Article

Regional Picks: The Experts’ Top Ten Plants – Midwest

By Bobbie Schwartz Fine Gardening - Issue 143

Midwest

 

No. 1

Seven-son flower (Heptacodium miconioides)

USDA Hardiness Zones: 5 to 9

Size: 20 feet tall and 10 feet wide

Conditions: Full sun to partial shade; fertile, well-drained soil

This small tree has delicate white blooms from late summer into early fall, followed by rosy calyces from September to November.

 

2. ‘Ice Dance’ sedge (Carex morrowii ‘Ice Dance’)

Zones: 5 to 9

Size: 12 to 15 inches tall and 12 to 18 inches wide

Conditions: Full sun to partial shade; moist, fertile, well-drained soil

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Diabolo® ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Monlo’)

Zones: 3 to 7

Size: 10 feet tall and 15 feet wide

Conditions: Full sun; moist, fertile, slightly acidic, well-drained soil

 

4. ‘Angelina’ sedum (Sedum rupestre ‘Angelina’)

Zones: 6 to 9

Size: 4 to 6 inches tall and up to 2 feet wide

Conditions: Full sun; well-drained soil

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. Dwarf variegated elkhorn cedar (Thujopsis dolobrata ‘Nana Variegata’)

Zones: 5 to 7

Size: 6 feet tall and 4 feet wide

Conditions: Full sun to partial shade; moist, fertile, well-drained soil

 

6. ‘Pinot Noir’ rose mallow (Hibiscus ‘Pinot Noir’)

Zones: 4 to 9

Size: 2 to 3 feet tall and wide

Conditions: Full sun; moist, well-drained soil

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7. Oso Easy® Paprika rose (Rosa ‘ChewMayTime’)

Zones: 3 to 9

Size: 2 feet tall and 3 feet wide

Conditions: Full sun; moist, well-drained soil

8. ‘Rozanne’ hardy geranium (Geranium ‘Rozanne’)

Zones: 5 to 8

Size: 18 inches tall and 2 feet wide

Conditions: Full sun to partial shade; moist, fertile, well-drained soil

9. ‘Viridis’ cutleaf Japanese maple (Acer palmatum var. dissectum ‘Viridis’)

Zones: 5 to 8

Size: Up to 6 feet tall and 10 feet wide

Conditions: Full sun to partial shade; moist, fertile, well-drained soil

10. ‘Karl Foerster’ feather reed grass (Calamagrostis acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’)

Zones: 5 to 9

Size: 2 to 5 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide

Conditions: Full sun to partial shade; moist, well-drained soil

 

Bobbie Schwartz is a certified landscape designer and president of the Association of Professional Landscape Designers. She lives in Shaker Heights, Ohio.

Photos, except where noted: Bill Johnson;  Michelle Gervais; Kerry Ann Moore; author, courtesy of Bobbie Schwartz

X
View Comments

Comments

Log in or create an account to post a comment.

Related Articles

The Latest

Design
Garden Tour of a Sustainable Native Plant Oasis Bursting with Fall Color

When Jeff Lorenz and Kayla Fell purchased this property in the Philadelphia suburbs, they knew they had their work cut out for them. A front and back yard of mostly…
Podcast: Let's Argue About Plants
Episode 170: High-Impact Native Plants with Uli Lorimer  

Ulrich Lorimer is the director of the Native Plant Tust in Framingham, MA, a conservation organization that manages Garden in the Woods. He has been a longtime advocate for cultivating…
Design
4 Luck® Red Stripes White Variegated Clover Adds a Little Luck to Your Pots

While many gardeners might label white clover as a weed, this fast-filling, variegated selection is cute as a button in containers. With a mix of 3- and 4-palmate leaves, you’ll…

Video

View All Videos
Design

Touring an Eco-friendly, Shady Backyard Retreat

You must be careful when you enter the backyard of garden designer Jeff Epping—not because you’re likely to trip on something, but because you might be dive-bombed by a pair…
Design

4 Midsummer Favorites From a Plant Breeder's Garden
Design

Garden Tour of a Sustainable Native Plant Oasis Bursting with Fall Color
Podcast: Let's Argue About Plants

Episode 170: High-Impact Native Plants with Uli Lorimer  
Podcast: Let's Argue About Plants

Episode 169: Great Foundation Plants