Name:  Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Golden Mop' aka Gold Mop cypress or gold mop false-cypress Type of Plant:  An evergreen with golden, thread-like foliage that grows well in full sun or part-shade. Easy to grow in zones 5 through 7. Why I Love This: Color and texture 12...

Name:  Weigela florida ‘Rubidor’ Type of Plant:  A shrub that’s hardy in zones 5-9 that brings a large dose of “POW” to the garden. This variety of an old fashioned shrub has brilliant yellow leaves, bright pink (some say rose red) flowers, and a fairly large,...

Name:  Euphorbia pulcherrima – aka the Poinsettia Type of Plant:  A shrub in zones 9-11 but for most of us this is a holiday greenhouse plant. We all are familiar with the standard colors – red, white etc…but there are many more new varieties with new and novel bracts...

Name:  Impatiens Spreading SunPatiens Variegated Salmon Type of Plant:  Annual SunPatiens are similar to New Guinea impatiens in that they will tolerate full sun or part shade. These impatiens are not effected by downy mildew, and this variety grows wider than it is...

Name:  Narcissus papyraceus aka paperwhite narcissus Type of Plant: A perennial bulb to the Mediterranean but an annual in most of North America, this bulb is most frequently forced to produce fragrant flowers inside during the winter. Why I Love This:  Who doesn’t...

Name:  Tropaeolum majus aka garden nasturtium Type of Plant: This is an annual for those in the colder regions, and a plant that is so easy to grow from seed. Nasturtiums thrive in full sun and other than occasional aphid they are remarkably pest free. Why I Love...

Name:  Salvia elegans ‘Golden Delicious’ aka golden pineapple sage Type of Plant: This is an annual for those in the colder regions, but a perennial in Zones 8 to 10. But what a long season of interest it has in the garden! Grow this salvia in full sun where you want...

Name:  Solanum lycopersicum ‘Sun Gold’ aka the Sun Gold tomato Type of Plant: One of the sweetest, tastiest tomatoes you can grow. It’s a cherry tomato that’s orange not red, and the plants bear long clusters of fruit over a very long season. Why I Love This:  These...

Name:  Paeonia suffruticosa, aka the tree peony. Although it's not an official horticultural class, I'd put these in the OMG group. Type of Plant: This peony is a shrub not a perennial that dies to the ground. It is native to China and has flowers that usually grow 6...

Name:  Gomphrena globosa ‘Fireworks’ – commonly called fireworks gomphrena. Type of Plant: An annual that is great in cutting gardens, annual flower beds or mixed into perennial gardens. It’s a plant that’s available in pots at garden centers in the early summer, or...