What’s Hot in the Heat
Kathleen Cook of the Fort Worth Botanic Garden in Fort Worth, Texas, had the daunting task of choosing the top performers in her trial garden this year. Bear in mind, the garden faced incredible drought and more than 70 days of temperatures higher than 100°. One of the standouts was Echinacea purpurea 'PowWow Wild Berry.' I saw the test plant, and it looked fabulous. The deep rose-purple color persisted despite the grueling heat. It's a first-year flowering perennial and it grows to about 24 inches, although the Fort Worth plant seemed shorter. It's hardy to USDA Hardiness Zone 3, so it's a winner across a huge portion of the states.
It features a basal branching habit, which results in more flowers per plant. It flowers continually without deadheading.
If you want to find out more about her sweltering summer favorites, drop her a note at Kathleen.Cook@fortworthgov.org.
Speaking of trial sites, flip to Page 27 and see four perennials that also fared well in trial sites across the country.
| WHAT WE LIKED
Art Parkerson of Lancaster Farms runs a great blog – www.openhort.com. One of his posts talks about selling your soul. Here's a piece of his explanation. "It's time you stopped selling stuff … because the value you create isn't in the stuff so much as it's in you. It's in your soul, that which makes you uniquely you. Your soul is your most valuable asset. When I say, 'Sell your soul,' I don't mean compromise your values. Understand what lies at the soul of your business and your life…and stay true to it. … tell your story. Having a soul isn't good enough now. You need to sell it, transparently and honestly. The essentials of business never change: people want quality goods at fair prices with thoughtful service. But these days, people want narrative and connection. Your customers don't want cheap stuff nearly as much as they want to do business with a company that confidently expresses its soul. This concept is more than just a play on words; it's a radical shift in thinking about value in the marketplace. Your soul will be your most valuable asset in the new economy." |
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