The trialing garden is located at the north end of the SFA Mast Arboretum next to College Avenue and bordered on the east by LaNana creek. It’s home to a wide array of new and exciting woody shrubs. It’s a row crop drip irrigated strategy that allows for easy side by side comparisons. Rows are mulched with pine bark or wood shavings. Light granular fertilizer applications are applied as needed.

A June 2, 2020 inventory includes over 150 varieties, usually three plants of each. The mission of this project is to evaluate a wide range of popular landscape shrubs in side-by-side comparisons.

If I had to pick one favorite this year, I’d pick Hibiscus syriacus ‘Aarticus’ which is better known as the First Editions Summer Ruffle^™ Hibiscus, Hibiscus syriacus ‘Aarticus’ PP29104. I can remember many years ago coveting the first variegated Althaea, a sad variety that produced flower buds that refused to open. Summer Ruffles is a showboat. It was found by Steve Bruin, propagator at Lincoln Nursery in Greater Grand Rapids, Michigan Area and Bailey Nurseries introduced the variety about 5 years ago and provided us with test plants. This variegated Rose of Sharon has blue-green foliage with crisp creamy white margins. Lavender blooms come in late May and early June and the summertime show continues if conditions allow. The clone is reported to be three to four feet tall and wide but our unpruned plants are more columnar and will perhaps exceed that height with a little time. In spite of its origin, it’s encouraging that ‘Summer Ruffles’ did not suffer in the low chill winter in 2019-2020 with only 650 hrs < 45oF.

Abelia ‘Summer Brandy’

 

 

Sorted alphabetically:

• Abelia 10-9010-12
• Abelia Twist of Orange
• Abelia Ruby Anniversary
• Abelia Peach Perfection
• Abelia 10-944-01
• Abelia Vanilla Brandy
• Abelia Peach Perfection
• Abelia Margarita
• Abelia X 10-9002-23
• Andropogon gerardii Red October
• Aster oblongifolius October Skies
• Baptisia Blue Towers, Purple Smoke
• Berberis Sunjoy Tangelo
• Buddleia psychedelic sky
• Buddleia Evil Ways
• Buxus Little Missy
• Buxus Gordo
• Buxus Shadow Sentry
• Buxus Arctic Emerald
• Buxus microphylla Sprinter
• Callistemon Hot Pink
• Calycanthus floridus Burgundy Spice
• Cephalanthus Fiber optics
• Cephalanthus occidentalis Sugar Shack
• Clethra alnifolia Einstein
• Cleyera japonica hardy seedling?
• Cornus quinquenervis 1 ABG McMahan
• Cotoneaster Autumn Fire
• Distylium Linebacker
• Distylium Spring Frost PP25833
• Elaegnus Olive Martini
• Euipatorium Little Red
• Gardenia Snow Girl
• Gardenia Buttons
• Gardenia jasminoides Gold Doubloon
• Gardenia jasminoides Buttons
• Gardenina jasminoides Martha Turnbull
• Hibiscus Cordon Bleu
• Hibiscus Muy Bonita
• Hibiscus Crème de la crème
• Hibiscus Crème de la cocoa
• Hibiscus Plum Flambe
• Hibiscus amastto
• Hibiscus Crepe Suzette
• Hibiscus hybrid Berry Awesome
• Hibiscus syriacus Summer Ruffles
• Hibiscus syriacus Blueberry Smoothie
• Hibiscus syriacus Raspberry Smoothie
• Hibiscus syriacus Blush
• Hibiscus syriacus Crepe Suzette
• Hibiscus syriacus Mindouv 5
• Hydrangea paniculata Little Quick Fire
• Hydrangea paniculata Pinky Winky
• Hydrangea paniculata Limelight
• Hydrangea paniculata BL-03-13
• Hydrangea paniculata Firelight
• Hydrangea paniculata Quick Fire
• Hydrangea paniculata BL-11-13
• Hydrangea paniculata BL-05-13
• Hydrangea paniculata Paste3l Green
• Hydrangea paniculata BL-11-13
• Hydrangea paniculata Mac-01-cou
• Ilex E.A. McIlhenny
• Ilex Ira Nelson
• Ilex Jungle Gardens
• Ilex Avery Island
• Ilex James Foret
• Ilex cornuta Burfordii Variegata
• Ilex myrtifolia Duling’s weeper thin leaf
• Ilex X Cherry Bomb
• Itea virginica Love Child
• Itea virginica Petit Blanc
• Itea virginica Scentlandia
• Itea virginica Saturnalia
• Juniperus glaucea compacta
• Lagerstroemia Caudata Clone A
• Lagerstroemia caudata Clone B
• Lantana montevidensis
• Ligustrum vulgaree Straight Talk
• Loropetalum chinense Red Diamond
• Loropetalum chinense Jazz Hands Bold
• Loropetalum chinense Rubrum
• Loropetalum chinense Jazz Hands Variegated
• Loropetalum chinense Jazz Hands Dwarf Pink
• Loropetalum chinense Jazz Hands Mini
• Loropetalum chinense Crimson Red
• Loropetalum chinense LOK 16-01-10
• Loropetalum chinense ? Green
• Loropetalum chinense Sparkling Sangria
• Loropetalum chinense Cerise Charm
• Monarda Balmy Purple
• Myrcianthes fragrans
• Nageia nagi
• Panicum virgatum Shenandoah
• Phlox Victoria
• Phlox Minnie Pearl
• Phlox Fashionably Early Princess
• Phlox paniculata Robert Poore
• Phlox pilosa Bonnie’s Pink
• Photinia serrulata Akin’s Selection
• Pycnanthemum tenuifolium
• Raphiolepis Red Bird
• Raphiolepis Bridal Blush
• Raphiolepis Cherub’s Cup
• Raphiolepis umbellata Blueberry Muffin
• Rosa Twilight Red
• Rosa unknown
• Rosa Chi
• Rosa Sniffer
• Rosa Oso Easy Cherry Pie
• Rosa Bron M-WK-9-2-18
• Rosa Easy Elegance Funny Face
• Rosa Oscar Peterson
• Rosa VLr001
• Rosa Koreinbill
• Pennisetum giant maroon tamu
• Spiraea Lightning Strike
• Spiraea Sweet Emotion
• Spiraea Yeti
• Spiraea uga gw 03 15
• Spiraea Yeti YP06-15
• Spiraea japonica UGA GP 02-15
• Spiraea Jaune SS-S-04
• Thuja CP 14 CO 787
• Thuja CP 14 CO 787
• Thuja CP 14 CO 768
• Thuja North Pole
• Thuja occidentalis Plant Earth
• Thuja occidentalis alba-spicata
• Vaccinium ETPMC
• Vaccinium NBG A17
• Vaccinium NBG A119
• Vaccinum A167
• Verbena Pink Princess
• Verbena White Lightning
• Verbena canadensis Snow Flurry
• Viburnum Spring Lace
• Viburnum Moonlit Lace
• Viburnum luzonicum Snow Joey
• Viburnum odoratissium Yazabuki Seedling
• Viburnum plicatum Opening Day
• Viburnum propinquum
• Vitex agnus-castus Puffball’
• Vitex agnus-castus Delta Blues
• Vitex agnus-castus Alto 1948
• Vitex agnus-castus VX 16-08-02
• Vitex agnus-castus Delta Blues