Wisteria 'Texas White' from White Flower Farm

Order this stunningly beautiful selection now.

Wisteria 'Texas White' www.whiteflowerfarm.com

"Mini-scaping": A few odds and ends worth cultivating

"All you need is one." With time, care, and nurturing, small cuttings and tiny plants will grow and prosper. They will reach a point at which they can be divided, if perennials. The key to "mini-scaping" is really patience, good soil, and care. "Mini-scaping" is the incorporation of much smaller plants into the landscape with the anticipation that they will grow to a mature size to fit the space. For example, you might use a 3 or 5 gallon plant in a bed, but surround it with much smaller plants at a much lower cost. This method works for everything, even your home-made cuttings. Protect and label well what you use. Some small, mail-order firms offer low-prices and interesting items. The knack is to order only those plants that are unusual and hard to find. For more common plants, get stock from a garden center to get your money's worth. The following are some unusual items worth cultivating over time: Hosta 'Empress Wu' This mammoth hosta makes a spectacular specimen in woodland gardens along walkways. One is usually enough, but if you have to space, use three plants, disequally triangulated. Additional specimens dilute the effect. Go with one or three. Make sure to plant for mature size!

"Measures an impressive 4' high and 6' wide with huge leaves that can measure more than 1 1/2' wide and long! This hosta is named in honor of the only female emperor to rule China. A stunning specimen for a shade area! Pale reddish violet flowers in early to mid-summer." www.direct gardening.com Another item to consider is Dicentra spectibilis 'Alba' or white bleeding hearts. This wonderful shade plant is common in red and pink whereas the white and yellow varieties are harder to find. "Old-Fashioned Bleeding Hearts (White)

Traditional Favorite MARCH SPECIAL: FREE $20.00 Off Any Order Of $40 Or More! Offer Expires March 31, 2015. Nature's only heart-shaped blooms trail from arching stems in early to mid spring. Fern-like leaves add an elegant touch. Product Information: Light: Full to partial shade Height: Up to 3' Deer Resistant Bloom Time: Spring Size: Bareroot Zones: 2 to 9" from www.michiganbulb.com The Dorothy Rose columbine is available at other nurseries at higher prices. Small plants are availaable from InterState Nurseries at $2.89 each.

Dorothy Rose Columbine Aquilegia 'Dorothy Rose' Unique flowers! A columbine unlike any other! The Dorothy Rose Columbine has lovely, luminescent, light rose-pink flowers that make this an excellent specimen plant. Blooms are quite distinctive as each one has several blooms set inside one another. www.directgardening.com It is important to remember that the low-price mail order firms send small plants with great potential. They ought to be ready to plant immediately upon arrival. In other words, have the plant hole and prepped soil ready to go. These firms will also send you color catalogs upon request.

Beautyberry: an old-fashioned garden favorite makes a come-back

American Beautyberry (Callicarpa dichotoma) American and Japanese beautyberry have a surprise element in that these plants' berries show a remarkable coloration. Depending on the variety, some beautyberries show an opalescent white or light violet fruit in late summer. Guerneys is offering starter plants at a low-cost, but these shrubs ought to be available at larger, independent garden centers. The white variety may be harder to locate, but both are worth having. Makes a good companion plant for hydrangeas and viburnums.

Dramatic Spring color from 'Crimson & God' flowering quince

Here's a superb new item Guerneys is offering. Remember that Guerneys is a low-cost, mail order company, so plants will be small. Just get them in the ground in a proper location;feed and nurture for optimal growth.

"Velvety, crimson flowers have bright gold stamens and put on quite a show in the garden! Low, spreading habit growing just 2-3 ft. tall with a 4-to 5- ft. spread. Looks great in the front of flowerbeds. Blooms from late winter to early spring and attracts butterflies. Potted plants. Zones 4-7. This plant attracts Hummingbirds and butterflies. Zones: 4 - 7. Height: 2 - 3 feet. Shade Requirement: Full Sun to partial shade." Available from www.guerneys.com

A few interesting plants for 2015

Michigan Bulb is a small, mail order plant supplier. They are noted for their modest prices. One caveat is that the size of their stock is small so whatever comes from them is a kind of investment in the future. Nonetheless, if you are a patient gardener, this supplier has some interesting plants to nurture. Here is a photo of 'First Lady' double Siberian iris:

"NEW! This beauty takes center stage when it blooms in midsummer! Its 5" double, silver-blue blooms, veined in white, are absolutely stunning. And, its slightly arching, narrow grasslike leaves remain attractive all season. Thrives under regular to moist conditions. Product Information: Light: Full sun to partial shade Height: 27" Deer Resistant Bloom Time: Midsummer Size: Bareroot" Echinacea 'Southern Belle' Michigan bulb is featuring another interesting item, a coneflower called "Southern Belle.": NEW! This uniquely colored beauty is sure to charm garden visitors. It produces deep, bright magenta double flowers that fade to softer pink in the last weeks of bloom. And, this standout is easy-care, deer resistant and attractive to birds and butterflies. PP23493 Product Information: Light: Full sun Height: 30-36" Deer Resistant Bloom Time: Early summer Size: Bareroot Zones: 4 to 9 Use this coneflower to add a dash of magenta to your garden. Because it is magenta, pair it with white coneflower and then complement it with a red or blue companion depending on your color scheme. Recall that magenta can be overrwhelming as it is red and blue competing for dominance. A third offered item is yellow Dicentra or bleeding hearts

"NEW! Add months of color to your garden with this uniquely colored dicentra! Its fern-like, blue-gray foliage becomes bluer when planted in full sun to part shade. And the foliage creates the perfect backdrop for the long-blooming, sulphur-colored, heart-shaped pendant flowers. Product Information: Light: Full sun to shade Height: 12-15" Deer Resistant Bloom Time: Late spring to early fall Size: Bareroot Zones: 3 to 8" Should you decide to order these items, remember that the size of the plants sent will be small. However, you need only one to start an entire colony with patience. These can be divided and clumps moved to other areas and shared with other gardeners. www.michiganbulb.com