Staff Favorites

The staff at Specialty Growers is a group of dedicated gardeners, and we each have our own unique gardening “style”.  Often we are asked for our personal recommendations for high-performance perennials.  Here are some of the plants that we like best!

Aquilegia chrysantha ‘Yellow Queen’ – Yellow Queen Columbine

I’ve loved this columbine ever since I started Specialty Growers, over 30 years ago.  This is the longest-lived Columbine I have grown.  And although it won’t rival a Peony or Daylily in longevity, it will outlast most Columbines in terms of years, and also in terms of bloom season.  If spent flowers are removed, ‘Yellow Queen’ will bloom from mid-May until the 4^th of July!  Its large, long-spurred canary yellow flowers typify the meaning of the genus.  With just a little imagination, you can see how the Columbine got both its common and scientific names.  Columbine derives from the Latin word Columbina, meaning dove-like, while Aquilegia is from the Latin word Aquila, meaning eagle. It has been suggested that the long spurs of the columbine resemble eagles’ claws.  Although Columbines are thought of as shade-lovers, they actually do best with sun for at least part of the day.  ‘Yellow Queen’ Columbine grows to about 30”.

Ligularia ‘Osiris Series’

Everyone here at Specialty Growers fell in love with these two new Ligularias last year!  These varieties feature uniquely shaped foliage and a more compact habit than older types, growing only 24” tall.  ‘Café Noir’ emerges with dark, deeply toothed foliage, which lightens to green with red veins in summer, and changes to dark bronzy-green in fall. ‘Fantaisie’ has thick, arrowhead-shaped leaves of rubbery texture with undulating edges.  The foliage is very dark green on top, and burgundy beneath.  Both varieties bear clusters of golden-yellow daisy-like flowers during July and August.  Grow these distinctive varieties in partial shade, in moisture-retentive soil.

Persicaria amplexicaulis ‘Golden Arrow’ – Golden Arrow Knotweed

What a perfect name for this plant, with its arrow-shaped golden foliage and narrow, pointed spikes of red flowers!  Once this plant starts to bloom in June or July, it’s like fireworks exploding all summer long and well into the fall.  Only hard frost stops the blooming!  Even if it never bloomed, this plant would be a valuable garden addition, with its bright golden to chartreuse foliage.  Like most members of the Persicaria family, it does best in moist soil, but in our experience does not require wet soil.  Partial shade keeps the foliage at its best; strong afternoon sun can burn the leaf margins. ‘Golden Arrows’ grows as a loose mound 1.5 to 2 ft tall.

Polystichum acrostichoides – Christmas Fern

Our favorite fern comes with a tongue-twister of a name; fortunately its common name is simple to remember, and once you see a mature specimen of this fern, it won’t soon be forgotten!  The common name refers to the dark evergreen foliage that was once harvested from the wild, baled, and sold to florists for use in making Christmas wreaths. The Christmas Fern is native to most of the Eastern half of the country, but for some reason has never enjoyed wide garden use.  This is a shame because it becomes a beautiful symmetrical vase-shaped clump that does not creep or become invasive.  Christmas Fern is slow growing at first, but patience is rewarded by its stone-hardy disposition and longevity.  The evergreen fronds may become brown by spring, at which time it is best to simply cut them off.  Fresh new growth will emerge from the crowns.
 

Pulmonaria ‘Raspberry Splash’ – Raspberry Splash Lungwort

In the world of horticulture, Lungworts come and go, but this one has passed the test of time and is one of our (and our customer’s) favorites.  The foliage is beautiful - dark green splashed liberally with silver spots.  The growth habit is excellent – upright 12” clumps with very good floral presentation.  Disease resistance in notable – the plants resist powdery mildew better than other cultivars. The flowers are exceptional – large raspberry pink florets, changing to purple and blue.  There you have it – a truly great Lungwort, worthy of a position of honor in any shade garden!.