Best plants for 2015 growing season selected

By BARB DELISIO

OSU Extension master gardener volunteer

Well, the best plants for the 2015 growing season have been chosen.

Various organizations pick these “Plants of the Year.” The American Hosta Growers Association chose the hosta “Victory.” Its shiny, green leaves with wide, yellow margins are larger than a man’s hand.

The International Herb Association named savory its Herb of 2015. It can be grown in the garden or pots. It also can be an annual or a perennial, depending on the type chosen.

The National Garden Bureau chooses one annual, one perennial and one edible each year. For 2015, the annual is coleus. With the importance of foliage in our gardens and the wide range of coleus varieties available, its establishment has become indispensable in the garden as well as in containers. So colorful blooms and petal size and number have nothing to do with making an annual the “Plant of the Year.” Who knew?

The 2015 Perennial of the Year produced a problem. I have come up with two different perennials announced for the award by two different groups. NGB has chosen gaillardia. Many people call this a blanket flower. The NGB says this daisylike Ô¨Çower comes in shades of red or orange with tips that look like they have been dipped in yellow paint, it blooms heavily from summer through fall, doesn’t mind the heat and prospers with less water than most other high-performance Ô¨Çowers.

But, wait. The Wisconsin Nursery and Landscape Association has chosen a native beardtongue, penstemon “Dark Towers.” They say it’s a stunning beauty and fast-growing. It’s great for attracting hummingbirds and remains beautiful into the fall with its beautifully colored foliage. We have this plant at the OSU Extension office. It can get up to 3 feet tall in open, sunny areas and is quite stunning.

The NGB has awarded the sweet pepper the Edible Best Pick. It gives us a rainbow of colors and an array of sizes and shapes. It also is a nutritional powerhouse of vitamin C. It grows equally well in containers or the garden. Don’t be afraid to plant sweet peppers next to hot ones — you won’t get hot peppers on your sweet-pepper plants.

Carpinus caroliniana (muscle-wood) is a small tree named by the WNLA as Plant of the Year. It is best known for its lasting fall colors. Musclewood gets its name from its smooth bark, which resembles the texture of human muscles.

These are all great plants, and I have found no criteria listed anywhere to explain how a plant qualifies for this honor. The plants will be available this spring.