The horticulture industry is chock-full of plant enthusiasts, and here at Loma Vista Nursery, it is no different. Each day at work, you can find our staff debating various plants. Every day it feels the March Madness NCAA bracket but with plants. And instead of the challenge lasting just one month, this debate goes on year-round. So, we decided to give our employees a space to claim their favorite plants by having a monthly “Top 5 Plants” post.
This week’s feature: Karen
Karen is our Quality Control Manager.She is one of our most important team members at Loma Vista Nursery because she makes sure all our plants reach the quality and variety specifications they are supposed to before we sell and ship them out to customers. She is a plant expert to say the least, and her love of plants doesn’t stop at work. She also loves planting things around her property and caring for them. Here is her Top 5 List below.
Her Top 5
1. Crape Myrtle “Enduring Summer”: Karen thinks these plants are fantastic because of their showy flowers. In fact, she likes them so much that she has them planted all around her pool at home. That way she can relax in the pool while surrounded by beautiful flowers. The Enduring Variety beats out other varieties because of its compact size and its flowers that bloom from summer to fall.
above: Crape Myrtle “Enduring Summer”
2. Scabiosa: Anyone who knows Karen knows that she is obsessed with flowers. She herself admits, “Nothing is more beautiful than flowers,” and that’s exactly why Scabiosa makes her Top 5 List. The flowers come in blue, pink, or white and bloom from spring until frost. They’re also known as the ‘Pincushion Flower’ because of their distinctive shape that sets them apart from most other perennials.
above: Scabiosa “Butterfly Blue”
3. Viburnum Winterthur: Karen likes a lot of viburnum varieties, but Winterthur is her favorite. “Winterthur is different than other varieties because of its leaves,” she says. “The leaves are glossy and smooth unlike other viburnums.” On top of the awesome foliage, these plants pretty flowers and really cool berries. The berries start out as a pink color, and then they fade to a deep blue/black.
above: Viburnum “Winterthur”
4. Oso Easy® Paprika Rose: “I’m obsessed with every part of this plant,” Karen says, and anyone who has ever grown the Oso Easy Paprika Rose would also agree. Karen love’s their show-stopping flowers that bleed from orange to yellow. On top of having amazing flowers, she also appreciates that these roses have pretty, shiny green foliage and are extremely easy to maintain.
Above: Rose “Oso Easy® Paprika”
5. Elderberry “Black Lace®”: Unlike a lot of plants on Karen’s list, she loves this elderberry solely because of its foliage. It’s leaves are a dark, blackish-purple, and they have a unique texture. “Nothing really compares to it,” Karen says, “and that’s why I like it.” These plants do have flowers in the spring, and they produce berries.
above: Elderberry “Black Lace®” photo by Proven Winners.
EXTRA: Tulip Tree: Karen did not want to be limited to only five plants because, as she says, “I just love too many plants.” Her all-time favorite tree is the Tulip Tree because it encompasses everything she loves in a plant. She thinks the leaves are really pretty and thinks has the most impressive flowers of any tree.
above: Tulip Tree bloom
Honorable Mentions: Again, Karen is a true plant enthusiast/afficionado, so here are some plants that were so close to making her top list: Viburnum “Mariesii,” Variegated Weigela, Hibiscus “Ardens,” Hibiscus “Lavender Chiffon®,” and all Azaleas.
Have Questions About Plants?
We may be a wholesale grower, but our staff are experts in the field. What’s more, is we love helping people learn more and understand more about plants. We grow healthy plants, and we want our plants (and any plants really) to be successful in the landscapes they are planted in. Feel free to email us at sales@lomavistanursery.com or call us at (785) 229-7200 if you ever have plant-related questions.
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