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 | 2000 Top 10 |
Welcome to our Heritage Perennials 2000 Top 10 List!
Our plants are chosen from over 1500 varieties we grow and from the many hundreds of new varieties introduced, discovered, or sometimes rediscovered every year! Some of these plants are time-proven classics which have a place in every garden. Some are exciting new varieties we think will become classics in the future. Others are simply interesting or cool plants we just got excited about and want to share with our many gardening friends.
Wherever you garden in North America, you should be successful with some or most of these varieties! You can still look for these Top 10 plants at your local independent Heritage Perennial dealer this spring, and happy gardening!
| 2000 Top 10 Heritage Perennials |
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| #1 |
Zone 2 |
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Alchemilla mollis (Lady's-mantle)
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A tried and true plant, so very useful for both its foliage effect
and sprays of chartreuse-green flowers in early summer. Leaves are
rounded and velvety-soft to the touch, forming a good mound to set
off the arching sprays of tiny little flowers. Extremely useful
in any sunny or part-shaded area, providing excellent material for
the cut flower arranger.
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| #3 |
Zone 4 |
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Cimicifuga simplex 'Brunette' (Black Bugbane)
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This selection features upright flowering stems to six feet in early
fall that hold drooping wands of off-white flowers with a strong,
sweet fragrance. The flowers are offset beautifully over top a mound
of lacy purple-black leaves. In cool summer regions like the Pacific
Northwest, this plant will show prime colour in full sun or part
shade, but the soil must never be allowed to dry out.
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| #4 |
Zone 2 |
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Erigeron 'Prosperity' (Fleabane Daisy)
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Fleabanes are reliable bloomers for the sunny border, and terribly
underused. They are an excellent addition to those pastel colour
schemes that so many gardeners adore, with plenty of aster-like
daisies appearing for several weeks in summer. 'Prosperity' was
selected by Alan Bloom many years ago, but still is relatively unknown
in gardens here. Flowers are semi-double, in a clear pastel blue
shade. Plants only grow to just over a foot or so in height, but
they still benefit from a hard shearing back after blooming, sometimes
even reblooming in the fall.
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| #5 |
Zone 2 |
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Fragaria 'Red Ruby' (Flowering Strawberry)
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Several years ago 'Pink Panda' hit the market with a true colour
breakthrough. 'Red Ruby' is even better, featuring deep rose-pink
flowers on a plant with glossy green foliage. Put its running style
to use as a groundcover, or even try it in containers where the
runners will hang over the edge. Smallish fruits appear in early
summer and fall, and these are edible and tasty.
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| #6 |
Zone 7 |
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Geranium 'Pink Spice' (Dwarf Cranesbill Geranium)
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A very recent introduction from New Zealand. Foliage is scallop-shaped
and fairly small, but has outstanding dusky purple tones. Plants
form low mounds, bearing sprays of soft pink flowers throughout
the summer and fall. This demands excellent drainage to avoid rotting.
'Pink Spice' may be used as an edging or rock garden plant, or in
containers where the foliage can cascade a bit over the edge of
the pot.
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| #7 |
Zone 4 |
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Heuchera 'Rachel' (Hybrid Coral Bells)
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So many new Coralbells have been created in recent years, making
it difficult for the gardener to choose! 'Rachel' is a British selection,
and one of the first to have not only outstanding purplish foliage,
but also a good display of coral-pink flowers in early summer. With
a good long season of interest from both foliage and flowers, this
is also well suited to mixed containers.
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| #8 |
Zone 2 |
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Hosta plantaginea (Fragrant Plantainlily)
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This Hosta was introduced to gardens during the Victorian era, and
has stood the test of time. Plants form a wide mound of lawn-green
leaves but the remarkable flowers are the best feature. Clusters
of large white lilies appear in late summer, with a memorable sweet
fragrance. Give this a little more heat and sun then many of the
other shade-loving Hosta in order to promote reliable bloom.
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| #9 |
Zone 3 |
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Scabiosa 'Butterfly Blue' (Butterfly Blue Pincushion Flower)
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A low mounding plant with ferny green foliage, bearing heads of
soft-blue flowers from early summer through late fall. 'Butterfly
Blue' has been selected as the Perennial Plant of the Year for 2000
by the PPA. Full sun seems to suit it best, and good drainage will
help to ensure plants remain in the garden for many years.
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| #10 |
Zone 5 |
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Verbascum 'Raspberry Ripple' (Hybrid Mullein)
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Brand new from England, this hybrid mullein is sure to please in
the summer border. Leaves are coarse and hairy, forming a ground-hugging
rosette in the first year, followed the next summer by upright spikes
of pale pink flowers, artfully streaked and splotched with ripples
of deeper raspberry. Their long season of summer bloom and great
use as a cut flower makes them worth considering for a sunny border.
Plants should be cut back after flowering to promote new foliage,
and then divided every year or two so they don't flower themselves
to death. Available in N. America exclusively through Heritage Perennials.
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