Increasingly, there has been a growing interest in native plants. And it's about time! —David Salman, Founder and Chief Horticulturist of High Country Gardens
Santa Fe, New Mexico (Vocus/PRWEB) January 20, 2011
High Country Gardens has developed a reputation for introducing delightful new perennial plants to American gardeners every year. For Spring 2011, High Country Gardens continues this tradition with offerings that include the exclusive new Agastache ‘Blue Blazes’ and a remarkable new ornamental grass called ‘Blonde Ambition’ Blue Grama that has been chosen a Plant Select Winner for 2011.
High Country Gardens is an award-winning source for waterwise native and adapted plants. The nationally recognized mailorder catalog and website specializes in easy-to-grow varieties that thrive in many areas of the country but grow particularly well in the climates of the western United States. High Country Gardens offers a wide range of perennials, ornamental grasses and shrubs including many waterwise (“xeric”) plants that need little or no extra water once established.
To receive a free Spring 2011 catalog, call High Country Gardens at 1-800-925-9387, or order a catalog and/or view the entire catalog online at http://www.highcountrygardens.com.
New Plant Introductions from High Country Gardens for 2011
Agastache ‘Blue Blazes’ (Blue Blazes Hyssop)
This exclusive introduction from High Country Gardens will fill any garden with a big cloud of gorgeous lavender-purple flower spikes. ‘Blue Blazes’ is a large, vigorous hybrid that blooms non-stop from mid-summer into fall, attracting butterflies and hummingbirds with its nectar-rich flowers. Prior to flowering, enjoy its deep green, mint-scented foliage. While the plant needs two growing seasons to reach full size, it blooms the first year. Grow ‘Blue Blazes’ in full sun and well-drained soil and it will reach 3.5-4.5 feet tall and 24-36 inches wide. Or, to keep it more compact, pinch back the plant in late spring. ‘Blue Blazes’ is an amazing hybrid between High Country Gardens’ Agastache ‘Desert Sunrise’ (introduced in 2000) and the blue-flowered eastern native Agastache foeniculatum. USDA Zones 5-9. Plants sell for $9.99 each in a 5-inch premium pot, 3 to 6 plants are $9.49 each, 7 or more $8.99 each.
Bouteloua gracilis ‘Blonde Ambition’ PPAF (Blonde Ambition Blue Grama Grass)
Plant Select winner 2011. Seldom does a new grass selection offer something completely different and exciting, but Blonde Ambition Blue Grama is a truly unique plant. Its profusion of big, showy chartreuse flowers, held horizontally over the leaves, is unlike any other ornamental grass in cultivation. An exceptionally large-growing selection of native Blue Grama, ‘Blonde Ambition’ has 2- to 3-foot-tall stems of flowers that mature to long-lasting blonde seed heads. These flag-like flowers rise up out of the blue-green foliage in mid-summer and are held for months on stiff, weather-resistant stems. ‘Blonde Ambition’ provides exceptional winter interest as the stems of seed heads pop up even after a heavy snow and remain standing through winter, giving the grass 6 to 8 months of garden color and texture. The flower spikes are also invaluable for dried arrangements.
This beauty is extremely cold hardy, grows in a wide range of soil types and is a perfect choice for low-maintenance home or commercial landscapes. Its round, mounding shape (up to 36 inches tall and wide) makes it the perfect companion for tall, upright growing ornamental grasses (such as Panicum and Calamagrostis ‘Karl Foerster’) and perennial flowers (such as Agastache, Aster and Salvia). Discovered and introduced by David Salman of High Country Gardens. Zones 4-9. $9.99 each in 5-inch premium pots, 3 to 6 plants for $9.49 each, 7 or more plants for $8.99 each.
Lavandula intermedia ‘White Grosso’ (White Grosso French Lavender)
This new variety is hands-down the best white-flowered French hybrid lavender. Discovered as a sport of ‘Grosso’ (the most vigorous and most cold hardy of the French hybrid types), ‘White Grosso’ will be a star performer in your garden. White Grosso French Lavender provides a beautiful contrast when inter-planted with the more-common blue flowered lavender. ‘White Grosso’ will reach 30-36 inches tall by 36 inches wide, and it loves low-fertility, well-drained soil. It will grow throughout USDA Zones 6-10 (and it may even be cold hardy to Zone 5b). A great companion plant for Echinacea (purpleconeflower). $8.99 each plant in a 5-inch premium pot, 3 to 6 plants $8.49 each, 7 or more plants $7.99 each.
Stachys lavandulifolius (Pink Cotton Lamb’s Ear)
Pink Cotton Lamb’s Ear is truly breathtaking in full bloom. This amazing xeric wildflower puts on a profuse display of fuzzy, bright pink flower spikes unlike anything you’ve seen before. The flowers are stacked with woolly calyxes (flower sheaths) that create a halo of pinkish-white fibers through which bright rose-pink blossoms emerge. The 10-inch-tall flowers hover over attractive low-growing gray-green foliage. This High Country Gardens selection adapts easily to garden cultivation, is nicely xeric and thrives in a range of soils including dry clay. It is an excellent choice for hot, harsh, poor soil sites, and it is highly resistant to browsing animals. Deadhead promptly after flowering is done to keep the plant tidy and the foliage looking good. Zones 5-9. Plants sell for $8.99 each in a 5-inch premium pot, 3 to 6 plants sell for $8.49 each, 7 or more plants for $7.99 each.
Linum narbonense (Spanish Blue Flax)
Bring the deep blue sky down into your garden with Spanish Blue Flax. Native to the foothills and mountains of northern Spain, this wildflower gem is most at home, not in formal flower beds, but along paths, in among rocks and other areas with poor soil. Encourage the plant to re-seed itself and it will gently spread itself into your landscape. This species is reported to be a longer lived perennial than common Linum perenne. The seed-propagated plant thrives in low fertility, well-drained soil. At maturity, Spanish Blue Flax will reach 15-18 inches tall by 15 inches wide. Cold hardy in USDA Zones 5-8. One plant in a 5-inch premium pot is $8.49, 3 to 6 plants are $7.99 each, 7 or more plants are $7.49 each.
Please see our full press release in PDF format for more new and exclusive plants not listed above.
To request high-resolution photos, call 505.428.7374 or email ava(dot)salman(at)highcountrygardens(dot)com
Contact: Ava Salman 505.428.7374
