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MDthe washington post
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thursday, august22
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2019third calamity came at the hands
of the neatnik gardener, who cut it
back in March and removed most
of its flowering wood.
The first re-bloomer, Endless
Summer, was launched 15 years
ago. The range extends to five
varieties, including a lacecap
named Twist-n-Shout. The latest
was introduced this year as a
compact red-purple mophead va-
riety named Summer Crush.
Hydrangea breeders have been
focusing on such smaller variet-
ies, which cycle into repeat bloom
faster than larger ones. One criti-
cism of re-bloomers in northern
states has been the endless wait
for Endless Summer. In addition,
breeders are seeking to reduce the
wilting that besets hydrangeas in
hot climates, Roberts said.
Spring Meadow and Proven
Winners have released their own
line, under the Let’s Dance trade-
mark. Diva is a showy lacecap.
The latest introduction is Rave, a
domed mophead with violet
blooms. Hirvela says it’s the best
bloomer to date, with other vari-
eties available in 2021.
In its Seaside Serenade series of
hydrangea, Monrovia lists seven
varieties as repeat flowering.
Other shrubs
Lilacs perform poorly in the
heat and humidity of the Mid-At-
lantic and points south, but even
where they are happy, they draw
this valid criticism: Lilacs, or
common French lilacs especially,
take up too much valuable real
estate for the amount of orna-
ment they provide. Proven Win-
ners has four re-bloomers named,
cleverly, Bloomerang, and which
grow to just five feet or so. The key
to re-flowering, Hirvela said, is
not in trimming but to keep them
in vigorous growth with one late
spring feed, plenty of sunlight and
sufficient water when it gets hot
and dry.
Bailey has introduced a white-
flowering crape myrtle shrub —
Lunar Magic — that will cycle into
bloom every 40 days or so. It also
produces a re-flowering chaste
tree.
Proven Winners markets re-
flowering weigelas — five variet-
ies under its Sonic Bloom brand.
Double Play Doozie is a Japanese
spirea that also fits the bill. Mon-
rovia has a re-flowering weigela
named Crimson Kisses, and a line
of rose of Sharon — the Chateau
series — that repeats.
Perennials
Some may consider bearded
irises as a blast from the past, but
many of the newer varieties are of
re-blooming types that put on as
much of a show in October as they
do in May — to a degree that they
can mess with your mind. Check
out Winterberry Irises in Cross
Junction, Va.
The industry has been moving
in other directions. One of the
plants I’d like to get my hands on
is a herbaceous clematis named
Stand By Me, developed by the
breeder Hans Hansen at Walters
Gardens in Zeeland, Mich. It
forms a three-foot clump rather
than a woody vine. Given a light
trim after initial flowering, it will
produce its bell-like blooms all
summer, said Hansen’s colleague
Evan Elenbaas. It too is sold un-
der the Proven Winners brand.
Monrovia offers a repeat
blooming coneflower named Evo-
lution Colorific, as well as a salvia
hardy to Zone 7 (coastal New York
and south) named Vibe Ignition
Purple.
Proven Winners has its own
suite of repeating hardy salvias,
three under its Profusion series,
and one named Crystal Blue. “It’s
a clear light blue,” Elenbaas said.
“It attracts way more bees than
any other salvia.” Walters Gardens
has also developed three summer
phlox varieties and a catmint
named (what else?) Cat’s Meow.
I can’t leave this topic without
mentioning an annual that re-
peats. Isn’t that what annuals do,
you ask? This is a sunflower
named SunBelievable Brown
Eyed Girl, introduced in North
America by Monrovia. Instead of
a tall, thick-stalked beast reach-
ing to the sky, it forms a clump no
more than three feet high and
across and is festooned in contin-
ually appearing blooms, golden
yellow with sterile brown discs. I
have been growing it since June,
and it functions ornamentally as a
perennial or even a small shrub, if
only for one season.
Monrovia produced half a mil-
lion in its first year and plans to
more than double that for next
season, said Pedersen, who
brought it over from England. “I
feel pretty lucky to have stumbled
across a plant like that,” he said.
“It’s a blooming machine.”
[email protected]
@adrian_higgins on Twitter Also at washingtonpost.com
Read past columns by Higgins at
washingtonpost.com/home.
Chat Thursday at noon Higgins
will answer questions on re-blooming
plants and all things gardening.
Submit questions at
live.washingtonpost.com.MONROVIATOP: The coneflower
Evolution Colorific.
LEFT: SunBelievable Brown
Eyed Girl is a bushy
sunflower that keeps on
blooming into the fall.MONROVIA