Thursday, February 1, 2018

New Perennials from Proven Winners

Bush Clematis 'Stand by Me'. Photo courtesy of Proven Winners® 

This is not a sponsored post, so I feel free to say that I have mixed feelings about new plant introductions. For one thing, they can be super pricy. Some introductions go on to become classics, while others never seem to catch on and disappear to make room for yet more plants.

But if, like me, you love plants, new introductions can be very tempting. Generally they offer some  improvement like a longer bloom time or a more compact shape. These shiny new features make new introductions alluringly collectable.

Take the Clematis above. How pretty and dainty it looks! And here it is again, this time in a container planting:

Photo courtesy of Proven Winners® 

Clematis 'Stand by Me' is a non-vining herbaceous clematis that dies back to the ground at the end of the growing season. It has blue, bell-shaped flowers and will re-bloom throughout the season. Average, well-drained soil that is slightly alkaline is best. While its growth is upright, "Stand by Me' does benefit from staking, cages or neighbouring plants for support. Full sun or light shade. Height: 86-96 cm (34-38 inches), Spread: 60-70cm (24-28 inches) USDA zones: 3-7.

In the same container (above) is yet another new perennial that gardeners with part-shade will find interesting. Full-sized Goatsbeard, Aruncus dioicus is a huge plant. 'Chantilly Lace' is more compact and is better suited for small to average-sized suburban gardens.

It's also more drought tolerant than Astilbe.


Goatsbeard, Aruncus 'Chantilly Lace' produces beautiful sprays of lacy, cream-colored flowers. It has a similar look to an Astilbe, but is more drought tolerant. 'Chantilly Lace' grows best in moist, humus-rich soils. In northern climates, it can be grown in full sun provided it has adequate moisture. In southern zones, however, it prefers partial or full shade. Height: 76-80 cm (30-32 inches), Spread: 101-121 cm (40-48 inches) USDA zones: 3-7.


Hosta, Shadowland® 'Waterslide'. Photo courtesy of Proven Winners® 

One of my favourite purchases last year was a ruffled hosta, so of course, this new hosta caught my eye:

Hosta, Shadowland® 'Waterslide' has ruffled glaucous, blue-green leaves that hold their color all season long. It has lavender flowers in late summer. This perennial grows best in moist, well-drained, organically enriched soil. Full to part-shade. Height: 35-38 cm (14-15 inches), Spread: 76-81 cm (30-32 inches) USDA zones: 3-9.

Hemerocallis 'Orange Smoothie'. Photo courtesy of Proven Winners® 

Re-blooming daylilies are always a great asset, so a new peach cultivar would be nice to have. And I really like the ruffled edge on 'Orange Smoothie's' flower petals.

Daylily, Hemerocallis Rainbow Rhythm® 'Orange Smoothie' has orange-mango petals with a light rose band. It has a mounded shape and strong, well-branched, heavily budded scapes. 'Orange Smoothie' blooms in midsummer and again later in the season. This is a tough, adaptable perennial that will grow in almost any soil. Plant it in full sun for optimum flowering performance. Height: 50-60 cm (20-24 inches), Spread: 45-60 cm (40-48 inches) USDA zones: 3-9.

Tall Cushion Phlox 'Cloudburst'. Photo courtesy of Proven Winners® 

I try to add at least one new Phlox cultivar each year. This new introduction blooms earlier than most and might be a good one to add to my collection.

Tall Cushion Phlox 'Cloudburst' is an early blooming phlox with a broad, mounding, billowy habit. Lavender-purple flowers have bright pink eyes. Its dark green leaves are disease resistant. 'Cloudburst' grows best in consistently moist, well-drained soil and full sun. It thrives with regular fertilization and good air circulation. Height: 45-60 cm (26-28 inches), Spread: 38-42 cm (40-48 inches) USDA zones: 3-9.

'Superstar' and 'Popstar' (right). Photo courtesy of Proven Winners® 

It would be hard to choose between these two Sedums. I guess it might come down to which shade of pink you prefer:  

Stonecrop Sedum, Rock 'N Grow® 'Superstar' has dark turquoise foliage and forms a dense, compact mound with rosy-pink flowers. It performs best in full sun and poor to average, well-drained soil. 'Superstar' does not require supplemental water or fertilizer. Height: 25-30 (10-12 inches), Spread: 50-60 cm (20-24 inches). USDA Zones: 3-9

Stonecrop Sedum, Rock 'N Grow® 'Popstar' has blue-green foliage and has a dense, compact, mounded habit. The flowers are salmon-pink. It does best in full sun and poor to average, well-drained soil. 'Popstar' does not require supplemental water or fertilizerHeight: 20-30cm (8 - 10 inches), Spread:50-60cm (20 - 24 inches). USDA Zones: 3-9

Photo courtesy of Proven Winners® 

'Pink Lemonade'. Photo courtesy of Proven Winners® 

In the last few years, Baptisia has gone from a little-known perennial to one that is quite coveted. The old-fashioned classic with indigo-blue flowers is still one of my favourites, but breeders have managed to produce an amazing array of appealing colors.

My first reaction to this new cultivar (above) was that it would be hard to find a place for the unusual combination of pink and yellow, but then I began to warm to the mix. I could imagine 'Pink Lemonade' might compliment my white Gas Plant, Dictamnus albus quite nicely.

False Indigo, Baptisia Decadence® Deluxe 'Pink Lemonade' has soft yellow flowers that age to dusty raspberry purple, showing both colors at the same time. Pink Lemonade' grows best in full sun and average to poor, well-drained soil. Moderately drought tolerant once established. This is a long-lived perennial that does not need to be divided and prefers not to be moved. Height: 106-121 cm (42-48 inches), Spread: 116-121 cm (46-48 inches) Keep in mind that this is a large perennial that is almost shrub-like in scale. USDA zones: 4-9.


This ends this little preview of new perennials. I hope you've found something you'd like to add to your spring wish list.

(If you would like more information on any of these perennials, you can visit 
the Proven Winners website.)


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20 comments:

  1. just lovely! I hope I can find that clematis this summer!!

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    1. Id' love it too! I once had a non-vining clematis, but I lost it. 'Stand by Me' would be a nice replacement.

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  2. Lovely! I must look for this clematis...
    Love from Titti

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    1. I will be keeping an eye out for that Clematis too.

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  3. Hello Jennifer girl ! .. I have read a little about some of these new plants and some have my curiosity (but space for them is another matter ) .. my favorites are the Stand By Me clematis ( I have Twinkle that is almost a bush clematis as well) , the hosta Shadowland Waterslide and Pink Lemonade baptisia.
    I have to see their prices if they show up in Kingston .. but my budget is stretched with more landscaping to come .. so how about that lottery kicking in ?LOL ... love reading and seeing these again ! So TEMPTING !!!!!

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    1. It would be nice to have a winning lottery ticket and an unlimited budget, wouldn’t it?

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  4. I am a sucker for new introductions. I do like the look of the Hosta, Shadowland'Waterslide

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    1. Last year I bought a grey-green hosta with curly foliage and it ended up being one of my favourite purchases of the summer.

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  5. Those new sedum look pretty sweet allright, I've got more than a few places I could put them. Very cool!

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    1. I like to add at least one Sedum every summer. They’ve such great plants!

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  6. I like pink and yellow together and think 'Pink Lemonade' is gorgeous. My impression when I saw that was "Wow".

    The Clematis looks tempting too. I love bell type clematis.

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    1. I am sure both would fit into your garden nicely Sweetbay!

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  7. Oh Jennifer..you have me thinking spring! I like the Hemerocallis 'Orange Smoothie' and Clematis. It's always nice when new cultivars of perennials come out. After all, there's never enough plants!!! Have a great week!

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    1. I seem to feel the same way about new plants. You can never have too many! LOL!

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  8. Oh no, I want them all, I really do. As I was reading, I could imagine a spot for each one of them. Thanks for introducing them to me, or not.

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  9. What a wonderful selection of plants, Jennifer.
    I will be looking for the Bush Clematis. It is really beautiful.
    Thank you so much for sharing!

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  10. I just got a new hosta as well it is called praying hands! I am not sure if anyone else has heard of it I got a quart start for 7.00. Its starting to come up because its inside until the ground thaws.

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    1. I have this hosta and it is quite unique in its upward vase-like shape. Hopefully you don’t have to wait long before you transfer it outside.

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