The 100 plants list

Every year a different gardener/horticulturalist lists their top 100 plants for Gardens Illustrated magazine. This is my favorite gardening mag and I always look forward to this issue. I like to see what they like and compare their lists with what I'm growing. Of course, being a UK publication these gardeners often grow a lot of plants that are not hardy where I live.

This year Sarah Price picked her "100 Beautiful and Useful Plants." I wrote about Price not long ago as I admired the garden she designed with a limited plant palette. Price divided her list in the magazine into categories: annuals, bulbs, climbers, ferns, grasses and restios, half-hardy perennials, perennials, shrubs and trees, and lastly, wildflowers.

Unlike the past lists that the magazine has published, I am clearly not on the same wavelength as Price judging by her list. I like a lot of her garden designs and the plants she's used in them, but it turns out that I am barely growing a dozen of the same things as Price and those are mostly bulbs and ferns. Five bulbs, three out of her five ferns and a few perennials. But my perennials at least are some of the slightly more unusual ones like Kirengeshoma palmata and Paeonia mascula.

A fun list to read about and enjoy all the flowery images, but not one with many plants that will find their way into my garden. On the other hand, stories like this are one of the things keeping me going while I wait to get out into my own garden this spring.

Price's bulb list included straight species Lilium martagon. I'm growing the variety L. martagon 'Mrs. R. O. Backhouse' (pictured) and the sensitive fern aka Onocleasensibilis, the large fern pictured directly above. In the lower left corner is another fern on Price's list, Asplenium scolopendrium (hart's tongue fern). 

Comments

[Peter/Outlaw]

A dear friend gave me a subscription to Gardens Illustrated for Christmas and now I'm hooked. The lists are interesting but we probably all have our own top 100 plants that work with our climate, temperament (ability to be neglected in my case) and personal taste. Enjoy the anticipation of spring which is sure to arrive soon!

[Linda Brazill]

It is a great magazine and you are certainly right that we all have our own lists. Our pond finally opened all the way yesterday, just about a week later than the prior latest date.

[Beth @ PlantPostings]

I like the idea of dividing the list into categories--both for the person creating the list and for those who are simply curious or wanting to consider new plants. It would be a fun exercise to compare lists with gardening friends--but difficult, since conditions and tastes keep changing. I have trouble listing favorite plants, because...there are so many. :)

[Lisa at Greenbow]

This sounds like a winter project. Sit around and think of all the plants you love to grow. I like the idea of having them in groups. I have a sensitive fern in my garden and it is Onoclea sinsibilis, but it doesn't look like yours. Strange.

[Erin]

I'm thinking I didn't get this issue yet. Grrrrr.