*NEW* Hydrangeas- Vanilla Strawberry, Bombshell, Invincibelle Spirit & Incrediball

First Editions® Vanilla Strawberry™ Hydrangea

Hydrangea paniculata ‘Renhy’ PP20,670

• Exposure: Full Sun
• Height:  6-7 feet
• Width: 4-5 feet
• Flower Color: White changing to pink/red
• Shape: Upright
• Foliage: Medium green
• Fall Foliage: Insignifiant
• Zone: 4-8

A delicious new creation from France. The enormous flower panicles are a blend of vanilla and strawberry, held upright on red stems. They emerge creamy white in mid summer, change to pink and finally to strawberry red. New blooms gives the plant a multicolored effect in late summer and early fall. The red coloration persists for at least 3-4 weeks. The habit is upright becoming cascading later in the season. Comparable to ‘Pinky Winky’, however the habit is more upright and the red flower color persists longer. Excellent for fresh cut and dried flower arrangements. Introduced by Bailey Nurseries.

Info and picture from Bailey Nurseries.

Bombshell Panicle Hydrangea

Hydrangea paniculata ‘Bombshell’

• Exposure : Sun or Shade
• Height : 18 - 36 inches
• Width : 18 - 36 inches
• Spacing : 36 - 60 inches
• Blooming Season : Summer, Autumn, Late Summer
• Plant Habit : Mounded
• Hardiness Degree : -30°F (-34.4°C)

A garden breakthrough! With a compact growth habit, ‘Bombshell’ is incredibly well branched. Covered in white flowers against medium green to dark green foliage from early Summer until frost, this cultivar has more flowers per plant than any other Hydrangea paniculata. With its long bloom time and compact habit, ‘Bombshell’ is a significantly improved plant in all respects. It is low maintenance with little to no pruning needed to keep the plant compact and tidy. Long bloom time also means a long retail display. A remarkable show in most garden settings.  A Ball Ornamentals Exclusive. (www.ballhort.com)

Info and picture provided by Ball Horticultural Company.

Invincibelle® Spirit Hydrangea

Hydrangea arborescens

The first pink flowered mophead Hydrangea arborescens! Invincibelle Spirit is as hardy and adaptable as ‘Annabelle’ but produces loads of hot pink flowers from early summer to frost. It’s a reliable bloomer in the north and is also heat tolerant. *New for Spring 2010.

Features

• Rich pink flowers bloom from early summer to frost. Prune back in spring. Very hardy. Reliable bloomer. Native.
• Cut Flower
• Deadheading Not Necessary
• Heat Tolerant
• Landscape Plant
• Low Maintenance
• Native to the Americas
• New for 2010

Fast Facts:

• Exposure: Plant in sun or partial shade
• Garden Height: 3 – 4 feet
• Spacing: 4-5 feet
• Habit: Mounded
• Bloom Time: Summer
• Zones: 3 - 9
• Hardy Temp: -40°F (-40°C)
• Water Needs: Normal
• Maintenance: Easy
• Uses: Landscapes. Hot pink summer flowers add rich color to summer landscapes. Excellent native plant for mixed borders or perennial gardens.

Growing Tips
May be pruned back in late winter to encourage strong new growth and blooming. Adaptable to most moist, well drained soils. Bloom color is not affected by soil pH.

*Proven Winner’s goal is to raise $1,000,000 for breast cancer research. $1.00 will be sent to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation for each Invincibelle Spirit sold. We encourage you to donate as well. BCRF is dedicated to preventing breast cancer and finding a cure in our lifetime by funding clinical and translational research worldwide.

For more about BCRF, visit www.bcrfcure.org.

Info and pictures provided by Proven Winners

Incrediball® Hydrangea

Hydrangea arborescens ‘Abetwo’

This adaptable native plant produces huge flowers (as much as 12 inches across) is reliable and beautiful. Very cold hardy Incrediball blooms on new growth so even very cold winters won’t keep it from blooming. The flowers are held upright on very sturdy stems, so they don’t flop like ‘Annabelle’ will. New for Spring 2010.

Features

• Massive flowers bloom in summer, and are held up by very sturdy stems. Prune back in late winter/early spring. Very hardy and reliable. Good for cut flowers. Native.
• Cut Flower
• Landscape Plant
• Low Maintenance
• Native to the Americas
• New for 2010

Fast Facts

• Exposure: Plant in sun or partial shade
• Garden Height:4 - 5 feet tall
• Spacing: 5 - 6 feet
• Habit: Mounded
• Bloom Time: Summer
• Zones: Hardy in zones 3 - 9
• Hardy Temp: -40°F (-40°C)
• Water Needs: Normal
• Maintenance: Easy
• Uses: Landscapes. Landscapes, naturalizing, perennial gardens.

Growing Tips
May be pruned back in late winter to encourage strong new growth and flowering. Flower color is not affected by soil pH. Best in moist, well drained soil but adapts to most sites. May need part shade in warmer climates.

Info and pictures provided by Proven Winners

Daylilies- What’s the difference between diploid and tetraploid?

Plants all have a basic complement of chromosomes. Most plants are diploid.  They have two identical sets of chromosomes in each cell.

Polyploids are plants with more than two sets of chromosomes.  Triploids have three sets of chromosomes, tetraploids have four sets of chromosomes, et cetera. A tetraploid is only one of a whole series of polyploids.

Tetraploid daylilies are heralded by some growers as having a number of advantages over diploids. In the tetraploid:

• Flowers tend to be larger.
• Colors of the flower tend to be more intense.
• Scapes tend to be sturdier and stronger.
• Substance of both flower and foliage tend to be heavier.
• Vegetative vigor in leaf, stem, and flower tend to be greater.
• Breeding possibilities tend to be greater because of an increased number of chromosomes

Diploid daylilies continue to charm growers with their exquisite flower form, grace, and color.

• Good pink daylilies are still more prevalent in the diploid ranks.
• Spider and double daylilies are still more prevalent in the diploid ranks.
• Diploid daylilies are easier to cross than tetraploids.
• Many diploid daylilies have been converted to tetraploids, thus advancing the tetraploid lines.

There are more diploids than tetraploids.

Plant breeders have been able to double the number of chromosomes in daylilies creating a tetraploid versus the standard diploid plant.  This increase in chromosomes often leads to a plant with increased substance.

Tetraploid daylilies tend to have stronger flower scapes that are more vigorous with larger flowers and a more intense color.  The leaves of the plants are typically larger and thicker.

We will be carrying the following tetraploid daylilies, however, due to limited quantities, some varieties are not available throughout the entire season:

All Fired Up
Alabama Jubilee
Baja
Bela Lugosi
Black Eyed Susan
Bodacious Returns
Cherry Checks
Chicago Apache
Chicago Heirloom
Chocolate Candy
Country Club
Custard Candy
Darius
El Desparado

Elegant Candy
Entrapment
Highland Lord
Lightning Bug
Mary Todd
Mauna Loa
Nile Crane
Northport
Pretty on Pink
Red Poll
Red Volunteer
Rocket City
Ruby Throat
Ruffled Apricot
Sombrero Way
Strawberry Candy
Strutter’s Ball
Tuscawilla Tigress
Wineberry candy

*Whether to use a diploid or tetraploid variety will depend on your landscape needs. Diploids tend to be more graceful in form with more numerous, smaller flowers. 

Interested in reading more, go to:  Growing Daylilies by the U of MN Extension.(http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/DG1106.html)

Plants of the Week: Stocks-Watermelon-Sage

Stock

(Malcolmia maritime-Harmony Mix)

Height:  8 inches
Spacing: 8 inches
Exposure: Full Sun tolerates Part shade
Soil: Fertile, evenly moist, well-drained soil
Water: Water Regularly.

This native of Europe and Asia Minor, produces an abundance of flowers on long stems. Stock is an easy to grow annual.

The flowers make good cut flowers for indoor arrangements. They will look great filling in a flowerbed, or as a border edging. Try them in containers, too!

One sniff of the stock’s luxuriant fragrance and you will be utterly enchanted. In addition to being fragrant, the flowers are attractive in a range of bright colors.  With its wonderfully spicy, sweet fragrance and vibrant, full colors, this stock is the best choice for an authentic Victorian country garden. A balanced mix of deep violet, rose shades, purple, pink and white.

Sugar Baby Watermelon

(Citrullus lanatus)

Height: 12-36 inches
Spacing: 48 inches
Soil: Well-drained, Fertile
Exposure: Full Sun

Watermelon can be both the fruit and the plant of a vine-like (scrambler and trailer) herb originally from southern Africa and one of the most common types of melon. This flowering plant produces a special type of fruit known by botanists as a pepo, a berry, which has a thick rind and fleshy center ; pepos are derived from an inferior ovary and are characteristic of the Cucurbitaceae. The watermelon fruit, loosely considered a type of melon has a smooth exterior rind (green, yellow and sometimes white) and a juicy, sweet interior flesh (usually pink, but sometimes orange, yellow, red and sometimes green if not ripe).

Watermelon contains about 6% sugar and 92% water by weight. As with many other fruits, it is a source of vitamin C.  Keep well watered until maturing stage.  Fruit is ripe when it easily breaks from the stem.

Linder’s carries Sugar Baby and Yellow Baby this year:

Sugar Baby:  Popular small round and sweet dark skinned watermelon for summer treats. The pink flesh is mouth-watering, flavorsome and not too seedy while the rind is quite tough and resists cracking.

Yellow Baby:  This watermelon was rated best in taste tests, even beating standard red varieties. Naturally self-pollinating and almost entirely seedless. All its energy is devoted to producing more crisp, yellow, juicy flesh. This early, 10 lb ice-box size melon even tolerates cooler weather.

Sage

(Salvia officinalis)

Height: 24-36 inches
Spacing: 12-24 inches
Exposure: Full Sun to Partial Sun
Soil Requirements: Moist, well-drained soil

Common names include: Sage, Common sage, Garden sage, Kitchen sage, Culinary sage, Dalmatian sage, Purple sage, Broadleaf sage, Red sage.

 

Sage is a small perennial evergreen subshrub, with woody stems, grayish leaves, and blue to purplish flowers. It is a member of the mint family, Lamiaceae. It is native to the Mediterranean region and commonly grown as a kitchen and medicinal herb or as an ornamental garden plant. The word sage or derived names are also used for a number of related and unrelated species.

As an herb, sage has a slight peppery flavor. In Western cooking, it is used for flavoring fatty meats (especially as a marinade), cheeses (Sage Derby), and some drinks. In the United States, Britain and Flanders, sage is used with onion for poultry or pork stuffing and also in sauces. In French cuisine, sage is used for cooking white meat and in vegetable soups. Germans often use it in sausage dishes, and sage forms the dominant flavoring in the English Lincolnshire sausage.  Sage is also common in Italian cooking. Sage is sautéed in olive oil and butter until crisp, then plain or stuffed pasta is added (burro e salvia). In the Balkans and the Middle East, it is used when roasting mutton

Linder’s carries these varieties of Sage this year:

• Berggarten
• Clary
• Fruit Scented
• Garden Grey
• Icterina
• Pineapple
• Purple
• White Edge

SnowSweet® Apple- Another Great U of MN Apple Tree!

Stop in to Linder’s and buy a great apple variety to plant in your yard- SnowSweet®.  This variety is becoming increasingly popular because of its delightful sweet taste, with a slight tart balance and rich overtones. Plus, it has a unique characteristic that you will love. The fruit’s snowy white flesh is very slow to oxidize and turn brown after cutting. SnowSweet® can be sliced for snacking or cut for salads well in advance and dishes maintain an appetizing appearance.

Savory Taste
Can an apple taste sweet and almost buttery? Yes. The SnowSweet® Apple is sweet with a slight tart balance and rich overtones. As one of our taste testers described it, “This apple has substance. It’s satisfying.” Great taste is definitely the best feature of SnowSweet®.

Long Lasting Snowy White Flesh
The second outstanding feature of SnowSweet® is its firm, snow white flesh. After being cut and exposed to air, a SnowSweet® Apple is slow to oxidize. You can slice samples ahead for display and offer eye appealing taste tests later. Consumers can prepare apples in advance for attractive snacks or salads.

Appetizing Appearance
The SnowSweet® Apple consistently produces oblate fruit that averages 3 inches in diameter. It’s a late season apple that develops an eye catching 70-85% bronze-red blush over a green-yellow background.

Cold Hardy
SnowSweet® is a shining example of the University of Minnesota’s expertise in the development of cold hardy varieties. U of M research scientists conducted controlled freezing tests and extensive field studies to assure that SnowSweet® trees will meet the challenges of northern apple-growing regions.

Quality Heritage
SnowSweet® was introduced in early 2006 and is a hybrid between ‘Sharon’ and ‘Connell Red’. It is the 24th variety introduced since our apple breeding efforts began in 1878. It joins a great family that includes Haralson, Fireside, Honeygold, Regent, and Sweet 16, plus Honeycrisp and Zestar!® Apples.

Be sure you savor the sweet success of SnowSweet®.

Fast Facts

Flavor: Most outstanding feature! Sweet with a slight tart balance and rich overtones
Texture: Fine. Firm to crisp.  Flesh is very slow to oxidize when exposed to air.
Hardiness: Zone 4a hardy, USDA Plant Hardiness Zone map. Appears comparable to Haralson and Honeycrisp. Grows best in northern U.S., Canada and areas with a relatively cooler climate
Growth Habit: Somewhat pendant (drooping) and open
Vigor: Moderate
Bloomtime: Mid-season
Ripening Season: Late, approximately 2 weeks after Honeycrisp
Fruit Shape: Oblate (wider than tall)
Fruit Size: 2.8 to 3.1 inches (71-79mm.) Not many oversized or small, unripe fruit
Color: 70-85% bronze-red blush
Scab Response: Average to above average resistance
Fire Blight Response: Above average resistance
Storage Life:1-1/2 to 2 months in common storage (34-37°F)
Culinary Use: Excellent for fresh eating, snack trays, salads, sauces

Information and photos from University of Minnesota, www.apples.umn.edu.

SnowSweet® (Wildung cultivar), Zestar!® (Minnewashta cultivar) and SweeTango® (Minneiska cultivar) are registered trademarks of the University of Minnesota.