Spring of 2013 finds The Southern Living® Plant Collection highlighting five of its tried and true ornamental shrubs for modern southern gardens. All five of these exceptional shrubs bring low maintenance as well as a special refinement to small urban and suburban gardens. They are especially appropriate for modern gardens because of their small sizes and striking flower and foliage characteristics.
Shown on the slideshow that accompanies this article are photos and more information about these five plants. The plants are:
- Jubilation™ Gardenia (Gardenia jasminoides) is a compact (3-4' H x 3' W) evergreen gardenia that produces fragrant white blossoms in mid- to late-spring throughout summer months. It is hardy in plant hardy zones 7 through 10, and grows well in full-sun to part-shade locations. Like many other Southern Living® Plant Collection introductions, this shrub is a great accent or container plant, and is appropriate for mass plants as a hedge or on slopes.
- Little Bonnie™ Dwarf Spiraea (Spiraea x bumalda) is a heat-tolerant hybrid semi-evergreen shrub that grows well in plant hardiness zones 4 through 9. Little Bonnie™ produces lavender-pink blooms that attract butterflies, and colorful autumn and winter foliage. It is dwarf (2-3' H x 3' W), deer-resistant, and grows well in containers and borders, or in mass plantings as ground covers.
- Purple Pixie® Loropetalum (Weeping Loropetalum chinense) is a miniature spreading (1-2' H x 4-5' W) evergreen shrub (dies back slightly in colder areas of plant hardiness zone 7) that grows well in full-sun to part-shade situations. A member of the witch hazel family, these shrubs are deer resistant. The plant produces purple flowers in mid-spring that are striking because of their four strap-like petals. Purple Pixie® Loropetalum is a striking accent or container plant, and does well even in mass plantings for slopes and groundcovers.
- Obsession™ Nandina (Nandina domestica) is a southern gardener’s answer to the area’s obsession with Nandina and the constant pruning the original plant requires in small gardens. Obsession™ Nandina is notable for its size (3-4' H x 3-4' W) which requires little to no pruning and the intense red color of emerging new foliage. The red foliage develops into deep green mature evergreen foliage. This shrub is easily grown in full-sun to part-shade situations in plant hardiness zones 6 through 10. It is useful as an accent or container plant, for low hedges, or as massed planting on a slope.
- ‘Soft Caress’ Mahonia (Mahonia eurybracteata) is a small evergreen (3'H x 3.5'W) with leaves reminiscent of bamboo. It grows in shade and light sun gardens in plant hardiness zones 7 to 9, blooming in early spring with bright yellow flowers. ‘Soft Caress’ Mahonia is a multi-use plant that looks well as an accent plant, in containers, as well as mass plantings and on slopes.
The Southern Living® Plant Collection entered the specialty plant market in spring 2008. They collection is a unique partnership between PDSI® (Plant Development Services) and Southern Living® magazine. The goal of this collaboration is to bring original and leading edge plants to gardens of the U.S. south. A second benefit of Southern Living® plant is that they are chosen to solve specific landscape problems in modern southern gardens.
PDSI® introduced the Sunset Western Garden Collection™, the first live plant collection to focus on great plants for the western gardener, in May 2012 in California. Their plan is to introduce in coming years plants from the collection in the 13 western states in the Sunset magazine reading area.
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