Hibiscus 'Holy Grail' is a 2018 Walters Gardens introduction that fulfilled their goal of creating a dark purple leaf hardy hibiscus with bright red flowers...a combination of traits that proved elusive previously. The 4.5' tall x 4.5' wide clump is clothed with dark purple foliage, and topped, starting in early summer with giant 9" wide, brilliant red flowers. Moist, rich, slightly acidic soils produce the best results. Maintenance: Hibiscus 'Holy Grail' is a very low maintenance perennial, provided they are growing in the proper conditions. When the plants go dormant in winter, the stalks remain upright and sturdy. We prefer to leave them to give birds a place to perch. The structure also helps the garden remain much more interesting in winter than a flat carpet of brown mulch. Hibiscus sawfly is the #1 pest of most hibiscus, causing skeletonized leaves. These can be treated with a beneficial bacteria product like Dipel, which contains BT bacillus. Growing Conditions: Hibiscus like 'Holy Grail' grow naturally in standing shallow water, although they are quite drought tolerant for short period. The drier the soil, the more the plants will be stressed, which increases the severity of insect damage. Garden Value: Perennial hardy hibiscus add an upright garden form to the garden, as well as summer flowering when many spring perennials have finished flowering or gone dormant. Also, there are few plants with such a floral show that tolerates wet soil. Natural Impacts: Bees are the primarily pollinators of all of the herbaceous, hardy hibiscus.
This wild looking blue Hosta creates a sizeable mound of narrow twisted and ruffled leaves. Exceptionally large plant for a strap-leaf Hosta. Compared with recent new introduction 'Silly String', this plant is more than twice the size. Lavender flowers. Height: 22 Inches Spread: 48 Inches Hardiness Zones: 3-9 Ships Bare-Root Photos courtesy of Walters Gardens, Inc.
We Love ‘Mars Madness’ Hardy Hibiscus
28 - 34 Inches 24 - 28 Inches 24 - 28 Inches 71cm - 86cm 61cm - 71cm 61cm - 71cm Features This robust grower will make will make a statement in your shade garden with its bright mustard yellow flower spikes in summer. Very large, thick, serrated leaves form a compact clump. Bog Plant Attracts: Bees Butterflies Resists: Deer Characteristics Plant Type: Perennial Height Category: Medium Garden Height: 28 - 34 Inches 71cm - 86cm Spacing: 24 - 28 Inches 61cm - 71cm Spread: 24 - 28 Inches 61cm - 71cm Flower Colors: Yellow Flower Shade: Yellow Foliage Colors: Green Foliage Shade: Green Habit: Mounded Container Role: Thriller Plant Needs Light Requirement: Part Shade to Shade The optimum amount of sun or shade each plant needs to thrive: Full Sun (6+ hours), Part Sun (4-6 hours), Full Shade (up to 4 hours). Maintenance Category: Easy Bloom Time: Mid Summer Hardiness Zones: 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b Water Category: Average Soil Fertility Requirement: Average Soil Soil Fertility Requirement: Fertile Soil Soil PH Category: Neutral Soil Uses: Border Plant Uses: Container Uses: Cut Flower Uses: Landscape Uses: Mass Planting Uses: Specimen or Focal Point Uses Notes: Best used in partial sun landscapes. Maintenance Notes: Ligularias are at their best when grown in cool, moist locations in part shade. Protect from hot afternoon sun. Required constant moisture. 'Bottle Rocket' Ligularia hybrid USPP 24,486, Can 5,649 Professional Growing Information
Brunnera 'Queen of Hearts' is the second introduction of giant brunneras from Walters Gardens. This massive (for a brunnera) plant forms an 18" tall x 3' wide specimen that rivals hostas in the woodland garden. The heavily silver leaves are adorned with narrow green veins and topped, starting for us in April with sprays of sky blue flowers...truly spectacular.
Agave 'Desert Diamond' is a 2013 Hans Hansen/Walters Gardens century plant introduction...a wide-edged sport of Agave 'Kissho Kan'. Compared to its parent, Agave 'Desert Diamond' is slightly slower growing due to the extra white in the leaf, but will eventually make a 15" tall x 18" wide, sparsely offsetting variegated rosette. Agave 'Desert Diamond' is a stunning century plant, especially in a container for the summer patio.
Kniphofia 'Backdraft' is a 2018 introduction from the Walters Gardens breeding program designed to create more vigorous, sturdy red hot pokers that are winter hardy to Zone 5b/6a. The flowers of Kniphofia 'Backdraft', which emerge bright orange and age to yellow, are borne atop 3' tall spikes. It is an early/midseason bloomer, starting in June (NC), and a good rebloomer.
(aka: Hylotelephium 'Back in Black') Sedum 'Back in Black', a 2021 introduction, is a long-awaited break-through in upright, purple-leaf stonecrops. Virtually all previous efforts at such a plant have failed to thrive in our hot, humid summer, due either to disease or just pure mid-summer butt-ugliness. For close to a decade, Walters Gardens has been working to surpass the previous standards, Sedum 'Purple Emperor' and Sedum 'Black Jack', and Sedum 'Back in Black' is now the new gold standard. The 1.5' tall x 1.5' wide deciduous clump of dark purple-black, rubbery foliage is stunning, even before it produces the mid-summer purple-grey buds that open as frothy lavender-pink flower heads. Good drainage and at least half day sun is all it takes to succeed with amazing new hardy succulent.
Heuchera 'Smoke and Mirrors' is another top-tier coral bell hybrid for its ability to thrive in our hot, humid summers. This 2019 Walters Gardens introduction forms a 10" tall x 20" wide clump of silver leaves, highlighted by olive veins and flushed with a purple overlay. We have ours planted where they receive several hours of direct sun including during the heat of the afternoon. Clumps of Heuchera 'Smoke and Mirrors' are topped with tremendous floral show of pink flowers in mid-spring. Maintenance: Heuchera 'Smoke and Mirrors' is a relatively maintenance free perennial. After flowering is finished, we like to cut back the old flower stalks, for a tidier appearance, but it has not effect on the growth of the plant. Heucheras by nature are short-lived perennials, with a life expectancy of 5-7 years. When plants begin to decline, they can be lifted, divided, and reset, to start the clock ticking again. We have had the best success doing this in fall, but most likely other seasons will work as well. Growing Conditions: Good drainage is the key to growing heuchera successfully. Good drainage does not mean the plants cannot tolerate irrigation or rainfall, just that the moisture must drain away quickly. Light shade to a couple of hours of early morning sun works best. Deep shade is not conducive to growing good coral bells. Garden Value: Heuchera 'Smoke and Mirrors' is prized for its attractive vertical stalks of ruby red flowers as well as its silvery evergreen foliage, which adds winter interest to the woodland gardens. Natural Impacts: Bees and to a lesser extent hummingbirds are the main pollinators that you're likely to see on your Smoke and Mirrors Coral Bells.
Agave 'Desert Diamond' is a 2013 Hans Hansen/Walters Gardens century plant introduction...a wide-edged sport of Agave 'Kissho Kan'. Compared to its parent, Agave 'Desert Diamond' is slightly slower growing due to the extra white in the leaf, but will eventually make a 15" tall x 18" wide, sparsely offsetting variegated rosette. Agave 'Desert Diamond' is a stunning century plant, especially in a container for the summer patio.
Leave it to Walters Gardens' plantsman Hans Hansen to discover a flower sport on our Plant Delights introduction, Dianthus 'Heart Attack'. Now that it's been stabilized, we are pleased to offer the perennial Dianthus barbatus 'Scarlet Fever'. Instead of the blood-red flowers of its parent, the evergreen foliage of Dianthus 'Scarlet Fever' is topped in late April with a show of vermillion flowers atop 1' tall stems. This is a color we've never encountered in hardy dianthus, creating a myriad of new design options in the sun garden. As with all dianthus, good drainage is the key to good perennialization. Spring is coming...be sure to catch the fever!
Hibiscus 'Holy Grail' is a 2018 Walters Gardens introduction that fulfilled their goal of creating a dark purple leaf hardy hibiscus with bright red flowers...a combination of traits that proved elusive previously. The 4.5' tall x 4.5' wide clump is clothed with dark purple foliage, and topped, starting in early summer with giant 9" wide, brilliant red flowers. Moist, rich, slightly acidic soils produce the best results. Maintenance: Hibiscus 'Holy Grail' is a very low maintenance perennial, provided they are growing in the proper conditions. When the plants go dormant in winter, the stalks remain upright and sturdy. We prefer to leave them to give birds a place to perch. The structure also helps the garden remain much more interesting in winter than a flat carpet of brown mulch. Hibiscus sawfly is the #1 pest of most hibiscus, causing skeletonized leaves. These can be treated with a beneficial bacteria product like Dipel, which contains BT bacillus. Growing Conditions: Hibiscus like 'Holy Grail' grow naturally in standing shallow water, although they are quite drought tolerant for short period. The drier the soil, the more the plants will be stressed, which increases the severity of insect damage. Garden Value: Perennial hardy hibiscus add an upright garden form to the garden, as well as summer flowering when many spring perennials have finished flowering or gone dormant. Also, there are few plants with such a floral show that tolerates wet soil. Natural Impacts: Bees are the primarily pollinators of all of the herbaceous, hardy hibiscus.
xMangave 'Mayan Queen' is a 2017 introduction from the great work of Walters Gardens' plantsman Hans Hansen. This gem combines the genes of Agave pablocarrilloi and Agave macroacantha with manfreda to create a stunning 15" tall x 3' wide rosette of thick, rubbery, silver-grey leaves, overtopped with a heavy dark purple spotting. The leaf edges of xMangave 'Mayan Queen' are attractively scalloped with hard rubbery teeth.
Buddleia 'Grand Cascade', a 2018 introduction from the Walters Gardens breeding program, represents the next generation of butterfly bush hybrids. Buddleia 'Grand Cascade' is part of a new series, derived from crossing Buddleia davidii and Buddleia lindleyana. Buddleia 'Grand Cascade' forms a stunning 5.5' tall x 6.5' wide specimen. The slightly pendulous flower panicles are an amazing 14" long, so you'll probably need to import more butterflies to enjoy all the nectar.
xMangave 'Falling Waters' is a 2017 Walters Gardens introduction, and one that should be winter hardy here in Zone 7b. xMangave 'Falling Waters' is an Agave ovatifolia hybrid that forms a stunning 15" tall x 30" wide clump of rubbery, glaucous-blue, deeply-channeled leaves, speckled with pale lavender flecks and edged with dramatic jagged bicuspids. We think you'll love a clump of xMangave 'Falling Waters' in your rock garden.
Walters Gardens' 2019 introduction xMangave 'Frosted Elegance' is a sister of xMangave 'Desert Dawn'. The 6" tall x 1' wide small clump is composed of powdery silver-blue leaves, accented with a wide chartreuse central stripe...an absolute gem in a container where it isn't winter hardy.
Monarda 'Leading Lady Plum' is another new clumping bee balm from the breeding program at Walters Gardens. Monarda 'Leading Lady Plum' forms a compact 1' tall x 28" wide patch of glossy green, mildew and deer-resistant foliage, topped, starting for us in early June (NC), with a mass of magenta/plum colored flower heads. Give the bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies another treat with this amazing new introduction.
Baptisia 'Pink Lemonade' is an introduction from Walters Gardens' plant breeder, Hans Hansen. This unusual selection has flowers that emerge yellow, then morph to pink, and finally mauvy lavender...on the same stalk. This truly unique baptisia forms a 4' tall x 4' wide specimen, topped, starting for us in late April with a show of floral spikes...guaranteed to be the spiciest pink lemonade you've ever tried.
xMangave 'Foxy Lady', the latest Walters Gardens introduction, is a superb white-edged sport of xMangave 'Silver Fox'. Each 11" tall x 22" wide rosette consists of wide, arching, heavily-toothed silver leaves, which show a muted purple blotching. The stunning white edge is the crowning touch! Quantities are very limited.
