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Hernando Today

Add Flair To Landscape With These Unusual Plants

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By STEVE JONES

Special to Hernando Today

Published: September 21, 2008

Looking for something a bit out of the ordinary to plant this fall? I have a few suggestions you might want to check out.

Weigela Ghost

We saw this variety in a grower's greenhouse and had to get some for ourselves because it has the most unusual foliage we had ever seen in a Weigela. In spring the foliage starts out green then gradually changes to a ghostly iridescent buttery yellow as summer progresses. In the spring it produces deep ruby-red flowers that can last for quite a while.

We found that it is best to shear it after the initial spring bloom to enjoy new blooms later in the season. It grows to about four or five feet high in full or partial sun and looks good as a specimen or grouped in masses or even in containers.

Weigela Wine and Roses

Another Weigela you might want to check out is the variety known as Wine and Roses. The intense rosy-pink flowers seem to jump out at you against the background of the dark burgundy-purple foliage.

Because of its spectacular color, Wine and Roses has become very popular with European floral designers who combine it with more traditional cut flowers such as roses and baby's breath to create unique bouquets and floral displays.

This Weigela is quite a bit different from the traditional Weigelas that you might have seen growing in your grandmother's front yard many years ago! In fact, Wine and Roses recently became the first Weigela to win the coveted Pennsylvania Horticultural Society Gold Medal award. To bring out the best color in the foliage, plant in full sun and you'll enjoy seeing the deep purple foliage long after the blooms have gone.

Carolina Jasmine

Also known as Gelsemium sempervirens, this is a fragrant, early-blooming perennial vine that's hard to beat. Plant it in full sun and it will remain bushy and compact. Plant it in shade and it will grow up and over adjacent shrubs and trees to a height of 20 feet.

This makes it a good choice to train up trellises, arbors or porches.

It is a versatile plant and is a good choice if you're looking for a low maintenance groundcover on a steep slope that is difficult to mow.

A word of warning however: this plant is toxic and can actually be lethal if ingested, so it should not be planted where children might pick and eat the flowers.

Barberry Sunjoy Gold Pillar

This relatively new plant makes for great "garden architecture" growing upright with no pruning to about four feet high in full sun.

In autumn, the bright orange-red foliage is stunning.

Sunjoy Golden Pillar is a fast growing shrub that is unusual and quite spectacular.

As it is relatively new, it isn't always easy to find, but Google the name on the 'net and you should find a supplier.

Spiraea Gold Mound

Gold Mound is a hybrid of Gold Flame and starts out the growing season with foliage of a reddish hue, but with a far more muted color than its cousin. As the season progresses, the foliage changes to yellow and sometimes green.

The blooms consist of large clusters of very small light pink flowers. Deadheading often results in new blooms later in the season. It is tolerant of most soil types and is a good choice for homeowners wanting to add a spectacular splash of color to their landscape.

Hydrangea paniculata Pinky Winky

Even the name of this deciduous shrub makes me smile! How can you not like a plant called Pinky Winky? What makes this plant unique is its white and pink two-toned flower heads that appear in mid summer. The large, 16-inch panicles emerge white and then the flowers at the base begin to turn pink.

One of the nice things about this variety is that the flower heads hold upright and don't droop like the better known Pee Gee variety. Pinky Winky is adaptable to most soils but prefers a loamy soil with moderate moisture. You can maintain it as a shrub or train it into a small tree. Plant several in a row and it becomes an attractive flowering hedge.

The Plant Man is here to help. Send your questions about trees, shrubs and landscaping to steve@landsteward.org and for resources and additional information.

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