A Dozen Fun, Cutting-Edge Plants to Try In Your Landscape

By George Weigel

A big part of the fun of gardening is trying new plants. Who wants to grow the same old stuff every year? Fortunately, breeders and growers are churning out more great new introductions than ever before. Try a few of these in your 2006 garden. Some are brand new. Some are fun but just under-used...

Ornamental pepper 'Black Pearl.' This 2006 introduction is guaranteed to grab your eye in any crowd of plants. 'Black Pearl' is an annual hot pepper that has jet-black leaves and rounded fruits that start out a glossy jet-black, kind of like shiny black olives. The fruits mature to a bright red and keep producing all summer, so most of the time you've got a blend of lavender flowers, black olives and round red fruits. 'Black Pearl' is especially stunning paired with any white or light-colored flower, and is a great choice for any sunny pot.

Brunnera macrophylla 'Jack Frost.' This perennial flower would look great even if it didn't get bright blue flowers in spring that look like forget-me-nots.

The main attraction is the heart-shaped and heavily silver-variegated foliage that really lights up a shady area, which is where brunnera does best. It's plenty hardy in our winters, grows about 18 inches tall and is a fresh alternative to hosta.

Purple-leaf ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius). When 'Diabolo' came out a few years ago, it converted a rather homely, plain-green native shrub into a trendy newcomer, thanks to its deep-burgundy leaves, white flower clusters, BB-sized red fruit clusters and coppery fall color. It's drought-tough, pest-free and extremely cold-hardy, too. If the potential 10-foot size of that plant is too big, try the new 'Summer Wine' ninebark, a dwarf dark-leafer that stays more in the 5- to 6-foot range. And new for 2006 is 'Coppertina,' an 8- to 10-foot ninebark that has copper-colored summer foliage instead of the black/burgundy of 'Diabolo' and 'Summer Wine.'

Perilla 'Magilla.' There's more than a fun name to this coleus look-alike. 'Magilla' is a multicolored foliage plant that grows about 3 feet tall and has leaves that are deep pink in the middle and a rich burgundy around the edges. In shadier spots, it takes on tinges of cream and green, giving it a kaleidoscope appearance.

It's a tender annual plant, so plant it after frost. It'll do great spotted as a specimen in the ground, but it really shines as a pot centerpiece surrounded by pink petunias (sun) or pink impatiens (shade).

Echinacea Big Sky series. Here's a new line of purple coneflowers that aren't purple (or pinkish-purple, for that matter.) Georgia-based ItSaul Nurseries has developed five new colors in this perennial native that laughs off the heat and drought of our summers.

'Sunrise' blooms a buttery yellow; 'Sunset' is a soft peachy orange; 'Twilight' is rosy-red; 'Harvest Moon' is golden, and 'Sundown' is burnt orange. All grow 24 to 30 inches tall and should get better with age.

Elderberry 'Black Lace' (Sambucus nigra 'Eva'). Picture a cut-leaf Japanese maple with nearly black lacy leaves and you'll have an idea of what this 2006 introduction looks like. 'Black Lace' is a dark-leafed variation of our native elderberry. It grows in an arching habit 6 to 8 feet tall and wide and gets soft pink flower clusters in late spring, followed by black/red berries in fall. But even if it didn't flower or fruit, this fast-grower makes a nice foliage specimen in full sun to part shade.

Euphorbia 'Diamond Frost.' This 2005 newcomer is another plant that will stick out in a crowd and have even experienced gardeners guessing what it is. 'Diamond Frost' is an annual that grows in a neat 18-inch mound with dainty white flowers growing on the ends of wiry stems. The leaves are narrow and willow-like, unlike other euphorbias. It kind of looks like a white sunburst ... or maybe a baby's breath on the Atkins diet. It's impressive enough to be the lone star of a medium pot in either sun or part shade.

Ornamental onion 'Globemaster' (Allium giganteum). This hardy, perennial bulb sends up some really unusual but striking flowers every June -- purple clusters the size of softballs atop 3- to 4-foot sturdy stems. 'Globemaster' works best when you plant clusters of three or more bulbs and then repeat clusters throughout a bed (if you don't mind the expense). They'll come back for years, although the plants go dormant and get cut back to the ground in mid-summer. Bonus: No need to worry about animal pests eating these. Even deer let them alone.

St. Johns wort 'Albury Purple' (Hypericum androsaemum). This woody shrub has a lot going for it. The leaves are reddish/burgundy tinted, it flowers yellow in summer and then it gets red berries that turn black later in the season. 'Albury Purple' also is a durable, trouble-free plant that grows about 3 feet tall and wide in a variety of conditions ranging from full sun to dry shade. It usually dies back to the ground in winter and is late to get going again in the spring, but if you're patient, new growth will reward you from late May on.

Coleus 'Kong.' There's nothing shy about this annual. As the name implies, 'Kong' has unusually large leaves that also happen to be a showy blend of bright lime green and burgundy.

It's especially adept at lighting up a shady bed or corner of the deck, but it also does well in full sun -- something that not all coleus tolerate very well. Just be patient to plant them after all danger of frost is past.

Golden variegated Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa macra aurea). Not many ornamental grasses tolerate shade, but this one actually prefers it. And it handles the shade both beautifully and gracefully. Japanese forest grass has an arching habit and stays under 2 feet tall, which makes it ideal for edging a shady path or running along the wood's edge. Besides the great texture, the golden variegated version has bright gold/green leaves. Deer also don't like it.

Ornamental millet. The award-winning 'Purple Majesty' millet turned a lot of heads when it debuted a few years ago. It looks much like a corn plant with dark leaves. The seed heads resemble cattails. While 'Purple Majesty' is still the variety you're most likely to find at garden centers (mainly sold as pot centerpieces), this annual is being joined in 2006 by 'Purple Baron' -- similar to 'Purple Majesty' but with darker leaves and a fuller habit -- and by 'Jester,' a novelty whose leaves change color from chartreuse to dark burgundy as the season progresses. All grow 3 to 4 feet tall, ideally in full sun.