly introducing this thug....
It faded before I could photograph it, but I had a 'Butter and Cream' siberian iris rebloom this week! It really startled me. Are they supposed to rebloom?
ML
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diggerdee zone 6 CT
16 years ago
Okay, I was *finally* able to upload some pics, so here are a few of my lilies - looks like I have the same one as sunshineboy, but I can't recall the name at the moment:

{{gwi:1082893}}

Can't remember the name of this one either!
{{gwi:1082895}}

And this is from a week or so ago, but I love this so much I had to post. Hydrangea Tokyo Delight (the petals are a bit more pinkish, but couldn't stop the flash from going off!)
{{gwi:1082897}}

:)
Dee
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ego45
16 years ago
Dee, first lily is a Tom Pouce, the second is a Muscadet (most likely) and I can't agree more on that big WOW when I saw a large clear white double flower on my Stained Glass (sport of Guacamole) hosta opened today. Great hosta by all counts. No wonder that it is in a top 5 in all hosta-polls taken recently.
{{gwi:1082899}}

Now I have to find a healthy June which is always in a top 3 in order to complete my 'Must have in 2007' hostas-list.
Other 3 were Sagae, Woolverine and Cabitan(mini) and they are in a ground already.
Well, somehow in my search for the listed hostas 5 or 6 other names ended up in a garden, but that is another story, right? :-))
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diggerdee zone 6 CT
16 years ago
Tom Pouce! Tom Pouce! I kept on thinking "Tom Pouce" - but I swear I never bought this one, lol! Maybe I finally got around to getting it off my wish list and into my garden! And yes, I think Muscadet is exactly what that is. I don't know why I have such a bad habit of not labeling lilies. I label most every plant in my garden, but I can never seem to find any ID on my lilies.

Guacamole bloom:
{{gwi:1082901}}

{{gwi:1082903}}

Hmm, I swore that bloom was a double the other day...

:)
Dee
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