Three New Sweet Peppers

A pepper for the royalty—‘Baron’ 

Believe it or not, the first day of spring has arrived, so let’s turn our thoughts to shoveling dirt instead of snow, specifically in the vegetable garden. Now, when it comes to vegetables, peppers rank second only to tomatoes so it’s important to offer a diverse selection. 

Fragrant stars perfume the evening air

We have a new flowering tobacco for 2017—‘Perfume Deep Purple’. Plants in the Perfume series exhibit a unique trait among nicotianas: they emit a sweet scent that perfumes the evening air. With flowers that are shaped like stars, this seems perfectly appropriate. 

Nicotiana is a great carefree bedding plant for summer, thriving in the heat and humidity that makes other varieties fade. It blooms reliably—and profusely—all summer long, with no deadheading needed. Sun and water are all that’s required, though it also tolerates partial shade.    

Intense purple pops against bright green foliage

Notice how the intense purple of the flowers pops against the bright green foliage. We like to pair ‘Perfume Deep Purple’ with white or dark blue flowers, especially in patio pots to take advantage of the relaxing nighttime fragrance.  Plants reach only about 20 inches tall, so they work well in containers and window boxes—where butterflies and hummingbirds are attracted to the gentle, sweet scent as well.

‘Perfume Deep Purple’ is available in the 6-inch pot.

A tough, colorful groundcover

Now, if heat and humidity are not in the forecast, ‘White Nancy’ is one of the best choices for a tough yet showy groundcover. It does its best work when the soil is cool, so we use these silvery, light green variegated leaves to brighten part sun, part shade areas of the landscape.

Clusters of pretty white flowers bloom from May to July, making this colorful mat even more eye-catching. It spreads quickly, with stems taking root as they touch the ground, but unwanted plants are easily removed so it’s considered non-invasive. Once established, plants are fairly drought-tolerant making this a very low-maintenance groundcover. 

We recommend ‘White Nancy’ for containers and hanging baskets as well. Keep it in mind as a stunning addition to an all-white bed or border. 

This selection comes in the 1801 flat.