Lobularia ‘Frosty Knight’

Lobularia ‘Frosty Knight’—bright variegated foliage makes it stand out in a bed

A treat that we are offering this autumn is ‘Frosty Knight’, a Lobularia with several unusual features. Brightly variegated foliage makes it stand out in a bed, and this combined with other key characteristics turns it into a useful tool for autumn design work. ‘Frosty Knight’ plays the Lobularia game in a different way, so let’s take a closer look at it.

A tiny flower appears under each segment of the tassel

Oregano has been blooming in our ornamental test bed the past couple of weeks. It blooms very differently than other plants—mature specimens grow upright, tall and skinny and at the tip of the stem, tassels begin to form. Each tassel is segmented; under each segment is a tiny flower where the real business of the plant occurs. Once that flower passes, another segment is grown, another tiny flower appears, and the tassel gets longer. Over time, a cluster of tassels forms around that point of the stem.

Fine hairs that cover each segment give the tassel a felt-like appearance

What’s more, the action doesn’t stop there. As the stem grows higher, it branches, and more tassels form at the tips of the branches. This continues for the length of the stem, so the effect is a bushy brush of tassels—and eventually the stems start to cascade over nearby rocks, statuary, or Zinnia. Apparently Oregano works best when it has a companion in the garden.

Oregano tassels cascade over this neighboring Dahlia

It’s interesting to note that Oregano flowers are just as edible as the leaves. They are a little more delicate in flavor than the leaves, though we found them a bit chewy when we dried them. A mini food processor cleared this up, but this could be a good thing for craftwork. We’ve heard of people who weave the long threads into wreaths, baskets, and other projects to add extra texture and fragrance. Oregano is blessed with an easy-to-grow reputation that is well earned. It is hardy in Cincinnati unless we’ve had a tough winter.

Angelonia ‘Angelface Blue’

It wouldn’t be summer if we didn’t mention our Angelonias. Shipping now is the larger upright ‘Angelface Blue’—the color is blue with a touch of purple, typical of most summer blues. Angelonias have a spring Snapdragon look, but heat triggers their growth so they do well in the full sun of summer. They can handle partial shade, but they truly prefer the bright light.

Nice, full flower stalks for mass planting where height is needed

At about a foot tall the plants themselves are lower, but the bloom easily adds an additional six inches on top of that. Angelface flower stalks are nice and full, so they make a good mass planting wherever you want height. Most people don’t know this, but they have good vase performance as well.

Angelonia ‘Angelface Blue’ is shipping now in the 8-inch pot.