How New, Superior Plants Can Make Your Landscape Designs Stand Out

By David House, CEO, Village Nurseries, Orange, Calif.

Agapanthus orientalis 'Benfran' ''Baby Pete'' produces an abundance of flowers just above the foliage.

You have an opportunity to design an exceptional project. Securing this project would really set you apart from your competition. But just how are you going to do that?

Your competitors will submit designs with the same old reliable standbys that have always been used. But you yearn for something more-you want a creation that says current, fresh, with the latest introductions and the best plants available to wow your client for years to come. Something different. Something bold. Something to say, ''My design really pops!''

This article illustrates how easy switching to new plants can be. Note: Plants recommended here are not available at all wholesale nurseries, and some are exclusively available at only a few. Call your suppliers to find out what's available in your region.

Turning Your Vision Into Reality

Landscape architects and designers are no longer hampered by the past. Over the last decades a new generation of plants has emerged from trusted growers like Monrovia, Tesselaar, PlantHaven, PDSI and others.

Now you can give your designs that ''wow'' factor with plants that are more compact, that offer more exciting foliage and bloom color and that bloom longer, while reducing maintenance costs and water requirements. The artist in you now has an entirely new palette to work with, to stimulate your imagination and to deliver a unique landscape that will be admired for years to come.

 


A two or three year old flower carpet rose plant can produce about 1,000 blooms per bush!

''Abelia 'Kaleidoscope' has the most striking and dramatic leaf variegation of any plant,'' says David House, CEO of Village Nurseries in Orange, Calif.

Encore Azaleas bloom spring, summer and fall.

Here is just a small sampling of the vibrant options available to you today:

• Agapanthus orientalis 'Benfran' ''Baby Pete'' is an evergreen perennial great for mass plantings and with very low maintenance. More dwarf and compact, it produces an abundance of flowers just above the foliage. It blooms weeks earlier than other varieties and rarely sets seedpods.
• Flower Carpet roses for ground cover is known for its long flowering period, easy care, exceptional disease resistance and low water requirements. A two or three year old plant can produce about 1,000 blooms per bush!
• Abelia 'Kaleidoscope' has the most striking and dramatic leaf variegation of any plant. Its long blooming period stretches from late spring to late fall, because it is frost, drought and heat tolerant.
• Encore Azaleas are the only patented azaleas to bloom in spring, summer and fall. These attractive and hardy azaleas can endure more sun than traditional azaleas, while offering the same easy care and low maintenance.

To get your imagination going, use this easy-to-follow chart of 24 plants as your guide to what's happening today. See how simple change can be.