Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Monlo’ (Diablo®)
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Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Monlo’ Family: Rosaceae Common name: ninebark |
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Description: A deciduous shrub with upright, arching branches. Ovate, three-lobed, toothed leaves are a delicious dark chocolate colour tinged with purple. Corymbs of white flowers with tinges of pink appear in early summer.
Special Notes: Native to North America. Foliage can turn a dark green colour in excessive heat or when grown in excessive shade. Flowers on last year’s wood; prune for shaping right after flowering to remove crossed branches or dead wood. Wonderful exfoliating bark for winter interest. Propagate by seed; softwood cuttings in summer; rooted suckers in spring or autumn.
RHS Award of Garden Merit 2002
In our Zone 7a garden: A few of the dark leaves have shown areas of reversion to green, typically along the mid-vein. No major reversion change on the shrub as a whole has been noted, as in whole branches of leaves reverting to a variegation of dark chocolate mixed with green. There have just been one varied leaf here and one there kind of occurrence. If the appearance of leaf variegation disturbs you, the leaf is easily removed. Even with the odd leaf reversion happening…this is one of our favourite plants. Give it space in your garden to adequately show off its stellar vase-like form.
Posted on August 29, 2012; updated on February 3, 2013
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Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Dart’s Gold’
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Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Dart’s Gold’ Common name: Dart’s gold ninebark |
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Description: A deciduous shrub with upright, arching branches. Ovate, three-lobed, toothed leaves are a brilliant yellow that turn lime-green in late summer – then yellow again with bronzy-red highlights in autumn. Corymbs of white flowers with tinges of pink appear in early summer.
Special Notes: Native to North America. Flowers on last year’s wood; prune for shaping right after flowering to remove crossed branches or dead wood. Wonderful exfoliating bark for winter interest. Propagate by seed; softwood cuttings in summer; rooted suckers in spring or autumn.
RHS Award of Garden Merit 1993
Posted on August 18, 2012
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Geranium x magnificum
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Geranium x magnificum Family: Geraniaceae Common name: cranesbill |
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Description: An herbaceous perennial with an upright, loosely clumping habit. Rounded, hairy, dark green leaves are divided into large lobes. Leaves have good autumn colour. Masses of 2 inch (5 cm) brilliant violet-purple, saucer-shaped flowers appear in late spring. Petals are darkly veined.
Special Notes: A vigorous, sterile hybrid; cross between Geranium ibericum and Geranium platypetalum. Short bloom period – roughly 2 weeks long. Very easy care; relatively pest and disease free. Drought tolerant. Deer and rabbit resistant.
RHS Award of Garden Merit 1993
Posted on August 18, 2012
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Ricinus communis ‘Carmencita Red’
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Ricinus communis ‘Carmencita Red’ Common name: castor bean |
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Description: A suckering perennial shrub in its native habitat; a single-stem, tropical-liking annual in Canada. The strong mahogany red stalk supports stems of large, palmate, deeply lobed, reddish-purple leaves alternately. Has separate male and female flowers on same plant. Red, spiky seed pods hold a single, mottled, bean-like seed.
Special Notes: Native to India, east Africa and the southeastern Mediterranean Basin. Castor seed is the source of castor oil which has many medicinal and other uses. Propagate by seed.
Caution: All parts of this plant are poisonous, especially the seeds. Do not ingest. Wash hands thoroughly after handling the seeds.
RHS Award of Garden Merit 1993
Posted on August 17, 2012
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Meet Joe Pye
by Leslie Cox; updated Saturday, September 8, 2012
Many visitors to our garden ask about the tall, handsome plant in the bottom border bed. Tipping its grand 6 – 7’ (1.8 – 2.1 m) height ever so slightly towards the path to greet guests as they pass by, it certainly belies its common name of Joe Pye weed. We much prefer to introduce this wonderful plant by its proper name of Eupatorium purpureum subsp. maculatum ‘Atropurpurea’. 
Once the height of this plant has caught your attention, the eye is drawn to the long, medium green leaves with toothed edges, each accentuated by a purple central vein down the 9 – 10” (24 – 25 cm) length. Purple leaf stems attach the leaves in groups of six in whorls all the way up the smooth reddish-purple, bamboo-like stem. As rich looking as mahogany, the stems are really and truly stunning.
But wait…there is more. Come late summer, the whole plant is fabulously crowned with panicles of rose-purple flowers, enticing any late butterflies to tarry a little longer in the garden.
