The Quiet Fern

‘Macho’

Another St. Patrick’s Day has come and gone but green is always on our radar. Recently we’ve been noticing a greater interest in Ferns so we’ve expanded our collection to include a number of new varieties. In their understated way these plants play a strong supporting role, adding interest while infusing the landscape with a sense of calm.

Stock Vintage Mix has thick flowers

Beautiful Stock flowers provide a vibrant counterpoint to Alyssum, Lobularia, and the many white offerings on the menu for early spring. Though some consider Stock old-fashioned we think these blooms are timeless, with a spicy-sweet fragrance and a range of bright colors that shake up what can be a stark cool weather landscape. This is a plant to keep in the design toolbox—it blooms specifically when temps are lower than the mid 60s and can even tolerate a light frost.

Our new Vintage Mix includes Copper, Lilac, Red, White, Burgundy, Lavender, Peach, Rose, and Yellow. This is a dwarf series that remains compact and low. Plants grow to around 15–20 inches, with an abundance of double flowers on sturdy, upright stems.  

Stock is easy to grow. It thrives in full sun but can handle light shade, and prefers soil that is moist to slightly dry. In addition to beds and borders, Vintage Mix is a nice size for a window box—which would also get it up close for frequent whiffs of the fragrant flowers. These blooms are popular for cutting to create aromatic indoor arrangements.

Vintage Mix is available in the 6-inch pot.

A good choice for vibrant early spring baskets

Calibrachoa ‘Cabaret Sky Blue’ has a white eye with a creamy center

We’ve added two new Cabaret colors this year: ‘Sky Blue’ and ‘Purple Heart’. This brings our total Cabaret count to nine colors, plus two Cabaret Can Can varieties. ‘Sky Blue’ extends the Cabaret line with a light blue color—blooms are a pretty shade of lavender-blue with yellow centers. ‘Purple Heart’ amps up the drama with purple flowers that have dark eyes with a small yellow center. 

When we need a solid foundation of basic color we go with the Cabaret series. They’ve dialed down the color contrast so that the plants are very uniform. Cabarets match Superbells in reliable performance and flower production but the Superbells are a bit edgier, with more novelty varieties in their lineup. Cabaret Can Can is a different story entirely. It’s noted for its strong bicolor contrasts, creating a million bells look with a more refined, less vivid color scheme.

‘Cabaret Blue Sky’ is available in the 4.5 and 8-inch pot and the 10-inch hanging basket. ‘Cabaret Purple Heart’ comes in the 4.5-inch pot only. For our complete line of Cabaret Calibrachoa please refer to the Availability section of our web site.

Calibrachoa ‘Cabaret Purple Heart’ has a dark eye and little yellow spot