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Plants Of Merit 2009
Over 50 outstanding and
dependable plants suitable for the St. Louis region.
Emeritus Plants Of Merit - Annuals
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| begonia - - - Annuals |
| Begonia 'Bepared' DRAGON WING RED |
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| A compact F1 hybrid, DRAGON WING RED features angelwing-like, shiny green leaves and large drooping scarlet flowers. This is a superb annual bloomer for sun or shade, providing continuous summer flowers for hanging baskets, window boxes, containers or bedding areas. |
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| million bells - - - Annuals |
| Calibrachoa 'Sunbelkist' MILLION BELLS TERRA COTTA |
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| Also called million bells, this plant produces a profuse bloom of 1-inch wide miniature petunia-like flowers from spring to frost on compact, mounded plants growing 3-9 inches tall. Flowers are a blend of earthy yellow, bronze, apricot and brick red tones. Thrives in full sun, and its trailing habit makes it ideal for use in hanging baskets, window boxes and containers. |
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| canna - - - Annuals |
| Canna 'Striata' |
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| This large tropical canna grows 4-6 feet tall. It thrives in high heat and will serve as an excellent free-flowering annual for sunny garden areas or containers. Large, upright, paddle-shaped, yellow and green striped leaves are magnificent, especially when backlit by sun. Orange flowers bloom in racemes atop purplish stems from summer to early autumn. Rhizomes should be planted in the garden after last spring frost date and lifted in fall after the first frost for overwintering indoors. |
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| sweet bell pepper - - - Annuals |
| Capsicum annuum 'Park's Early Thickset' |
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| This pepper is an improved hybrid that matures in 45 days after transplanting making it earlier than many others. It forms four-lobed fruit near the crown with good foliage cover to prevent sunscald. Fruit turns a bright scarlet color when fully mature. Tobacco mosaic virus resistant. |
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| false heather - - - Annuals |
| Cuphea hyssopifolia |
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| A rounded, densely branched 1-2 foot tall tropical shrub. It produces quaint small lavender flowers along stems crowded with glossy green leaves. Blooms summer to frost. Good tolerance for heat and drought. A great accent plant when grown in sunny borders, containers or hanging baskets. Can be trimmed into almost any shape. |
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| evolvulus - - - Annuals |
| Evolvulus glomeratus 'Hawaiian Blue Eyes' |
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| This annual produces 1-inch diameter, sky blue, morning glory-like flowers on trailing stems clad with small, silvery-green leaves. Blooms freely throughout the summer. Foliage and flowers are an attractive addition to hanging baskets, window boxes, containers and beds. |
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| globe amaranth - - - Annuals |
| Gomphrena globosa 'Buddy' |
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| The green foliage accents the deep purple, clover-like flowers on this compact, 9-inch tall selection. Flowers have a papery texture and are highly valued for dried arrangements. Blooms continuously from summer to frost. A superb flowering plant for annual beds, borders or large containers. |
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| scarlet bush - - - Annuals |
| Hamelia patens |
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| Scarlet bush is sometimes called firecracker shrub because its tubular orange-red flowers resemble firecrackers. Grown as an annual locally, the flowers will bloom in showy clusters from summer to fall on shrubby plants rising to 2-3 feet tall. Whorls of pointed, oval, gray-green leaves with pinkish veins turn red in fall. Flowers are attractive to butterflies and hummingbirds. Container plants may be overwintered as houseplants, albeit with some difficulty. |
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| hemigraphis - - - Annuals |
| Hemigraphis 'Exotica' |
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| Waffled, dense, glossy maroon leaves on red stems
distinguish this compact foliage annual that typically
grows to 9 inches tall and spreads to 20 inches wide.
Foliage provides excellent texture and contrast to beds,
border and containers. It thrives in consistently moist soils
and may also be grown in water gardens. |
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| cypress vine - - - Annuals |
| Ipomoea quamoclit |
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| Grown as an annual locally, this twining tropical vine in the morning glory family typically reaches 6-10 feet in length in a single season. Although thin-stemmed and fragile, it provides superb ornamental cover for decks, trellises, fences and other structures around the home. Scarlet tubular flowers that are star-shaped at the mouth bloom freely from early summer to fall. Deeply cut leaves in threadlike segments give the foliage a ferny appearance. Hummingbirds and butterflies love the flowers. |
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| laurentia - - - Annuals |
| Isotoma axillaris |
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| Native to frost-free areas of Australia, this plant is
grown in St. Louis as an annual. Star-shaped, light blue
to purple-blue flowers bloom continuously from summer
to fall. Each plant typically forms a compact, upright
mound to 6–12 inches tall. Deeply-dissected leaves.
Excellent for rock gardens, edging or containers.
May self-seed in optimum conditions. |
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| hyacinth bean - - - Annuals |
| Lablab purpureus |
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| An ornamental twining vine with handsome, purple-tinged,
trifoliate leaves. Rapidly grows up to 20 feet and will easily
cover a trellis in a single season. Spikes of pea-like bright
rose-purple flowers are followed by flat, glossy, ruby-purple
seedpods. Given a sunny location, it will bloom
continuously throughout the summer. An excellent
annual for covering walls, trellises or fences. |
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| sweet alyssum - - - Annuals |
| Lobularia maritima 'Snow Crystals' |
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| This plant is popular because of its ability to be planted in numerous places including the rock garden, between pavers, flag stones or in containers. Plants remain low, spread quickly and develop small, white, sweet smelling flowers in mass. Flowering will continue all summer if the temperature remains moderate. Plant in a sunny or part shade area with well-drained soil. Dormancy may occur in hot weather. ‘Snow Crystals’ is more heat tolerant than other selections. |
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| tomato - - - Annuals |
| Lycopersicon esculentum 'Big Beef' |
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| This tomato is an indeterminate, red beefsteak-type weighing 8 to 12 ounces. The harvest period is about 73 days making it very early for the size. It has good resistance against several fungal wilt pathogens, stem canker, nematodes and tobacco mosaic virus. Plants should be staked and pruned. All-America Selections® Winner in 1994. |
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| tomato - - - Annuals |
| Lycopersicon esculentum 'Pink Girl' |
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| This tomato is a mid-season hybrid that produces large quantities of pink colored, medium to large, juicy fruit right up to frost. The taste is mild and delicate. Plants are indeterminate and require staking for best growth and production. Resistant to Alternaria, Fusarium, Verticillium and stem canker pathogens. |
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| melampodium - - - Annuals |
| Melampodium divaricatum 'Derby' |
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| Formerly included in the genus Chrysanthemum, this compact bushy annual grows 12-18 inches tall, but produces an abundance of 1-inch golden-yellow daisy-like flowers throughout summer to first frost in a continuous and showy floral display. Excellent for window boxes, containers or as a bedding plant. |
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| tobacco plant - - - Annuals |
| Nicotiana sylvestris |
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| Produces four to five-foot tall, erect flowering stalks with large, rough-textured leaves. Flower clusters are made up of one-inch-long, sweetly scented trumpets that droop. Blooms summer to frost. Locate in sun to part shade and well-drained, moist soil. Useful in mid or back of border. Mix with cleomes and fountain grass. |
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| cupflower - - - Annuals |
| Nierembergia scoparia 'Mont Blanc' |
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| Small upward-facing cup-shaped white flowers with yellow centers cover this plant throughout the growing season. Flowering may decline in the heat of the summer, but perks up quickly as cooler temperatures return. Grows in a low bushy mound to 4-5 inches tall and spreads to about 12 inches. Excellent for sunny window boxes, hanging baskets, edging, beds, borders and rock gardens. |
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| cupflower - - - Annuals |
| Nierembergia scoparia 'Purple Robe' |
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| Cup-shaped violet blue flowers cover this 6–10 inch
tall plant with bloom from summer to fall. An excellent
annual for bedding, edging, baskets, window boxes
or containers. |
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| marjoram - - - Annuals |
| Origanum 'Kent Beauty' |
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| Although its leaves are aromatic, this oregano is primarily grown for ornamental, not culinary use. It is a bushy, trailing plant to 10 inches tall with wiry stems densely covered with small, oval, silver-veined leaves. Unique, drooping, pink-bracted, hop-like flowers put on an outstanding floral display from summer into fall. May survive a mild St. Louis winter with protection. Best in window boxes, containers, rock gardens, borders or as an edging. Good dried flower. |
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| black-eyed Susan - - - Annuals |
| Rudbeckia hirta 'Indian Summer' |
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| A large-flowered cultivar of one of our most beloved midwestern prairie wildflowers. Although technically a biennial or short-lived perennial, it is usually grown as an annual, though it will often reseed. Giant 6-9 inch flowerheads with bright yellow rays and purplish-brown center disks bloom from summer to fall atop stiff upright stems rising 18-24 inches tall. These flowers provide bold, stunning color and contrast to summer borders. They also are outstanding when cut for fresh or dried arrangements. |
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| fan flower - - - Annuals |
| Scaevola aemula 'Blue Wonder' |
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| Thrives in hot, humid climates where it produces a non-stop bloom of violet fan-shaped flowers on trailing stems throughout summer to first frost. The profusion of the bloom coupled with the unique shape of the cool blue flowers makes this an exciting selection for hanging baskets and window boxes. ‘New Wonder’ is a closely related new selection with similar characteristics. |
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| Persian shield - - - Annuals |
| Strobilanthes dyerianus |
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| Bold, iridescent purple leaves with prominent dark
green veining develop a silvery sheen with age on this
upright, shrubby foliage annual that grows 2–4 feet tall.
Best foliage colors are developed in locations with part
afternoon shade, but plants tolerate close to full shade.
Foliage contrasts exceedingly well with green-leaved
plants in beds and borders. |
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| Dahlberg daisy - - - Annuals |
| Thymophylla tenuiloba |
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| Six-inch high, mounding plant with aromatic, fern-like leaves. Blooms all summer with yellow/gold, half-inch daisy flowers. Plant in well-drained soil and full.sun. Early spring planting is essential. Edging or container plant. Tolerates heat, poor and dry soil. Great rock garden plant. Blooms summer to frost. |
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| tall verbena - - - Annuals |
| Verbena bonariensis |
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| This plant displays a unique plant form, producing deep lilac clusters of flowers on stiff, slender stems, three to four feet tall. Height can be controlled by pinching seedlings back. Good see-through plant. Flowers from mid-summer through fall. Long-lasting cut flower. Also useful for containers or bedding. May self-seed and naturalize, but easy to control with hand weeding. |
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| verbena - - - Annuals |
| Verbena 'Imagination' |
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| Intense violet-blue flowers of this seed-grown verbena
bloom profusely in clusters throughout the growing
season on spreading/trailing stems clad with feathery,
deeply-cut foliage. It has good heat and drought
tolerance and makes an excellent addition to beds,
borders, rock gardens, baskets and containers. Also quite
effective as an edging plant along paths and sidewalks. |
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| elephant's ear - - - Annuals |
| Xanthosoma 'Lime Zinger' |
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| Huge 18-inch lime green leaves reminiscent of elephant ears adorn this tropical foliage plant that grows from a tuberous rhizome to 3-4 feet tall. Plants are grown for their interesting foliage and not their flowers which are produced infrequently. Leaves may scorch in full sun or turn a flat medium green in too much shade. Rhizomes are planted in the ground or in containers in spring after last frost date and dug up in fall before first frost for overwintering indoors in a cool, dry place. |
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| creeping zinnia - - - Annuals |
| Zinnia angustifolia 'Classic' |
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| This small flowered zinnia features single, daisy-like blooms on bushy, spreading, narrow-leaved, 8-12 inch tall plants. They flower non-stop until frost and are ideal selections for hot and humid summer climates. Exceptional disease resistance. Flower color ranges from white to yellow, orange and gold. Excellent for bedding, edging and containers. |
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Garden, 2001-2009
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