Illicium floridanum 'Halley's Comet' (Florida Anise)
Why haven't I tried this plant before? If it's zone 6, it'll grow in Washington DC and maybe even in protected areas of coastal New England. No wonder it's one of the 2009 award winning plants selected by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS). It's also deer-resistant, making it a great candidate to replace rhododendrons. This new cultivar is hardier than other cultivars in cold weather and it will survive in dry shade once it's established in the landscape. Brilliant red blooms cover the plant in May, and the size is about five to six feet high and wide. Plant in part shade, as too much sun will turn the leaves yellow.
Juniperus conferta 'Silver Mist' (Shore Juniper)
I've long been a fan of shore juniper -- in my opinion, it's simply the best looking low-growing juniper around, mainly because of its soft, blue-green foliage and lovely trailing habit. But now, there's a new cultivar with a more compact growth habit. It was found by plantsman Barry Yinger and introduced through Brookside Gardens in suburban Washington DC.This shore juniper is less than a foot tall, is hardy in zones 5-b to 9, and is very tolerant of heat and drought. It needs good drainage and lots of sun, but if it's planted about three feet apart, it'll knit together into a beautiful year-round ground cover.
Styrax japonicus 'Sohuksan' (Emerald Pagoda Snowbell)
This particular version of the Japanese snowbell tree was discovered in 1985, when scientists with a plant expedition organized by the US National Arboretum happened upon it on Sohuksan Island off the southwest coast of South Korea. A cutting was brought back to the JC Raulston Arboretum, where it was established in cultivation. 'Sohuksan' is distinguished because of its superior growing habit, it's large leaves and super-sized fragrant blooms. It grows best in light shade with morning sun, is hardy zones 5 to 8 and will reach a height of about 30 feet.
Clethra alnifolia 'Compacta' (Dwarf Summersweet)
I guess I'd have to see this cultivar side-by-side with 'Hummingbird' to decide which one I actually preferred. However, Compacta's attributes include dark glossy green foliage, and it's said to have more flowers and be a little more compact than its competition (which I guess is Hummingbird). It gets about 3.5 feet high, four feet wide, and is hardy zones 4-9, making it a great candidate for northern climates. It also has some deer resistance and is a native plant. Part sun to light shade.
Ilex 'Red Beauty' (Red Beauty Holly)
This is a pretty unusual holly -- half meserve and half pernyi-- and according to the PHS judges it far outperforms other evergreen hollies. It took years of breeding (I. aquifolium, I. rugosa and I. pernyi) by Elwin R. Orton at Rutgers, but the result is a densely branched holly with a pyramidal shape that reaches a height of about 15 feet.
This holly needs a male pollinator to produce berries, and any of the blue male hollies will work ('Blue Boy,' 'Blue Prince' or 'Blue Stallion') planted within about 100 feet.
This holly is hardy in zones 6 to 9 and does best in well drained soil in sun to part sun.
(images: Pennsylvania Horticultural Society; image of Ilex: Monrovia)
You got me with the Styrax--my favorite small tree.
Posted by: Susan aka Miss R. | July 27, 2009 at 04:04 PM