Another New & Exciting Plant in our Plant Trials!

It sure is getting hot out there! With the heat taking over, its the perfect time to spotlight this heat tolerant cultivar.

Spotlight On:
Illusion Garnet Lace Sweet Potato Vine
New for Spring 2012
Known as Ipomoea batatas, this low maintenance landscape plant is pet friendly. Its trailing habit makes it great in mixed containers, window boxes, hanging baskets and landscapes. With red, attractive foliage, it grows to 6-10" and trails up to 48", needing spacing of 12 - 18". Ipomoeas can be overwhelming, but you can cut back or remove stems at any time. They also make great annual ground covers. Needs full to partial sun and is hardy to 35 degrees F.

New & Exciting in Summer Color

Another day, another new cultivar! You can find all spotlighted plants in our plant trials.

Spotlight on:
Coreopsis 'Salsa'
New for Spring 2012
Its common name Tickseed, this is part of a brand new series of annual varieties called the Coloropsis Series. All members of this series are highly floriferous, bearing masses of 1-2", single flowers with toothed petals. These plants pack a huge punch of color in the landscape or can be used in containers for added texture and color. Its easy to grow and perfect for the beginner gardener. One plant will provide you with long-lasting cut flower bouquets all summer long. It attracts butterflies and needs full sun -- also deer resistant.

New & Exciting in Summer Color

With summer on its way and summer weather already here, Strange's has begun our Summer Plant Trials 2011! Visit our plant trials located in the flower beds along W. Broad St. and you can check out hundreds of new cultivars that we receive as samples. Check back here as we post more information about what you can find in those beds. Here's our first feature:


Spotlight on:
Pink Lemonade Suncatcher Petunia
New for Spring 2012
This beauty grabs attention in large baskets and gardens. A full and trailing flower, the beautiful yellow-pink color lasts well into Fall. It prefers full to partial sun, regular watering, and can grow to 8 - 12".

Summer Blooming Flowers

Sorry for the delay in posts -- cold weather is not our favorite thing, so like nature, we like to hibernate from December to March. :)

Now that summer is coming up, its time to start getting ready for summer blooming plants. Below is just a handful of what we carry at Strange's Garden Center.

Butterfly Bushes
Butterfly Bushes (Buddleia) are known for their ability to attract beautiful butterflies to the garden. They require full sun and well-drained soil, and are very tolerant of urban pollution and alkaline soil. Keep an eye on them, as they can get out of hand and spread more than you'd like. Butterfly bushes are generally pest free, except for spider mites during drought or stress. These bushes should be deadheaded from time to time. We have several varieties, available in 1 Gallon or 3 Gallon.



Crepe Myrtles
Crape myrtles are perhaps one of the easiest and showiest plants to grow. The vibrant, colorful blooms in June, July and August, make other plants pale by comparison. Crape myrtles come in many different colors and sizes now, everything from dwarf varieties that don't get any taller than 5 ft, to tall standards 20 to 25 ft high. The care is identical for all kinds and colors. They need full sun, the more sun the better, and thrive in hot weather, also tolerating dry soil once established.


Echinacea Magnus
Echinacea Magnus is a drought tolerant, long blooming perennial that attracts bees and butterflies, but is not attractive to deer. Native to Virginia, it was named Perennial Plant of the Year in 1998! This beautiful plant blooms over & over, starting in June. Flower heads are flat instead of recurved like many other selections, making the blooms look bigger and brighter. New flowers are vivid in color and as they age they will fade to a softer shade of pink.



Bombshell Hydrangea
A must for your garden! With a compact growth habit, 'Bombshell' is incredibly well branched. Covered in white flowers against medium green to dark green foliage from early Summer until frost, this cultivar has more flowers per plant than any other Hydrangea paniculata. With its long bloom time and compact habit, 'Bombshell' is a significantly improved plant in all respects. It is low maintenance with little to no pruning needed to keep it compact. A remarkable show in most garden settings.

As always, please check with the location for availability.