If you garden in the Upper Midwest it's likely you recognize this scene. It's the first row of parking spaces at the Flower Factory in Stoughton. I drove out not long ago on a Sunday morning and was only the second car on the scene. The gardens were looking gorgeous and there were lots of plants still available and a number of them were also on sale.
The members of the Indian Hills Garden Club visited my garden last month and were kind enough to send me a Flower Factory gift certificate as a thank you! I'd been compiling a list of plants I was interested in as the summer went by and this was the impetus to get me out of town.
A couple of years ago I bought a bunch of Hakonechloa macra plants to put in the former moss garden but added them to the new driveway border instead. So I needed more of those to put in the original location. Then I saw this 'Miller's Crimson' Primula and had to have it as it is a different red than my other candelabra Primroses. Two 'Norton's Gold' oreganos went into the driveway border at the foot of the big rocks where I need some color.
I was able to find the Hostas I'd admired in Nancy Mead's garden earlier this summer (which I wrote about on Tuesday) and scored a couple more plants with reddish foliage for the very back garden, along with a Geranium sanguineum 'Elke'. I've been growing these Geraniums for years but 'Elke' is a newer variety that has flowers that are bigger and are a bright neon pink with a white center kind of like those Phlox in the first image above.
After struggling for a long time trying to find the conditions that Astilbe like, I finally hit the jackpot and all my Astilbes are doing so well I could just about divide them annually. But I wanted one with more color for more of an impact. This one below is 'Delft Lace' which should be a wow with all my orange lilies next summer. And I bought Hemerocallis 'Pardon Me.' I like the smaller scale daylilies and I wanted a reddish one that could be planted near lavender flowers. This one should fit the bill.
A wonderful haul from the Flower Factory after a great visit with the members of Indian Hills Garden Club. Thank you!
You paint with plants.
Posted by: Rae Kaiser | Thursday, August 31, 2017 at 07:41 AM
Thanks, Rae. The "paints" are good but the painter still has to get them into the ground.
Posted by: Linda Brazill | Thursday, August 31, 2017 at 09:21 AM
Wow! That's quite the haul. Megan of Far Out Flora mentioned the Flower Factory when she was home (from SF) visiting in Madison. Sounds like a fun place.
Posted by: Loree / danger garden | Thursday, August 31, 2017 at 11:19 AM
Nice haul and a generous garden club! Hope you have fun planting all of these beauties.
Posted by: Peter/Outlaw | Thursday, August 31, 2017 at 11:59 AM
I had hoped to meet Megan when she was home in Madison as her late mother and I were friends back in the 70s and early 80s. We were members of a feminist quilt group. Any group of women gathered to work and talk became feminist by default back then! Lest you be surprised I was in a quilt group, my quilt was made of hot pink plastic bags (newspaper delivery bags) filled with memorabilia and stitched together.
Posted by: Linda Brazill | Thursday, August 31, 2017 at 12:40 PM
Yes, you need to invite that garden club back. ;) I really like that reddish foliage. What am I saying, I like it all... Nice haul.
Posted by: Lisa at Greenbow | Thursday, August 31, 2017 at 02:14 PM
I put the plants in the shade while I slowly get them in the ground. The red Euphorbia turned green without the sun!
Posted by: Linda Brazill | Thursday, August 31, 2017 at 04:56 PM
I'm late and catching up, but just as everyone else has said, "What a great haul!" Have fun planting.
Posted by: Barbara H. | Saturday, September 02, 2017 at 09:41 AM
That euphorbia is so bright, I hope you can find enough sun to keep it that way, and that golden oregano! Right up my alley ;)
You really put together a nice box or two and I'm impressed you already have locations in mind for several.
Posted by: Frank | Sunday, September 03, 2017 at 10:17 AM