A FEW FAVORITE THINGS

Wasco Nursery’s preferred plants range from hydrangeas to hostas

Love is in the air … and in the garden. Clients ask me all the time what my favorite plant is. That’s like asking someone who your favorite child is (I do have a favorite, but don’t tell my two boys...). There are so many amazing plants that grow for us in Illinois that it’s very hard to name favorites. I have plenty that I don’t like, a very large list that I do like and also have some that I ABSOLUTELY LOVE and can’t live without. In the spirit of February and all the love, here are some plants that I cannot live without!  TREES: This is probably the toughest to name a fave as I love all trees. But if I really, really, really had to pick a favorite, it would probably be the oaks. So stately and sturdy and the state tree of Illinois. They host so many insects and pollinators and are majestic even in youth. But I also love tulip trees ... and katsura trees ... and some of the new maples … and I just planted a cute little ‘Perfect Purple’ crabapple for the fruit for the birds ... oh, and the bald cypress … SEE? This is hard.  SHRUBS: OK, not going to lie. I LOVE hydrangeas like most people. Can’t get enough of them. Even though it seems so basic, there are so many different hydrangea and each one has its own

characteristics that are great for gardens. I don’t think there is such a thing as too many hydrangeas.  EVERGREEN/CONIFER: I’m just starting to appreciate the unusual conifers that are available to us in the Midwest. I always thought of evergreen as something that was just part of the big picture. A boxwood hedge here, a row of yews there. But now that we are able to grow unusual cultivars of pines, spruces, fir, cypress and more, I have found an appreciation for the “weirdo” evergreens and have started using them more in my designs. I love the smaller stature of ‘Vanderwolf’ pines when you don’t have room for a giant white pine. I also love gold in the landscape so ‘Gold Mops’ cypress is a great specimen. But my favorite is my ‘Snow in the Valley’ pine as it’s adorable in my garden as a specimen and was a housewarming gift from my boss, who is even more into weirdo evergreens than me!  PERENNIALS: I love to collect perennials — I tend to experiment a lot with “one of this, one of that” in my perennial gardens. I have a lot of different species, so it’s tough to narrow down a favorite, but if pinned down, I would say ferns are toward the top of the love list. I also am a sucker for a cool hosta; and for the sunny spots in my gardens, I love different varieties of sedum.  GRASSES: I think that ornamental grasses deserve a spot in every garden. They are so beautiful all summer, blowing in the breezes, and then when fall comes, most reward us with red, orange and yellow fall colors. And even now when it’s super cold and boring, the grasses in gardens look tall and sharp and give nice interest. My hands-down faves are ‘Standing Ovation’ bluestem and prairie dropseed. Both are smaller in stature and have amazing fall color.  ANNUALS: Every year I say I am not going to plant a bunch of annuals, but every year I plant a bunch of annuals. This past growing season I fell in love with zinnias (that I proudly grew from seed for the first time) as well as the annual salvias such as Proven Winner’s ‘Rockin’ Deep Purple.’ Both of these easy annuals attract a ton of pollinators … my hummingbird friends seem to really love all the salvia.  TROPICALS/HOUSEPLANTS: Believe it or not, I tend to kill houseplants, so my collection has been thin for a while. But during the pandemic, I paid more attention to my houseplants and added some nice things that are doing well. I love hoyas — tough and easy, and hopefully someday my little guys will flower. I also have had fun growing philodendrons. I especially like the hanging types with different foliage patterns and colors.

Meagan is the Senior Landscape Designer at Wasco Nursery in St. Charles. She can be reached at 630-584-4424 or design@ wasconursery.com. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!