A panel of garden writers and editors choose five plants and five gardening products to recognize with the Mailorder Gardening Association’s Green Thumb Award:
Petunia ‘Opera Supreme Lilac Ice’: a trailing grandiflora petunia that offers a dense flowering pattern and a long season of bloom. Park Seed Co. 800-845-3369, www.parkseed.com.
Changing Colors Dahlia: Some of the flowers start out white and develop lavender and purple coloration, while others start out lavender or purple and mature to white. Three top-size clumps sell for $12.95 exclusively from Dutch Gardens, 800-944-2250, www.dutchgardens.com.
April in Paris: A high-centered, richly perfumed cream and pink blend hybrid tea rose that inherited the characteristics of both its famous parents—Pristine and New Zealand. Each 4.5-inch bloom has over 30 petals that slowly spiral open and last over a week in a vase. Each bloom is framed by a lush backdrop of glossy dark green foliage. Plants sell for $19.95 exclusively from Jackson &Perkins Roses, (800) 872-7673, www.jacksonandperkins.com.
Peony Bartzella: One of the new hybrid crosses between a tree peony and an herbaceous peony. Offers heavy blooms of a tree peony with the compact form of an herbaceous type. Bartzella is a beautiful double yellow flowering form that performs well to USDA Zone 8. Plants sell for $29.95 exclusively from Wayside Gardens, (800) 845-1124, www.waysidegardens.com.
Lovestruck: one of the brightest, showiest floribunda roses ever introduced. Lovestruck’s tidy, rounded shape and compact 3.5-foot height make it a perfect container rose in an urban garden setting. Ideal plant for a dramatic mass planting. Plants sell for $16.95 exclusively from Jackson &Perkins Roses, 800-872-7673, www.jacksonandperkins.com.
Escar-Go! Supreme is an organic bug, slug and snail killer that doesn’t harm pets or wildlife. With the addition of Spinosad to the formulation, Escar-Go! Supreme also kills insect pests such as cutworms, earwigs, pill bugs and sow bugs. Any Escar-Go! Supreme that isn’t eaten by pests will biodegrade. A 13-ounce package of Escar-Go! Supreme sells for $9.95, or 2.25 pounds sells for $19.95, exclusively from Gardens Alive, 513-354-1482, www.GardensAlive.com.
Nature’s Avenger Organic Herbicide: a fast-acting citrus oil-based herbicide that strips off a plant’s waxy cuticle. Spray it on a weed and the resulting dehydration leads to the death of the plant. The active ingredient in Nature’s Avenger is d-limonene, which naturally occurs in citrus rinds. Nature’s Avenger is child, pet and environmentally friendly, and it is OMRI listed for organic gardening. Nature’s Avenger in a ready-to-use spray bottle sells for $14.99 postpaid from Beaty Fertilizer, Inc., 800-845-2325, www.millsmix.com.
Kombi Forever Shovel: a tough shovel with a wedge shape and sharpened teeth make it a multi-purpose garden shovel that also cultivates, weeds and edges. Two models are available— a fiberglass “D” handle or a steel long-handled shovel— that each sell for $79.95. Available from Beaty Fertilizer, Inc., 800-845-2325, www.millsmix.com.
PotHoles Drainage Discs: give container plants good drainage. Available from Charley’s Greenhouse &Garden, 800-322-4707, www.charleysgreenhouse.com, and Florian Tools, www.floriantools.com.
Essex Plant Supports: designed to be sturdy and attractive as they support upright flowers. The 6mm steel uprights are powder coated for durability, and the graceful arc supports stems and flowers naturally, like a garden bouquet. When the growing season is over, snap them apart for compact storage. A set of two Essex Plant Supports sells for $24.95 (extra large for $29.95) exclusively from Gardener’s Supply, 1-800-955-3370, www.gardeners.com.
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