Collection

Favorite Plants Improved for Your Region

Fine Gardening – Issue 204
Photos (clockwise from top left): ‘Red Pygmy’ flowering dogwood, courtesy of Missouri Botanical Garden; ‘Blue Heron’ corydalis, courtesy of Terra Nova Nurseries Inc.; ‘Shimmer’ evening primrose, millettephotomedia.com; Phenomenal® Lavender, millettephotomedia.com

In Paul Westervelt’s article on perennial upgrades, he explains the benefit of stepping out of your comfort zone and trying new versions of tried-and-true plants:

“After whiffing a few times, consumers and pros alike may be tempted simply to stick to time-tested varieties. But some of those varieties aren’t what they once were. In other cases, they’ve been upgraded in meaningful ways that improve the gardening experience—better habit, longer bloom time, enhanced disease resistance. Before you swear off new plants forever, consider these classic upgrades.”

To help you find plants that won’t make you say, “Ugh, I should have just stuck with the original,” we asked regional experts to pick four improved versions of fan-favorite plants. All of these plants have at least one of the characteristics that Paul lists above—better habit, longer bloom time, enhanced disease resistance—and sometimes all three. Find your region below and discover some new plants to fall in love with. And for even more improved classics, check out Paul’s article 8 Better Perennial Plants to Grow Over the Classic Varieties.

 

 

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