Spring Gardening News Distributed 02/22/08
Over the last 10 years, a new revolution in herbaceous annual and perennial plants for landscape use has been developed, released and extensively marketed, according to LSU AgCenter horticulturist Dr. Allen Owings.
At the same time, many organizations, growers and universities have found older garden plants for improvement and/or re-introduction to the marketplace. These have included an increased number of All-America Selection winners, a new program for daylilies (All-American Daylilies), state-recommended winning plants (Louisiana Select, Mississippi Medallion) and others.
One program gaining recognition among landscape professionals, greenhouse growers, garden center managers and home gardeners in Louisiana is the Athens Select program.
Athens Select was founded in 1999 and is the result of years of plant evaluation efforts at the University of Georgia by horticulture professor Dr. Allan Armitage. Athens Select plants have been evaluated long term at the University of Georgia trial gardens and at other sites in the Southeast, including the LSU AgCenter’s Ione Burden Center in Baton Rouge. These plants are promoted as “heat and humidity” tested. Although Louisiana has much more heat and humidity than Georgia, the vast majority of the Athens Select plants do well in AgCenter landscape plant evaluations.
Athens Select plants named include: Bourbon Street copper plant; Gail’s Choice alternanthera; Linde Armstrong cleome; Red Ruffles Improved and Velvet Lime coleus; Susan’s Little Gem; Firefly and Plum Mist cuphea; Cuban Gold duranta; Black Beauty, Chocolate and Tricolor graptophyllum; Panama Red hibiscus; New Gold and Athens Rose lantana; Ron Deal and Homestead Purple verbena; Stars and Stripes pentas; Tricolor hypericum; Azure Skies heliotropium; Prince and Princess pennisetum; Persian Shield stobilanthes; Rajin Cajun ruellia; Cajun Blue scaevola; Blue Sky setcreasea; and El Dorado turnera.
Some of these plants may be recognizable, Owings says, pointing out that New Gold lantana and Homestead Purple verbena were previously named Louisiana Select plants. Red Ruffles Improved coleus is also sold in Louisiana as New Orleans Red. Athens Rose lantana is a new lantana that was has been a top performer in LSU AgCenter landscape evaluations.
Of the other varieties, the graptopyllums have been excellent performers also. These plants last from planting time in the spring through first killing frost. Plants can be grown in full sun and reach heights of 2-3 feet. These are foliage-type plants for the landscape and would be a good substitute for sun coleus, Owings notes.
The purple foliage strobilanthes called Persian Shield would be similar in performance to the graptophyllums. Owings says this is an old garden plant that never really fell out of favor in Louisiana as it did in some other states. This plant, along with named varieties of copper plants (like Bourbon Street), have the potential to make greats strides in obtaining increased use in the landscape.
Other plants that impress Owings are Ron Deal verbena, Stars and Stripes pentas and Linde Armstrong cleome.
Retail garden centers in Louisiana have some availability of Athens Select plants throughout the season. You also can see Louisiana sources of Athens Select plants and obtain additional information on these specific plants at www.athensselect.com.
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On the Internet: LSU AgCenter: www.lsuagcenter.com
On the Internet: Athens Select plants: www.athensselect.com
Contact: Allen D. Owings (225) 578-2222 or aowings@agcenter.lsu.edu
Editor: Mark Claesgens (225) 578-2939 or mclaesgens@agcenter.lsu.edu