Plant Select annually chooses new and underutilized plants to promote to regional gardeners and landscape professionals. New plants are evaluated on their ability to thrive in a broad range of garden situations in the Rocky Mountain region, their resilience to the region’s climate, uniqueness, disease and insect resistance, ability to flourish in low water conditions, long season in the garden and noninvasiveness.
Two of the 2011 winners, Bouteloua gracilis ‘Blonde Ambition’ and Osteospermum ‘Avalanche’, are new to horticulture and have proven extremely hardy in regional trials. Five of the plants have been grown or known for years, but have been underutilized in regional landscapes. They include: Chrysothamnus nauseosus var. nauseosus, Amsonia jonesii, Erodium chrysanthum, Penstemon mensarum and Crataegus ambigua.
Pictured: The new Osteospermum ‘Avalanche’ has been named a 2011 Plant Select winner.
Photo by Dan Johnson
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