Every week we’re publishing a NEW Plant Picks of the Week story, showcasing our Plant Specialists’’ top plant picks. Get ready to be inspired!
We recently asked Leslie Hammond to share her top plant picks. Here’s what she had to say:
Flowering Dogwood
Cornus florida
Possibly the ultimate small specimen tree, famous for its large yet delicate white blooms in spring and excellent wide-spreading form; extremely fussy, requires rich, well-drained acidic soil and adequate precipitation, best with some shelter
Autumn Brilliance Serviceberry
Amelanchier x grandiflora ‘Autumn Brilliance’
A great small tree prized for its abundance of showy white flowers in spring and consistently beautiful fall colors; a great three-season shade tree for small landscapes
Black Hills Spruce
Picea glauca ‘Densata’
A spire-like evergreen, tall and stately with bluish-green needles, more densely branched and fuller than the species; very tough and adaptable, makes a wonderful vertical accent for the larger home landscape, ideal as a windbreak or in a shelterbelt
Serbian Spruce
Picea omorika
A tall and narrow spire-shaped evergreen with a more delicate appearance, features interesting white banding on needles which give an airy appearance from afar; very tough and adaptable, one of the more refined spruces for general landscape use
Little Devil™ Ninebark
Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Donna May’
A compact upright shrub with burgundy leaves; features small pinkish-white spirea-like flowers followed by subtle reddish fruit, and interesting peeling papery bark; extremely tough and durable, good for massing or general garden use