Here are our top 5 plant picks to help those folks who find themselves a little more sensitive in the garden during the summer months due to allergies:
- Chicago Apache Daylily
- Stairway to Heaven - Jacob's Ladder
- P.J.M. Rhododendron
- Dart's Gold Ninebark
- Black Chokeberry
Chicago Apache Daylily
Our Chicago Apache Daylily is a tetraploid with 5" deep scarlet red color, green throat and ruffled edges. This beautiful flower blooms mid to late summer (June-August). It will reach a mature height of 28". Like most daylilies this also enjoys full sun. It is an easy plant and drought resistant.
Chicago Apache Daylily Quick Facts:
| Bloom Time: | June - August |
| Color: | Green, Red, Yellow |
| Plant Size: | Around 28" high |
| Flower Color: | Red with bits of Yellow |
| Sunlight: | Full Sun |
| Soil Conditions: | Normal, Sandy, Clay, Acidic, Dry |
| Growing Zones: | 3 - 9 |
Stairway to Heaven - Jacob's Ladder
The Stairway to Heaven - Jacob's Ladder perennial has incredible variegated foliage with cream edges (and pink flushes in spring) and a nice cool green color. The plant likes full or partial shade in rich well-drained soils for it to grow best. This is an excellent border plant to use under trees and shrubs or even in pots. The flowers are an intense blue and born above the foliage at about 16" tall. The flowers are produced from April through June. This plant has good vigor for a variegated form.
Stairway to Heaven - Jacob's Ladder Quick Facts:
| Bloom Time: | April - June |
| Color: | Blue, Green, Pink, White |
| Plant Size: | Around 16" tall x 16" wide |
| Flower Color: | Purple-blue |
| Sunlight: | Full Shade to Partial Shade |
| Soil Conditions: | Normal, Sandy, Clay, Acidic, Dry |
| Growing Zones: | 4 - 8 |
P.J.M. Rhododendron
The leaves are 1" by 2 1/2" on the P.J.M. Rhododendron and usually elliptic, leathery and dark green. Foliage changes to a plum-purple in fall, persisting through winter. Flowers are a spectacular bright lavender-pink, covering the rounded plant in late April. This plant prefers adequate drainage and does well with the protection of an eastern exposure. Needs acid, moist, well-drained soils. Does best in partial shade. This plant matures to be around 3-6' high and wide.
P.J.M. Rhododendron Quick Facts:
| Bloom Time: | April |
| Color: | Green, Purple, Red |
| Plant Size: | Around 3-6' wide and tall |
| Flower Color: | Bright lavender-pink (plum in fall) |
| Sunlight: | Partial Shade |
| Soil Conditions: | Normal, Sandy, Clay, Acidic |
| Growing Zones: | 4 - 7 |
Dart's Gold Ninebark
The Dart's Gold Ninebark is a compact variety of Golden Ninebark. Spring and fall foliage is a nice yellow-gold and summer color is lime-green to golden tone. This shrub is medium-sized and yet somewhat compact. This Ninebark makes for an attractive plant for its color contrast. Mature growth is around 5-6' tall and wide.
Dart's Gold Ninebark Quick Facts:
| Bloom Time: | June |
| Color: | Green, White Yellow |
| Plant Size: | Around 5-6' tall x 5-6' wide |
| Flower Color: | White (yellow-gold in fall) |
| Sunlight: | Full Sun to Partial Shade |
| Soil Conditions: | Normal, Sandy, Acidic, Clay, Dry |
| Growing Zones: | 2 - 7 |
Black Chokeberry
The Black Chokeberry is an excellent landscape shrub with multi-season interest. The dark, glossy leaves turn purple, orange, and a brilliant red in fall. White flowers are borne in clusters and precede the clusters of blue-black colored fruit called aronia berries. The plant is self-fruitful, and is high in Vitamin C, iodine, and antioxidants. It helps reduce inflammation in the body when ingested. Chokeberry fruit should be harvested late August or early September and can be used as juice, dried, stewed, or simply frozen to be used in smoothies. This plant gets to be around 5-7' tall and about 5' wide. Renewal prune by removing the oldest stems out to the ground and allowing the new shoots to grow from the base.
Black Chokeberry Quick Facts:
| Bloom Time: | May |
| Color: | Blue, Green, Orange, Purple, Red, White |
| Plant Size: | Around 5-7' tall x 5' wide |
| Flower Color: | White |
| Fall Color: | Purple, orange, red |
| Fruit Color: | Blue-Black |
| Sunlight: | Full Sun |
| Soil Conditions: | Normal, Acidic |
| Growing Zones: | 3 - 7 |