My 10(+1) favorite garden plants 2023
YES! After a year it's time for an update of my top 10 (+1) list of the best, most beautiful, strongest, most useful, these-you-want-to-have-in-the-garden garden plants. The new list is based on the past year in which I have learned a lot from the test garden, the conversations I have had with other plant enthusiasts and the travels I have made. The plants in the top 10 (+1) list are all drought-resistant and therefore future-proof. They differ in color (I went all out), flowering time, height and leaf structure. If you are inspired, you can get started with a planting design of this list. With each plant I give a small explanation about how, what and why. If you still have questions, leave them in a comment. Here we go, happy reading!
FAVORITE No. 1 - GERANIUM 'HOLLYWOOD'
Nope, not the Geranium that grandma is after. This is a long-lived garden Geranium. Let me say that as soon as possible. For the experienced gardener, it is more than logical that I am talking about a garden Geranium. For those who have just entered the garden world, probably not, that's why. There are a lot of Geraniums and you can choose endlessly from varieties with different flowers and flower colours, different leaf structures and heights and so on. You could literally drown in the huge selection there is now-a-days. To make it easy for you, I have chosen one for you. Geranium 'Hollywood' is a bushy Geranium with light pink flowers that are beautifully veined. She flowers for a very long time (from spring to autumn) and weaves nicely between other plants. It is best to use them solitary (1 per spot) in the smaller garden. In the somewhat larger garden, you could plant 4 or 5 together. It is always nice to have a plant in the garden that acts as a kind of backbone for the border with its long flowering period. This Geranium is certainly suitable for that! Height: 50 Color: light pink Flowering time: May - September Position: sun - partial shade
FAVORITE No. 2 - POLEMONIUM 'SONIA'S BLUEBELL'
I must honestly say that I have not used the Polemonium very much in recent years. I don't really know why. She is very useful for her leaf structure, but I was never completely sold. But that time is over because... *drumroll* Now I got to know this species from Frans from the nursery. It has beautiful feathered leaves with sweet lilac flowers above it. When it has finished flowering, the buds of the flowers turn pink/red, so that the plant retains its ornamental value. Highly recommended! She is low and therefore suitable for the first row of the border. Are you also sold? ;)
Height: 50
Color: Lilac
Flowering time: May - July
Position: Sun - partial shade
FAVORITE No. 3 - THALICTRUM AQUILEGIFOLIUM 'ALBUM'
Nice leaves, check Nice blooming, check Beautifully blossomed, check In early spring, she adorns the garden with her white, fluffy flowers. She then flowers at the same time as a number of flower bulbs, like the light and dark blue Camassia. A super combination! I think she's the most beautiful when she finished blooming. The once proudly upright flowers lower their heads and turn into pink seed pods. She keeps this look until the fall. After a few years, the plant can grow into a large plant. That's why I took her out of my small city garden. At the moment, small seedlings are coming up again, which is fine. These take up a lot less space. After a few years, these will also take up a lot of space and I will have to remove them again. That's how it goes in the garden. It is a living organism that is constantly changing.
Height: 100
Color: White
Flowering time: May - June
Position: Sun - partial shade
FAVORITE No. 4 - CHAEROPHYLLUM AZORICUM
So this is totally my thing; a plant with special leaves (beautiful all year round), lovely flowers, and she seems to come straight from the ditches of the Dutch polder. I don't come across them very often, because they are hardly grown anywhere. Such a shame, because as you can see it in the photo's below, she is really lovely. If you were lucky enough to get your hands on this plant, combine it with a grass such as Sesleria or Molinia, Geranium 'Hollywood', Salvia, Succisella and Scabiosa and you are guaranteed to have a party in the garden. Height: 100 Colour White Flowering time: June - July Position: Sun - partial shade
FAVORITE No. 5 - ASTER 'ANDENKEN AN ALMA POTSKE'
Oh boi, and this one can also be added to the list to complete the flower party. A blast in fall! My gosh. I must honestly say that this Aster comes across as rather intense when you only see it in a picture (see right photo, the bright pink flowers) but believe me, in fall the plant border can handle that. To give you an idea of this, you can see her in the left photo (put on your glasses) at the very back. Among all the other spicy autumn colors, this almost fluorescent pink flower color is absolutely marvelous.
Height: 120
Color: Fluorescent pink, hard pink
Flowering time: September - October
Position: Sun - partial shade
FAVORITE No. 6 - HEUCHERA VILLOSA
I'll bring you back from that fluorescent pink to a slightly quieter and more simple plant. This Heuchera has fresh green leaves and beautiful white flower spikes that are at their best in October. Combines nicely with Molinia and Euphorbia and does well in the shade, partial shade. I mainly use it for its beautiful leaf structure, which remains beautiful all year round. The white spikes are an extra gift. Height: 90 Colour White Flowering time: September - October Position: Part shade - shade
FAVORITE No. 7 - PATRINIA SCABIOSIFOLIA
Patrinia... I suddenly wonder if this is also a girl's name. Just a sec, let me Google this… Okay, not really. Never mind.
She is, however, related to the Valerian. She has a beautiful, airy inflorescence, and she is still beautiful after flowering. Furthermore, she has a spicy yellow color that is not very often loved, but in combination with other plants this can be extinguished. She is also very popular with butterflies and bees. For that reason alone, you could already apply it!
Height: 90
Color: yellow
Flowering time: July - August
Location: Sun
FAVORITE No. 8 - SALVIA 'ELLY'S PINK'
Those who follow me a little bit on Instagram have seen this plant a few times lately. All the way from the nursery of Coen Jansen in Dalfsen (a place in the north of the Netherlands) it ended up at nursery Kwekerij In goede Aarde in Biervliet (a place in the south). This is a strong plant that flowers early in the spring. As far as I know, it's only available at the nursery of Coen Jansen and at Frans and Franny in Biervliet. It forms a firm clump and because it blooms so exuberantly pink so early in the year, it stands out from miles away. As you can see in the picture below, she combines nicely with Allium.
Height: 80
Color: Pink
Flowering time: May - June
Location: Sun
FAVORITE No. 9 - SUCCISELLA 'FROSTED PEARLS'
Last year I bought this plant in spring at Plantwerk, another nursery in the Netherlands, and then planted it in the test garden. After planting, it didn't rain for months and somehow I completely forgot about this plant. Until in fall I suddenly saw small light blue balls floating in front of the Deschampsia. Mega surprised that this plant had survived the incredible heat of that summer. In the meantime they have grown into a large clump and they don't make a sound now either. Future plants! Height: 80 Color: very light blue Flowering time: June - September Location: Sun
FAVORITE No. 10 - SCABIOSA 'PERFECTA ALBA'
One of the few plants in this list that is also added to the plant list in my book. This plant has almost the same properties as all the plants mentioned above; very drought-resistant, blooms beautifully and for a long time and is still interesting to see when it has finished flowering. You also have her in the colors light blue and soft pink and is closely related to the Cephalaria and the Knautia. These two species can seed very much, which this Scabiosa does not. In the test garden I combined it with Briza media. A grateful and airy combination.
Height: 80
Colour White
Flowering time: June - September
Location: Sun
FAVORITE No. 11 - SANGUISORBA CANADENIS
Sanguisorbas should never be missing in the garden. Graceful, thin, airy and beautifully feathered leaves. The flowers weave friendly above the other plants, often accompanied by a bee or a butterfly. You have them in red, pink or white. The spikes of the S. canadensis sprout green and then turn white. A welcome plant in the border and easy to combine with other types of plants. Height: 120 Colour White Flowering time: July - September Position: Sun - partial shade
That's it, my top 10 (+1) favorite plant list! All delicious, easy plants to use in the garden, without any hassle or hassle. I hope I have been able to inspire you with a selection of plants that are not exactly common. There is so much beauty in the plant world! I wish you lots of gardening happiness! Love, Linda
Comments