Proven Performers
Plants that took the heat in 2007.
All of us here at Wenke Greenhouses are very concerned about the performance of the plants that we sell. There are several different trial gardens in the Midwest that help provide us with information about how the various plants we sell perform. In addition, we gather information from our customers and employees. My yard is always a favorite place for me to test garden. We try to communicate the information about how the plants perform with our in-store customer service, the signage we provide and custom care tags that give the TLC (tender loving care) level.
The following are highlights of items that really performed well this past summer. Keep in mind that our weather was extremely hot and dry. This made for a harsh environment for many plants. We appreciate any feedback you may have to offer about plants that performed really well or did not perform well at all. Send comments to lisa@wenkegreenhouses.com.
ANNUALS for SUN
•Angelonia- Some know this item as the summer snapdragon. It loves hot, dry and full sun. It can be used in containers or flower beds. There are several varieties available and all perform very well. Some varieties are taller than others so look at the tag to know which one you are getting.
•Lantana – This item thrives in the high heat and flowers all summer long. Some of the new, patented varieties like Bandana and Landmark have more color than the older varieties. Lantana also attracts butterflies and hummingbirds with vivid red, yellow and orange colors. Lantana is more of a spreading type of plant than upright and can be used in borders, hanging baskets or containers.
•Wave Petunias- these spreading petunias are amazing! They need some water and fertilizer to perform their best but with this care, they can't be beat. Tidal Waves spread both up and out while Easy Waves and Waves spread mostly out. These plants do well in hanging baskets, containers and flower beds. No need to remove spent blooms or to cut back like regular petunias.
•Cosmos – This dainty little plant keeps flowering all summer. Cosmos Sonata has flowers that range from white to pink and perform better than some of the other varieties. It seems to perform the best mixed in with other plants in flower beds or containers. Some folks even have some re-seed for the next summer.
•Zonal Geraniums – Long the mainstay of summer color, the key to keeping geraniums at their peak is to remove the dead flowers regularly. The Rocky Mountain series is the most vigorous of the varieties available but all do well. Ivy Geraniums are also very popular because they trail in baskets but they do not hold up as well in the heat.
•Zinnias – The Profusion series are the easiest to grow and are great garden performers. They don't get as tall as some of the other types of zinnias and don't have the colors available that many expect but their easy habit makes up for this.
ANNUALS for SHADE or SUN
•Iresine – This new variety really surprised us with how well it performed. You might have noticed it along Sprinkle Road. It has red foliage and reached over 4 feet tall. I wish I kept count at how many people asked what that plant was!
•Fanfare Impatiens – We promoted this item based on the garden performance in 2006. Again for 2007, it performed very well if it had a lot of water while getting started. We saw that it did not do well in our beds that did not have the supplemental water early in the season.
PERENNIALS
•Dianthus – Upright dianthus are prolific and provide color all summer. They can be used along borders and do well in the full sun. The spreading varieties fill in spaces on hillsides and in rock gardens.
•Rudbeckia – This item flowers late in the summer but is worth the wait. The flowers are eye-catching and are also deer resistant. There are annual varieties and perennial varieties available. Both are great but only the zone 5 hardy varieties will come back next year.
•Echinacea – Hardy and tolerant of heat and drought, these pink/purple plants attract hummingbirds. They make great cut flowers or leave the dried flowers on the plant and they'll provide feed for the birds during the winter months.
•Garden Phlox – Garden Phlox is taller than the creeping phlox that is so popular in early spring. Garden Phlox lasts all summer long and attracts hummingbirds with their rich, sweet scent. Phlox greatly benefit from deadheading of spent flowers and you can select from a wide range of colors.
•Coreopsis – Some varieties of coreopsis are compact and some are light and airy. Both are low-maintenance plants that tolerate poor soils and provide color throughout the summer. They will do best if spent flowers are removed.
•Sedum – Upright varieties such as Autumn Joy provide thick, glossy foliage to offset summer flower plants. Sedum bloom in late summer and fall. This is one of the hardiest flowers for heat and drought conditions and attract bees and are deer resistant.
To learn more, please visit the following websites for their trial garden information:
www.hrt.msu.edu/gardens/
www.hrt.msu.edu/planttour/raker
http://ballseed.com/ball_Gardens.aspx
2525 North 30th Street, Kalamazoo, MI 49048 (269)-349-7882