Plant pests and pathogens get big consumer buzz and cost businesses money. Selecting pest and disease resistant plants for landscape and garden projects is good business.
Disease “resistance” means that a plant, tree or shrub is bred to resist most common diseases and pathogens. Disease resistance supports plant vitality and environmental security. It also saves consumers time and money.
“Resistant,” however, does not mean “immune.” Plant health depends on many conditions. They include climate and weather fluctuations, pest populations, placement in the landscape, soil issues and a host of other human and environmental factors.
SANC Certification
Loma Vista Nursery takes plant health very seriously. We are one of the first in the country to receive SANC certification in late 2018. SANC is Systems Approach to Nursery Certification.
Administered by the National Plant Board, the program is voluntary, audit based and designed for production nurseries and grower greenhouses to reduce pest risks associated with movement of nursery stock. The benchmarks are many and the process is rigorous but the outcome ensures that every possible measure is taken to certify a healthy plant stock.
Along with Double Play Doozie® Spirea (Spiraea x) pictured at the top of our blog, here are a few of the disease resistant plants we grow. Be sure to ask for these at your local independent garden center.
Double Play® Gold Spirea (Spiraea japonica) – Proven Winners photo
Double Play® Gold Spirea
Bright, lime-green foliage and fuchsia flowers top Double Play® Gold Spirea through spring and summer. This is a compact, mounded shrub that requires little pruning or maintenance. Use it as an accent plant in mixed beds and as a thriller in containers.
Double Play® Gold Spirea is about 2 feet tall and wide at maturity. Disease and deer resistant, it attracts hummingbirds. Plant in part sun or full sun. This shrub is best in USDA Hardiness Zones 3 to 8.
Sombrero® ‘Flamenco Orange’ Coneflower (Echinacea hybrida)
Sombrero® ‘Flamenco Orange’ Coneflower
Plant this “magnet” for butterflies, hummingbirds, bees and songbirds, please! Easy to grow and a popular perennial, Sombrero® ‘Flamenco Orange’ Coneflower loves sun and shade and tolerates drought conditions. It has an upright habit and mature height in the garden of about 1.5 feet. Spread is about 2 feet.
Sombrero® ‘Flamenco Orange’ Coneflower is true to its name, with vibrant orange blooms in summer. Foliage is deep green. Add this disease-resistant coneflower to your pollinator or cutting garden for a spectacular display. Plant in USDA Hardiness Zones 4 to 9.
Buxus ‘Little Missy’ (Buxus microphylla ‘Little Missy’)
Buxus ‘Little Missy’
At only 2.5 feet high and 3.5 feet wide, this compact, rounded boxwood is as cute as its name. Buxus ‘Little Missy’ has a dense habit and dark-green glossy foliage. Disease resistant, it has a particularly high resistance to Boxwood Blight.
Plant Buxus ‘Little Missy’ along a border, or with other hedges for privacy. This boxwood is also versatile in a container. Water regularly when established. Plant in full sun in USDA Hardiness Zones 5 to 9.
Pacific Sunset® Maple (Acer truncatum x A. platanoides ‘Warrenred’)
Pacific Sunset® Maple
Disease resistant and resistant to Japanese beetles, Pacific Sunset® Maple has smooth, glossy-green foliage that turns bright yellow, orange and red in fall. This hybrid is a versatile shade tree that matures to 30 feet tall and 25 feet wide.
Pacific Sunset® Maple is a perfect parkway or sidewalk tree. It has an upright shape, rounded crown and spreading and arching branches. Its growth rate is moderate to rapid. This maple performs best in USDA Hardiness Zone 4b.
Spice Baby™ Koreanspice Viburnum (Viburnum carlesii) – Proven Winners photo
Spice Baby™ Koreanspice Viburnum
This spicy, fragrant viburnum is smaller than others but just as tough in the garden. Spice Baby™ Koreanspice Viburnum has a mature height and spread of 5 feet. White flowers bloom in spring and summer. It will produce berries after flowering, but it takes two to tango! This viburnum requires another carlesii in a different cultivar to produce its blue-black berries.
Spice Baby™ Koreanspice Viburnum blooms on old wood and is deer resistant. It prefers moist, well-drained soil. It may be trimmed after flowering. Fertilize with a controlled release fertilizer in spring. Plant in part sun to full sun in USDA Hardiness Zones 4 to 8.
Fizzy Mizzy® Sweetspire (Itea virginica) – Proven Winners photo
Fizzy Mizzy® Sweetspire
Upright flower spikes make Fizzy Mizzy® Sweetspire something to smile about! And talk about versatility: this early summer bloomer can stand up to full shade and thrive in full sun. Its sweet fragrance attracts bees and butterflies. When it’s finished flowering, gorgeous dark-green foliage continues to put on a show in the garden.
Disease tolerant with blooms on old wood, Fizzy Mizzy® Sweetspire is deer resistant. Its upright bloom and uniform, mounded habit bring adaptability to any space. The deciduous shrub reaches a mature height and spread of 3 feet. Plant in USDA Hardiness Zones 5 to 9.
Pugster Blue® Butterfly Bush (Buddleia x)
Pugster Blue® Butterfly Bush
Blue flowers are hard to find in any landscape. Pugster Blue® Butterfly Bush delivers big-time with huge flowers on a compact shrub. A fragrant best-seller, it offers continuous blooms from summer through fall. Flowers are rich blue with yellow-orange centers on each petal. At maturity, height is about 2 feet. Width is 3 feet. Stems are sturdy and thick with emerald-green foliage.
Pugster Blue® Butterfly Bush blooms on new wood. It requires average soil with good drainage. This is an excellent landscape shrub in full sun and is versatile in containers. Disease resistant, it attracts butterflies, bees and hummingbirds. Plant in USDA Hardiness Zones 5 to 9.
Our healthy plants are grown for Midwest landscapes. Take a look through Loma Vista Nursery’s plant catalog for more information.
Learn More About Plants from Loma Vista Nursery!
Loma Vista Nursery’s staff members are experts in the field. We love helping people learn and understand more about healthy plants that perform well in Midwest landscapes. Feel free to email us at sales@lomavistanursery.com or call us at (785) 229-7200 to get help with your plant-related questions.
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