Garden Superstars for Spring 2008

From show-stopping roses to containers rich in history, Spring 2008 promises to be an exciting year for garden lovers.

“Gardening this year will be easier than ever before, and a lot more fun, thanks to exciting new plants and smart new garden products scheduled for release this spring,” says Susan McCoy, owner of the Garden Media Group, a lawn and garden public relations agency.

As spring approaches, McCoy reveals a few of her favorite garden superstars for spring 2008.

New Stars in the Garden are no Divas
Looking for a great low-maintenance flowering shrub for your garden? Try the new Drift series of landscape groundcover roses for year round color with little to no effort. A cross between full-size groundcover roses and miniature roses, Drift Roses have a low, spreading habit that makes them perfect for container gardening, hanging baskets and small gardens. Highly disease resistant, they require no spraying except in the most black spot prone areas of the Deep South. Bred to be “chemical-free”, Drifts resist rust, mildew, Japanese beetles and black spot, while blooming for months on end. To find out more about these and other fine Star Roses, visit http://www.starroses.com/.

Outdoor Living Takes on New Rooms
As we expand outdoors to entertain, cook and just relax, more of us are taking refuge in custom built gazebos to add an extra “room” in the backyard. New from Amish Country Gazebos (www.amishgazebos.com), the nation’s leading retailer of custom crafted Amish structures, is the 2008 Lancaster Collection. Named after prominent Pennsylvania cities, this series features three stunning handcrafted models: The Manheim, Carlisle, and Devon. Headquartered in Lancaster County Pennsylvania, this family-owned business uses only the finest materials for each and every special order and offers a lifetime guarantee on every gazebo they produce. For more information or to order a catalog, visit www.amishgazebos.com or call (800) 700-1777.



Garden Tropics for a Great Escape
Gone are the days when gardening in colder climates meant using only boxwoods, hostas and cold-hardy perennials. Thanks to advances in breeding, tropical beauties like the Bahama Bay Hibiscus collection can be successfully grown in gardens situated well above the Mason-Dixon Line.

Nearly two dozen hibiscuses with enormous bi- and tri-colored blooms accented with lush, dark green foliage are in the collection. With names like ‘Goin Steady’, ‘Heartbeat’ and ‘Big Bird,’ the plants have personalities all their own, and are a perfect fit for gardeners who have caught on to the tropical explosion. Gardeners in tropical climates, zones 7 to 9, can enjoy the hibiscus’ massive, multi-colored blooms almost year round. For those gardening in cooler climates, Bahama Bay will bloom abundantly during the summer months when grown in a container. For more information, visit http://www.bahamabay-hibiscus.com/.

Garden Accents Inspired By American History
A touch of class for any garden can be found in the new Williamsburg Collection from Campania International (www.campaniainternational.com). The collection features an extensive range of garden containers, including cast-stone replicas of urns in the Governor’s Palace gardens, part of Colonial Williamsburg’s Historic Area. Birdbaths, an elegant window box, and a stepping stone round out the product line.

This historical collection features the rich designs of Colonial Williamsburg, offering today’s gardener an exceptional array of historical American garden accents. Try one of these elegant accents inside or outside your home to achieve the latest “designer” look from Campania.

Healthy Gardens from the Ground Up
Start your container garden off right this season with high-quality planting soil that feeds the plants and keeps the soil moist longer. The new organic potting soil, called Organic Mechanics (www.organicmechanicsoil.com), is an all-purpose, peat-free, potting soil that is 100 percent organic and promises to improve plant performance. Gardeners can pick up Organic Mechanics potting soil at Whole Foods, Wegmans and Wild Oats or the new 1.5 cubic foot bag at fine garden centers.

Courtesy of ARAcontent