The plant spreads by rhizomes, and it is useful where groundcover is needed to cover a sizable area, e.g., along the front of a border;  it is recommended for rock gardens.  The plant grows well in full sun to partial shade.  It will likely do best in a spot protected from hot afternoon sun, such as an eastern exposure.  The plant grows to about 10″ in height, and it will spread about 2-3 feet.  It can be divided every few years if needed.  It is mat-forming, and it can be controlled very easily if necessary.  It seems like a nice plant to grace the base of a mailbox close to the road.

geramium biokovo photo by: bestrunningshoe.com

Geranium Biokovo fall foliage color photo by: torontogardens.com

For the second year in a row, the PPA selection is a plant that I have not grown previously.  The 2014 selection was Panicum virgatum ‘Northwind’, and based on the PPA designation, it was widely available in nurseries this year.  I used it for the first time, and I was delighted that it lived up to its hype.  It is an ornamental grass that I will continue to recommend when a good upright, fiarly large, ornamental grass is needed.

I am hopeful that the Biokovo geranium will likewise be a pleasing addition to landscapes in our area, and I plan to add it to my repertoire of flowering spreading low-growing groundcovers with nice foliage color, for sunny areas, where I’ve used plants such as Plumbago, Dianthus, and Sedum.

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Each year, the Perennial Plant Association (PPA) names an outstanding plant its “Perennial of the Year.”  The selection for 2014 is Panicum virgatum ‘Northwind’,  an ornamental grass that was a runner-up in 2012.  This is one of the first PPA winners in recent history that I have not personally grown and used in landscapes, so I cannot address it’s attributes first-hand.  I can vouch for other Panicums – for example, I use ‘Shenandoah’ very regularly — and the stated virtues of Northwind are impressive.

A North American native, P. virgatum ‘Northwind’  is hearty in much of the eastern United States.  It is a stately Panicum, reaching 4-5’ tall (6’ in flower) and 2-3’ wide.   A key attribute is that the plant retains its straight upright habit even through winter.  It provides color through the seasons – attractive olive- to blue-green foliage in summer (photo top left: Plant Delights Nursery) that turns golden yellow in fall, and produces the typical Panicum airy flower panicles – these appear yellow in late summer, turning beige into fall and winter.

Panicum virgatum ‘Northwind’ in fall (photo: Univ. of Richmond)

Panicum virgatum ‘Northwind’ flowers (photo: Horticulture Magazine)

Panicums are lovely in masses and provide both a nice facer for evergreen trees and a backdrop with contrast for perennials and small shrubs. Because of its stature, Northwind also is nicely used as a specimen – vertical accent. Like other Panicums, Northwind thrives in part to full sun, is reliably deer resistant, and rarely is impacted by insects or disease. Plants are cut back to the ground in early spring, and clumps can be divided every few years.

The PPA’s Perennial of the Year program is designed to showcase, each year, a perennial that is a “standout among its competitors.” These chosen plants are “suitable for a wide range of growing climates, require low maintenance, have multiple-season interest, and are relatively pest/disease free.”

Panicum virgatum ‘Northwind’ in winter (Photo: http://blog.lib.umn.edu)

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We all appreciate the fall colors of trees and shrubs that are most ubiquitous in landscapes — Dogwood, Sugar Maple, Burning Bush Euonymous. (In fact, the latter shrub is quite invasive and, frankly, does not provide much interest in other seasons).

Here are some of my favorites for excellent fall color, recommended partly because they offer special interest during other seasons as well (e.g.  pretty flowers or ornamental bark that stands out in the winter).

Trees.  Starting at the highest plane, there are many deciduous trees that provide a focal point for an area of the landscape and particularly stand out in autumn by displaying brilliant foliage, in addition to other attributes to grace various seasons, be it colorful flowers or bark.

Kousa Dogwood

Dawn Redwood

Paperbark Maple

Crabapple

The Cornus kousa (Chinese Dogwood) offers lovely white flowers in early summer, and beautiful exfoliating bark in a mixture of cream and gray splotches.  The large berries provide color in September before the fall foliage in red or purple hues.  Resistant to disease that plagues other Dogwoods, the Kousa provides outstanding 4-season interest in a small flowering tree.

The Metasequoia glyptostroboides (Dawn Redwood) is a larger specimen that, while a deciduous conifer, is very ornamental in winter by virtue of its reddish brown exfoliating bark that stands out in the winter landscape.  The orangish- to reddish-brown needles in fall appear to be on fire, and then settle nicely at the base of the tree to provide mulch and colorful interest into the winter.

Acer griseum (Paperbark Maple) is another small tree, ideal as a picturesque specimen close to the front of the house, providing interest in all seasons.  True to its common name, this maple produces striking copper-red bark that exfoliates dramatically (like peeling paper).  The rich bark stands out when the tree produces its outstanding red leaf color and during the summer with the delicate foliage that covers a shapely, graceful tree habit.

There are numerous Malus (Crabapple) species that provide stunning red to orange fall foliage, as well as ornamental fruit, outstanding floral displays in summer, and ornamental peeling bark through the year.  There are many maples that provide year round interest in addition to outstanding fall color.  The Acer japonicum ‘Aconitifolium’ (Fullmoon maple) — just 8-10 feet in stature, can fit easily most anywhere.  This and other maples sport foliage that turns a brilliant array of intense colors in fall — from red-brown, to striking red, to brilliant scarlet to purple.

Shrubs.  Shrubs fill in the important middle layer, and there are outstanding choices to use in groupings or as specimens.  Some of the most colorful for fall foliage are:  (1) Chionanthus virginicus (White Fringetree), a native multi-stemmed small tree or large shrub that glows a vivid yellow in the fall; (2) Hamamelis x intermedia (a hybrid Witchhazel) with varieties producing winter flowers in yellow, copper or red, after an outstanding fall foliage display in orange and red; and (3) Fothergilla gardenii (Dwarf Fothergilla), a nicely compact native shrub with leaves that glow brilliantly for several weeks in the fall, capping off multi-season interest by its rich corrugated summer leaves and prolific ‘bottle-brush’ white flowers in early summer.

Fothergilla gardenii ‘Mt. Airy’

Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Jelena’ (Witchhazel)

Chionanthus virginicus (White Fringetree)

Ajania pacifica

Amsonia hubrichtii

Perennials.  There are many perennials that provide interest into the fall — primarily with late year blossoms.  One of the latest flowering perennials is Ajania pacifica (Gold-and-Silver Chrysanthemum) that flowers through November.  While its foliage does not produce fall color, this perennial provides interest from spring through fall (and often through winter) with attractive variegated foliage (stem and underleaf is bright white/silver), and leaf edge is white/silver).  An outstanding perennial for fall foliage is the Amsonia hubrichtii (Arkansas Bluestar), a large, nearly shrub-sized perennial that glows a brilliant golden yellow well into fall.  This plant is also a star in spring when it displays panicles of tiny sky-blue flowers (‘blue-star’), and through the summer its soft willow-like mid-green leaves, reminiscent of asparagus fern, provide an excellent contrast to surrounding broadleaf plants.

All photos by Connie Bowers taken of plants she installed

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The Kousa Dogwood (Cornus kousa) is a wonderful tree if year-round interest is sought.  The white blooms gracing the lateral branches are followed by very large red berries danging from the tree’s stems.  Best to limb up this specimen to amply highlight the outstanding colorful exfoliating bark that makes this tree a standout in the winter.  For something more modest, perhaps closer to the house, the native Chionanthus virginicus or White Fringetree (tree-form or multi-stemmed large shrub) is a gem, with its unique ‘fringelike’ blossums set against the bright light green foliage.  Deutzia gracilis ‘Chardonnay Pearls’ is one of the most prolific white bloomers in the spring, as it first sports little ‘pearls’ for some time before they burst out into tiny white flowers covering the stems like waterfalls.  As the flowers fade, the colorful yellow to chartreuse foliage makes this shrub a nice contrast to darker green leafed plants.

The Pyracantha  is also covered with tiny white flowers in May.  The plant, aptly termed ‘Firethorn’ is a good security option up against the house, and it has lingering interest, e.g., when covered with brilliant firey berries later in the season.

Pyracantha (Firethorn)

Deutzia gracilis ‘Chardonnay Pearls’

Chionanthus virginicus (White Fringetree)

Cornus Kousa (Kousa Dogwood)

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But, evergreens aside, deciduous plants tend to provide more variety throughout the year.  On a larger scale, deciduous trees such as Lagerstroemia, or Crapemyrtle (varieties like ‘Natchez’), Betula nigra (River Birch), Cornus kousa (Kousa/Chinese Dogwood), Stewartia pseudocamellia (Japanese Stewartia), and Acer griseum (Paperbark Maple) exhibit great winter interest with lovely ornamental bark (exfoliating or peeling).  Many people direct landscape lighting on these to highlight their architectural interest in the winter. Shrubs with this characteristic include Hydrangea quercifolia (Oakleaf Hydrangea) and Physocarpus opulifolius (Ninebark). If interesting bark is not your thing, what about winter flowers?  Hamemelis x intermedia (Witchhazel hybrid) is a small tree that does well in the shady understory (a native plant, as well, which means, among other things, it is very easy to grow and resistant to problems) blooming right along with the snow towards the end of winter.  There are varieties that produce primarily warm-toned flowers in either in yellow, orange or red, and the flower shape is very unique.  As an added bonus, these plants have a beautiful dense textured leaf, which produces vivid fall coloring.

You’d be remiss if your garden did not include Hellebores orientalis (Lenten Rose), an evergreen perennial, which begins its very long blooming period in February.  There are numerous varieties and colors, and its deep green interesting foliage lingers throughout the year once the blooms have diminished.  An added bonus:  the deer do not like this plant.  This is just a sprinkling of the different categories of plants that can provide interest in your landscape throughout the year – more than earning their keep.

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