Pink Mulla Mulla Ptilotus ‘Joey’

There are many dozens of this plant still available at half-price on Sunday: if it had been blooming during the sale, it would have sold out the first day!

A completely new genus for U.S. gardens straight from central Australia, Ptilotus is pronounced “ty-LOH-tus” (from the Greek “ptilon” for feather.) Other common names are Lamb’s Tail, Pussy Tails, and Showy Foxtail.

Many chubby 4″ fuzzy bottlebrush flower spikes glisten silver and neon pink. The silver-green leaves are paddle-shaped and succulent-looking. You could guess from its Aussie origin that ‘Joey’ is heat and drought tolerant, and that it wants excellent drainage, such as a loose potting soil.

Last summer, Henry planted ‘Joey’ in our State Fair garden next to Aeonium ‘Zwartkop,’ Helenium ‘Dakota Gold, and Alternanthera ‘Red Threads’ and reports that Fairgoers could not resist petting the feathery flowers.

We hope to see more Ptilotus varieties become available in the future: there is one now on the internet called ‘Platinum Wallaby.’

12-15″ sun (A454, page 41)

EVERYTHING is half price. There are lots and lots of great plants left for you to buy at the half-price sale! Remember to record the FULL price on your shopping form and leave the arithmetic to the check-out volunteers with their adding machines.

Doors open at noon, wristbands are given out at 10:00AM, and there will surely be a line to get those wristbands before 10:00AM. Remember the shopping carts are in short supply, so bring your own wagon WITH YOUR NAME ON IT.

We are also running very short of cardboard flats to carry plants, so if you possibly can, bring your own flats for carrying.

There are several dozen of most of these plants:

Perennials

Astilbe (e.g. Fanal Red P 032)
Asters (e.g. Dream of Beauty P 016)
Anemone, Fall (e.g Annabella Deep Pink P 003)
Beardtongue (e.g. Scarlet Queen P 056)
Balloon Flower (e.g. Fuji Pink P 046)
Bellflower (e.g. Octopus P 088)
Bee Balm (e.g. Garden View Scarlet P 070)
Butterfly Weed (e.g. P 133)
Hardy Cactus (e.g. Prickly Pear P 142)
Columbine (e.g. Songbird P 181)
Cranesbill (e.g. Johnson’s Blue )
Foxgloves (e.g. Camelot Lavender P 306)
Iris (e.g. LOTS of Louisiana Black Gamecock  P 427)
Hosta (e.g. Diamond Tiara P 369)
Hollyhocks (e.g. Peaches n Dreams P 355)
Ligularia (e.g. Rocket P 462)
Lamb’s Ear (e.g. Helene von Stein P 448)
Mums (e.g. Stardust P 511)
Monkshood (e.g. Sparks Variety P 498)
Phlox (e.g. Appleblossom P 547)
Blue Poppies P 580 including a larger size that may bloom this year
Creeping Raspberry P 601
Stonecrop (e.g. Lemon Coral P 688)
Thyme (e.g. Mother of Thyme P 698)

For the first time in a long while, we have significant numbers of water plants left.

Annuals

Alyssum A 006

Begonia (e.g. Escargot A 043)
Flowering Cabbage (e.g. Peacock Red A 072)
Coleus (e.g. Trailing Queen A 140)
Hummingbird Mint (e.g. Acapulco Rose A 251)
Tropical Hibiscus A 652A
Brush Cherry Topiaries A 641
Impatiens (e.g. Extreme White A 264)
Star Jasmine A 653 — lots!
Johnny Jump-Ups A 306
Lisianthus (Mariachi Pink A 328)
Petunias
Phormium Tom Thumb A 649
Spikes — lots! in different colors
Flowering Tobacco (Nicotiana) (e.g. Babybella A 534)
Verbena (e.g. Peaches & Cream A 558)
Zinnia (e.g. Magellan Coral A 586)
Indoor/Outdoor Succulents (e.g. Echeveria Von Pearl A 669)
Clivia A 645
Banana Siam Ruby A 638

Vegetables

Large numbers heirloom tomatoes
Seeds for beans, beets and corn
A good range of other vegetables

Herbs

Lots of basil!
Significant amounts of lavender
Smaller amounts of most of the rest of the herb list

Bulbs and Bareroots

While there were some sellouts among lilies and daylilies, there are substantial numbers left of many.

Climbing Plants

No Malabar Spinach — but a smattering of other annual vines.
Quite a number of various clematis
Perennial vines are also available in pretty significant quantities (no hops, though — they were a crop failure)

Fruit

If you’re looking to plant for food, there’s a lot at the sale for you:

All three kinds of apples are left
Hundreds of blueberries, due to their late arrival on Friday
Cranberries! both kinds
Honeyberry ‘Berry Blue’ — unfortunately, the other variety was a crop failure but plant one now so it can grow for a year and be ready when you get another variety next year
Lingonberries
Peaches
Lots of strawberries — Fragoo Pink, Honeoye, Ozark Beauty and Alpine

Shrubs and Trees

No azaleas or rhododendrons… no bamboo but most other items are still available.
In the shrubs in small pots, there are very significant numbers of the two Sunjoy Gold Barberries.
A lot of beautiful trees (not many magnolias) but there are still Japanese maples, redbuds, tamaracks and both kinds of Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick.

Roses

A nice selection, including large numbers of the cute little Miniature Angel Wings among others.

Native Wild Flowers

A broad range from the list.

Siam Ruby Banana Musa ‘Siam Ruby’

Baby ‘Siam Ruby’ plants at Rush Creek Growers

10,000 years of banana cultivation in Papua, New Guinea produced a sport with the darkest red leaves of any banana yet discovered. Originally selling for more than $1500, ‘Siam Ruby’ was brought to the U.S. only three years ago and now you can have one for $14.

The foliage is a remarkable dark ruby with lime flecks and streaks, although it starts out chartreuse and develops more and more red as it matures and gets more sun. Each leaf has a surprising new pattern of red and green: some leaves are even half and half! Try Googling on Musa ‘Siam Ruby’ to see many photos of the different leaf markings when the leaves are mature.

A banana tree will easily overwinter as a houseplant in a sunny window or dormant in a cool dark basement.
8’ sun (A638, page 44)

These special bananas are literally not showing their true colors at the sale, but I have faith and I bought one! If you want ‘Siam Ruby’ be sure to look at its label because there are lots of Banana ‘Rowe Red’ (looking more obviously attractive….) right next to it.

Duckalicious Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus ‘Duckalicious’)

A brand new flower form for an old favorite, each bloom like a bouquet of tiny yellow duckies’ feet.  Even the leaves are lobed rather than the usual round shape. Trailing.

6-12” sun (A395, page 40)

Ghost Thistle Onopordum acanthium (A.K.A. Onopordon)

You know this giant purple flower better than you think you do: It is the Scottish Thistle, which has been the national emblem of Scotland since the 13th century. According to legend, a Scottish army camp was alerted to the sneak attack of invading Norsemen when a barefoot Viking stepped on a Scottish Thistle and gave a hearty Viking  holler. It is also the thistle flower symbol of the Encyclopedia Britannica.

Dramatic and intimidating, like some ghost out of Macbeth, this strange white-leaved plant has a cottony, prickly down all over it, plus curious wide wings on the stem.  Another one of those oddball architectural plants seen in modern British gardens.

60” sun (P694, page 20)

Use some caution planting this one. It is not on the Noxious Weed list here in Minnesota, but it is in California and a few other places. It would be better not to let it go to seed or to plant it anywhere where you cannot monitor it (for instance in a wild garden or near a farmer’s field).  Some sources list the plant as a biennial, so it may not even flower this year (therefore, no seeds.)  I am growing it just for the weird foliage.

The Plant Sale is featured on the cable access show St. Paul Forum TODAY, Sunday, May 3 at three times: 11 a.m., 5:00 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. It’s channel 19 in St. Paul only, though, so don’t try and find it anywhere else!

Host Mike Wassenaar interviewed the Plant Sale’s founder Henry Fieldseth and me, Pat Thompson. We talked about what’s new at the sale this year, mostly. I found out that Henry is much better at being interviewed than I am!

Unfortunately — Cityline Rio is a CROP FAILURE — sorry!

(S 093B, page 51)

We always put a little note by the map of the sale published in the catalog that says “Plant locations are subject to change.” This is one of those times.

Due to the increase in the number of vegetables at this year’s sale, we’ve run out of space indoors for the Grass section, so it will be located in the fenced-in area along the front of the Grandstand, at the very eastern end of the fence (right outside the eastern door to the fenced in area).

It will be right across the way from the the Native Wild Flowers.

Sunkist Arborvitae Thuja ‘Sunkist’

Cone-shaped evergreen shrub with exquisite year-round color: dense, flattened sprays of lemon-yellow in spring turning orange-yellow in winter.

“The name arborvitae or “tree of life” dates from the 16th century and the French exploration of the Saint Lawrence River.  Jacques Cartier learned from the Huron Indians along the river how to boil the tree’s branches and foliage to make a concoction that was rich enough in vitamin C to treat the scurvy afflicting members of his expedition. In gratitude for curing their sickness, the French carried the tree home in 1534 where it was named “l’arbor de vie” by the King of France and planted in medicinal plant gardens.   As a consequence, eastern arborvitae is thought to be the first American tree introduced to Europe.” (from the Purdue University agriculture website)

(But don’t try this “concoction” at home: it’s one of those natural medications that is also toxic!)

4′ tall x 2-3′ wide sun (S 017, page 49)

Syringa ‘Josee’

A remarkable dwarf lilac with 3-4” lavender-pink clusters starting in May and, with deadheading to encourage re-bloom, still going strong long after lilacs have quit for the season. Very resistant to mildew.

4-6′ sun (S102, Page 52)