Apr 30, 2015
Beyond Pretty: Perennials that Boast Style and FunctionBy Jasmina Dolce

May is quickly approaching, and that means gardening season is in full swing in most areas! Many, if not most, of you offer landscape services or at least consult with your customers about their landscaping options. And I would like to offer up some timely tips and guidance that you can use when planning customers’ outdoor spaces.

Not every plant is bred for the landscape. Some perform much better than others. So we at Lawn & Garden Retailer have been keeping tabs on the standout performers that will not only perform but make a bold statement in outdoor plantings.

In this debut issue of Landscape Culture, I’d like to share an article we recently published in our sister publication GPN. Author Lauren Tuski, a recent recipient of the GPN/Nexus Intern of the Year award and enthusiastic horticulturist, had this to say about today’s landscapes in her article “Beyond Pretty: Perennials that Boast Style and Function”:

While gardeners still adore perennials for purely aesthetic reasons, beautiful perennials alone can’t cut it like they used to. Consumers looking for that extra value in their plant purchases, however, may not know what to look for to get the most for their money. Beneficial traits like drought tolerance, disease resistance and pollinator appeal also serve as tantalizing selling mantras, especially with renewed focus on diversified perennial varieties. For the grower and greenhouse that recognize the need to add as much value as possible into a single plant, new varieties found below that boast these great traits can provide the enticing hooks needed to make the sale and move the product.

Drought-Tolerant Perennials

Water is and will continue to be one of the great challenges for horticulture. For example, an exceptional drought is impacting roughly 63 million residents of California and southwest regions according to the National Drought Mitigation Center. That’s a staggering statistic, especially when that number also represents current and potential consumers. When customers are faced with the choice “water for my plants” or “water for me,” it’s obvious that plants will take a secondary seat, and many water-thirsty perennials may suffer. However, perennials that can withstand drought and outshine a yucca are well worth showcasing and pushing for their landscape benefits.

Agastache Acapulco Deluxe series from Thompson Morgan and marketed by GreenFuse Botanicals – With its showy flowers and scented foliage (and popularity with hummingbirds and butterflies), this serves as a strong candidate for a colorful, water-wise option. Agastaches are native to the southwest, so they have a natural tolerance of drier conditions. The Acapulco Deluxe series not only offers bright and fun colors but is also a more compact version of the standard Acapulco series, perfect for edging and borders.

Kniphofia ‘Rockette Orange’ from EuroAmerican Propagators Inc. – This striking plant with tall and vibrant blooms will attract customers for its sheer stateliness. The Rockette series is unique among other torch lilies for its reblooming cycle. As a tough, drought-tolerant plant, it’s a stunner in the landscape and attracts butterflies, hummingbirds and moths, as well.

Perennials with Pollinator Appeal

Bees and pollinators have been buzzing in the media and news both within the industry and in general public forums with hot-button topics such as neonicotinoids. Consumers are at least aware that honeybees are facing a crisis, and pollination of crops and plants suffers as a result. Bees and pollinators have a stronghold on the underdog stance, and everyone loves an underdog. These perennials appeal to consumers’ environmental concerns and altruism with an offer of being a safe resource for pollinator food and nutriment.

Echinacea ‘Butterfly Orange Skipper’ from AB Cultivars – It was a great idea to give this cultivar the name of a pollinator! Having Butterfly right in its name helps to communicate that this plant is attractive to pollinators. The neon-tangerine colored flowers and compact habit will also be attractive to customers, and growers will love that it’s a strong finisher in production.

Penstemon Cha Cha series from Terra Nova Nurseries – This new series should have growers and consumers alike very excited. Combining the best breeding across several Penstemon varieties, the Cha Cha series represents great habit, incredible flower-power (which equals pollinator appeal) and drool-worthy color. Its long bloom time from July to October allows it to be a steady food source for pollinators and a worthy investment for consumers.

Disease-Resistant Perennials

Nothing is more discouraging for a gardener than to bring home a plant with fanfare and excitement; plant it, nurture it and adore it; and then watch as it struggles or dies with a disease. An intermediate to advanced garden consumer will know this pitfall and be on the lookout for plants that have natural resistance to disease. A beginning consumer, however, might be unaware of this hazard, so new varieties that offer resistance in their genetics from the get-go is a strong selling point and has a greater chance for success.

Monarda ‘Balmy’ series from Ball/Darwin – The Balmy series reportedly has the best mildew-resistance of all monarda on the market. Floriferous, bright and compact, these are a fantastic option for those looking to strike it big with show-stopping borders and edging. (Plus, they are deer and rabbit resistant).

Are you currently offering any of the above varieties to your landscape customers? If not, they are certainly worth consideration! To read more about perennials that boast both style and function, you can read the full article here.

Which landscape varieties have been most successful for you? Let me know, and maybe I can share them with readers in an upcoming issue of Landscape Culture! Shoot me an email anytime at [email protected].

— Jasmina


Jasmina Dolce

Jasmina Dolce is managing editor of GPN magazine. She can be reached at [email protected].