Gray Barn Nursery at Pacific Topsoils Inc.

Employees Picks for Best Performing Plants

We asked our employees to tell us what their favorite plants were for 2008.
The results are in!

Hilary 1. Agapanthus ‘Storm Cloud’ deep purple blooms that last for 2+ months. Zone 7-10 Full Sun to Part Sun 2. Salvia ‘Black & Blue’ this tender perennial bloomed prolifically from May – November deep blue flowers out of black buds –Amazing plant. Salvia ‘Hot Lips’ –Wow! Red & White blooms –this is a fun plant. Zone 8-10 Sun to Part Sun 3. Hibiscus syriacus ‘Marina’ Blue Satin Rose of Sharon, this shrub produces blooms that I have only seen in tropical paradise. Zone 5 Full Sun 4. Helleborus ‘Ivory Prince’ I planted this perennial in March and it had already been blooming for months. The blooms continued to change a full spectrum of pink, white, & green for 3 more months. Zone 5 - 9 Full Shade, Part Sun 5. Gaura ‘So White’ hundreds of delicate white blooms on 3’ stems bloomed June – November. Zone 5 - 9 6. Magnolia stellata ‘Royal Star’ early blooms of gracious white stars. First sign of a beautiful spring to come. Zone 5 - 8 Full Sun 7. Black Mondo Grass – Ophiopogon – Makes an elegant border; blooms are discrete but a wonderful color against the black blades. Zone 6-10 Plant Use: Groundcover Exposure: Part Sun to Shade Water Requirements: Low to Medium 8. Heuchera ‘Monet’- Cream and green speckled foliage with scarlet flowers – great contrast. Zone 5 - 9 Part Shade to Full Sun 9. Crocosmia ‘Solfatare’ bronze dark foliage with vibrant yellow blooms. Zone 5 - 9, Frost Hardy Full sun, light shade 10. Chocolate Cosmos, this plant is only hardy to 10°F but the fragrant maroon blooms are worth the yearly investment if it does not winter over. Zone 7-10 Full sun	Lindsey 1. Fuchsia 'Preston Guild' - Hardy fuchsia with white and purple blooms. Blooms the whole summer. Zone 7-9 2 to 3 ft tall and wide sun / part shade 2. Daphne 'Summer Ice' - Variegated leaves and blooms sporadically the whole year. Tripled in size in 1 1/2 years! Zone 6-8 3 to 4 ft tall and 5 to 6 ft wide Full sun 3. Brunnera 'Jack Frost' - Perfect shade plant. Silver leaves with small blue flowers. Vigorous grower. Zone 2-9 12 to 16 in tall and wide Part to Full Shade 4. Salvia 'San Takao' - Light pink blooms that goes into December! Likes it dry and a little protected. Worth any extra effort! Zone 8-11 4 ft tall and 3 ft wide Full sun 5. Cercidiphyllium Japernicum - If you have the space, a Katsura Tree is a must. Lacey leaves that turn creamy yellow and orange in the fall and whole tree smells like brown sugar. Zone 6-9 70ft tall and 40ft wide Sun - Part Shade 6. Lonicera 'Lemon Beauty' - Beautiful evergreen shade shrub. Yellow variegated and arching habit. Zone 7 3 ft tall and wide Sun - Shade 7. Geranium 'Margaret Wilson' - This is a new one to us. Is semi evergreen with white variegated leaves. The variegation is unlike any coloring I have seen. Zone 5 1 ft tall and wide Part Shade - Shade 8. Sarcococca Confusa - Everyone should have a Sarcocoua by their front door. The only plant with a stronger mid winter flower is Daphne Odora but Sarcocoua isn't finicky. Zone 6-10 7ft tall and wide Part shade 9. Pelargonium 'Persian Queen' - Fancy leaf geranium, so it needs protection. Hard to find, so grab it if you see one. Brilliant lime green leaves with hot pink flowers. Zone 10 2ft tall and wide Full sun 10. Leucojum aestivum - Spring bulb. Dainty white bells with little green dots on end of petals. So pretty. Zone 6-9 18 to 22 inches tall and 12 inches wide Sun - Shade
Jason 1. Tricyrtis hirta - Toad Lily 2. Fatshedera ‘Aureo Maculata’ 3. Cimicifuga ‘Hillside Black Beauty’ Bugbane 4. Osmunda regalis – Royal Fern 5. Cotinus coggygria ‘Golden Spirit’ Smoke Tree 6. Sequoiadendron giganteum ‘Pendulum’ Weeping Sequoia 7. Euonymus japonica ‘Green Spire’ Euonymus 8. Acer palmatum ‘Shishigashira’ Lions Head Japanese Maple 9. Fargesia robusta Green Screen Clumping Bamboo 10. Parthenocissus tricuspidata Boston Ivy	Laurie 1. Daphne ‘Carol Mackie’ 2. Black Mondo Grass 3. Acer palmatum ‘Sango Kaku’ Coral Bark Maple 4. Mukdenia Crimson Fans 5. Heuchera ‘Obsidian’ 6. Cotinus coggygria 'Royal Purple' Smoke Tree 7. Bergenia 8.Lavandula Stoechas 'Lavender' (Spanish) 9. Lavatera ‘Red Rum’ 10. Acanthus 'Bear's Breech' 11. Just for consideration because I couldn’t leave out one of my favorites… Dicentra spectabilis 'Bleeding Heart'

Hilary

1. Agapanthus ‘Storm Cloud’ deep purple blooms that last for 2+ months.

Zone 7-10
Full Sun to Part Sun

2. Salvia ‘Black & Blue’ this tender perennial bloomed prolifically from May – November deep blue flowers out of black buds –Amazing plant.
Salvia ‘Hot Lips’ –Wow! Red & White blooms –this is a fun plant.

Zone 8-10
Sun to Part Sun

3. Hibiscus syriacus ‘Marina’ Blue Satin Rose of Sharon, this shrub produces blooms that I have only seen in tropical paradise.

Zone 5
Full Sun

4. Helleborus ‘Ivory Prince’ I planted this perennial in March and it had already been blooming for months. The blooms continued to change a full spectrum of pink, white, & green for 3 more months.

Zone 5 - 9
Full Shade, Part Sun

5. Gaura ‘So White’ hundreds of delicate white blooms on 3’ stems bloomed June – November.

Zone 5 - 9

6. Magnolia stellata ‘Royal Star’ early blooms of gracious white stars. First sign of a beautiful spring to come.

Zone 5 - 8
Full Sun

7. Black Mondo Grass – Ophiopogon – Makes an elegant border; blooms are discrete but a wonderful color against the black blades.

Zone 6-10
Plant Use: Groundcover
Exposure: Part Sun to Shade
Water Requirements: Low to Medium

8. Heuchera ‘Monet’- Cream and green speckled foliage with scarlet flowers – great contrast.

Zone 5 - 9
Part Shade to Full Sun

9. Crocosmia ‘Solfatare’ bronze dark foliage with vibrant yellow blooms.

Zone 5 - 9, Frost Hardy
Full sun, light shade

10. Chocolate Cosmos, this plant is only hardy to 10°F but the fragrant maroon blooms are worth the yearly investment if it does not winter over.

Zone 7-10
Full sun

Lindsey

1. Fuchsia 'Preston Guild' - Hardy fuchsia with white and purple blooms. Blooms the whole summer.

Zone 7-9
2 to 3 ft tall and wide
sun / part shade

2. Daphne 'Summer Ice' - Variegated leaves and blooms sporadically the whole year. Tripled in size in 1 1/2 years!

Zone 6-8
3 to 4 ft tall and 5 to 6 ft wide
Full sun

3. Brunnera 'Jack Frost' - Perfect shade plant. Silver leaves with small blue flowers. Vigorous grower.

Zone 2-9
12 to 16 in tall and wide
Part to Full Shade

4. Salvia 'San Takao' - Light pink blooms that goes into December! Likes it dry and a little protected. Worth any extra effort!

Zone 8-11
4 ft tall and 3 ft wide
Full sun

5. Cercidiphyllium Japernicum - If you have the space, a Katsura Tree is a must. Lacey leaves that turn creamy yellow and orange in the fall and whole tree smells like brown sugar.

Zone 6-9
70ft tall and 40ft wide
Sun - Part Shade

6. Lonicera 'Lemon Beauty' - Beautiful evergreen shade shrub. Yellow variegated and arching habit.

Zone 7
3 ft tall and wide
Sun - Shade

7. Geranium 'Margaret Wilson' - This is a new one to us. Is semi evergreen with white variegated leaves. The variegation is unlike any coloring I have seen.

Zone 5
1 ft tall and wide
Part Shade - Shade

8. Sarcococca Confusa - Everyone should have a Sarcocoua by their front door. The only plant with a stronger mid winter flower is Daphne Odora but Sarcocoua isn't finicky.

Zone 6-10
7ft tall and wide
Part shade

9. Pelargonium 'Persian Queen' - Fancy leaf geranium, so it needs protection. Hard to find, so grab it if you see one. Brilliant lime green leaves with hot pink flowers.

Zone 10
2ft tall and wide
Full sun