Katrina's Picks 2019
Senecio: Angel Wings
It’s not very often a new annual plant comes on the scene but here is a new one for 2019 that is pretty cool. It's an unusual plant because there's nothing else quite like it. A monochromatic display of silvery-grey leaves the size of shovel heads lightly coated with a fuzzy texture that are soft to the touch and held up by chunky stems. ‘Angel Wings’ may be new to the garden scene but Senecio plants in general have been around for a while. Senecio is a genius that houses thousands of plants. A true annual here in Southern Alberta, the large grey leaves contrast nicely with everything from Geraniums to Annual Grass. It loves to be planted in large containers in the full sun.
Calendula: Cheers Orange
Everything that was from the past has arrived again. Stop wait; a Calendula has made the list? Crazy as that sounds, the lonely Calendula has arrived to be cherished again. These cheerful vivid orange, semi-double flowers are all the rage. Thick bright green leaves create pretty mounds which support the flowers on short weather tolerant stems that appear all summer long. Almost embarrassingly easy to grow in a sunny container or a garden bed you will wonder why you forgot about this flower. Calendula has been used for all sorts of interesting things; if you look it up on Google I am sure this plant can do everything from healing chapped lips to keeping werewolves away. I think that maybe you should just plant, water and enjoy it as the beauty it is.
Microcitrus australasica: Finger Lime
Citrus australasica also called Finger Lime or Caviar Lime is an exotic and rare citrus from the tropical part of Australia. This plant blossoms like a regular citrus that are deliciously scented and with a leaf that is much smaller than the other citrus varieties. The sweet smell of the leaf and the blossom of the Caviar Lime betray which fruit will soon appear. The elongated fruits are the shape of a finger. Hence the name finger lime, which then grow up to 10 cm long and 2-3 cm in diameter. The fruit of this citrus is very special and tastes deliciously fresh.
When the skin is broken or cut, the inside is filled with caviar-like balls, which float on the top of your drink and burst in your mouth as a sweet lime flavour. The inside is seamless and the flesh can have different colors, depending on the ripening. They can be red, pink, yellow, orange and green. It is very aromatic and similar to the fresh taste of lime, a truly delicious delicacy.
Marigold: Fireball
Often talk about as a "common plant", "a weed", as a "granny flower", Marigold Fireball is slowly making inroads into melting your heart and getting to be used again in the urban and country garden. A reliable plant that is the backbone of the garden has a new and interesting colour. Marigold Fireball with its fiery-bronze flowers one day to a dark golden-ember the next as the flowers mature, is a colour-changing marigold that will keep you and your neighbors interested. Nothing eats a marigold; they can be planted in the ground or in containers and look amazing. Marigold Fireball is a brand new type of marigold that hasn't been seen before in French or African varieties and so even those gardeners that never approach the marigold section in the greenhouse hover around admiring this beauty. A reliable, well-known bedding plant with a completely new look
Scrophularia macrantha: Red Bird in a Bush
So many good plant ideas come from our customers, and here is another from a long time customer, Clare, who knows her stuff. Red Birds in a Bush is a rare shrub from the mountains of New Mexico and blooms all summer long. Tubular small red flowers resemble a flock of red birds perched on the branch, thus giving it its name. A close family member to the Penstemon family the red flowers attract hummingbirds by the drove and create a stunning red container plant. This tough annual loves to grow in sunny dry container and will continue to bloom long after other annuals have been finished by frost. This plant does not need much TLC and will keep blooming without deadheading.