What was your favorite new plant this year?

I think it would be fun to see what plants people tried for the first time (not a new plant necessarily, but new to YOU) and why they like it. I like something that is colorful, blooms a long time, and was dependable. I got a fuschia called gartenmeister. It has very narrow blooms that open like a little star on the ends. There are several on every twig tip and they are a bright coral color. The leaves are an irredescent green/purple. I love it. But I tried to over-winter some and had a terrible time. They made it though. They have woody stems and I believe they are hardy in the deep south. Here I treat them as annuals.

Torenia. Easy to care for, even in a deck container. Hope I can harvest enough seeds to share as well as grow for myself.

Aspholedine lutea ; nice drought tolerant xeriscaping plant .

Definitely Brugmansia. At the end of May, I didn't have one. Now I have way way way too many. I love them sosososo much:) I'm extremely obsessive compulsive:( My hubby said if I go to ebay again, he's gonna kill me:) but he didn't say anything about trades, so I'm still safe. LOL!!!

This message was edited Monday, Sep 10th 9:34 AM

This year the zinnia elegans were the soldiers in my garden. I'm just starting my perinneal beds and need annuals to fill in for color. These guys are still blooming, are so bright and colorful, and just keep on coming. vic

I think it would have to be my Mexican Petunia (from lovublooms) and my Moon vines (from sister sue) Or my Cardinal Climbers Or my Cypress Vine!! had alot of new ones this year Thanks to all my good buddies here at DG!

My favorite new plant this year was actually something we planted last year,A real tall Grass. We have to look the name up I'll let you know. However it did not do much last year but man this year it was wonderful. 12 foot tall with plumes. I love it.

I can only pick one? Impossible!

Favorite tree this year: Deutzia scabra. He rivals the crepe myrtle for beauty.

Favorite shrub: Butterfly bush - I love these forgiving and beautiful specimens.

Favorite vegetable: Pan squash. 35 days to harvest, with winter squash taste and texture!

Favorite veggie category: Beans. I have come to love the diversity in heirloom beans. Next year I'm going to grow a thousand varieties (so to speak).

Favorite annual flower: I refuse to make a solid selection, but I will say that I absolutely love my four o'clocks (Mirabilis jalapa).

Favorite perennial: Careful thought and consideration leads me to select the Garden Phlox as my favorite in this category this year.

Dave

Hakonechloa macra aureola...Japanese Forest Grass...lights up a shady corner. Dee

Ok Gardenwife found the name for me. The grass that I love so much is.

Erianthus Ravennae (Hardy Pampus Grass)

I planted so many this year, and have even more to plant next year thanks to all of you! I did plant a turtle head ,but no blooms yet. My peony's would have to be my outside favorite. But i did recieve Brug's recently,And i have been wanting some, thanks to Calalilly i am probably addicted!

My favorite changes according to what is blooming the best at the moment! Right now that would be the spiderwort with its blue flowers that keep on coming!

I was skeptical about Million Bells - too much hype - but the white one that I planted out in the rock garden has spread over a really difficult corner and just kept going and going and going. It is a nice light touch right where it was needed, and will be joined by another on the other side of the walk next year. In perennials, I am learning every year to appreciate my sedums, the old Live Forever and the Autumn Joy.

Everyone's sounds great but to only pick one???

My newcomer is an oenothera,planted last
year without much results. However it
came back like "gangbusters"lol' I had
the seed pkt.beside it but either the wind
or birds got away with it' It is a oenothera
I remember but not the missouriensis,or
macrocarpon. It is about 3ft tall and has
stems cascading in small tiers down to long
stems on the bottom' I purchased it for my
xeriscaping area,I installed this spring and
proved out very well'Winds here seldom cease
and the heat was above 100 for nearly 3 weeks'
The leaves are narrow at the stem and elongate
to wider at the end and are a nice,silver/green
color'Somewhat textured also' The flowers are
bright canary yellow,hummers love it too,and
even blooms on cloudy days' That's one of the
reasons also for getting it' I have clay soil
and didn't amend it when I planted this one,so
it's a keeper for me'Very drought tolerant but
might get invasive if isn't watched'

My fav(dependable like Dave)shrub is my butterfly
shrubs,IL de France and this year added Honeycomb,
blooming now'

Not my first year but a must have is my Kentucky
Wonder Green beans and Cardinal Climbers(make soups
with other beans too)

My tree is the Eastern Pansy(here we just call it
a Redbud)Graceful tree(holds well with drought,wind,
ice,whatever) My mother tree gives me babies every
spring and I transplant them around my lots,plant
another fav under(hostas)The large heart leaves
protect the nesting birds' The Japanese beatles
were terrible this year but didn't phase the red-
buds'

Fav annual by far is my Giant Ca.Zinnias,now 5ft.
tall and flowers big as my hand and of course the
nasturtiums are a must'Just one to pick,impossible
for me'

Herb;Basil this year'' Sis'

New favorites started this year are:
*Lacecap Hydrangea...graceful in its own sense
*Black eyed susan vine...nice splash of color, easy
*Golden Chain tree...flowered from seed this year..stunning
*Datura...large white flowers...a showy display
*Nicotiana..Only the Lonely..great scent, easy
*Nicandra...lotssss of flowers. good height, easy, no bugs
*Lemon Drop sunflower...keeps blooming non-stop
*Oenothera...surprise beauty, scented, easy, night highlight
*Beardtongue Penstemon...easy, tall showstopper
*Edelweiss..so dainty and strong
*Asclepias...new for me, so nice and easy
*Summer Pointsettia..surprisely came through, different
*Four O'Clocks...wow, they keep on ticking with blooms
*Obedient Plant...compact, striking flowers
*Nepeta...nice form, free-blooming, bee attractor

All of the above were first-time plants for me in the garden this year. They've really outdone themselves in ease, show, hardiness and beauty :)
Trish

Dicentra,great plants'I collect nicotiana and
am interested in your "only the lonely" Maybe
we can trade seeds" Mine are purple,what color
is yours,curious??? Sis' I'll post on the seed
trade too''TIA''

Zany, I am surprised that you still have spiderwort blooming this late. I found recently that they will work in my bog garden and have a friend that has a lot that need dividing.
Go vols, I liked the torenia too, but mine didn't survive. Don't know what I did wrong. What are the water requirements?
Chooch, What is aspholodine? Do you have a picture?
Sis, what is oenthera? Is that sundrops? I love nasturtiums and thought they'd be great in my rock garden but all I got was leaves and very few blooms even though I was careful ot to over-fertilize it. Any suggestions?
Trish, this is the second year for my obediant plants and they are doing great. I read in one of the catalogs that they can make a good bog plant. Have you tried that?
Thanks everyone for your input. I did not expect to have so many questions after reading your posts. I am still learning the latin names so please use the common name also or I don't know what you're talking about.

Woodspirit, your post was actually something I had been thinking about - the new lists of "2002 plants" will soon be out, and I was thinking we should do our own list of what we really like and would recommend to other gardeners. I hope we get a lot more opinions and suggestions here.

My torenia pouts if it doesn't get enough water. And even if I don't catch it right away, it perks back up as soon as I water it....it's in a spot on the deck that gets afternoon sun, and very little wind. If it got more of either of those, I'd guess it would probably not recover so well from getting too dry.

I think my favorite this year was the pee gee rose bush ...it bloomed all spring and summer. Small...but gorgeous.

Im into my herbs more, wildflowers, grasses...and now Im wanting to get more into heirlooms and xeriscapes....that isnt my whole list of stuff....just the new emphasis on these areas...

In my wildflower garden I have a type of gaura that is beautiful...called Indian Feather, or Flower....something like that. It was stunning this year. Reblooms if you cut it back after a bloom spurt is about over. Right now it is prettier than ever!

Veg garden my fav was definitely the sweet 100 tomato....I loved it!! Mine produced like a champ....but the celebrities, patio tomatoes etc...were not even close! Has anyone in my area tried the Hawaiian tomato? If so please let me know how it did.

Mine would have to be Gaura lindheimeri 'Siskiyou Pink' (whirling butterflies), followed by Gaura lindheimeri 'Dauphin' which are taller and have more white. They have bloomed all summer, the butterflies and the hummers love them. I have several nepeta 'six hills giant' up against them for some smaller, bushy color.

Woodspirit, My spiderwort re-blooms if I cut it way back after the first bloom.

My favorites were: Little Grapette daylily, horsetail, and the 2 almost black daylilies that I got in trades, the Vermont Maidenhair fern..........

Woodspirit,these are tall and upright,not like
the Oenothera macrocarpon(sundrops)Trish is your
oenothera tall,like mine?

Calluna! They're so pretty. And evergreen, too. I can't imagine anything wanting to eat them! Ha!

A New Person

Well Calluna,welcome to the garden and hope you
enjoy gardening with all of us''From the Sunflower
State' I'm fairly new here too' Have you found the
Welcome Mat? Don't be shy we'd all like to give ya
a great big Dave's Garden Welcome'''BTW, I must look
up calluna,never heard of it but there plenty I don't
know about.lol''See ya'Sis'

Victoria Blue Salvia! wow, she just keeps on going...I planted a flat of them in my "test garden" and it passed with flying colors.

My favorite was a pink calla lily that someone sent me last year. A friend gave me 1 misty lilac wave petunia that I put in a hanging basket. That one plant grew and filled up the basket and it has been full of blooms all summer. I also like an angelina that I bought this spring. It has been full of purple blooms all summer, and it's still blooming. Linda

Calluna,RUputtin' me on?? I can't find the name
in anything'

Pssst, Sis - it's also known as Heath: http://davesgarden.com/plants/go/1646.html

Calluna, welcome to DG! Ummmm, if you have any photos of your namesake plant, we'd love to have them in the database!