January 12
Garden Dreams

Fleshy red tomatoes and colorful zinnias are dancing in my head! Sweet thoughts of spring warm my spirit as I peruse through the flower and plant books I collected recently while attending the Northern Green Expo in Minneapolis. The Expo is an excellent way for those in our industry to jumpstart their batteries along with locate and research great new plants and products for the upcoming spring, summer and fall. While at the conference, I enjoyed meeting up with friends I have made all over Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin and learning of exciting ideas and events they are doing in their garden centers. It’s always interesting to hear of the excitement not only we have for plants, but that our customers have, too. After days of listening to speakers talk on a wide array of topics, the most exciting one came last… and talk was on plants people love. Many were  familiar and a few were new introductions. The following are a few that we will be carrying at Sargent’s this spring. Enjoy learning about them and be sure to stop in and see them. Itoh Peonies are a great addition to the garden. They have amazing large blooms! These intersectional peonies are a cross of tree peony and herbaceous peonies. Be sure to check these out in early May, as I expect them to sell fast! The blooms are amazing on them! We’ll be carrying several varieties, but I really like ‘Julia Rose’ and ‘Bartzella’.(on right)

Another perennial I am really excited to talk about is ‘Cranberry Crush’ hibiscus. Your neighbors and friends will really say, “WOW!” Deep scarlet red flowers measure seven to eight inches. The plant is compact and grows three feet by four feet. Hardy hibiscus are amazing, though you have to be patient with them. In the spring, they don’t come wake up until soil temperatures reach around 70 degrees. Ask any gardener and they’ll tell you it’s worth the wait! I'm looking forward to seeing my 'Kopper King' hibiscus bloom this summer.

Enjoy dreaming of these perennials and tune in next week, where I’ll tease you with a couple more additions to our plant line up for 2010!

Dream Gardening!
Wendy Thon
MNLA Certified Professional

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