“Gardenally”-speaking, today is my favorite day of the year. It’s opening day at the Flower Factory, and that means there’s an entire world of plants and bulbs and wildflowers just waiting for unsuspecting gardeners to take them home.
Every year I make a list, but the impulse purchases excite me the most. Today I plan to “stumble” into the greenhouse full of heucheras and see what catches my eye. And there are some beautiful new hybrid echinaceas—like bright red ‘Tomato Soup’!!—but they’re expensive and I’ve had trouble growing their cousins, ‘Mango Meadowbrite’ and ‘Twilight’. I’m hoping to resist the temptation to purchase one, but if the plants look healthy all bets are off.
I’m also considering the new Shasta daisy called ‘Banana Cream’. It grows 15-18″ tall with huge 4-inch butter-yellow flowers that fade to light yellow and then eventually turn white.
And then there are the new disease-resistant phlox cultivars, some new yarrows and maybe a few ornamental grasses.
It’s time to stop typing and start shopping!