Nursery offers list of unusual garden plants

Long trusted by the horticultural elite as the best source for rare and unusual plants, Hersonwood Nursery in Warminster, Pa., has released its 2008 must-have cultivar collection.

George Ball, president of Hersonwood, said, "We offer an exceptional assortment of nearly 1,000 cultivars including eight new hellebores and 75 never-before-seen perennials.

Staff members travel to Europe, the United Kingdom, Asia and South America searching for unusual plants.

New for 2008 are:

•Acanthus mollis, "Tasmanian Angel.” A variegated twist on the common bear's breeches. Bold variegated leaves for the season-long ornamental base below a stunning 5-foot-tall pink and white flower stalk. It's a wonderful container plant for all gardens and an excellent border plant.

•Campanula, "Pink Octopus.” Unusual pink, alien-like buds open to striking pink octopus-like weeping flowers. The plant forms a strong clump without being overly aggressive in the garden.

•Hakonechloa, "Beni Kazi.” The first Japanese Forest Grass that shines with its fall color.

Although green throughout spring and summer, Beni Kazi, which means "red wind” in Japanese, has a striking fall color reminiscent of the reds seen driving through New England. It's perfect to accentuate a shady border or mass along a stream or pond to reflect the autumn tints of nature.

•Salvia, "Sensation Rose.” A spectacular hardy salvia that bursts forth with pink spires atop free flowering stems in early spring providing a never ending meal for butterflies. At only 12 inches tall, this variety is perfect for both a border and a container, rarely being bothered by deer browse.

•Tropaeolum speciosum. A wonderful scarlet flowering nasturtium vine. A superb companion for Cryptomeria, Abies or other evergreen trees and shrubs.