Chrysanthemum rubellum 'Clara Curtis' 23W39 Mum F2- (Heirloom) Garden Mum, Mature plant size: 18x18in., Pink single daisy flowers w/yellow centers, USDA Hardiness Zone 4, Michigan Bloom Month 8-9, In Garden Bed F2 for 4.3 YEARS (bluestone). Planted in 2019.

Heirloom aka Dendranthema 'Clara Curtis' or 'Country Girl'. Possibly bred by Amos Perry (circa 1930's), a grower/breeder from Enfield. Ryan's Pink is similar or the same as Clara Curtis. An old fashioned mum. Tolerates some shade. The leaves are very attractive.

My last one only survived 2 years. Planted this one in a different garden, morning sun. Looks good so far. Splayed, needs support.

Photo by F.D.Richards, SE Michigan. Link to additional photos of this plant from 2019, 20, 22, 23:

www.flickr.com/search/?user_id=50697352%40N00&sort=da...

#Michigan, #49236, #usdaZone6, #Medium, #Perennial, #Mum, #GardenMum, #Chrysanthemum, #Hardy, #ClaraCurtis, #23W39

Thuja occidentalis 'Enlightened' 23W39 Arb N3- (West 2012) Arborvitae Arb, Size at 10 years: 12x8ft., light, mint-green, variegated with lighter platinum-cream which shows best when given several hours of sun each day., USDA Hardiness Zone 4-8, Michigan Bloom Month -, In Garden Bed N3 for 3.4 YEARS (MSU). Planted in 2020.

American Conifer Society: Thuja occidentalis 'Enlightened' is a recently-introduced, extremely landscape-worthy selection of American (eastern) arborvitae. Although not very impressive as a very young plant, after five years in the garden it will begin to show it's true beauty. Foliage color is not yellow or gold as are many other arbs, but is a light, mint-green, variegated with lighter platinum-cream which shows best when given several hours of sun each day. It's color value is similar to Pinus densiflora ‘Oculus Draconis.’ In winter, Enlightened's color is cream and caramel with olive-green undertones where it is untouched by sun. This beautiful arb did not burn even in the midwest U.S.'s severe hot, droughty summer of 2012 with over 45 days of temperatures over 90°F (32ºC) and most near 100 (38°C). Typical rate of growth in most areas is 8 to 12 inches (20 - 30 cm) a year resulting in a flashy broadly conical tree 12 feet (4 m) tall by 8 feet (2.5 m) wide after 10 years in the landscape.

Dr. Clark West (1918 - 2014), hybridizer and seed collector from Cincinnati, Ohio is credited with the origin and introduction of this cultivar. The plant was grown from a batch of seeds he collected from Thuja occidentalis 'Marissen's Sulphur' while on an ACS trip to England in 1995. As the seedlings grew, he made this and other selections, then distributed the young plants to collectors and botanical institutions for further evaluation. Terri Park of Carmel, Indiana was a lucky recipient of one of the original propagations. She named it, and officially registered the cultivar with the Royal Horticultural Society in 2012. At the time of writing this record in 2014, fewer than 20 individual specimens of this plant are known to exist in the world, making it, for now, virtually unknown in the nursery trade. An informative account of the Doc West's life and career can be read here.

Obtained from: Michigan State University, Hidden Lake Gardens, Tipton, MI. Harper Collection of Rare & Dwarf Conifers.

Photo by F.D.Richards, SE Michigan. Link to additional photos of this plant from 2021, 22, 23:

www.flickr.com/search/?user_id=50697352%40N00&sort=da...

#Michigan, #49236, #usdaZone6, #Conifer, #Arborvitae, #Arb, #ThujaOccidentalis, #Thuja, #Enlightened, #23W39

Hibiscus syriacus 'BALI' 23W39 Rose of Sharon F4- (Minier Nursery, France) Rose of Sharon or Althea, Mature plant size: 6x5ft., WHITE, 3 to 4 in. diameter double flowers with a purple red center., USDA Hardiness Zone 5-9, Michigan Bloom Month -, In Garden Bed F4 for 12 MONTHS (Lowes). Planted in 2022.

Missouri Botanical Garden: 'Minfren', part of the First Editions® series, is commonly sold as FIRST EDITIONS® BALI™. It was bred and introduced by Minier Nursery in France and is distributed by Bailey Nurseries in Minnesota. It has semi-double, pure white, 3 to 4 in. diameter flowers with a purple red center. This upright vase-shaped shrub grows 5 to 8 ft. tall and 4 to 7 ft. wide.

2021 note: 2 gallon pot from Lowes at $14, 50% off.

Photo by F.D.Richards, SE Michigan. Link to additional photos of this plant from 2023:

www.flickr.com/search/?user_id=50697352%40N00&sort=da...

#Michigan, #49236, #usdaZone6, #Shrub, #T2J, #sun, #Hibiscus, #HibiscusSyriacus, #RoseOfSharon, #BALI, #Minfren, #White, #FirstEditions, #23W39

Thuja occidentalis 'Enlightened' 23W39 Arb N3- (West 2012) Arborvitae Arb, Size at 10 years: 12x8ft., light, mint-green, variegated with lighter platinum-cream which shows best when given several hours of sun each day., USDA Hardiness Zone 4-8, Michigan Bloom Month -, In Garden Bed N3 for 3.4 YEARS (MSU). Planted in 2020.

American Conifer Society: Thuja occidentalis 'Enlightened' is a recently-introduced, extremely landscape-worthy selection of American (eastern) arborvitae. Although not very impressive as a very young plant, after five years in the garden it will begin to show it's true beauty. Foliage color is not yellow or gold as are many other arbs, but is a light, mint-green, variegated with lighter platinum-cream which shows best when given several hours of sun each day. It's color value is similar to Pinus densiflora ‘Oculus Draconis.’ In winter, Enlightened's color is cream and caramel with olive-green undertones where it is untouched by sun. This beautiful arb did not burn even in the midwest U.S.'s severe hot, droughty summer of 2012 with over 45 days of temperatures over 90°F (32ºC) and most near 100 (38°C). Typical rate of growth in most areas is 8 to 12 inches (20 - 30 cm) a year resulting in a flashy broadly conical tree 12 feet (4 m) tall by 8 feet (2.5 m) wide after 10 years in the landscape.

Dr. Clark West (1918 - 2014), hybridizer and seed collector from Cincinnati, Ohio is credited with the origin and introduction of this cultivar. The plant was grown from a batch of seeds he collected from Thuja occidentalis 'Marissen's Sulphur' while on an ACS trip to England in 1995. As the seedlings grew, he made this and other selections, then distributed the young plants to collectors and botanical institutions for further evaluation. Terri Park of Carmel, Indiana was a lucky recipient of one of the original propagations. She named it, and officially registered the cultivar with the Royal Horticultural Society in 2012. At the time of writing this record in 2014, fewer than 20 individual specimens of this plant are known to exist in the world, making it, for now, virtually unknown in the nursery trade. An informative account of the Doc West's life and career can be read here.

Obtained from: Michigan State University, Hidden Lake Gardens, Tipton, MI. Harper Collection of Rare & Dwarf Conifers.

Photo by F.D.Richards, SE Michigan. Link to additional photos of this plant from 2021, 22, 23:

www.flickr.com/search/?user_id=50697352%40N00&sort=da...

#Michigan, #49236, #usdaZone6, #Conifer, #Arborvitae, #Arb, #ThujaOccidentalis, #Thuja, #Enlightened, #23W39

Chrysanthemum rubellum 'Clara Curtis' 23W39 Mum F2- (Heirloom) Garden Mum, Mature plant size: 18x18in., Pink single daisy flowers w/yellow centers, USDA Hardiness Zone 4, Michigan Bloom Month 8-9, In Garden Bed F2 for 4.3 YEARS (bluestone). Planted in 2019.

Heirloom aka Dendranthema 'Clara Curtis' or 'Country Girl'. Possibly bred by Amos Perry (circa 1930's), a grower/breeder from Enfield. Ryan's Pink is similar or the same as Clara Curtis. An old fashioned mum. Tolerates some shade. The leaves are very attractive.

My last one only survived 2 years. Planted this one in a different garden, morning sun. Looks good so far. Splayed, needs support.

Photo by F.D.Richards, SE Michigan. Link to additional photos of this plant from 2019, 20, 22, 23:

www.flickr.com/search/?user_id=50697352%40N00&sort=da...

#Michigan, #49236, #usdaZone6, #Medium, #Perennial, #Mum, #GardenMum, #Chrysanthemum, #Hardy, #ClaraCurtis, #23W39

Sophora japonica 23W39 Chinese Scholar Tree a2- (Tree) Chinese Scholar Tree, Mature plant size: 65ft., WHITE, USDA Hardiness Zone 4, Michigan Bloom Month -, In Garden Bed a2 for 207 DAYS (C3). Planted in 2023.

Missouri Botanical Garden: Sophora japonica, commonly called Japanese pagoda tree or Chinese scholar tree, is native to China and Korea, but not Japan. It is a medium to large deciduous tree that typically matures to 50-75’ (less frequently to 100’) tall with a broad rounded crown. It is generally cultivated for its attractive compound foliage and fragrant late summer flowers. Pinnate leaves (to 10” long), each with 7-17 oval, lustrous, dark green leaflets, remain attractive throughout the growing season. Leaves retain green color late into fall, resulting in no fall color or at best an undistinguished greenish yellow. Small, fragrant, pea-like, creamy white flowers (each 1/2” long) bloom in late summer in sweeping terminal panicles to 12” long and to 12” wide. Flowers fall to the ground around the tree after bloom covering the ground with a blanket of white. Flowers give way to slender, 1- to 6-seeded, knobby, bean-like pods (to 3-8” long) that mature to brown in fall and persist into winter. Although not native to Japan, the specific epithet and common name seem to recognize the early use of the tree in Japan around Buddhist temples.

Photo by F.D.Richards, SE Michigan. Link to additional photos of this plant from 2023:

www.flickr.com/search/?user_id=50697352%40N00&sort=da...

#Michigan, #49236, #usdaZone6, #Tree, #ScholarTree, #Styphnolobiumjaponicum, #Sophorajaponica, #Seed, #A2023, #23W39

Thuja occidentalis 'Enlightened' 23W39 Arb N3- (West 2012) Arborvitae Arb, Size at 10 years: 12x8ft., light, mint-green, variegated with lighter platinum-cream which shows best when given several hours of sun each day., USDA Hardiness Zone 4-8, Michigan Bloom Month -, In Garden Bed N3 for 3.4 YEARS (MSU). Planted in 2020.

American Conifer Society: Thuja occidentalis 'Enlightened' is a recently-introduced, extremely landscape-worthy selection of American (eastern) arborvitae. Although not very impressive as a very young plant, after five years in the garden it will begin to show it's true beauty. Foliage color is not yellow or gold as are many other arbs, but is a light, mint-green, variegated with lighter platinum-cream which shows best when given several hours of sun each day. It's color value is similar to Pinus densiflora ‘Oculus Draconis.’ In winter, Enlightened's color is cream and caramel with olive-green undertones where it is untouched by sun. This beautiful arb did not burn even in the midwest U.S.'s severe hot, droughty summer of 2012 with over 45 days of temperatures over 90°F (32ºC) and most near 100 (38°C). Typical rate of growth in most areas is 8 to 12 inches (20 - 30 cm) a year resulting in a flashy broadly conical tree 12 feet (4 m) tall by 8 feet (2.5 m) wide after 10 years in the landscape.

Dr. Clark West (1918 - 2014), hybridizer and seed collector from Cincinnati, Ohio is credited with the origin and introduction of this cultivar. The plant was grown from a batch of seeds he collected from Thuja occidentalis 'Marissen's Sulphur' while on an ACS trip to England in 1995. As the seedlings grew, he made this and other selections, then distributed the young plants to collectors and botanical institutions for further evaluation. Terri Park of Carmel, Indiana was a lucky recipient of one of the original propagations. She named it, and officially registered the cultivar with the Royal Horticultural Society in 2012. At the time of writing this record in 2014, fewer than 20 individual specimens of this plant are known to exist in the world, making it, for now, virtually unknown in the nursery trade. An informative account of the Doc West's life and career can be read here.

Obtained from: Michigan State University, Hidden Lake Gardens, Tipton, MI. Harper Collection of Rare & Dwarf Conifers.

Photo by F.D.Richards, SE Michigan. Link to additional photos of this plant from 2021, 22, 23:

www.flickr.com/search/?user_id=50697352%40N00&sort=da...

#Michigan, #49236, #usdaZone6, #Conifer, #Arborvitae, #Arb, #ThujaOccidentalis, #Thuja, #Enlightened, #23W39

Hibiscus syriacus 'BALI' 23W39 Rose of Sharon F4- (Minier Nursery, France) Rose of Sharon or Althea, Mature plant size: 6x5ft., WHITE, 3 to 4 in. diameter double flowers with a purple red center., USDA Hardiness Zone 5-9, Michigan Bloom Month -, In Garden Bed F4 for 12 MONTHS (Lowes). Planted in 2022.

Missouri Botanical Garden: 'Minfren', part of the First Editions® series, is commonly sold as FIRST EDITIONS® BALI™. It was bred and introduced by Minier Nursery in France and is distributed by Bailey Nurseries in Minnesota. It has semi-double, pure white, 3 to 4 in. diameter flowers with a purple red center. This upright vase-shaped shrub grows 5 to 8 ft. tall and 4 to 7 ft. wide.

2021 note: 2 gallon pot from Lowes at $14, 50% off.

Photo by F.D.Richards, SE Michigan. Link to additional photos of this plant from 2023:

www.flickr.com/search/?user_id=50697352%40N00&sort=da...

#Michigan, #49236, #usdaZone6, #Shrub, #T2J, #sun, #Hibiscus, #HibiscusSyriacus, #RoseOfSharon, #BALI, #Minfren, #White, #FirstEditions, #23W39

Sophora japonica 23W39 Chinese Scholar Tree a2- (Tree) Chinese Scholar Tree, Mature plant size: 65ft., WHITE, USDA Hardiness Zone 4, Michigan Bloom Month -, In Garden Bed a2 for 207 DAYS (C3). Planted in 2023.

Missouri Botanical Garden: Sophora japonica, commonly called Japanese pagoda tree or Chinese scholar tree, is native to China and Korea, but not Japan. It is a medium to large deciduous tree that typically matures to 50-75’ (less frequently to 100’) tall with a broad rounded crown. It is generally cultivated for its attractive compound foliage and fragrant late summer flowers. Pinnate leaves (to 10” long), each with 7-17 oval, lustrous, dark green leaflets, remain attractive throughout the growing season. Leaves retain green color late into fall, resulting in no fall color or at best an undistinguished greenish yellow. Small, fragrant, pea-like, creamy white flowers (each 1/2” long) bloom in late summer in sweeping terminal panicles to 12” long and to 12” wide. Flowers fall to the ground around the tree after bloom covering the ground with a blanket of white. Flowers give way to slender, 1- to 6-seeded, knobby, bean-like pods (to 3-8” long) that mature to brown in fall and persist into winter. Although not native to Japan, the specific epithet and common name seem to recognize the early use of the tree in Japan around Buddhist temples.

Photo by F.D.Richards, SE Michigan. Link to additional photos of this plant from 2023:

www.flickr.com/search/?user_id=50697352%40N00&sort=da...

#Michigan, #49236, #usdaZone6, #Tree, #ScholarTree, #Styphnolobiumjaponicum, #Sophorajaponica, #Seed, #A2023, #23W39

Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Hush Puppy' 23W39 Fountain Grass T4- (Wayne Hanna) Fountain Grass, Mature plant size: 3ft, Long-lasting pink plumes, USDA Hardiness Zone 5-9, Michigan Bloom Month -, In Garden Bed T4 for 139 DAYS (Bluestone). Planted in 2023.

Bluestone Perennials: Long-lasting pink plumes shoot skyward atop a neat mound of slender foliage blades. Due to its lack of seed production, plumes are produced for a long-lasting show from mid-summer into late fall. Its vigorous yet petite habit provides nice texture and contrast in container plantings. Pennisetum Hush Puppy is beautiful planted in sweeping masses or also shines as a specimen plant. Perfect for full-sun borders. The seed heads can be used as a lovely addition to fresh and dried flower arrangements. Another stellar Fountain Grass developed by Wayne Hanna at the University of Georgia.

Photo by F.D.Richards, SE Michigan. Link to additional photos of this plant from 2023:

www.flickr.com/search/?user_id=50697352%40N00&sort=da...

#Michigan, #49236, #usdaZone6, ., #Grass, #perennial, #monocot, #FountainGrass, #Warmseason, #Clump, #HushPuppy, #Pennisetum, #23W39

Chrysanthemum rubellum 'Clara Curtis' 23W39 Mum F2- (Heirloom) Garden Mum, Mature plant size: 18x18in., Pink single daisy flowers w/yellow centers, USDA Hardiness Zone 4, Michigan Bloom Month 8-9, In Garden Bed F2 for 4.3 YEARS (bluestone). Planted in 2019.

Heirloom aka Dendranthema 'Clara Curtis' or 'Country Girl'. Possibly bred by Amos Perry (circa 1930's), a grower/breeder from Enfield. Ryan's Pink is similar or the same as Clara Curtis. An old fashioned mum. Tolerates some shade. The leaves are very attractive.

My last one only survived 2 years. Planted this one in a different garden, morning sun. Looks good so far. Splayed, needs support.

Photo by F.D.Richards, SE Michigan. Link to additional photos of this plant from 2019, 20, 22, 23:

www.flickr.com/search/?user_id=50697352%40N00&sort=da...

#Michigan, #49236, #usdaZone6, #Medium, #Perennial, #Mum, #GardenMum, #Chrysanthemum, #Hardy, #ClaraCurtis, #23W39

Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Hush Puppy' 23W39 Fountain Grass T4- (Wayne Hanna) Fountain Grass, Mature plant size: 3ft, Long-lasting pink plumes, USDA Hardiness Zone 5-9, Michigan Bloom Month -, In Garden Bed T4 for 139 DAYS (Bluestone). Planted in 2023.

Bluestone Perennials: Long-lasting pink plumes shoot skyward atop a neat mound of slender foliage blades. Due to its lack of seed production, plumes are produced for a long-lasting show from mid-summer into late fall. Its vigorous yet petite habit provides nice texture and contrast in container plantings. Pennisetum Hush Puppy is beautiful planted in sweeping masses or also shines as a specimen plant. Perfect for full-sun borders. The seed heads can be used as a lovely addition to fresh and dried flower arrangements. Another stellar Fountain Grass developed by Wayne Hanna at the University of Georgia.

Photo by F.D.Richards, SE Michigan. Link to additional photos of this plant from 2023:

www.flickr.com/search/?user_id=50697352%40N00&sort=da...

#Michigan, #49236, #usdaZone6, ., #Grass, #perennial, #monocot, #FountainGrass, #Warmseason, #Clump, #HushPuppy, #Pennisetum, #23W39

Thuja occidentalis 'Enlightened' 23W39 Arb N3- (West 2012) Arborvitae Arb, Size at 10 years: 12x8ft., light, mint-green, variegated with lighter platinum-cream which shows best when given several hours of sun each day., USDA Hardiness Zone 4-8, Michigan Bloom Month -, In Garden Bed N3 for 3.4 YEARS (MSU). Planted in 2020.

American Conifer Society: Thuja occidentalis 'Enlightened' is a recently-introduced, extremely landscape-worthy selection of American (eastern) arborvitae. Although not very impressive as a very young plant, after five years in the garden it will begin to show it's true beauty. Foliage color is not yellow or gold as are many other arbs, but is a light, mint-green, variegated with lighter platinum-cream which shows best when given several hours of sun each day. It's color value is similar to Pinus densiflora ‘Oculus Draconis.’ In winter, Enlightened's color is cream and caramel with olive-green undertones where it is untouched by sun. This beautiful arb did not burn even in the midwest U.S.'s severe hot, droughty summer of 2012 with over 45 days of temperatures over 90°F (32ºC) and most near 100 (38°C). Typical rate of growth in most areas is 8 to 12 inches (20 - 30 cm) a year resulting in a flashy broadly conical tree 12 feet (4 m) tall by 8 feet (2.5 m) wide after 10 years in the landscape.

Dr. Clark West (1918 - 2014), hybridizer and seed collector from Cincinnati, Ohio is credited with the origin and introduction of this cultivar. The plant was grown from a batch of seeds he collected from Thuja occidentalis 'Marissen's Sulphur' while on an ACS trip to England in 1995. As the seedlings grew, he made this and other selections, then distributed the young plants to collectors and botanical institutions for further evaluation. Terri Park of Carmel, Indiana was a lucky recipient of one of the original propagations. She named it, and officially registered the cultivar with the Royal Horticultural Society in 2012. At the time of writing this record in 2014, fewer than 20 individual specimens of this plant are known to exist in the world, making it, for now, virtually unknown in the nursery trade. An informative account of the Doc West's life and career can be read here.

Obtained from: Michigan State University, Hidden Lake Gardens, Tipton, MI. Harper Collection of Rare & Dwarf Conifers.

Photo by F.D.Richards, SE Michigan. Link to additional photos of this plant from 2021, 22, 23:

www.flickr.com/search/?user_id=50697352%40N00&sort=da...

#Michigan, #49236, #usdaZone6, #Conifer, #Arborvitae, #Arb, #ThujaOccidentalis, #Thuja, #Enlightened, #23W39

Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Hush Puppy' 23W39 Fountain Grass T4- (Wayne Hanna) Fountain Grass, Mature plant size: 3ft, Long-lasting pink plumes, USDA Hardiness Zone 5-9, Michigan Bloom Month -, In Garden Bed T4 for 139 DAYS (Bluestone). Planted in 2023.

Bluestone Perennials: Long-lasting pink plumes shoot skyward atop a neat mound of slender foliage blades. Due to its lack of seed production, plumes are produced for a long-lasting show from mid-summer into late fall. Its vigorous yet petite habit provides nice texture and contrast in container plantings. Pennisetum Hush Puppy is beautiful planted in sweeping masses or also shines as a specimen plant. Perfect for full-sun borders. The seed heads can be used as a lovely addition to fresh and dried flower arrangements. Another stellar Fountain Grass developed by Wayne Hanna at the University of Georgia.

Photo by F.D.Richards, SE Michigan. Link to additional photos of this plant from 2023:

www.flickr.com/search/?user_id=50697352%40N00&sort=da...

#Michigan, #49236, #usdaZone6, ., #Grass, #perennial, #monocot, #FountainGrass, #Warmseason, #Clump, #HushPuppy, #Pennisetum, #23W39

Thuja occidentalis 'Enlightened' 23W39 Arb N3- (West 2012) Arborvitae Arb, Size at 10 years: 12x8ft., light, mint-green, variegated with lighter platinum-cream which shows best when given several hours of sun each day., USDA Hardiness Zone 4-8, Michigan Bloom Month -, In Garden Bed N3 for 3.4 YEARS (MSU). Planted in 2020.

American Conifer Society: Thuja occidentalis 'Enlightened' is a recently-introduced, extremely landscape-worthy selection of American (eastern) arborvitae. Although not very impressive as a very young plant, after five years in the garden it will begin to show it's true beauty. Foliage color is not yellow or gold as are many other arbs, but is a light, mint-green, variegated with lighter platinum-cream which shows best when given several hours of sun each day. It's color value is similar to Pinus densiflora ‘Oculus Draconis.’ In winter, Enlightened's color is cream and caramel with olive-green undertones where it is untouched by sun. This beautiful arb did not burn even in the midwest U.S.'s severe hot, droughty summer of 2012 with over 45 days of temperatures over 90°F (32ºC) and most near 100 (38°C). Typical rate of growth in most areas is 8 to 12 inches (20 - 30 cm) a year resulting in a flashy broadly conical tree 12 feet (4 m) tall by 8 feet (2.5 m) wide after 10 years in the landscape.

Dr. Clark West (1918 - 2014), hybridizer and seed collector from Cincinnati, Ohio is credited with the origin and introduction of this cultivar. The plant was grown from a batch of seeds he collected from Thuja occidentalis 'Marissen's Sulphur' while on an ACS trip to England in 1995. As the seedlings grew, he made this and other selections, then distributed the young plants to collectors and botanical institutions for further evaluation. Terri Park of Carmel, Indiana was a lucky recipient of one of the original propagations. She named it, and officially registered the cultivar with the Royal Horticultural Society in 2012. At the time of writing this record in 2014, fewer than 20 individual specimens of this plant are known to exist in the world, making it, for now, virtually unknown in the nursery trade. An informative account of the Doc West's life and career can be read here.

Obtained from: Michigan State University, Hidden Lake Gardens, Tipton, MI. Harper Collection of Rare & Dwarf Conifers.

Photo by F.D.Richards, SE Michigan. Link to additional photos of this plant from 2021, 22, 23:

www.flickr.com/search/?user_id=50697352%40N00&sort=da...

#Michigan, #49236, #usdaZone6, #Conifer, #Arborvitae, #Arb, #ThujaOccidentalis, #Thuja, #Enlightened, #23W39

Sophora japonica 23W39 Chinese Scholar Tree a2- (Tree) Chinese Scholar Tree, Mature plant size: 65ft., WHITE, USDA Hardiness Zone 4, Michigan Bloom Month -, In Garden Bed a2 for 207 DAYS (C3). Planted in 2023.

Missouri Botanical Garden: Sophora japonica, commonly called Japanese pagoda tree or Chinese scholar tree, is native to China and Korea, but not Japan. It is a medium to large deciduous tree that typically matures to 50-75’ (less frequently to 100’) tall with a broad rounded crown. It is generally cultivated for its attractive compound foliage and fragrant late summer flowers. Pinnate leaves (to 10” long), each with 7-17 oval, lustrous, dark green leaflets, remain attractive throughout the growing season. Leaves retain green color late into fall, resulting in no fall color or at best an undistinguished greenish yellow. Small, fragrant, pea-like, creamy white flowers (each 1/2” long) bloom in late summer in sweeping terminal panicles to 12” long and to 12” wide. Flowers fall to the ground around the tree after bloom covering the ground with a blanket of white. Flowers give way to slender, 1- to 6-seeded, knobby, bean-like pods (to 3-8” long) that mature to brown in fall and persist into winter. Although not native to Japan, the specific epithet and common name seem to recognize the early use of the tree in Japan around Buddhist temples.

Photo by F.D.Richards, SE Michigan. Link to additional photos of this plant from 2023:

www.flickr.com/search/?user_id=50697352%40N00&sort=da...

#Michigan, #49236, #usdaZone6, #Tree, #ScholarTree, #Styphnolobiumjaponicum, #Sophorajaponica, #Seed, #A2023, #23W39

Rose 'Como Park' 23W39 Rose F4- (Bailey Nurseries) Own Root Hybrid Shrub Rose Easy Elegance®, Mature plant size: 3x4ft., RED, Red double, USDA Hardiness Zone 4-7, Michigan Bloom Week ISO WW22, In Garden Bed F4 for 12 MONTHS (Lowes,). Planted in 2022.

Easy Elegance: Como Park is a wonderful red rose that is excellent for beginning gardeners. It has consistently proven itself hardy, even through the cold Minnesota winters, coming back each year with medium red, double blossoms. Como Park boasts dark green foliage that unfurls with a touch of red, and stays disease-free all season long. It has a compact, rounded shape that is covered in blooms, making it a great accent rose shrub, especially when planted in groups.

Seemed like a compact little rose when I bought it.

Photo by F.D.Richards, SE Michigan. Link to additional photos of this plant from 2023:

www.flickr.com/search/?user_id=50697352%40N00&sort=da...

#Michigan, #49236, #usdaZone6, #ownroot, #shrub, #Recurrent, #Rose, #Rosa, #Single, #ComoPark, #23W39

Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Hush Puppy' 23W39 Fountain Grass T4- (Wayne Hanna) Fountain Grass, Mature plant size: 3ft, Long-lasting pink plumes, USDA Hardiness Zone 5-9, Michigan Bloom Month -, In Garden Bed T4 for 139 DAYS (Bluestone). Planted in 2023.

Bluestone Perennials: Long-lasting pink plumes shoot skyward atop a neat mound of slender foliage blades. Due to its lack of seed production, plumes are produced for a long-lasting show from mid-summer into late fall. Its vigorous yet petite habit provides nice texture and contrast in container plantings. Pennisetum Hush Puppy is beautiful planted in sweeping masses or also shines as a specimen plant. Perfect for full-sun borders. The seed heads can be used as a lovely addition to fresh and dried flower arrangements. Another stellar Fountain Grass developed by Wayne Hanna at the University of Georgia.

Photo by F.D.Richards, SE Michigan. Link to additional photos of this plant from 2023:

www.flickr.com/search/?user_id=50697352%40N00&sort=da...

#Michigan, #49236, #usdaZone6, ., #Grass, #perennial, #monocot, #FountainGrass, #Warmseason, #Clump, #HushPuppy, #Pennisetum, #23W39

Thuja occidentalis 'Enlightened' 23W39 Arb N3- (West 2012) Arborvitae Arb, Size at 10 years: 12x8ft., light, mint-green, variegated with lighter platinum-cream which shows best when given several hours of sun each day., USDA Hardiness Zone 4-8, Michigan Bloom Month -, In Garden Bed N3 for 3.4 YEARS (MSU). Planted in 2020.

American Conifer Society: Thuja occidentalis 'Enlightened' is a recently-introduced, extremely landscape-worthy selection of American (eastern) arborvitae. Although not very impressive as a very young plant, after five years in the garden it will begin to show it's true beauty. Foliage color is not yellow or gold as are many other arbs, but is a light, mint-green, variegated with lighter platinum-cream which shows best when given several hours of sun each day. It's color value is similar to Pinus densiflora ‘Oculus Draconis.’ In winter, Enlightened's color is cream and caramel with olive-green undertones where it is untouched by sun. This beautiful arb did not burn even in the midwest U.S.'s severe hot, droughty summer of 2012 with over 45 days of temperatures over 90°F (32ºC) and most near 100 (38°C). Typical rate of growth in most areas is 8 to 12 inches (20 - 30 cm) a year resulting in a flashy broadly conical tree 12 feet (4 m) tall by 8 feet (2.5 m) wide after 10 years in the landscape.

Dr. Clark West (1918 - 2014), hybridizer and seed collector from Cincinnati, Ohio is credited with the origin and introduction of this cultivar. The plant was grown from a batch of seeds he collected from Thuja occidentalis 'Marissen's Sulphur' while on an ACS trip to England in 1995. As the seedlings grew, he made this and other selections, then distributed the young plants to collectors and botanical institutions for further evaluation. Terri Park of Carmel, Indiana was a lucky recipient of one of the original propagations. She named it, and officially registered the cultivar with the Royal Horticultural Society in 2012. At the time of writing this record in 2014, fewer than 20 individual specimens of this plant are known to exist in the world, making it, for now, virtually unknown in the nursery trade. An informative account of the Doc West's life and career can be read here.

Obtained from: Michigan State University, Hidden Lake Gardens, Tipton, MI. Harper Collection of Rare & Dwarf Conifers.

Photo by F.D.Richards, SE Michigan. Link to additional photos of this plant from 2021, 22, 23:

www.flickr.com/search/?user_id=50697352%40N00&sort=da...

#Michigan, #49236, #usdaZone6, #Conifer, #Arborvitae, #Arb, #ThujaOccidentalis, #Thuja, #Enlightened, #23W39

Hibiscus syriacus 'BALI' 23W39 Rose of Sharon F4- (Minier Nursery, France) Rose of Sharon or Althea, Mature plant size: 6x5ft., WHITE, 3 to 4 in. diameter double flowers with a purple red center., USDA Hardiness Zone 5-9, Michigan Bloom Month -, In Garden Bed F4 for 12 MONTHS (Lowes). Planted in 2022.

Missouri Botanical Garden: 'Minfren', part of the First Editions® series, is commonly sold as FIRST EDITIONS® BALI™. It was bred and introduced by Minier Nursery in France and is distributed by Bailey Nurseries in Minnesota. It has semi-double, pure white, 3 to 4 in. diameter flowers with a purple red center. This upright vase-shaped shrub grows 5 to 8 ft. tall and 4 to 7 ft. wide.

2021 note: 2 gallon pot from Lowes at $14, 50% off.

Photo by F.D.Richards, SE Michigan. Link to additional photos of this plant from 2023:

www.flickr.com/search/?user_id=50697352%40N00&sort=da...

#Michigan, #49236, #usdaZone6, #Shrub, #T2J, #sun, #Hibiscus, #HibiscusSyriacus, #RoseOfSharon, #BALI, #Minfren, #White, #FirstEditions, #23W39

Hibiscus syriacus 'BALI' 23W39 Rose of Sharon F4- (Minier Nursery, France) Rose of Sharon or Althea, Mature plant size: 6x5ft., WHITE, 3 to 4 in. diameter double flowers with a purple red center., USDA Hardiness Zone 5-9, Michigan Bloom Month -, In Garden Bed F4 for 12 MONTHS (Lowes). Planted in 2022.

Missouri Botanical Garden: 'Minfren', part of the First Editions® series, is commonly sold as FIRST EDITIONS® BALI™. It was bred and introduced by Minier Nursery in France and is distributed by Bailey Nurseries in Minnesota. It has semi-double, pure white, 3 to 4 in. diameter flowers with a purple red center. This upright vase-shaped shrub grows 5 to 8 ft. tall and 4 to 7 ft. wide.

2021 note: 2 gallon pot from Lowes at $14, 50% off.

Photo by F.D.Richards, SE Michigan. Link to additional photos of this plant from 2023:

www.flickr.com/search/?user_id=50697352%40N00&sort=da...

#Michigan, #49236, #usdaZone6, #Shrub, #T2J, #sun, #Hibiscus, #HibiscusSyriacus, #RoseOfSharon, #BALI, #Minfren, #White, #FirstEditions, #23W39

Thuja occidentalis 'Enlightened' 23W39 Arb N3- (West 2012) Arborvitae Arb, Size at 10 years: 12x8ft., light, mint-green, variegated with lighter platinum-cream which shows best when given several hours of sun each day., USDA Hardiness Zone 4-8, Michigan Bloom Month -, In Garden Bed N3 for 3.4 YEARS (MSU). Planted in 2020.

American Conifer Society: Thuja occidentalis 'Enlightened' is a recently-introduced, extremely landscape-worthy selection of American (eastern) arborvitae. Although not very impressive as a very young plant, after five years in the garden it will begin to show it's true beauty. Foliage color is not yellow or gold as are many other arbs, but is a light, mint-green, variegated with lighter platinum-cream which shows best when given several hours of sun each day. It's color value is similar to Pinus densiflora ‘Oculus Draconis.’ In winter, Enlightened's color is cream and caramel with olive-green undertones where it is untouched by sun. This beautiful arb did not burn even in the midwest U.S.'s severe hot, droughty summer of 2012 with over 45 days of temperatures over 90°F (32ºC) and most near 100 (38°C). Typical rate of growth in most areas is 8 to 12 inches (20 - 30 cm) a year resulting in a flashy broadly conical tree 12 feet (4 m) tall by 8 feet (2.5 m) wide after 10 years in the landscape.

Dr. Clark West (1918 - 2014), hybridizer and seed collector from Cincinnati, Ohio is credited with the origin and introduction of this cultivar. The plant was grown from a batch of seeds he collected from Thuja occidentalis 'Marissen's Sulphur' while on an ACS trip to England in 1995. As the seedlings grew, he made this and other selections, then distributed the young plants to collectors and botanical institutions for further evaluation. Terri Park of Carmel, Indiana was a lucky recipient of one of the original propagations. She named it, and officially registered the cultivar with the Royal Horticultural Society in 2012. At the time of writing this record in 2014, fewer than 20 individual specimens of this plant are known to exist in the world, making it, for now, virtually unknown in the nursery trade. An informative account of the Doc West's life and career can be read here.

Obtained from: Michigan State University, Hidden Lake Gardens, Tipton, MI. Harper Collection of Rare & Dwarf Conifers.

Photo by F.D.Richards, SE Michigan. Link to additional photos of this plant from 2021, 22, 23:

www.flickr.com/search/?user_id=50697352%40N00&sort=da...

#Michigan, #49236, #usdaZone6, #Conifer, #Arborvitae, #Arb, #ThujaOccidentalis, #Thuja, #Enlightened, #23W39

Hibiscus syriacus 'BALI' 23W39 Rose of Sharon F4- (Minier Nursery, France) Rose of Sharon or Althea, Mature plant size: 6x5ft., WHITE, 3 to 4 in. diameter double flowers with a purple red center., USDA Hardiness Zone 5-9, Michigan Bloom Month -, In Garden Bed F4 for 12 MONTHS (Lowes). Planted in 2022.

Missouri Botanical Garden: 'Minfren', part of the First Editions® series, is commonly sold as FIRST EDITIONS® BALI™. It was bred and introduced by Minier Nursery in France and is distributed by Bailey Nurseries in Minnesota. It has semi-double, pure white, 3 to 4 in. diameter flowers with a purple red center. This upright vase-shaped shrub grows 5 to 8 ft. tall and 4 to 7 ft. wide.

2021 note: 2 gallon pot from Lowes at $14, 50% off.

Photo by F.D.Richards, SE Michigan. Link to additional photos of this plant from 2023:

www.flickr.com/search/?user_id=50697352%40N00&sort=da...

#Michigan, #49236, #usdaZone6, #Shrub, #T2J, #sun, #Hibiscus, #HibiscusSyriacus, #RoseOfSharon, #BALI, #Minfren, #White, #FirstEditions, #23W39

Hibiscus syriacus 'BALI' 23W39 Rose of Sharon F4- (Minier Nursery, France) Rose of Sharon or Althea, Mature plant size: 6x5ft., WHITE, 3 to 4 in. diameter double flowers with a purple red center., USDA Hardiness Zone 5-9, Michigan Bloom Month -, In Garden Bed F4 for 12 MONTHS (Lowes). Planted in 2022.

Missouri Botanical Garden: 'Minfren', part of the First Editions® series, is commonly sold as FIRST EDITIONS® BALI™. It was bred and introduced by Minier Nursery in France and is distributed by Bailey Nurseries in Minnesota. It has semi-double, pure white, 3 to 4 in. diameter flowers with a purple red center. This upright vase-shaped shrub grows 5 to 8 ft. tall and 4 to 7 ft. wide.

2021 note: 2 gallon pot from Lowes at $14, 50% off.

Photo by F.D.Richards, SE Michigan. Link to additional photos of this plant from 2023:

www.flickr.com/search/?user_id=50697352%40N00&sort=da...

#Michigan, #49236, #usdaZone6, #Shrub, #T2J, #sun, #Hibiscus, #HibiscusSyriacus, #RoseOfSharon, #BALI, #Minfren, #White, #FirstEditions, #23W39

Sophora japonica 23W39 Chinese Scholar Tree a2- (Tree) Chinese Scholar Tree, Mature plant size: 65ft., WHITE, USDA Hardiness Zone 4, Michigan Bloom Month -, In Garden Bed a2 for 207 DAYS (C3). Planted in 2023.

Missouri Botanical Garden: Sophora japonica, commonly called Japanese pagoda tree or Chinese scholar tree, is native to China and Korea, but not Japan. It is a medium to large deciduous tree that typically matures to 50-75’ (less frequently to 100’) tall with a broad rounded crown. It is generally cultivated for its attractive compound foliage and fragrant late summer flowers. Pinnate leaves (to 10” long), each with 7-17 oval, lustrous, dark green leaflets, remain attractive throughout the growing season. Leaves retain green color late into fall, resulting in no fall color or at best an undistinguished greenish yellow. Small, fragrant, pea-like, creamy white flowers (each 1/2” long) bloom in late summer in sweeping terminal panicles to 12” long and to 12” wide. Flowers fall to the ground around the tree after bloom covering the ground with a blanket of white. Flowers give way to slender, 1- to 6-seeded, knobby, bean-like pods (to 3-8” long) that mature to brown in fall and persist into winter. Although not native to Japan, the specific epithet and common name seem to recognize the early use of the tree in Japan around Buddhist temples.

Photo by F.D.Richards, SE Michigan. Link to additional photos of this plant from 2023:

www.flickr.com/search/?user_id=50697352%40N00&sort=da...

#Michigan, #49236, #usdaZone6, #Tree, #ScholarTree, #Styphnolobiumjaponicum, #Sophorajaponica, #Seed, #A2023, #23W39

Thuja occidentalis 'Enlightened' 23W39 Arb N3- (West 2012) Arborvitae Arb, Size at 10 years: 12x8ft., light, mint-green, variegated with lighter platinum-cream which shows best when given several hours of sun each day., USDA Hardiness Zone 4-8, Michigan Bloom Month -, In Garden Bed N3 for 3.4 YEARS (MSU). Planted in 2020.

American Conifer Society: Thuja occidentalis 'Enlightened' is a recently-introduced, extremely landscape-worthy selection of American (eastern) arborvitae. Although not very impressive as a very young plant, after five years in the garden it will begin to show it's true beauty. Foliage color is not yellow or gold as are many other arbs, but is a light, mint-green, variegated with lighter platinum-cream which shows best when given several hours of sun each day. It's color value is similar to Pinus densiflora ‘Oculus Draconis.’ In winter, Enlightened's color is cream and caramel with olive-green undertones where it is untouched by sun. This beautiful arb did not burn even in the midwest U.S.'s severe hot, droughty summer of 2012 with over 45 days of temperatures over 90°F (32ºC) and most near 100 (38°C). Typical rate of growth in most areas is 8 to 12 inches (20 - 30 cm) a year resulting in a flashy broadly conical tree 12 feet (4 m) tall by 8 feet (2.5 m) wide after 10 years in the landscape.

Dr. Clark West (1918 - 2014), hybridizer and seed collector from Cincinnati, Ohio is credited with the origin and introduction of this cultivar. The plant was grown from a batch of seeds he collected from Thuja occidentalis 'Marissen's Sulphur' while on an ACS trip to England in 1995. As the seedlings grew, he made this and other selections, then distributed the young plants to collectors and botanical institutions for further evaluation. Terri Park of Carmel, Indiana was a lucky recipient of one of the original propagations. She named it, and officially registered the cultivar with the Royal Horticultural Society in 2012. At the time of writing this record in 2014, fewer than 20 individual specimens of this plant are known to exist in the world, making it, for now, virtually unknown in the nursery trade. An informative account of the Doc West's life and career can be read here.

Obtained from: Michigan State University, Hidden Lake Gardens, Tipton, MI. Harper Collection of Rare & Dwarf Conifers.

Photo by F.D.Richards, SE Michigan. Link to additional photos of this plant from 2021, 22, 23:

www.flickr.com/search/?user_id=50697352%40N00&sort=da...

#Michigan, #49236, #usdaZone6, #Conifer, #Arborvitae, #Arb, #ThujaOccidentalis, #Thuja, #Enlightened, #23W39

Buddleia 'Pugster Periwinkle' 23W39 Butterfly Bush F4- (Spring Meadow Nursery, MI) Butterfly Bush, Mature plant size: 3x4ft., periwinkle, USDA Hardiness Zone 5, Michigan Bloom Month 7-10, In Garden Bed F4 for 361 DAYS (Lowes). Planted in 2022.

Proven Winners: Pugster butterfly bushes make an excellent addition to flower gardens.*In zones 5 and colder it is not recommended for fall planting OR pruning.

The name "Pugster" comes from these plants' resemblance to a pug - short, stocky, and cute! here are four colorful varieties to choose from: Pugster Blue, Pugster Periwinkle, Pugster Pink, and Pugster White.

Photo by F.D.Richards, SE Michigan. Link to additional photos of this plant from 2023:

www.flickr.com/search/?user_id=50697352%40N00&sort=da...

#Michigan, #49236, #usdaZone6, #Shrub, #PugsterBlue, #Buddleia, #Butterflyperiwinkle, #23W39

Buddleia 'Pugster Periwinkle' 23W39 Butterfly Bush F4- (Spring Meadow Nursery, MI) Butterfly Bush, Mature plant size: 3x4ft., periwinkle, USDA Hardiness Zone 5, Michigan Bloom Month 7-10, In Garden Bed F4 for 361 DAYS (Lowes). Planted in 2022.

Proven Winners: Pugster butterfly bushes make an excellent addition to flower gardens.*In zones 5 and colder it is not recommended for fall planting OR pruning.

The name "Pugster" comes from these plants' resemblance to a pug - short, stocky, and cute! here are four colorful varieties to choose from: Pugster Blue, Pugster Periwinkle, Pugster Pink, and Pugster White.

Photo by F.D.Richards, SE Michigan. Link to additional photos of this plant from 2023:

www.flickr.com/search/?user_id=50697352%40N00&sort=da...

#Michigan, #49236, #usdaZone6, #Shrub, #PugsterBlue, #Buddleia, #Butterflyperiwinkle, #23W39

Buddleia 'Pugster Periwinkle' 23W39 Butterfly Bush F4- (Spring Meadow Nursery, MI) Butterfly Bush, Mature plant size: 3x4ft., periwinkle, USDA Hardiness Zone 5, Michigan Bloom Month 7-10, In Garden Bed F4 for 361 DAYS (Lowes). Planted in 2022.

Proven Winners: Pugster butterfly bushes make an excellent addition to flower gardens.*In zones 5 and colder it is not recommended for fall planting OR pruning.

The name "Pugster" comes from these plants' resemblance to a pug - short, stocky, and cute! here are four colorful varieties to choose from: Pugster Blue, Pugster Periwinkle, Pugster Pink, and Pugster White.

Photo by F.D.Richards, SE Michigan. Link to additional photos of this plant from 2023:

www.flickr.com/search/?user_id=50697352%40N00&sort=da...

#Michigan, #49236, #usdaZone6, #Shrub, #PugsterBlue, #Buddleia, #Butterflyperiwinkle, #23W39

Rose 'Como Park' 23W39 Rose F4- (Bailey Nurseries) Own Root Hybrid Shrub Rose Easy Elegance®, Mature plant size: 3x4ft., RED, Red double, USDA Hardiness Zone 4-7, Michigan Bloom Week ISO WW22, In Garden Bed F4 for 12 MONTHS (Lowes,). Planted in 2022.

Easy Elegance: Como Park is a wonderful red rose that is excellent for beginning gardeners. It has consistently proven itself hardy, even through the cold Minnesota winters, coming back each year with medium red, double blossoms. Como Park boasts dark green foliage that unfurls with a touch of red, and stays disease-free all season long. It has a compact, rounded shape that is covered in blooms, making it a great accent rose shrub, especially when planted in groups.

Seemed like a compact little rose when I bought it.

Photo by F.D.Richards, SE Michigan. Link to additional photos of this plant from 2023:

www.flickr.com/search/?user_id=50697352%40N00&sort=da...

#Michigan, #49236, #usdaZone6, #ownroot, #shrub, #Recurrent, #Rose, #Rosa, #Single, #ComoPark, #23W39

Rose 'Como Park' 23W39 Rose F4- (Bailey Nurseries) Own Root Hybrid Shrub Rose Easy Elegance®, Mature plant size: 3x4ft., RED, Red double, USDA Hardiness Zone 4-7, Michigan Bloom Week ISO WW22, In Garden Bed F4 for 12 MONTHS (Lowes,). Planted in 2022.

Easy Elegance: Como Park is a wonderful red rose that is excellent for beginning gardeners. It has consistently proven itself hardy, even through the cold Minnesota winters, coming back each year with medium red, double blossoms. Como Park boasts dark green foliage that unfurls with a touch of red, and stays disease-free all season long. It has a compact, rounded shape that is covered in blooms, making it a great accent rose shrub, especially when planted in groups.

Seemed like a compact little rose when I bought it.

Photo by F.D.Richards, SE Michigan. Link to additional photos of this plant from 2023:

www.flickr.com/search/?user_id=50697352%40N00&sort=da...

#Michigan, #49236, #usdaZone6, #ownroot, #shrub, #Recurrent, #Rose, #Rosa, #Single, #ComoPark, #23W39

Rose 'Como Park' 23W39 Rose F4- (Bailey Nurseries) Own Root Hybrid Shrub Rose Easy Elegance®, Mature plant size: 3x4ft., RED, Red double, USDA Hardiness Zone 4-7, Michigan Bloom Week ISO WW22, In Garden Bed F4 for 12 MONTHS (Lowes,). Planted in 2022.

Easy Elegance: Como Park is a wonderful red rose that is excellent for beginning gardeners. It has consistently proven itself hardy, even through the cold Minnesota winters, coming back each year with medium red, double blossoms. Como Park boasts dark green foliage that unfurls with a touch of red, and stays disease-free all season long. It has a compact, rounded shape that is covered in blooms, making it a great accent rose shrub, especially when planted in groups.

Seemed like a compact little rose when I bought it.

Photo by F.D.Richards, SE Michigan. Link to additional photos of this plant from 2023:

www.flickr.com/search/?user_id=50697352%40N00&sort=da...

#Michigan, #49236, #usdaZone6, #ownroot, #shrub, #Recurrent, #Rose, #Rosa, #Single, #ComoPark, #23W39