New in Deb's Garden: Acanthus 'Whitewater'

"Oh!" 

I prefer to buy my plants from local nurseries. I have had the experience of paying too much on line for a plant that arrived on death's door or else pitifully small for the price. But once again I had fallen victim to a glossy catalogue photo of a plant I had never seen before. So as I opened the box containing my newly arrived Acanthus 'Whitewater', I was anxious that my worse fears would be confirmed.

I had only partially opened the container when a large leaf unfurled out of its wrappings, like a young animal's enthusiastic attempt to escape its cage. I exclaimed at the plant's beauty as I released it from a covering of styrofoam packing.Here is what my new Acanthus 'Whitewater' looked like immediately after arrival.

Acanthus 'Whitewater' is a perennial with striking deep green leaves with creamy variegation. That is enough to make me love it, but it also will produce spikes of pink and cream flowers in early to midsummer. This plant needs some space, growing 3 feet tall and wide.A closer look at Acanthus 'Whitewater'

An easy care, vigorous plant, it will grow in USDA hardiness zones 7 - 10. It likes shade to part shade and prefers moist but well-drained loamy soil. However, it will grow in poorer soil and is also tolerant of heat and humidity. I just planted mine in a shadier part of my new pollinator garden, and I am eager to see how it does. 3' x 3' sounds big to me, but I know happy plants in my climate often exceed expectations. So I placed it in a corner where it can get much larger without bothering other plants or looking out of place. 

Time will tell, but after a week in the ground, Acanthus 'Whitewater' looks very happy. 

Giant Ironweed for Pollinators

I am developing a new area of my garden. It is a large wild space previously given over to ugly weeds that Lou occasionally hit with a weed wacker. It is not close to a water source, and the plants in this area are going to be tough, primarily native plants. I began to plant last week. (Yes, it's August! I know I am crazy - hardly the best time to plant, but when the mood strikes...you know how it is.) The first plant I put in was Veronia gigantea. It quickly responded to its new home by opening its buds. The butterflies, hummingbirds, and other pollinators have already found it.

Veronia gigantea - or Giant Ironweed - is appropriately named. This native  perennial will grow up to 9 feet tall, and it holds its abundant, vivid purple blooms from mid summer to fall on rigid stems that never slouch. This plant is in the same family with asters, and it is easy to see the resemblence.

Giant Ironweed will grow in US hardiness zones 5 - 8, and its ideal region is the Southeast. It is a versatile perennial, growing in dry to moist soils in grasslands and prairies, woodlands and along roadsides. Give it full sun to partial shade and plenty of room, as it will multiply. Farmers often consider it a bad weed, but there is a place for it.

It is an excellent nectar plant. If you have room in your garden for this vibrant plant, hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies will appreciate it.