Wouldn’t it be great to be able to see photos of more plants from the Plant Sale? You can help with this project! We would love to have photos of your plants and gardens to put on this website and into next year’s catalog. For 2009, we plan to have more color pages with photos in the catalog!

In fact, we really need them, because otherwise we are limited to using photos we take ourselves in our own gardens and photos from the websites we have permission to use. And this supply of photos is dwindling.

We need both photos of individual plants that you bought at the sale and photos showing how the plants look in your garden, window box, or container. In fact, it would be great if you made a point of taking photographs in your garden this summer of both previous purchases and new 2008 plants.

We are more interested in practical photos that show the plant or flower clearly than in “beauty shots,” but either would be welcome! It’s not required, but we would also be interested in hearing about your impressions of the plants, both positive and negative.

There are various ways you can share your photos with the Friends School Plant Sale community:

1. If possible, email your full-size digital photos to us at photos@friendsschoolplantsale.com — we will take care of cropping them and making them the right size. If you know the name of a plant, that is definitely helpful but not necessary. In many cases, we will be able to recognize it. Let us know if you want your name with your photo or not.
2. If you have print photos, you can mail them to Friends School Plant Sale, 1365 Englewood Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55104.
3. If you are a gardener with a lot of Friends School Plant Sale plants in your garden but do not wish to photograph them yourself, email or write to us and we can discuss having one of our volunteer photographers take photos. Or let us know if your garden will be on a garden tour this year!

The world-famous White Garden at Sissinghurst in England contains not only all shades of white flowers and gray foliage — it has a surprising number of plants that are actually light pastels. Here are some white or nearly white flowers that will be at the sale.

Above: Part of the White Garden at Sissinghurst (photo by Nancy)

Above: Maiden’s Wreath (Francoa p.17) (photo from the Wikipedia)

Above: Bacopa, Great White p. 39 A614

Above: Slender Deutzia ‘Nikko’ (Deutzia p.52) (photo from the Wikipedia)

Above: Prairie Sage (Artemisia ‘Valerie Finnis’ p. 32) (photo from Mobot.org)

Above: Baby’s Breath (Gypsophila repens p.7) (photo from the Wikipedia)

A small selection of the carts from Friday morning.

It’s a little hard to imagine our gardens in summer when we just barely have tulips right now, but here are photos of four gorgeous summer-blooming perennials (one a vine) that might help.

Above: Fragrant Aster (Aster oblongifolius ‘Dream of Beauty’ p. 7)

Above: Daylily (Hemerocallis ‘Joan Senior’ p. 11)

Above: Daylily (Hemerocallis ‘Purple d’Oro’ p. 11)

Above: Trumpet Honeysuckle (Lonicera ‘Blanche Sandman’ p.38)

(Photos from www.mobot.org)

It’s the latest late addition to the Friends School Plant Sale. Find out what it is and check out the other late additions here. (Photo courtesy of mobot.org)

People who prefer purple or who are passionate about purple will appreciate these plants.

Above: Toad Lily (Tricyrtis hirta p.21)

Above: Bonnet Bellflower (Codonopsis p.8)

Above: Clematis ‘Josephine’ p.37

Above: Japanese Roof Iris (Iris tectorum p. 15)(Photo from Mobot.org)

Above: Rock Thyme (Acinos alpinus p.19)

Above: Lady’s Slipper (Cypripedium ‘Gisela’ p.26)

Above: Flowering Sage (Salvia ‘May Night’ p.19)

(Photos except Iris and Sage from the Wikipedia)

At a terrific talk given by Donald Mitchell, conservation biologist, Master Gardener, and hummingbird specialist from the University of Minnesota, I learned which flowers not only attract hummingbirds but also give them the most nectar.

Perennials

Coral Bells (Heuchera sanguinea P199 and others, p.10) The coral bells that are not red-flowered or that have been bred more for their fancy foliage than for their flowers tend to provide less nectar.

Bee Balm (Monarda didyma ‘Jacob Cline’ P062, p.8) Look for other red-blooming, mildew-resistant varieties.

Beardtongue (Penstemon barbatus ‘Scarlet Queen’ P055, p.7)

Native Wild Flowers

Wild Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis N088, p.32)

Royal Catchfly (Silene regia N070, p.32)

Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis N023, p.30)

Annuals

Salvia (Salvia coccinea, Salvia splendens, Salvia guaranitica, p.46) As a rule, hummingbirds get more nectar from the salvias that are annuals to us here in Minnesota and salvias native to the Americas. The earlier-blooming salvias will be in bloom during our short summers and thus be more available to the hummingbirds.

Flowering Tobacco (Nicotiana langsdorfii, Nicotiana mutabilis, p.47)

Torch of Texas (Ipomopsis rubra, p.47)

Climbing Plants

Honeysuckle (Lonicera ‘Dropmore Scarlet’ and Lonicera sempervirens, p.38)

Trumpet Creeper (Campsis radicans, p.38)

Cardinal Climber (Ipomoea x multifida, p.36)

Glory Bower Vine (Eccremocarpus scaber, p.36)

Firecracker Vine (Mina lobata, p.36)

(Photos from Wikipedia)

A few more photos of plants we think you’ll like! Sale starts in one week!

Above: Annual Stonecrop (Sedum clavatum p. 47)

Above: Bath’s Pinks ‘Firewitch’ (Dianthus ‘Firewitch’ p. 18)

Above: Fiber Optic Grass (Isolepsis cernuus p. 42)

Above: Pasque Flower (Anemone pulsatilla p.18)

Above: Flowering Sage ‘May Night’ (Salvia nemerosa p.19)

Above: Gray Hair Grass (Corynephorus canescens ‘Spiky Blue’). This one is new for the sale and not in the catalog.

It’s almost Plant Sale week, but we’re still adding a few plants.

Shrubs

We just found out we can get Yellow Horn (Xanthoceras sorbifolia).

Yellow Horn (S068B) is an upright shrub from northern China with lustrous pinnate leaves that turn yellow in fall. Edible nuts. Glorious in May when it covers itself with racemes of white flowers. Watch their centers changes day by day from green through yellow to pink to red, all seen together at once on the panicles. Shrub-form, but can be pruned into a multi-stemmed tree, adaptable to many sites except wet ones. In a 2 gallon pot, $25 (Photo courtesy of mobot.org)

Vegetables

We’ve added six new heirloom tomatoes to help make up for the crop failure of six other varieties. All the tomatoes are in 3.5″ pots for $1.50. They are:

• Black Ethiopian V129B — An odd name for a tomato that was originally grown in the Ukraine. Very productive with brown-red-bronze, 5-ounce plum-shaped fruits. Exceptionallly rich, tangy taste. Indeterminate. 81 days.
• Chadwick Cherry V137B — Mouth-watering one-ounce red cherry selected by the late horticultural genius Alan Chadwick. Large for a cherry, with sparkling, full-bodied tomato flavor. Six-foot vines are vigorous and highly productive. Indeterminate. 90 days.
• Dad’s Sunset V142B — Fruits ripen to a uniform golden orange like the setting sun. Very attractive round, 12-ounce fruits with zesty sweet flavor. A mainstay garden variety with three-inch fruits. Indeterminate. 75 days.
• Northern Lights V157B — Set apart from other bicolored tomatoes by its smaller size (8 to 12 ounces), making it a great choice for gardeners who want a more modest sized bicolored fruit. Luscious, sweet flavor and beautiful golden yellow exterior with a red blush on the blossom end that radiates to the center. Indeterminate. 75 days.
• Hawaiian Pineapple V161B — Very large, meaty fruits (at least one pound) with very few seeds. Tangy when raw, becoming sweet and melon-like with a little salt. Great for spaghetti sauce. A fairly contained plant size, so good for a smaller garden. Indeterminate. 90 days.
• Red Zebra V166B — Plant yields huge amounts of two-inch red fruits with light yellow striping (or as some say, yellow fruit with red striping). Same shape as Green Zebra with red-yellow flesh. Indeterminate. 80 days.

Late Additions — Succulents

Aeonium ‘Garnet’ A655B– This relative of hens and chicks forms a rosette of succulent leaves on a basal stem, resembling a miniature palm tree. Rose to dark red rosettes with some green. Happy in a sunny window all winter. 4″ pot, $5.00

Echeveria nodulosa V666B — Flamboyantly painted foliage with maroon streaks and sharply defined delicate outlines at the edges of each leaf. Fleshy, spoon-shaped leaves form handsome rosettes on branching 8-12″ stems. 4.5″ pot, $5.00

Pink Echeveria — Ruffly looking. So irresistable that Henry had to buy it. In two sizes, a 6″ round pot for $14, A668B.

Assorted cool Echeverias — in a small 2″ pot for $2.50, A668C.

Golden Barrel Cactus A661B Echinocactus grusonii — Native to central Mexico, it is a popular landscape cactus in the southwestern U.S. Young plants are different in appearance than mature ones, which have golden spines and prominent vertically arranged ribs. 4″ pot, $4.00

Annuals

Gray Hair Grass A235B — Corynephorus canescens ‘Spiky Blue’. Attractive gray-green/silver foliage with wine-colored sheathes. Prefers well-drained soils. Drought tolerant. Tussock forming. Annual. 4.5″ pot, $5.00

Perennials

Daylily, Kwanso Variegata P263B — Hemerocallis ‘Kwanso variegata’. A variegated daylily! Forms a clump of large green and white striped leaves with double soft orange flowers from white striped stems. Rare, but. easy. Click here for a photo. In a 5.5″ pot, $8.00

European Ginger P316B — Asarum europeum. A beautiful evergreen groundcover for moist, woodland gardens. 2-3″ leaves are leathery and glossy. Bell-shaped greenish purple or brown flowers are hidden beneath foliage. Blooms in early spring. Prefers slightly acid soil. 3.5″ pot, $6.00

Snowdrop P641B — Galanthus nivalis. Earliest of spring bloomers, the small white flowers hang down from the stalks like drops. Good for dry partial shade, as under a deciduous tree (since they bloom before the leaves come out). In a 3.5″ pot, $5.00

Several lily bulbs have been added:

Acapulco (Asiatic lily) P748A — Dark pink, very fragrant with very long bloom time, produces four to six flowers per stem. 14/16 cm bulbs. 44″ Three bulbs for $3.00

Tom Pouce (Asiatic lily) P763B — Each petal is outlined with hot pink and has a golden yellow midrib. Colors are darker at the points and lighter toward the center. Three to four flowers per stem. Mid-season bloomer. 14/16 cm bulbs. 32″ Three bulbs for $5.00

Uchida (Oriental lily) P773B — Also called the Rose Red Lily of Japan. Brilliant, dark pink, recurved petals with white trim and light speckles. Easy to grow. Light fragrance. During the 1940s, this wild lily was common on the land of a Japanese farmer named Hirotaka Uchida. He noticed that most of the flowers were pinkish or white, but he also noticed that some were almost pure red. Before and during the World War II, he collected the reddest ones and continued his work for several years. At the end of the war, the Uchida family was able to export 60 bulbs. 48″ Three bulbs for $6.00

We are always happy to see a new Cranesbill Geranium. This one is named ‘Orkney Cherry’ because it is from the small Scottish island and has bright pink flowers with cerise lines. A bonus is the bronze foliage. 10-12″ (P 244 p. 11)

As if Meadow Rue needed more drama. Black Stockings Meadow Rue (Thalictrum ‘Black Stockings’) has long, dark stems contrasting with its cloud of lavender blooms and attractive green foliage. 48-72″ (P 490 p.17)

‘Britt-Marie Crawford’ (36-40″) is the darkest-leaved Ligularia so far, more of a dark chocolate maroon than the purple of Ligularia ‘Desdemona’ but with similar flowers. Some gardeners, not fond of big gold daisies, cut these flowers off and use ‘Britt-Marie Crawford’ purely for its gorgeous foliage, but others welcome the cheerful, sunny blooms in their shade gardens. Ligularia ‘Britt-Marie Crawford’ (P 465 p. 17)

Does the cultivar name ‘Misty Lace’ help to soften the impression of the common name Goatsbeard? The photo shows how much more accurate it is! What doesn’t show is its pretty red stems, cold-hardiness, and heat-tolerance. 30″ (P 321 p.14)