A few weeks ago, Irvin Etienne, a horticulturist from the Indianapolis Museum of Art and a fellow member of Garden Writers Association, and I went to OFA in Columbus, Ohio, the country’s largest horticulture show, a circus really, of new plants, better potting mixes, conveyor belts and watering machines.
There were several plants that I thought were spectacular, including a new, annual ornamental millet, ‘Jade Princess’ (Pennesetum glaucum) and ‘Blue Emotion’ Salvia farinacea or the annual sometimes called mealy cup sage. The millet had a rich molasses fragrance several feet away. The salvia’s tall, blue spikes were thick and richly colored.
I also could tell that interest in succulents remains on the rise, with several new introductions, including ‘Cante,’ an Echeverias, which is almost eerie in its brightness.