Plant Select introduces petites for 2020

Every year over the last several years, Plant Select has introduced three new petite plants for our gardens.

Naturally these plants are great for small landscape areas. The tallest plant in this list gets 24 inches tall. The shortest height is 2 inches. These are tough plants. You can use them as groundcover, in containers, rock gardens, patio gardens and even fairy gardens.

The first on the list is a plant called Pinus monophyla ‘Blue Jazz’ or Blue Jazz Pinyon pine for the common name. This is the tallest one getting to 24 inches tall but only growing 1 to 3 inches a year. It needs full sun with some part shade. Sandy, well-drained soil is the best placement for this petite. Blue Jazz will do well in zones 4 through 7. The shape of this ornamental is a dwarf globe shape with true blue needle color. This is definitely a water-wise garden plant. I recommend growing this in mass of about 5 in an area.

The second on the list is a plant called Pterocephalus depressus or Moroccan pincushion flower. This grows 3 inches tall by 10-15 inches wide. Sandy soil that is well-drained will keep this plant at its best. It requires full sun. The watering requirements are from moderate to xeric. In most cases, this means once it is established, then it is xeric. Moroccan pincushion flower will do well in zones 4 through 8. This would make a great groundcover. The flowers are fragrant. This plant has winter interest because the leaves are evergreen and uniquely textured. Once the rose-colored flowers bloom, it will have silvery seed heads. This is also a good plant for containers. Even though this perennial would be in a container above ground, the hardiness to zone 4 will help it survive the winter. You can also lightly mulch over it with evergreen boughs to protect against the wind or temperature extremes.

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