Ajuga reptans ‘Black Scallop’ is a cultivar discovered by Mike Tristram of the United Kingdom. It’s by far one of our favorites as well as a top seller. Its dark foliage almost appears black. It would go great in any dark themed garden, or as a contrast against something more yellow or chartreuse. ‘Black Scallop’ does great in containers and looks exceptional coupled with light or silver foliage plants. In addition, its spikes of blue flowers stand out against the dark foliage.

As with many ajugas, this plant spreads by above ground runners. After it flowers in spring, it sends out runners in all directions. If the runners are rooted, they are easily dug up before they are too well established. Ajuga can take full sun or partial shade. he more sun this cultivar receives, the darker the foliage will be.

Although we didn’t have as grand a presence as in recent years, we helped out with constructing a modern “water wall”. (Go ahead and click on the image to display a larger version). In collaboration with designer Kristy Ditmore and nursery person Jamaie McAuliffe, the garden “Kodachrome – Give Us Nice Bright Colors” was born.

From the NWFGS website:

“Kodachrome” is an old Paul Simon song popular for its lyrics that paint a vivid picture in our minds of bright colors, the greens of summer and all the world is a sunny day! These visions can be true in your own outdoor space by creating a tapestry of plants with jewel-like colors and appealing textures. In a modern design with the musical sound of water, add wooded screens to compliment nature, and a mix of metal to reflect all of these elements in your own “space.” You can paint the picture in your mind – or better yet, just go enjoy!

Water cascaded down the polished stainless steel sheet imposed on a tiled glass background. We even got written up in the newspaper! Read the article in the Monroe Monitor.

Ribes sanguineum ‘Brocklebankii’ is a brilliant variety of flowering currant and it’s currently going off in our front garden. The hummingbirds absolutely adore this plant so if you’re looking to attract some feathered friends this is a great pick. Its leaves begin to emerge a golden color and eventually transform to chartreuse as summer goes on. ‘Brocklebankii’ grows slowly into a neat and open-branched, upright shrub. It likes a moist, well-drained soil and prefers bright shade as it can scorch in full sun. Check this one out for your garden! You’ll be glad you did.

In continuing with our latest topic of winter blooming and fragrant plants, we present the Hellebore or Lenten Rose. We currently have quite the unique specimen here at the nursery. Have you heard of ‘Peppermint Ice’? Well we have it and it’s stunning. This particular variety was created by hybridizer Marietta O`Byrne.

Hellebores are low-maintenance, flower in winter to early spring, and are deer and rabbit resistant. They can adapt to almost any soil but are shade plants and need to be protected from the hot evening sun. Come on in and procure one for your garden!

If you’ve never experienced the winter bloom of the American Witchhazel (a.k.a. Hamamelis virginiana), you’re really missing out. Their creamy yellow blooms are just finishing up right now. This moderately slow growing deciduous tree thrives in zones 4-9. Eventually reaching 25 feet, its glossy green leaves turn a beautiful yellow in fall. Place this tree in sun to partial shade with moist well drained soil. We’ve got them here at Falling Water Gardens!

Sarcococca confusa

Plants that bloom in the winter? Could this be true? It is indeed. Sarcococca, also known as sweetbox, is an an evergreen that does wonders for the winter garden. Let’s take a look at three different varieties.

Sarcococca confusa is a truly handsome species. This shrub is densely covered with dark, glossy green foliage. Sweetly scented clusters of tiny white flowers are followed by showy, glossy black fruit. It’s an excellent ground cover or mixed border plant for shady areas.

Sarcococca ruscifolia

Sarcococca ruscifolia is a great shrub for shady areas. Its white flowers are small, but extremely fragrant. They’re followed by bright red fruit. It’s very effective in areas where others won’t grow!

Sarcococca hookeriana is the compact grower of the bunch. It’s a great groundcover for the shade garden The polished appearance of the dark green leaves create a clean-looking uniform appearance. Fragrant white flowers are followed by blue-black fruit.

Sarcococca hookeriana

Scent can have a great effect on our mood. Of the five senses, smell is most closely tied to memory. All of these plants have a fantastic fragrance to them. Place them close to a door or next to a pathway and enjoy the olfactory goodness every time you pass by.

All sarcococca are deer resistant and ruscifolia can even be used in espalier. Imagine that!

This extremely unique hardy changeable was the winner of both 2010 IWGS Best New Lily and 2011 Collector’s Aquatic Plant Awards. Its leaves are heavily marbled and the brilliant peachy-orange petals are spotted with flecks of cream. ‘Wanvisa’ was hybridized by Nopchai Chansilpa of Thailand.

You’ll be hard-pressed to find this variety at any other area nursery. It’s practically brand new and we’ve got it! Come on in and get yours today.

Blueberry - Vaccinium fall color

I love the fall color on Blueberry bushes!  Electric reddish-pink that grabs your attention.  Blueberries are easy to grow in full sun and acidic soil.  I recommend mixing in a huge helping of Peat moss into the soil as you are preparing it for planting a Blueberry.  Most Blueberries will grow to 3’-4’ high and as wide, but I’ve seen some as high as 6’.  There are many varieties so you can find some that will fit into any garden and it’s nice to mix the varieties because it extends the fruiting period and helps with pollination.  Blueberries are extremely hardy, most to zone 4 and deciduous which means they give great fall color and lose their leaves in the winter.  Berries are produced on two year old wood so be careful pruning them as you’ll be cutting away some of the berries for next year.  White flowers in early spring, fruit in July.  They have very shallow roots so make sure to mulch them and give them water in the summer.

We also have a brand new variety called ‘Pink lemonade’ which has pink flowers and the fruit ripens to pink instead of blue!

Pink Flowering dogwood - Cornus florida 'Rubra' fall color

Check out the fall color on this tree at the nursery!  Beautiful red, orange and mottled green.  This is a Pink flowering Dogwood tree.  Cornus florida ‘Rubra’ will top out at about 25′ and about as wide.  It is hardy to zone 5 and prefers morning sun and afternoon light shade.  It will not be happy in baking afternoon sun, or where surrounded by pavement.  The early spring “flowers” are large and pink. The fall color is exceptional and the red berries are enjoyed by many birds. It prefers moist acidic soil.

Autumn crocus - Colchicum autumnale 'Waterlily'

This is a great fall flowering bulb.  It is commonly called Autumn Crocus, but it isn’t really a crocus at all.  It flowers in October with lovely lavendar-pink petals before the leaves emerge.  It will slowly spread and naturalize an area.  It prefers sun to light shade and well drained, moderately fertile soil.  Mine come up through a mat of glaucus Helianthemum every year.  We offer these and another variety that is pure white here at our nursery.  The flowers last about 3 or 4 weeks and you can see I took the picture just as they were on their way out.  Extremely hardy here in Monroe and to zone 5.