The Hortisexual

That’s it. Game over.

No, I’m not talking about the Red Sox pounding the Rockies to pebbles in the Series.

We had our first frost in Medford Lakes this week.

It was a great run. Like the perfect baseball season, when your team plays late into October, my annuals and perennials performed with summer-like vigor till nearly Halloween.

So, as I clean up the mushy remnants of the ’07 season, here’s a re-cap of a few notable all-stars, as well as a bunch of benchwarmers from my garden . . .

Studs

‘Macarena’ New Guinea Impatiens – started from Burpee seeds; vibrant and vigorous; non-stop, eye-popping tangerine blossoms; the bold color worked terrific among foliage plants in my antique urn and the shade bed; self-cleaning; the leaves didn’t scorch from sun.

‘Pygmy Egyptian Papyrus’ (Cyperus haspan) – first saw these in containers in Longwood’s Idea Garden in 2006. Had to have them. After an extensive search I mail ordered from WorldPlants.com in Oregon. Great service, fair prices, unusual collection. Check ‘em out: http://www.worldplants.com The dwarf papyrus plants are like Fourth of July sparklers atop sturdy 12 – 18 inch stems. A cool centerpiece specimen in my patio containers. These babies are coming inside during the offseason! View image

‘Purple Heart’ (Tradescantia pallid) – The muted mulberry succulent foliage caught my eye last winter in Florida where they are used extensively as groundcover. Found a flat here at Lowes (you know - - where healthy plants go to die); drought tolerant, so I guess even big box retailers couldn’t dry them out; every morning petite pink flowers with yellow stamens. View image

Bolivian Rainbow chile peppers – from Seeds of Change; a plant that really lives up to its name: red, orange, yellow, purple; bright color among the shades of green in our back porch herb collection. View image

Sweet Shrub ‘Hartledge Wine’ (Calycanthus ) - Hank Schannen of Rare Find Nursery in Jackson, NJ sent me home with this native shrub two years ago. In mid-summer I decided to move it; pruned it by one-third to help it recover from transplanting. What do you know: a second show of mauve magnolia-like flowers in early August from this May/June-bloomer.View image

Torenia ‘Catalina® Pink’ – neglect it, relegate it to a shady spot, and it keeps putting out. What more can I say about this quietly reliable annual. View image

Duds

‘Red Lightning’ tomato – low yield; smallish fruit; cracked like eggs. View image

Elephant Ear ‘Rhubarb’ (Colocasia esculenta) – sure the stalks were long and dark merlot, as advertised, but not very erect; more splayed than sturdy; the leaves were disproportionately undersized and drab in color and texture - - great legs, plain face; throughout much of the summer the foliage was mottled by brown discoloration and curling along the edges; I moved it from shade to sun to part shade to no avail. View image

Corkscrew rush ‘Unicorn’ (Juncus effusus) – based on the catalog description I purchased one for a tall element to a container grouping; certainly didn’t reach to 18 inches. View image

Coreopsis ‘Limerock Ruby’ – Let’s see, we had one of the mildest winters on record last year. So what happened to this “perennial” rated hardy all the way north to Zone 4??? View image

All the varieties of Osteospermum hybrids – these plants call out to nursery junkies like sirens from garden center tables every spring; look great for the first few weeks of the season then fade faster down the stretch than the 2007 Mets! View image

Tell me about your 2007 Studs and Duds!

Photos courtesy of Burpees, Plant Delights Nursery, Proven Winners, Seeds of Change, WorldPlants.com and Philadelphia Inquirer Sports.