Plants of the Week: May 9

While the cool weather has helped prolong the tree peony blossoms, the rain hasn’t been kind. Precipitation fills the bowl-like blooms causing the individual petals to stick together and weighs down the flowers. One tree peony that hasn’t been troubled with the recent downpours is Paeonia ‘Nike’. Strong stems rising well above the foliage and rounded petals with colors of peach, pink, and coral characterize this tree peony.   Photo credit: J. Coceano

Clematis ‘Porch Swing’, a Polish variety raised by Szczepan Marczyn’ski, was introduced in 2012. Its flowers, nearly cream in color with faint hints of pink, are borne on both last year’s wood and on new growth. Flowers occur in May, then sporadically throughout the summer months. This clematis is particularly suitable for training along fences, garden supports, or over deciduous or coniferous shrubs. In the Terry Shane Teaching Garden a specimen grows up a mature Camellia. Photo credit: J. Coceano

Garden supervisor Chuck Hinkle’s appreciation for Epimedium has rubbed off. There are over 60 species and numerous cultivars and crosses of this hardy perennial groundcover. One Epimedium which I’m excited about is Epimedium ‘Splish Splash’. A seedling introduced by Plant Delights in 2013 that boasts green leaves heavily splashed with reddish-brown markings and numerous sprays of small white flowers. A mass of ‘Splish Splash’ has been planted under the Magnolia virginiana var. australis ‘Henry Hicks’ in the Entrance Garden where it’s being used to replace invasive Petasites and Houttuynia cordata. Photo credit: J. Coceano