I recently attended the annual Perennial Plant Association Symposium held this year in Philadelphia. The first PPA Symposium I attended 14 years ago was in Philadelphia. And 17 years ago I did a one year internship in Philadelphia at the Morris Arboretum. My advisor at Purdue, Dr. Harrison Flint, said everyone in horticulture should spend some time in the Delaware Valley and since there were no job prospects it was a no-brainer as the young kids say. This is an area rich in horticultural history and filled with public gardens anyone even mildly interested in gardening should visit. Just as importantly, the profession of horticulture is respected in a way still not found in the Midwest. Of course, they have one or two hundred years on us. So it may take a few more months for us to catch up.

We visited four public gardens and several private gardens. As far as the public gardens each had some area of particular expertise. For Mount Cuba it is the native flora of the Piedmont. They have introduced several cultivars of native plants and continue to study more. They are currently running a large trial of Echinacea. I saw a very pretty ginger, Hexastylis minor ‘Dixie Darling’ and a very nice variegated form of the ubiquitous Celadine poppy, Stylophorum diphyllum.

Scott Arboretum at Swarthmore College is a great place to see trees and shrubs. They have an incredible collection and horticulture isn’t even part of their curriculum.

But the two showplaces are Longwood Gardens and Chanticleer. Longwood has long been a major player in public horticulture. Our own Mark Zelonis is a graduate of the Longwood Graduate Program, the partnership of the garden with the University of Delaware. This program leads to a MS degree in Public Horticulture and its graduates can be found at many leading institutions. Longwood is the former estate of Pierre S. du Pont and has been open to the public for decades. It is lavish in its number fountains, in its amount of gardens under glass, in its research, and in its plantings. It remains a must see. But the garden I always want to see is Chanticleer with its over-the-top plants, amazing hardscape, and high quality design work. They do things the way I would if money and history didn’t stand in the way – especially the money part. My favorite areas are the ones around the main buildings. Here is where the Chanticleer staff truly shines in my opinion. Their use of tropicals and annuals is just amazing, simply incredible combinations of color and texture. Here are a few shots from there.

Yes, those are cannas in the hanging baskets. Of course they have a large overwintering greenhouse and a very nice set of cold frames. If any donors out there want to build me an overwintering greenhouse let’s just say I’m willing to talk (please throw in a little extra for maintenance and general operating costs, I’m completely broke). Not that we don’t do alright with what we have. Take a look at Jim’s annual border by the greenhouse.

But with a greenhouse I could save a little room for growing on plants. Then maybe Chad wouldn’t give me THAT look when I say I want to buy 72’s. It’s not the quantity, it’s the fact each plant is growing in a cell just 1.5 x 2.5 inches. A little small to go straight in the ground but you don’t get much growth in a 60 degree basement under fluorescent lights. Believe me, I tried this year.

When we get back from PPA everyone asks what was the best new plant seen. And sometimes that is an easy question and sometimes it is not. For one thing it depends on whom you ask. I go to PPA for the tropicals and annuals as much as the perennials. I usually come back with only one or two perennials but with the others – Katie bar the door. This year I bought very little, one perennial and five annuals/tropicals. It helped we only visited two retail establishments. I am famous for being willing to leave co-workers behind in the interest of buying more plants. Hey, it’s not like the plants can rent a car and still get back to Indy. Since it was a perennial based trip here’s a shot of the Geranium ‘Cheryl’s Shadow’ I bought.

Maybe I like it so much because some sources say it’s a zone 7 plant. The must have perennial next year is Echinacea ‘Hot Papaya’, the first double orange Echinacea.

It was only found in the trade show. Teasing me like some henna-haired wench in stilettos and leather hot-pants on Saturday night (You know who you are!)But two of the plants I saw that I really want are tropical. One is a palm, Latania lontaroides. Here are a couple shots of it at Chanticleer.

Just as a reminder, they have a greenhouse to put it in this winter. The other is an elephant ear, Alocasia macrorrhiza ‘Jungle Gold’. It’s in the middle of this picture.

This one I can overwinter without a greenhouse so look out world.

I have to say that as I visit more and more gardens I remain thoroughly impressed with our own here at the IMA. It’s a shame more have not discovered what a good garden we have right here in the middle of the Midwest. So come on blog readers, stop by and visit a spell. We’ve got almost all the weeds pulled.

“There’s nothing I could do Sunday night that I couldn’t have done Friday night and twice Saturday night. You’re ruining my life. I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!” Door slams.

Or maybe at a brother or sister that never brought the car back by 2 like they promised so you could go to the big away game. The bus left at 2:15 and they brought the car back at 2:45.

“You knew I needed the car by 2. You stayed late at Kathy’s just so I would miss the bus. I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!” Door slams.

Or maybe at someone you spent 18 months dating thinking all was going well until one day instead of “I love” you it’s “I do love you, in my own way.”

“In your own way? What the hell is that supposed to mean? In your own way?! I gave up a spot on ‘So You Think I You Can Dance’ because you couldn’t stand to be apart. Why don’t you go love the grill of a big red truck in your own way? I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!” Door slams. Hopefully on his snotty-assed nose.

Enough about people. What about plants? There are some plants I simply do not like even though they function perfectly fine. The one that comes to mind instantly is Nepeta x faassenii ‘Walker’s Low’, a catmint. That’s catmint not catnip which is Nepeta cataria. Please don’t confuse the two. I am not a big fan of Nepeta in general anyway. Can’t stand the way the foliage smells may be the main reason. Many love the fragrance, or as I would say, odor. When I bought ‘Walker’s Low’ several years back the catalogue said it only grew 10 inches tall. However, it actually reached the same height as the Nepeta ‘Six Hills Giant’ that was planted right across the path, closer to 24 inches. A few years later and the catalogues were explaining it was named after the Irish garden it was found in not its ultimate height. So I accepted that. And still I hated the plant. When ‘Walker’s Low ‘ was named the 2007 Perennial Plant Association Plant of the Year I wanted to puke. But if you walk out in the gardens this right now you could never imagine someone saying they hated it. It is truly glorious this year. Never before have the blooms appeared so blue. Does our long cool Spring make it think it’s in Ireland again? Could be. Cool weather can intensify colors on many plants. Here it is in the Garden for Everyone.

Here in the parking lot islands at the Madeline F. Elder Greenhouse.

And here again in GFE with Peony ‘Eden’s Perfume’.

‘Walker’s Low’ survives and even thrives in less than ideal conditions, baking in hot dry sun or bright dry shade. It blooms for a long time and has nice silvery green foliage. Cut it back after the first flush of blooms and it will give a second show. If it gets long and leggy (I mean that in the bad sense not the Betty Grable sense) just cut it back to the ground and it will grow back out nice and mounded. A s I said, a high functioning plant – if only more people were.

For a long time I hated Petunia ‘Purple Wave’ too. Just hated it. I think because it was marketed so heavily. My friend Terry used it all the time and it looked great in her garden. I still would not let my resolve be broken. I was on a mission to destroy this plant. Now? Eh. It’s a nice plant, big and robust, blooms like crazy, great color.

Maybe it is time to let the hate go. I hate this. She hates that. He hates everything. I am thinking this strong gut reaction to some plants is in part because everything we do is so visual, even when it is just green on green texture. But in part it’s just human nature too. The horticulture world is so opinionated. And like any form of art it’s all subjective. One person’s tattered leafed banana is another’s tropical paradise. Perhaps I could just say something like, “That is aesthetically displeasing to me”. Or how about “That is an interesting choice”. Or I could say, “I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!”.

Old habits are so hard to break.