Fall Plant Sale Preview: Heuchera ‘Autumn Bride’

By Annie Yang
Duke Class of 2020
Photos courtesy of Lurie Garden

With its tall clouds of white flowers that bloom from August through September, this Heuchera cultivar certainly does seem reminiscent of an ‘Autumn Bride’ all dressed in white. Its flowering is one of the largest in the genus—this plant pulls out all the stops. What’s more, the foliage of Heuchera ‘Autumn Bride’ is velvety to the touch, much like the fine quality of a bride’s gown.





Especially in southern climates, ‘Autumn Bride’ thrives in the shade and in well-drained soils that are moderately moist. This easy-care cultivar fares better than most Heucheras in hot and humid summers, and it has good drought tolerance and is deer resistant.

Commonly called coral bells, Heuchera works well as groundcover in rock gardens, open woodland gardens and borders. Its 2-foot stalks with white blooms really stand out when planted in groups or massed, and they make lovely cut flowers. ‘Autumn Bride’ can also be wedded to other plants to create exciting foliage contrast and combinations.

FALL PLANT SALE DETAILS:
Date: Saturday, Sept. 29, 2018
Time: 9 a.m.-noon
Member benefits: Duke Gardens members get 10% off all purchases, plus access to the members-only previews sale from 8-9 a.m., and a full list of plants in advance! Join online or on site beginning at 7:30 a.m.
Parking: Free.
Pets not permitted. Please see Duke Gardens' pets policy here.
Wagons + boxes: Our supply is limited; please bring your own if possible, and you'll have more time to spend gathering beautiful plants.
Your support helps Duke Gardens to provide summer internships to aspiring horticulturists from across the nation.
Please see our event page for more information, and we'd love for you to spread the word by sharing the event on Facebook and inviting your friends.
Thank you!

Fall Plant Sale Preview: Hostas

Hosta 'Wheee!' in the Historic Gardens. Photo by Mandy Cuskelly.

By Mandy Cuskelly
Assistant Horticulturist, Historic Gardens

Have lots of trees and shade? Not sure what to plant? No problem—plant hostas! I am a bit of a hosta enthusiast, if you couldn’t tell. I mean, what’s not to love about a classic perennial that is shade tolerant and comes in so many shapes, sizes and colors? I could talk about hostas all day, but I'm going to behave and just talk about a few that will be offered at Duke Gardens’ Fall Plant Sale this Saturday, Sept. 29.

Hosta ‘Wheee!’ is just as much fun as the name makes it out to be. Its foliage flips and turns in every direction and never fails to grab the attention of passersby. Plant this hosta near a path or bench to attract interest and serve as a conversation piece.  Maturing at a little less than 2 feet tall, it is ideally placed at the front of a shaded bed.

Hosta 'Halcyon' in the Historic Gardens. Photo: M. Cuskelly

‘Halcyon’ is a tried and true champion of the hosta world. This classic hosta has dark blue-green leaves that hold the blue color well in our hot and humid summers.  As a bonus, ‘Halcyon’ tends to shoot off color mutations in some new shoots, and in fact is the sport parent of popular hosta cultivars like ‘June’, ‘First Frost’ and many, many others. In the Historic Gardens, we like to tuck containers like this one in unexpected places. The ‘Halcyon’ pictured has been growing in the pot for several years, looking great—and it’s low maintenance, just needing some occasional water.

Hosta 'Mini Skirt' in a mixed arrangement.
Photo: M. Cuskelly

‘Mini Skirt’ is a fun new miniature hosta. It measures only 5 inches tall at maturity but has big personality. It has very wavy blue-green leaves with yellow margins. Miniature hostas are perfect for fairy gardens or mixed bowls with other miniature shade plants. This photo shows an example of several different cultivars of miniature hosta that I put together for a display in the garden this summer. ‘Mini Skirt’ is the bottom right plant in the center.

Hosta 'Mini Skirt'. Photo by
Walters Gardens Inc.

Hostas can tend to show some wear entering into fall, but this is a great time of year to plant them. With the heat of the summer passing and more occasional rains returning, the hostas will have a great chance to get established and show their full potential next spring.
When siting these plants, you’ll want to check the tag for mature size and then provide an organic and well-draining shady spot. Hope you enjoyed this sneak peek into just a few of the hostas we will have available at the sale!

FALL PLANT SALE DETAILS:
Date: Saturday, Sept. 29, 2018
Time: 9 a.m.-noon
Member benefits: Duke Gardens members get 10% off all purchases, plus access to the members-only previews sale from 8-9 a.m., and a full list of plants in advance! Join online or on site beginning at 7:30 a.m.
Parking: Free.
Pets not permitted. Please see Duke Gardens' pets policy here.
Wagons + boxes: Our supply is limited; please bring your own if possible, and you'll have more time to spend gathering beautiful plants.
Your support helps Duke Gardens to provide summer internships to aspiring horticulturists from across the nation.
Please see our event page for more information, and we'd love for you to spread the word by sharing the event on Facebook and inviting your friends.
Thank you!

Fall Plant Sale Preview: Chinese foxglove

Rehmannia elata growing near the peony collection in the
Culberson Asiatic Arboretum. Photo by Beth Hall.

By Annie Yang
Duke Class of 2020

Rehmannia elata is commonly called Chinese foxglove for its resemblance to foxgloves, but this herbaceous perennial is actually a member of a completely different family, Orobanchaceae.  Although this plant is native to China, Chinese foxglove thrives in the warmer climate of North Carolina and is a lovely addition to local gardens.

Rehmannia elata grows best in loose, moist, and well-drained soils. It prefers part shade, especially appreciating the morning sun and afternoon shade during hot summer days, and it also tolerates almost full shade. Once established, it is also drought resistant. However, be sure to protect Chinese foxglove from freezing temperatures during the winter with a good layer of mulch. Rehmannia elata is also generally pest free, attracting only the occasional slug or snail.

Unlike true foxgloves, Chinese foxglove will repeat bloom for 3-4 months, usually unfurling its bell-shaped petals from May to September, with the heaviest bloom around June and July. Rehmannia elata is generally low maintenance, but if you want to see it keep blooming, you’ll have to remove its spent flowers. However, this little bit of work is well worth it. Its attractive rosy purple color is sure to brighten up any shade garden!

FALL PLANT SALE DETAILS:
Date: Saturday, Sept. 29, 2018
Time: 9 a.m.-noon
Member benefits: Duke Gardens members get 10% off all purchases, plus access to the members-only previews sale from 8-9 a.m., and a full list of plants in advance! Join online or on site beginning at 7:30 a.m.
Parking: Free.
Pets not permitted. Please see Duke Gardens' pets policy here.
Wagons + boxes: Our supply is limited; please bring your own if possible, and you'll have more time to spend gathering beautiful plants.
Your support helps Duke Gardens to provide summer internships to aspiring horticulturists from across the nation.
Please see our event page for more information, and we'd love for you to spread the word by sharing the event on Facebook and inviting your friends.
Thank you!

Fall Plant Sale Preview: Fragrant Tea Olive

Osmanthus fragrans v. aurantiacus 'Beni Kin Mokusei'.
Photo courtesy of Nurseries Caroliniana Inc.

By Katherine Hale

The first sign of fall isn’t shorter days or cooler nights—it’s the apricot-like scent  wafting through the air as the fragrant tea olives bloom. Hailing from China, these evergreen shrubs boast hundreds of tiny flowers that pack a big punch, filling the air with massive quantities of perfume. When the season peaks here at Duke Gardens (it’s starting now!), you can follow your nose to the tea olives lining the paths near the lower parking lot and in the Historic Gardens, long before you see them.

The plant’s official name—Osmanthus fragrans v. aurantiacus—is a lengthy one, but don’t let that intimidate you. The first three words are a fancy way of saying it’s an especially fragrant tea olive with orange flowers in place of the usual white. What makes 'Beni Kin Mokusei' so special is that its blooms are much deeper orange than the garden variety auranticus, so much so that they appear almost red in certain lights.

The late horticulturist J.C. Raulston of N.C. State University once saw a sprig of ‘Beni Kin Mokusei’ in a flower arrangement during a visit to a Korean temple and fell in love; he reportedly claimed he would have been willing to risk jail to acquire a specimen of his own.  Fortunately, you don’t have to go to such lengths—this variety has now been introduced to the United States and will be available for purchase at Duke Gardens’ Fall Plant Sale on Sept. 29.

What to do with ‘Beni Kin Mokusei’ once you’ve purchased it? The possibilities are only limited by your imagination. Take advantage of its heavenly scent and plant it in a sunny place near a porch or patio or anywhere you care to linger on cool autumn evenings. Or use it as a privacy hedge or to line outdoor paths, as we do with the Osmanthus at Duke Gardens. Tea olives are deer- and disease-resistant, and incredibly low-maintenance once established, fading into the background until the fall. You’ll wonder how you ever managed to live without them.

Read more about Osmanthus at Duke Gardens in this 2016 blog post.

FALL PLANT SALE DETAILS:
Date: Saturday, Sept. 29, 2018
Time: 9 a.m.-noon
Member benefits: Duke Gardens members get 10% off all purchases, plus access to the members-only previews sale from 8-9 a.m., and a full list of plants in advance! Join online or on site.
Parking: Free.
Pets not permitted. Please see Duke Gardens' pets policy here.
Wagons + boxes: Our supply is limited; please bring your own if possible, and you'll have more time to spend gathering beautiful plants.
Your support helps Duke Gardens to provide summer internships to aspiring horticulturists from across the nation.
Please see our event page for more information, and we'd love for you to spread the word by sharing the event on Facebook and inviting your friends.
Thank you!

Fall Plant Sale Preview: Nepeta 'Cat's Meow'

Nepeta 'Cat's Meow'. Photo courtesy of Walters Gardens.

By Katherine Hale

The finest gardens offer more than eye candy—they engage us on multiple levels by offering a feast for all of our senses. With its sweet scent and distinctly textured leaves, ‘Cat’s Meow’ ornamental catmint perfectly fits the bill, packing a strong visual punch unmatched by any other perennial on the market. Honeybees, butterflies and hummingbirds—not to mention your cat and any human visitors—will agree.

Despite the gorgeous blue-purple flowers, this catmint is no shrinking violet. Deer prefer to avoid it, and with decent drainage it’s remarkably disease-resistant. More upright than other varieties of catmint, ‘Cat’s Meow’ stands tall where its competitors flop, and it requires no staking or pruning—though a tidy dead-heading now and then will promote another round of blooms. Vigorous and drought-tolerant once established, ‘Cat’s Meow’ loves heat, but it will also do well in areas with light afternoon shade. Because it’s a sterile hybrid, there’s no need to worry about errant seedlings volunteering where they aren’t wanted or taking over your perennial border.

The dense, compact shape and trouble-free requirements of ‘Cat’s Meow’ make it perfect for edging, containers, rocky patches, herb gardens or any place where a colorful touch is needed. Children will love the fuzzy, aromatic leaves, and its bright flowers liven up any floral  arrangement. Catmint is also a great choice to underplant with roses, as we do here at Duke Gardens, because it offers a delightful contrast that doesn’t interfere or compete with them for space and resources. Unless your backyard is densely shaded or a boggy swamp, you really can’t go wrong with it.

They say you can never have it all, but ‘Cat’s Meow’ catmint comes pretty darn close. Check out this and other amazing perennials at Duke Gardens’ Fall Plant Sale.

FALL PLANT SALE DETAILS:
Date: Saturday, Sept. 29, 2018
Time: 9 a.m.-noon
Member benefits: Duke Gardens members get 10% off all purchases, plus access to the members-only previews sale from 8-9 a.m., and a full list of plants in advance! Join online or on site.
Parking: Free.
Pets not permitted. Please see Duke Gardens' pets policy here.
Wagons + boxes: Our supply is limited; please bring your own if possible, and you'll have more time to spend gathering beautiful plants.
Your support helps Duke Gardens to provide summer internships to aspiring horticulturists from across the nation.
Please see our event page for more information, and we'd love for you to spread the word by sharing the event on Facebook and inviting your friends.
Thank you!

Fall Plant Sale Preview: Woodland Phlox

By Rose James
Duke Class of 2020

Phlox divaricata 'Blue Perfume' is similar
to the 'Blue Moon' variety we'll have at
the Fall Plant sale. Photo by Jason Holmes.

Finding the right color of flowers for your garden can be difficult. I am particular to roses myself, but when it comes to purple and blue blooms, I have to turn to other options. Some of the prettiest shades of lavender I have ever found have come from the Phlox divaricata, commonly called the woodland phlox.

Ranging from lavender to blue, the Phlox divaricata is a small, native wildflower with dainty flowers that bloom in  April and May. It grows to be 8 to 12 inches high and equally as wide. It does well in partial shade to full shade gardens.

As an added bonus to its lush color, the woodland phlox is known to attract hummingbirds and butterflies. If left to grow in your garden, the woodland phlox will form large colonies over time, as wildflowers tend to do.

Woodland phlox in the Terrace Gardens. Photo: J. Holmes.

The Duke Gardens Fall Plant sale will feature the 'Blue Moon' Phlox divaricata, known for its deep violet-blue flowers. Its blooms are not only colorful but very fragrant. The 'Blue Moon' is a good complement for gardens with ferns and hellebores and is certain to please gardeners seeking to bring a variety of color into their gardens.


FALL PLANT SALE DETAILS:
Date: Saturday, Sept. 29, 2018
Time: 9 a.m.-noon
Member benefits: Duke Gardens members get 10% off all purchases, plus access to the members-only previews sale from 8-9 a.m., and a full list of plants in advance! Join online or on site.
Parking: Free.
Pets not permitted. Please see Duke Gardens' pets policy here.
Wagons + boxes: Our supply is limited; please bring your own if possible, and you'll have more time to spend gathering beautiful plants.
Your support helps Duke Gardens to provide summer internships to aspiring horticulturists from across the nation.
Please see our event page for more information, and we'd love for you to spread the word by sharing the event on Facebook and inviting your friends.
Thank you!

Fall Plant Sale Preview: Celebrating Pollinators

Pollinator habitats in the Charlotte Brody Discovery Garden.
Photo by Sue Lannon.

 By Jason Holmes

While visiting Mount Mitchell State Park in western North Carolina over Labor Day weekend in 2016, I witnessed a native bee pressing open the lipped petals of the pink turtlehead (Chelone lyonii).  It made me think of the importance of that moment and yet how that bee had already visited hundreds of flowers that day in order to collect pollen on the side of her legs. I quickly yelled to my son to come get an up-close view. This was a perfect opportunity to show him the importance of that little creature.

Insect pollinators may seem like a small part of our daily lives, but they have an enormous impact on us. Fortunately, gardeners’ interest in pollinators appears to be growing, judging from sales of pollinator plants at our Fall & Spring Plant Sales. That's heartening for horticulturists like me, who are devoted to attracting pollinators to Duke Gardens and teaching visitors about these species’ roles in our lives.

Honey bee (Apis mellifera) on a
rudbeckia flower in the Discovery Garden.
Photo by Kathy Julian.

Most people don’t realize that honeybees are not native to North America and that thousands of other insect species were responsible for pollinating many plant species before their introduction. Bees and wasps, flies, butterflies and moths, and beetles are among the thousands of plant pollinators across North America. These beneficial insects are responsible for all insect-pollinated fruits and vegetables that provide us with most of the nutritious vitamins and minerals that we need daily, and they also broaden our diets beyond just meat and wind-pollinated grain foods.

This act of pollination allows many types of plants to produce fruits and seeds, helping to create vigorous plants over many generations.

Approximately 75 percent of all plants in the world require animals for pollination. These animals are part of many humans’ daily diets, something worth keeping in mind as we seek ways to help the plants around us thrive.

At Duke Gardens, we celebrate and promote all types of pollinators.  In the Charlotte Brody Discovery Garden, a sustainable organic food garden, we donate over a ton of fruits and vegetables every year to local food relief organizations.  This is an amazing total, considering that we only garden on 2/10 of an acre.  We could never produce this incredible amount without assistance from the thousands of pollinators we see daily buzzing around the garden. In the Brody Garden, and in the Blomquist Garden of Native Plants, we have gardens designed specifically to attract these fascinating little pollinators.  We have nine honeybee hives in the Brody Garden. And with the help of dedicated volunteers, we have been building pollinator houses that we’re pleased to see attract many different beneficial species.

If you’re excited about helping pollinators, try planting species that will bring them to your garden. “Attracting Native Pollinators,” by The Xerces Society, is a great resource to learn more. If you already have these plants, consider leaving perennials longer through the fall and winter for habitat. Many of these species will create nests within the dead stems of perennial species.  Get creative and build pollinator houses or insect hotels. They’re similar to bird houses, but you leave off the front wall and pack it with small stems of bamboo so that solitary insect species can build nests inside.  Remember, if you build it, they will come!

FALL PLANT SALE INFO:
Date: Saturday, Sept. 29, 2018
Time: 9 a.m.-noon
Member benefits: Duke Gardens members get 10% off all purchases, plus access to the members-only previews sale from 8-9 a.m., and a full list of plants in advance! Join online or on site.
Parking: Free.
Pets not permitted. Please see Duke Gardens' pets policy here.
Wagons + boxes: Our supply is limited; please bring your own if possible, and you'll have more time to spend gathering beautiful plants.
Your support helps Duke Gardens to provide summer internships to aspiring horticulturists from across the nation.
Please see our event page for more information, and we'd love for you to spread the word by sharing the event on Facebook and inviting your friends.
Thank you!

Jason Holmes is curator of the Doris Duke Center Gardens at Duke Gardens. This article is adapted from a previous post in Sept. 2016.