Extension Spotlight

Here are the new introductions that you can purchase for your gardens in 2023. These are the plants that did well during their trial period and were chosen to be a Plant Select Plant.

Ultra Violet Salvia or Salvia ‘Ultra Violet’ PP 21,411 is more cold hardy and more compact than most Salvia greggii. It has iridescent, deep purple flowers that bloom in late summer. This is a xeric plant that establishes easily in the garden. It is rabbit and deer resistant. Better Homes and Gardens magazine lists it as a top perennial for dry sites.

TIDY littleleaf peashrub or Caragana microphylla ‘Tidy grows to be a large shrub or small tree depending on how you prune it. It has airy, bright green, fern-like foliage. In the spring, it produces showy yellow flowers. Like other peashrubs this one also takes the heat well, cold well, poor soils and xeric conditions. It can be used in a windbreak, for bird habitat or to add to the landscape design. If you chose to grow it as a tree, it was selected because of its reduced suckering.

Shimmer or Oenothera fremontii ‘Shimmer’ PP19,663 is native plant for Kansas and Nebraska. It is a great pollinator plant and groundcover. It attracts bees, sphinx moths and butterflies. It has cheerful, large, lemon-yellow flowers that bloom profusely in late spring and re-bloom in the summer and fall, filling the evening air with a beautiful scent.

Bellina pink cornflower or Psephellus simplicicaulis is a small-scale groundcover which blooms from spring through summer. This flowering period makes it a long bloomer. This is a plant that spreads slowly. It will eventually spread to be 18 inches wide. It has frilly, matte green leaves that have a silver hue on the underside, yielding a captivating texture. The showy, bachelor button-type flowers have pale pink centers. This plant has a form and habit ideal for rock gardens, borders or even cut flowers.

SILVER TOTEM® buffaloberry or Shepherdia argentea ‘Totem’ is a shrub with an upright, columnar growth habit that is native in the western states and across the plains. It requires sunny, dry locations and tolerates heat and drought. It also can do just as well in moist conditions. It blooms in spring with tiny yellow clusters of flowers. Its leaves are narrow and are silvery green in color.

TUSHAR Bluemat Penstemon or Penstemon xylus is named because it comes from Tushar Mountain range in Utah. It blooms June through August with lavender-blue flowers. Equally attractive is its steel blue foliage which is evergreen in the winter. This adds to its interest in the landscape. It requires full sun and gritty soils. It is ideal for rock gardens, crevice gardens or troughs.

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