Joy Creek Nursery Plant Introductions

As part of a series on Joy Creek Nursery plant introductions, we thought we would reintroduce the gardening public to some of our earliest releases.

One of the first plants we developed at Joy Creek was Agapanthus "Joyful Blue" (photo at right) which we selected from seed taken from plants of Agapanthus "Headbourne Hybrids," a plant that we had tested and knew to be winter hardy for the Portland area. The seed produced plants with variable flower color. We were looking for a plant with a good clear sky-blue flower. We eventually found the color we were looking for and introduced "Joyful Blue in 1998. This plant recently was trialed at the Elizabeth C. Miller Botanical Garden in Seattle, WA, and proved to be the most vigorous and winter hardy in their limited test. The seed-heads are almost as dramatic as the flower-heads and carry the season of interest on into the fall.

Gaura lindheimeri "Golden Speckles" was a seedling we found in our garden not far from where Gaura lindheimeri "Corrie's Gold" was growing. Instead of having golden margins as in "Corrie's Gold," the leaves of our seedling have golden speckles. The flowers are very similar to those of "Corrie's Gold," white butterfly-like blooms on tall flowering stems that move in the slightest breeze. The overall effect of "Golden Speckles" is of a pointillist painting, small white flowers above spotted foliage. We introduced this in 1999.

In the same year we also introduced Adenophora "Amethyst Chimes," (photo at left) a seedling we noticed in the garden that was flowering lilac-pink instead of the usual blue. The tall spikes of down-facing bells were so enchanting we decided to give it a name. This is a vigorous plant which we now grow in the pink section of the Four Seasons Garden where it carries on its summer bloom until early fall.

There are many Hydrangea macrophylla forms with variegated leaves. The classic Hydrangea "Mariesii Variegata" ("Maculata") has irregular silver edging around its leaves. "Lemon Waves" and "Wave Hill" both have leaves that are splashed with yellow or chartreuse on their silver and green leaves. We found a yellow variegated sport on "Mariesii Variegata" that we propagated and grew out. Eventually we named it "Gilded Lace" for the gold on the lacy silvery markings of the leaves. Interestingly, "Gilded Lace" has held on to its foliage as late as December, long after the other macrophylla forms have dropped their leaves. This was the last of the plants that we introduced in 1999.

© 2007 Joy Creek Nursery
Photos: Joy Creek Photo Archive © all rights reserved