Plants of the Week: April 25

I become more and more impressed with Aronia arbutifolia ‘Brilliantissima’ with each passing season. The native deciduous shrub produces clouds of white flowers from late April through early May. Bright red fruits ripen in early autumn and persist through the winter. Fall color is vivid red. ‘Brilliantissima’ performed well as a winter container plant; easily surviving the winter cold with no die-back, and bloomed floriferously in mid-spring. A group of three shrubs now resides behind the Wister Greenhouses in the Cut Flower Garden. Use as a mid-border shrub as plants become leggy with age. Photo credit: J. Coceano

Prunus ‘Ukon’ is atypical with its semi-double pistachio-green flowers. Pink tinged buds borne in larger clusters become chartreuse to pistachio-green and fade to nearly white with a light pink tinge with age. ‘Ukon’ is an old variety and translates to “yellow spice turmeric”, a reference to the Japanese flowering cherries unique coloration. A mid-size tree maturing 20’ to 35’ tall can be found in the Cherry Border. Photo credit: J. Coceano

Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Jefam’ is putting on quite the show as its coppery orange foliage unfurls in the Terry Shane Teaching Garden. ‘Jefam’, commonly sold under the trademark name of Amber Jubilee, is a patented ninebark cultivar praised for its unique foliage coloration and compact growth habit. ‘Jefam’ is the result of a cross between P. opulifolius ‘Monlo’ (female parent) and P. opulifolius ‘Dart’s Gold’ (male parent) which took place in a Physocarpus breeding program in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, Canada. Photo credit: J. Coceano