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HERE'S TOP 25 ORNAMENTAL PLANTS FOR MINNESOTA
The Master Gardener program in Minnesota is 25 years old this year. To commemorate the anniversary, Master Gardeners throughout the state were asked to name their favorite 25 plants for Minnesota.
This is a terrific list of easy care ornamental plants that say no to pests and shrug off disease. Most require minimal pruning or staking and offer continual bloom, excellent foliage, winter interest and fall color. The list includes five trees, six flowering shrubs, four shrub roses, seven perennials and three annual flowers.
Large & small trees
1. Bur oak. This is my favorite tree and many other gardeners obviously love it. Bur oaks can live for 300 years in Minnesota. Because of its deep taproot, bur oaks are difficult to transplant but once you have one established, you'll have a tree to be proud of.
2. White pine. Our largest native conifer, white pine can grow to 100 ft. and are valued for their long, fine needles. Once established, white pines grow fast in well-drained soils.
3. Pagoda dogwood. Grows to 25 ft. with an interesting flat crown and horizontal spreading layers of branches. It blooms with white clustered flowers in late spring. The fruit consists of small, dark blue berries that persist into winter and are highly attractive to wildlife. A further plus is fall color -- shades of yellow, red and purple. Prefers moist soil and light shade.
4. Japanese tree lilac 'Ivory Silk.' This is a small (10-12 ft.) summer-blooming tree that is a great choice for urban locations. It tolerates pollution and compacted soil and offers disease resistance and good fall color. Its creamy white flowers appear in clusters about midsummer.
5. Flowering crab 'Prairifire.' The tiny fruits on this popular 15-20 ft. tree persist to provide winter interest and food for the birds. 'Prairifire' has pinkish-red blossoms, purple early foliage that turns reddish-green, and disease resistance to scab, cedar-apple rust, fire blight and mildew.
Flowering shrubs
6. Forsythia 'Meadowlark.' Forsythia leads off spring with bright yellow blossoms in April. Though it prefers rich soil and full sun, forsythia isn't fussy about soil conditions. The plants have a naturally arching shape; if pruning is needed, do so in the spring after its spring blossoms wilt.
7. Rhododendron 'Northern Lights.' This azalea series was developed by the University of Minnesota and has showy colorful blooms on 4-5 ft. coarse-leaved shrubs. Azaleas prefer well-drained, acid soil. Incorporate peat or pine needles into the soil in spring to make it more acidic. Plant in sun to light shade.
8. Serviceberry. This is a tall, dense shrub bearing white flowers in June followed by dark berries. It is tolerant of a wide variety of soil conditions, resists disease, and has brilliant fall color. Performs best in sun.
9. Korean lilac 'Miss Kim.' A good choice since it is smaller (4 ft.) and resists the mildew that plagues other lilacs. Fragrant blooms come late in spring with light pink flowers contrasting against dark green leaves. Needs only average soil and sun.
10. Compact viburnum 'Compactum.' Also known as American high bush cranberry, this shrub that has it all: vigorous growth with white flower clusters that develop into red berries and good fall color. It likes slightly acid, moist soil. Some grow over 6 ft. but 'Compactum' is a good choice for a smaller area. Sun to part shade.
11. 'PeeGee' hydrangea offers blooms late in the summer. Flowers start as huge conical white trusses which change to pink. Flowering on new growth, this plant can be grow as a shrub or shaped into a small tree. 'PeeGee' can bloom in part shade and prefers a moist, rich soil. Flowers can be dried or left on the shrub for winter interest.
Shrub roses
All roses prefer rich soil, at least six hours of sun, and plenty of moisture; consistent rebloom is achieved if they are fertilized and watered regularly after their initial flush of bloom in early summer. Be sure to purchase plants that are grown on their own roots, not grafted, and they will be hardy throughout Minnesota with little winter protection.
12. 'William Baffin' is a vigorous Canadian shrub rose that can be grown as a large shrub or climber. Its bloom is dark pink and fragrant and the plant develops large orange rose hips in the fall. Introduced in 1983 as part of Explorer series.
13. 'Winnipeg Parks' is another Canadian shrub rose, in the Parkland series, in a manageable, short size. It features dark pink to light red fragrant flowers contrasting with dark reddish green foliage. Introduced in 1990.
14. Morden 'Sunrise.' A 1999 Canadian introduction that offers fragrant semi-double blooms of yellow edged with orange. It has a small spreading shrub shape.
15. 'Therese Bugnet' is a hybrid rugosa rose that has that old garden rose look. Introduced in 1950, it is hardy throughout Minnesota and blooms in large, very fragrant clusters of double light pink. Drape it over a fence and let the canes grow horizontally for more bloom.
Last week, I profiled trees, shrubs and shrub roses that made the "Top 25" list of Master Gardeners' favorite plants for Minnesota. Here are the perennials and annuals that rounded out the list:
Top perennials
16. Perennial salvia is a consistent, disease-resistant early summer bloomer that grows 18-24 in. tall and thrives in hot sunny areas. Snipping spent flower stalks will prolong the show into fall. Favorite blues are 'May Night,' 'Blue Hill,' and 'East Freisland;' 'Rose Wine' and 'Plumosa' are purple.
17. Daylily or Hemerocallis. 'Stella d'Oro' is one of the best because it combines long bloom with disease-free foliage and is not fussy about soil conditions. Try 'Happy Returns' and 'Bitsy' for an improvement on the old standby. 'Miss Mary,' 'Miss Tinkerbell,' 'Miss MaryMary,' 'Lady Emily,' 'Lady Eva' and 'Lady Scarlett' have all received superior ratings in the University's plant trials.
18. Heuchera (Coral Bells) grows in a circular mound with leaves that are delicate and shaped somewhat like ivy. New varieties of heuchera offer excellent choices in foliage color and pattern. Flowers are delicate bells on long slender stems in April and May. Heuchera like to be planted deep and prefer light shade and soil rich in organic matter. Clumps grow to 15-24 in. high and wide.
19. Hosta. With over 70 species and hundreds of crosses, hostas offer shade gardeners simple-to-grow, disease-free plant that resists most bug pests (the exception is slugs). While most varieties grow bell-shaped flowers on long stems, hosta are generally grown for their mounded foliage, which can be green, blue, gold, yellow, and many variations in between. Hostas vary in height from 8-42 in.
20. Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia) 'Goldsturm' is a classic in the late-summer garden. Their daisy-like flowers have golden-yellow petal-like rays around brown button disks. Goldsturm and most other varieties grow to 36 in. and bloom for a month or more -- often until frost. Rudbeckia are easy to grow and perform well in average, well-drained soil in full sun with good air movement. 'Indian Summer' is a consistent award winner in national and local trials.
21. Upright Sedum has thick, fleshy green or purple foliage that grows 12-24 in. high. Fresh and crisp looking all summer, the plant forms interesting buds in midsummer that bloom in fall and attract butterflies and bees. Popular choices are 'Brilliant,' 'Autumn Joy,' 'Matrona,' 'Vera Jameson' and 'Frosty Morn.' Plants are hardy, disease-resistant, and thrive in average to poor soil in sun or part-shade.
22. Feather reed grass (Calamagrostis x acutiflora) 'Karl Foerster' was the 2001 Perennial Plant of the Year due to its growth habits and adaptability to many different soil and light conditions. It has glossy green foliage and 5 ft. tan flower spikes that persist into winter. It is never invasive, spreading to a clump 18-24 in. wide. Grow in sun to part shade.
Top annuals/container plants
23. 'Wave' petunias are new variations on the old standby -- remarkably vigorous and problem-free and comfortably at home in containers or garden beds. All the Waves spread quickly, resist disease, need no deadheading and are extremely hardy, blooming deep into the fall. A single plant can fill in an entire container. Purple Wave, and the Tidal Waves Cherry and Hot Pink, received top ratings in U of M plant trials. Full sun and plenty of water and other nutrients are necessary for top performance.
24. 'Profusion' zinnias are like the waves -- incredibly prolific, heat and disease resistant, and do not need constant deadheading. Available in several colors, they are consistent and trouble-free. Profusion Cherry received top rating in the University's 2000 plant trials for its disease resistance and adaptability to differing soil types. In a container or in the ground they provide great display in full sun.
25. Impatiens delivers consistent and varied color for shade plantings. The 'Dazzler' series is brightly colored with large flowers and nonstop bloom in a size that is great for containers. 'Accent' and 'Fiesta' have performed well in many plant trials. Impatiens prefer moist soil with good drainage. Plant in shade to partial shade.
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PUTTING DOWN ROOTS:
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