Pennisetum 'Vertigo'

The classic black Fountain Grass—Pennisetum ‘Vertigo’

‘Vertigo’ is a commanding presence in the landscape. This is a big grass—it will grow up over your head if you water it enough. Take full advantage of this spiky dark purple foliage by using it for dramatic effect. We find it’s a very flexible tool that can be used in a number of design scenarios.

Two fountains of ‘Vertigo’ in a sea of Rudbeckia ‘Toto Gold’

‘Ballad’ has that classic sunflower look

Golden yellow ‘Ballad’ is easy to work into the summer landscape. It’s a nice dwarf size at about 2 feet tall, with big cheery flowers that have traditional dark brown centers. People seem to get a kick out of the smaller plant with the large flower heads—the dwarfs are always popular.

This Sunflower is looking prime right now, to help bridge the gap from late summer into fall. It’s a color that’s appropriate to both seasons and the plants last well into early autumn to complement those décor projects.

‘Ballad’ is available now in the 8-inch pot.

Plants are short enough to work into many different combinations and baskets

Field Day features interactive walks through our many Display Gardens

Please note that we are starting Field Day 30 minutes earlier than last year. We’ll be walking and talking our way through the educational Display Gardens, discussing the plants with comments and observations. Since we want to answer your questions without hurry we’ve given more time to the tours themselves.

We offer two separate tours, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. They both cover the same gardens so you can pick the one that works best for your schedule. In total you’ll be spending about half-a-day with us, unless you want to double-up and go for a repeat.

MORNING TOUR

• Registration: 9:00 am
• Garden Tours: 9:30 am
• Lunch: 12:00 noon

AFTERNOON SESSION

• Registration and lunch: 12:30 pm
• Tour: 1:15 pm

There will be a $5 fee to attend Field Day, which includes lunch and our Display Garden Planner for easy note taking. Remember: we walk the gardens come rain or shine so dress comfortably and come prepared for whatever Mother Nature has in store. If you missed this event last year, make plans now to be here on Wednesday, August 22nd for this unique chance to observe our beautiful plants in action.

Please RSVP ASAP so we can get a head count—just respond to this email or call the office and let us know how many are in your party. We’re looking forward to seeing you!