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)

Kumson Forsythia

Forsythia viridissima koreana ‘Kumson’

A unique new forsythia discovered in Korea with intricate network of decorative silver veins in the dark green leaves. This type of variegation is rare in nature.

4-6’ sun/part shade (S 089, page 51)

Free plans for this birdhouse will be available at the desk opposite the Information Booth under the central stairs. Fill it with a variety of succulents from the Annuals and Perennials (hens and chicks and stonecrop work great!).

Jim from Winsome Orchids will be joining us in the Rare Plants booth, selling exotic orchid varieties. I’m still a bit sketchy on the details, but if you’re interested in orchids, it’ll be worth stopping by to see what he’s brought along. Plants will range from $15 to $25 for the most part, with some possibly higher.

Some of the species he has promised to bring:

Cattleya, Phalaenopsis (Moth Orchid) and Miltoniopsis

Oncidium

Paphiopedilum (tropical Lady Slippers)

Remember, the Rare Plants booth has moved — it’s now just inside the new main entrance at the west end of the building. (See the latest map in the Doing the Sale section.)

Some plants that we have added to the sale after the catalog was printed!

Asparagus Peas Psophocarpus tetragonolobus V002B
Unusual but easy vegetable with rectangular winged pods that taste like asparagus (harvest when 1 to 1 1/2″ long.) Attractive dark red flowers. In Minnesota, we may need to bring it inside to finish cropping.
Here is a link to more detailed information:
http://www.bbg.org/gar2/topics/kitchen/2004su_asparaguspea.html

Jim’s Jasmine
Twining vine with fragrant, white flowers. Originally a “mail order miracle plant” from decades ago, it has been kept and passed down by Minnesota gardeners. Store the root over the winter as you would dahlias. 20′ A652B $5.00

Hawaiian White Ginger Hedychium coronarium
This cousin of culinary ginger has lance-shaped leaves and 6–12″ clusters of white, fragrant flowers that look like butterflies. Showy seedpods with bright red seeds. 36-60″ A650B $8.00

Cow’s Hooves Peperomia columella
Also called Pearly Columns. Green translucent hoof-shaped leaves cluster on short stems. 4″ A662B $4.00

Cactus, Paraguayan Ball Gymnocalycium friedrichii
Excellent for growing in a sunny window. Filtered sunlight, moderate water in summer (allowing to dry out between waterings). Keep dry and warm in winter. 4″ A661B $4.00

Living Baseball Euphorbia obesa
Peculiar is the word for this ball-shaped dwarf succulent, which resembles a stone a bit more than it does a baseball. 8″ A672B $4.00

Zebra Plant Haworthia attenuata
Like a cross between a cactus and an aloe, with rosettes of succulent spiky leaves banded or spotted with white. Flowers are greenish white. Most often seen as a houseplant, but can be outside in the summer with afternoon shade or with light shade. Easy to grow, but do check on its requirements: http://www.haworthia.info/
6″ $3.00

Candy Mountain Foxglove

Digitalis purpurea ‘Candy Mountain’ (P309, page 13)

Unusual upward-facing foxglove.  Fat spires of rose pink blooms speckled inside, on strong stems.

36-56 ” sun/part sun

Interested in the name “Candy Mountain”? Check out the origin of the song “Big Rock Candy Mountain” and wonder whether the people who named this flower were aware of it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Rock_Candy_Mountain

Little Black Dress Cohosh (Actaea ramosa ‘Little Black Dress’)

New and exclusive! Frilly chocolate foliage makes ‘Litttle Black Dress’ a true shade diva. Pink to white fragrant bottlebrush flowers that bloom in late summer add a stately presence. One of the darkest cohoshes available.

40″ part sun (U007B, page 26)

Plant Sale shopper and volunteer Peg sent in these beautiful photos of her plants.

The native Joe Pye Weed (Eupatorium) is tall and stately, with umbels of pink blooms on dark stems. (N046 and N047, $3.00) and three cultivars P440 - P442, prices ranging from $2.50 - $6.00

Hibiscus ‘Southern Belle’ P348 (originally bought for $1.50 — see, they really do grow up!)

Peg’s hollyhocks (Alcea) framed behind her gazebo. Old-fashioned cottage garden plants that tower over shorter plants — great for the back of the border. (P351 - P360, prices range from $1.50 - $6.00)

A nice combined planting with Black-Eyed Susans (Rudbeckia) left, Blanket Flower (Gaillardia) center, annual red Salvia in the foreground, and Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis) in the background.

Thanks so much for sending in your photos, Peg!

If you’d like to share your photos with us, email photos@friendsschoolplantsale.com

Hey, if you’ve been wondering where the shopping list form is — Here it is! (pdf, 12K) (It’s also linked at the top of the Doing the Sale page.)

Tiger Cub Ornamental Corn (Zea mays ‘Tiger Cub’)

An exciting new look in ornamental corn with multiple stalks of variegated foliage with crisp, bright white stripes. Makes a nice backdrop to flowers in the garden and as a substitute for spikes or grass in large containers. Six plants for $5.00!
24-48” sun (A230, page 38)