Plants of the Week: September 15

Dahlia ‘Honka Yellow’

Dalhia is an exceptionally versatile genus. It seems like there are endless cultivars of varying colors and forms, all of which are spectacular in their own way. This one, simpler than most, can be found in the Thersea Lang Garden of Fragrance. It has pastel yellow ray inflorescences with a bright orange disk.  Sources say that these can get up one meter in height (ours are only about 10 -12 inches now). It is a lovely yellow Aster family member and it pairs nicely with the electric blue of the Salvia guaranitica ‘Black & Blue’. photo credit: J. Bickel

Hibiscus syriacus ‘Lil Kim’

‘Lil Kim’, a white flowered and miniature cultivar, is a highly-floriferous, deciduous shrub with flowers about 6 inches across with deep purple centers accenting against the white on the outside of the petals. In the garden it prefers full sun to part-shade and is a nice late-Summer butterfly and bumble-bee attractor. It is technically an invasive introduction and is frowned upon in many counties and states throughout the US, but it is pretty nonetheless. photo credit: J. Bickel

Zelkova serrata ‘Goshiki’

Nestled close to the north side of McCabe Library, this tree has caught my attention repeatedly for the past several months that I have worked here. This specimen has a nice vase-shaped form and the bark is silvery gray with laterally arranged orange lenticels resembling some Prunus species that I have seen. What drew my attention most was the variegation on the leaves. It is a very pleasing dappled edge variegation moving nicely with the serration of the leaf margins. Originally a Japanese native, it works nicely in our area and zones 5 – 8. photo credit: J. Bickel