Plants to Consider this Spring

Each spring as the plants arrive at the nursery, I become ignited with a light of inspiration from the forms, colors, and movement. I always make a list of plants to keep in mind for my own garden. I’ll spend some of my free time in the latter half of fall and most of winter researching cultivars, reading garden magazines, studying garden trends, and learning the latest diseases that are sweeping the horticultural world. The most fascinating part is finding new plants or a resurgence of an oldie but goodie. In saying this, I had to narrow down three plants that have met exceptional standards and will be in stock this season at Cape Shore Gardens.
Most gardeners are familiar with the common Milkweed, but there are also tropical species that host the Monarch and Milkweed bug, but bloom for a long period of time. Asclepias curassavica ‘Silky Gold’ and ‘Red Butterflies’ are two varieties of Tropical Milkweed native to South America and hardy to zone 8a (10 to 15 F). These tender perennials may overwinter with a heavy mulching in fall, easily self seed or be started from seed in late April in our region. Make sure to leave some of the seeds for the insects too!
This next plant is a hybrid of two native species, one from the west coast and one from the east. It bears the brunt of dry, infertile soils and thrives with minimal care. It’s the perfect shrub for our coastal conditions! Marie Bleu New Jersey Tea (Ceanothus x pallida ‘Minimari’) is a small compact shrub with misty purple flowers in spring and red berries in late summer. It’s a wonderful addition to a rose garden, dry area, or as a filler in a mixed border. It will need occasional water once established and can tolerate being pruned to the ground in spring.
I have had this next particular plant on my list for a couple years now since I saw it at a plant conference. It is a clematis but it is not a vine, it’s a herbaceous perennial. Bushy Blue Bell Clematis (Clematis integrifolia ‘Caerulea’) is a small, dense forming clump from one to two feet tall with light blue, nodding bell shaped flowers that likes moist soil. This particular variety is prized for its long bloom time from June to August. It doesn’t stop with the flowers, the seedheads bring another show in fall with silver feathery, mophead-like seed pods. Like all clematis, this plant prefers cool roots so keep it sufficiently mulched.
I could go on and on about what cool plants are arriving this year, but these are three I find particularly interesting for their habit, flower, adaptability, or ecological benefits. More plants I did not include but to keep in mind: a yellow-green fruit fig Peter’s Honey Fig (Ficus carica ‘Peter’s Honey’), the red berrying Ignite Red St. John’s Wort (Hypericum androsaemum ‘Seifire’), four foot wide apple trees Urban Golden Treat and Urban Blush Delite, columnar boxwood Green tower (Buxus sempervirens ‘Monrue’), and an evergreen clematis vine named Avalanche (Clematis x cartmanii ‘Blaaval’). Spring is always something to look forward to, and we look forward to seeing you at Cape Shore Gardens!
Written by Lauren Popper, horticulturist at Cape Shore Gardens and graduate of Temple University’s School of Environmental Design.