Nails Flowers News Today

Last year I had the opportunity to trial a new daylily and I can tell you it went out in a blaze of glory. This happened for a couple of reasons. The first and foremost is that its name is Blazing Glory and it is making its debut this year as part of the Proven Winners Rainbow Rhythm collection.

Sitting on my driveway right now are three Luminary Sunset Coral tall garden phlox, Phlox paniculata. Just saying that color makes me expect a bolt of lightning to strike and a mysterious voice to say: "Its not nice to fool Mother Nature." This variety, still new to almost everyone, is so beautiful in color it defies description.

Sparkling Rose may sound like an adult libation at your favorite Italian restaurant, but in the gardening world it is a Superbena or, should I say, a Super Verbena. Some in the green industry might consider it a novelty bedding plant mainly because of its coloration. Personally, I dont like the adjective "novelty," mostly because of the dictionarys No. 2 definition of the word, which is "small and inexpensive."

A few weeks ago, I wrote a column that stressed you grow containers in a mono culture style and cluster them together to create a garden look, when designing mixed

Its planting season for many and verbenas are high on the list. We had just fallen in love with Superbena Imperial Blue verbena and piled on a bunch of awards then, stop the presses! It has a new name, which is now Superbena Cobalt. Not sure if this would be similar to Shakespeares "whats in a name" scenario, but one thing is for certain: It is even better than The Garden Guy thought.

The Garden Guy has become completely mesmerized by a bowl of blackcurrants.

The world seems to have a fascination with volcanoes and, even more so, with lava flow. Weve got volcano lava cookware, lava salt lamps, lava rock mulch. Some of my favorite glazed pottery designs are called lava flow as they mimic molten lava spilling over the rim. Then The Garden Guy does a Facebook post with what looks like lime-green lava spilling over the rim of a container and the questions pour in: What is that lime?

The National Garden Bureau has selected several plants under their "year of" program. A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the Year of the Angelonia, their chosen annual. In their choice for the shrub designate, the National Garden Bureau has gone where few have dared to tread, the Year of the Buddleia. I could not be more thrilled!

The past couple of weeks gardeners have been writing to me asking for ideas for colorful combinations in baskets, window boxes and containers for shady environments. I like to quip back in humor and ask how they would like a rose? Everyone would, of course, except for the thorns, but the rose I am talking about is for the shade, has no thorns and blooms until the first freeze.

Superbells Coral Sun made its debut in 2020 and has been racking up awards from north to south. By that I mean Top Performer from Michigan State to Mississippi State and you can add Perfect Score at University of Tennessee and Directors Select at Penn State. Now that I have grown it for a few years, The Garden Guy can give it a "Holy wow" too!