Nursery and Landscape - Plants to Consider for Delaware Landscapes Featured at the Upcoming UDBG Plant Sale

This is continuation of the series on plants to consider for Delaware Landscapes featuring those plants that are being offered at the upcoming UDBG Spring Plant Sale.

Spiranthes cernua var. odorata. Ladies’ Tresses 1-2'. Late summer heralds 6-in.-tall stalks with spiraling rows of fragrant, delicate white blooms, set against silvery-green foliage. Native to marshes, wet meadows and bogs, this terrestrial orchid is perfect for the wet site. An uncommon beauty for the orchid-lover.

Spigelia marilandica. Indian Pink 1-2'. Bright red flowers with pale yellow throats attract hummingbirds and people passing by. Flowers appear profusely in the early summer and sporadically thereafter. Another underused native that deserves more attention.

Solidago sphacelata ‘Golden Fleece’. Goldenrod 1-2'. Shortest of the garden-worthy goldenrods, this Mt. Cuba introduction will light up your late summer/fall garden with clusters of golden blooms. Deep green foliage forms an attractive groundcover, especially when massed. Adored by butterflies and bees.

Viola cucullata. ‘Purple Showers. Marsh Blue Violet 3-6" This cultivar's large, scented purple flowers are displayed on tall stems arising from a rosette of pale-green foliage (a food source for fritillary caterpillars.) Evergreen and spreading; a great groundcover for wooded or boggy areas. Late spring through summer.

For more information go to the online UDBC Spring Plant Sale catalog at http://ag.udel.edu/udbg/events/documents/UDBGCat08.pdf