We were really pleased last year when our customers seemed to like the Echinacea ‘Coconut Lime’ as much as we did around here.  That’s a big part of why we’re really stoked to be offering the Echinacea ‘Cotton Candy’ this fall.  Cotton Candy is a real improvement over the popular Razzmatazz, with significantly larger blooms (at up to 4 inches, it’s the biggest double pom-pom we’ve seen).  Those big blooms come along with sturdier stems, and this coneflower stands up beautifully to inclement weather, keeping those beautiful blooms through wind and rain.  The superior size and sturdiness also means that Cotton Candy holds up even better in the vase.  If you keep cutting the flowers on this plant, it will keep giving you more to cut for months.

This Arie Blom creation starts as a small green center, and as it develops turns to one of the most vivid pinks I’ve ever seen on a flower (keeping a tiny green spot on top for much of its development).  Plant these stunning flowers next to Coconut Lime for a really interesting look in your sunny garden.

In Greek mythology, Narcissus was a young man of unparalleled beauty who was so entranced by his own reflection in a pond that he wasted away gazing lovingly on his own form.  Where he sat on the shore, a flower of similar beauty, the Narcissus, grew, leaning lightly, as if to gaze into the water.

I always find the stories behind plant names interesting.  Many of them have been lost to time, of course, but that only makes those that we do know more interesting.  Then, there are those about which we speculate, but cannot be certain.  "Daffodil", for instance, is thought to come from the Asphodel flower, a plant that was commonly planted near graves in Ancient Greece.  The Asphodel Meadows, one section of the Underworld in Greek mythology, was thought to be an endless plain of these flowers.  This was the section where the dead who had led unremarkable lives spent Eternity.  The "D" in "Daffodil" most likely came from the Dutch article "de," which would have been placed before the name ("De Asphodel," more commonly pronounced "De Affodil"). 

The term Jonquil, which is still sometimes used for all Narcissus (especially in the Southeastern US), is somewhat more straightforeward.  It comes from the Spanish diminuitive form of junco, a type of reed.  In the strictest sense, the term Jonquil refers only to types of Narcissus related to the species Narcissus jonquilla, which has reed- or rush-like leaves (hence the name).  The use of this name to generally refer to Narcissus is mostly fading away, and it is technically incorrect, but I am loath to try to correct a common name, especially one that is as much fun to say as is Jonquil.

Here at Wayside Gardens, we see a lot of our plants.  Around the grounds, in the greenhouses, even in some of our offices, we’ve got our plants.  Most of us here have a lot of Wayside products in our own gardens, of course, as do our friends and families (what,  you think we give CDs as gifts?).  What we don’t get as much chance to see, though, is our plants in your garden, out there "in the wild."  We would like to see and hear about your garden, though, since yours is the most important garden to us.

So, instead of coming to your house and knocking on your door, I’m asking you to send me pictures of your garden and tell me all about it.  You can email me at tandrews@parkseed.com.  We’ll be posting some of these pictures and stories here on Wayside Gardens Voices, so send us pictures to show your garden off to your fellow gardeners around the world!

Every time I flip through the Wayside Gardens Fall catalog (and I flip through it a lot, as I’m sure you can imagine), I’m stopped by the photo on page 13 of the Paris polyphylla flower.  With it’s unusual leaf-like green petals arrayed symmetrically around ruby red stigma and long yellow anthers, it really is an arresting site.  It’s not just unusual in our catalog, either.  Because this plant is very difficult to propagate (though remarkably easy to grow once you have a plant sprouted), it is a very rare plant.  Rare enough, in fact, that I know of no common name.  This rare little part-shade plant comes to us from the woodlands of Asia and is in the same family as Trillium.

In most of the country, now is the time to divide your Bearded Iris.  You should do this every two or three years in midsummer, after blooming but before the weather starts to turn (July or August, usually).  Regular division of the rhizomes does wonders for preventing root rot and borer damage.  Plus, it encourages the plant to grow more vigorously and to flower more.  It also gives you a great opportunity to thoroughly inspect the plant for damaged or diseased parts that can be removed.  Bearded Iris is one of the easier plants to divide (especially when it comes to lifting the plant), but as with any division, be sure to allot enough time to finish the job, so you don’t have to leave your plants out and vulnerable longer than is necessary.

If you’re looking for an interesting Iris to try out this coming Spring, give ‘Dangerous Mood’ a try.  Not only is it a stunning flower that’s sure to leave an impression, it is one of my favorite plant names of all.

I love even, soothing plantings.  I love a garden full of small delights.  Very often, though, what a garden needs to really spice it up is something absolutely stunning, a plant that you absolutely can’t ignore.  For a real centerpiece, Lilies are some of the very best.  Quality lilies feature lots of well-formed, interesting blooms in a range of colors and color patterns.  Their upright, regal habit draws the eye and easily complements other plantings.  The foliage is generally lovely and complementary, too. 

With the variety of Lilies that are available, there are many directions you can go with them.  Mass plantings create a strong effect, but so too can a single plant, or even several peppered throughout a garden.  The large, pure white of the ‘Casa Blanca’s’ blooms add elegance, as does the much sought-after Lily ‘Silk Road.’  As for me, though, I’m an absolute sucker for Tiger Lilies, and the double-flowered ‘Flore Peno’ Tiger Lily can’t be beat for a unique, eye-catching exhibit.  I’ve had one of these beautiful plants adding tropical interest to my garden for years now, and it never fails to amaze me when the blooms come in late summer.

The popularity of most plants comes and goes and comes again as time goes on.  Some, though, are always in demand.  Hostas are one type of plant that we're always on the lookout for.  A great Hosta can make as much difference to the look and feel of your garden as any other plant, especially in the shade, where suitable plants are harder to find.  They add a lush texture that few, if any, other plant can bring.  Hostas are available in a variety of sizes and colors, from the deepest green to bright white variegation.  Some, like Hosta 'Venus,' even feature brilliant blooms.  But then, I probably don't have to tell you any of that.

What you might not know about is our new Hostas for Fall 2008.  This year we have 'Blue Ivory,' a compact Hosta with a dark blue center to its leaves. 
It's quilted, giving it great tolerance to slugs and snails, and it does well in shade.  We've also got Hosta 'Great Escape,' a sport of 'Halcyon' with amazing white margins contrasting with a deep iron-blue center.  This vigorous grower is one of those rare Hostas whose flowers will be eagerly awaited, with bell-shaped lilac blooms that stand high above the plant on slender, elegant stems.  Perhaps the most exciting of our new Hostas, though, is the Hosta 'Dark Shadows,' an intense, deep blue hosta that turns toward green in summer, maintaining a lovely aquamarine tone all season.  The depth of its color is especially impressive from a Hosta that thrives in light shade.  It's one of the lower-growing Hostas I've seen, spreading wide to make for great mass plantings or ground cover.

Does your garden take itself too seriously?  The answer to a garden that needs a little playfulness could very well be to grow some onions. Not, of course, the sort of onions that you eat (though that’s not a terrible idea, either).  What I’m talking about is ornamental onion plants, Allium. 

"Allium" refers to the entire onion genus, which is one of the largest plant genera.  It includes onions, chives, garlic, shallots, and leeks.  When gardeners talk about growing Allium bulbs or flowers, though, it is usually the ornamental sort that they are referring to.  These drought-resistant bulbs bloom, usually in early summer, with fun, colorful round inflorescences that look almost like balloons or something out of a children’s book (these inflorescences are actually "umbels," meaning that the flower stalks are all of the same length and stem from a single point).  These whimsical blooms are sure to get curious
comments from the neighbors.  They also last wonderfully in both fresh and dried arrangements, so they’re great for adding an unusual touch indoors, too.  The classic ball-shaped Allium blooms range from the smaller ‘Purple Sensation,’ which carries flowerheads of around three inches, to the huge, 9-inch balls of the Giant Allium.  For something even more eye-catching, try the "Tumbleweed Onion," Allium schubertii.  Its flowerheads grow to as big as 18 inches with pink flowers at all lengths along the flower stalks, creating an effect not unlike a floral firework.