Azusa, California – Gardens can do so much more than just add color and texture to the landscape. They can be a source of relaxation, a place to rejuvenate, a connection to nature, and a food supply for both wildlife and our families.
Just like garden spaces, individual plants can provide more than one source of enjoyment, showing off their personality in several ways.
From outdoor and indoor versatility to unique forms and multiple uses, here is a look at our top five plants that do more in the garden.
Bountiful™ Delight Blueberry
Monrovia’s Bountiful™ blueberry series does double duty in the garden, providing beautiful foliage and delicious berries. Bountiful Delight is a great choice for Southern and Western gardeners. This blueberry requires fewer chill hours to produce aromatic, sweet berries and can take on extreme heat. With beautiful foliage and a compact habit, Bountiful Delight creates a stunning shrub too. Its new growth is bright red and transitions to a glossy green. Looking for a Northern variety? Bountiful Blue Blueberry makes an excellent hedge or container plant in cooler climates. Its beautiful, silvery-blue foliage stands out in the garden, and the berries are large, sweet and delicious.
Bountiful™ Delight Blueberry – Vaccinium corymbosum ‘ZF06-051’ PP #29,437, Zones 8-10, 2- to 3 feet tall and wide
Bountiful™ Blue Blueberry – Vaccinium corymbosum ‘FLX-2’ PP #19,381, Zones 6-10, 3- to 4 feet tall and wide
Jazzy Jewel® Tropical Hibiscus
Adding a tropical touch to your garden is easy with the Jazzy Jewel® Tropical Hibiscus series. Each variety in the series features vibrant blooms that add hot color even in cold climates. These hibiscus are naturally well-branched, offering a profusion of large, long-lasting blooms up and down the entire stem. Glossy, deep-green leaves are the perfect backdrop for the jewel-toned blooms. Even pollinators can’t resist these attractive flowers of Jazzy Jewel Ruby, Amber, Gold, and Opal. Hardy in Zones 9-11 they provide a pop of color in the landscape or in containers. In the North, this flexible hibiscus adds an exotic look to deck and patio pots and it doubles as a houseplant. In the winter, just bring Jazzy Jewel inside to a sunny indoor space.
Jazzy Jewel® Tropical Hibiscus in Ruby, Amber, Gold and Opal – Zones 9-11, 4- to 5 feet tall and wide. Pictured: Jazzy Jewel® Gold Hibiscus rosa-sinensis ‘BH-03’ PPAF
SunBelievable™ Brown Eyed Girl Sunflower
SunBelievable is a sunflower that truly delivers more. This annual variety is a triple delight, bringing joy in three ways. First, SunBelievable brings more than 1,000 blooms on each plant throughout the season, adding beautiful, sunny-yellow color to containers and the landscape. Its second benefit is all about the blooms. With so many blooms on the plant it’s easy to cut a few to create cheery cut flower arrangements. As fall sets in and cooler temperatures arrive, SunBelievable shines for a third season. The center of the petals takes on a darker fall color, making this sunflower an excellent alternative to mums for fall décor.
SunBelievable™ Brown Eyed Girl Sunflower – Helianthus x annuus ‘TMSNBLEV01’ PP #31,423, Annual, 32 inches tall and 40 inches wide
Confetti™ and Tangerine™ Spreading Lantana
If you’re looking for carefree color, Lantana is a perfect choice. This tough and versatile plant can be used in so many ways, from flower beds to low hedges, even as a topiary. Lantana is easy to grow, heat and drought tolerant once established, and evergreen in mild climates. Northern gardeners can enjoy it as an annual. Confetti™ Spreading Lantana is a trailing form with loads of bold pink, yellow and magenta blooms. Tangerine™ Spreading Lantana features glowing shades of orange. Both varieties are available in patio tree form creating a unique and beautiful focal point in the landscape and standout statement plant in containers.
Confetti™ Spreading Lantana, Lantana x ‘Moni’ and Tangerine™ Spreading Lantana, Lantana x ‘Mone’ – Zones 9-11, 2- to 4 feet tall and 6- 8 feet wide in natural form
Little Darling® Lilac
If you’re a lilac fan, Little Darling® Lilac offers even more to love with double the blooming power. Lovely purple blossoms cover the plant in the spring, with a bonus flush of flowers in the fall, offering twice as much color and scent to enjoy. True to its name, Little Darling stays compact making it a great choice for smaller landscapes. It’s the perfect lilac for large containers too. Bee and butterfly friendly, this variety is a great addition to firewise landscaping.
Little Darling® Lilac – Zones 4-8, 2- to 4 feet tall and wide
Visit your local garden center or Monrovia.com for more information, inspiration and to purchase these exclusive Monrovia varieties.
About Monrovia
Inspired by the beauty of plants, gardens, and landscapes everywhere, Harry E. Rosedale, Sr. founded Monrovia in 1926 to be a premier grower of shrubs and trees. Monrovia collaborates with plant breeders around the world to introduce improved plant varieties to North America. Monrovia plants flourish once planted to beautify gardens and landscapes. Please visit www.monrovia.com to learn more.
