First Editions® Berry White® Hydrangea:

This long-awaited introduction is a step forward in paniculata breeding. With strong, upright stems and large cone-shaped flower panicles that stay upright, this plant is a summer stunner. Like the other paniculatas from Mr. Jean Renault of Pépinières Renault, the flower color starts out white in July then progresses to dark pink. Coloring occurs from the bottom and progresses to the top of the panicle. Berry White® blooms a little later than Strawberry Sundae® and about the same time as Vanilla Strawberry™. Color shades can vary according to location, climate and type of soil. Our growers like this plant, and we think you will, too.

First Editions® Lotty’s Love® Rose

This ever-blooming, heavy blooming, rugosa rose bred by Chuck Bock won a gold medal from the American Rose Society in 2009 with one of the highest ratings ever. Lotty’s Love®, named after Chuck’s wife, Charlotte, has clusters of semi-double cup-shaped blooms of beetroot purple suffused with magenta. The 3-4” diameter flowers have gold stamens and emit a strong cinnamon fragrance. Lotty’s Love® has the cold hardiness and salt tolerance that makes this species such a landscape favorite. Red hips, 1/2 inch in diameter, form in the fall. The dark green glossy foliage is resistant to major fungal diseases. The habit is more refined than the species.

First Editions® Flip Side™ Vitex:

This beauty is a seedling selection from Vitex trifolia ‘Purpurea’ x V. agnus-castus that combines the best of both parents. Flip Side™ is cloaked in 8-inch panicles of fragrant, deep purple flowers that attract a nonstop parade of pollinators. It’s also a strong rebloomer. Flip Side™ got its name because the greyish olive-green leaves are dusky purple on the lower surface. While V. trifolia ‘Purpurea’ is only hardy to zone 9, Flip Side™ has been hardy in Athens, Georgia, for a number of years, surviving a zone 7 winter. Flip Side™ is much more compact than either parent. This is a very cool plant for warmer regions.

Endless Summer® Summer Crush™ Hydrangea: 

Endless Summer® Hydrangea’s newest introduction Summer Crush™ Hydrangea is a true differentiator in the marketplace with a profusion of big rich raspberry red or neon purple blooms. This color breakthrough in reblooming garden hydrangeas is a welcome addition to the Endless Summer® brand. Bred by Bailey Innovations, this new variety is the result of focused breeding and years of production and field testing. Proven to be zone 4 cold hardy and the most wilt resistant Endless Summer® yet, Summer Crush has dark green glossy leaves, tight internodes, and a genetically compact habit to fit into smaller spaces in the garden and a perfect size for patio containers.

First Editions® Fireside™ Ninebark:

We selected Fireside™ Ninebark because of the stunning foliage. Reddish new growth matures to deep red-purple foliage that holds its color reliably all summer whereas others take on brownish tones later in the season. Even in our Georgia trials, the summer color did not brown out. Add to that, Fireside™ didn’t show any signs of powdery mildew in field and production trials in multiple sites in 2015-2018. The leaf size is intermediate; bigger than Little Devil™ but smaller than Diabolo®. Pinkish-white flowers bloom in spring and foliage turns deep purple in fall. The plant habit is tidier than other Physocarpus with a rounded, upright shape.

TanyaJoy. Adobestock

Have you ever experienced discomfort about a person, opportunity or decision? Did you listen to your gut? Or, like many who rely on quantifiable facts and what you can see, touch, taste, feel or hear, did you override your uneasiness with logic? How did it work out?

I recently talked with an individual whose organization hired a Hacker (someone actively trying to cause problems in the workplace, described in my October 2018 column in this magazine) who stirs the pot and tries to pit people against each other. After dealing repeatedly with the drama, the second in command said, “While I had a feeling she wasn’t the best choice for our team, I kept quiet because I lacked proof. What a mistake.”

It’s been said that leadership is part science and part art. Part of the art of leadership is learning to trust your gut. I don’t know about you, but as a logical person, this didn’t happen naturally for me.

My journey to trusting my gut started in my doctoral program. In a taped interview, Dr. Carl Rogers, famous as one of the founders of the humanistic approach to psychology, said, “Over time, I’ve learned to trust my instincts. I’m almost always right.” My immediate response was, “If it’s good enough for Rogers, it’s good enough for me.” After a quarter of a century, I’m happy to report my intuition is almost never wrong. On the contrary, it’s when I override my intuition with logic that I get into trouble.

Scientists have studied the Enteric Nervous System (ENS) connection between our gut and our brain for more than 50 years. Composed of 100 million neurons, the ENS resides in our stomach. According to Dr. Michael Gershon, professor of pathology and cell biology at Columbia University, “The gut can work independently of any control by the brain in your head — it’s functioning as a second brain.”

Beyond Rogers and the study of ENS, research from the Max Planck Society indicates individuals who intentionally strengthen their intuition make better, faster and more beneficial decisions. The following are tips for helping you tap into your and your team’s second brain:

1. Pay attention to what you are feeling. Rather than overriding internal alarms such as feelings of dread, reluctance, stress, tiredness, queasiness or niggling doubt, key in on them. While you may not be able to articulate what you’re experiencing, your internal compass is signaling something isn’t right.

Your gut can also signal the positive. As I was ending my career as a professor, I was asked to serve on a committee. While my inclination was to say no, I had the feeling something good might happen if I said yes. My gut was right. That yes led to a significant amount of consulting work.

2. Ask questions. When things don’t feel right, respectfully ask questions of your boss, your team members, customers and vendors. If the answers silence your internal alarms, great. If you still have doubts, give voice to your trepidation. “I can’t put it into words, but something doesn’t feel right.” Refuse to be rushed into decisions. Refrain from doing things you have a feeling you’ll regret.

3. Create a culture where your team asks questions and gives voice to their gut instincts. You can do this by giving voice to your instincts and gut reactions. Your team will follow suit. In addition, ask team members, “What are your instincts telling you?”

Your instincts are an invaluable resource you can tap into personally and as a leader. Boost your team’s ability to access their intuition and the results will be significantly multiplied.

Dr. Sherene McHenry boosts your People IQ so you can increase purpose, productivity and profitability. Learn more about her services and get your copy of “Navigate: Understanding the Five Types of People” at sherenemchenry.com

Photo courtesy of Monrovia

Bred by Thompson & Morgan

Available exclusively through Monrovia

How long has it been on the market?

New for spring 2019

Key features from breeder:

• One plant produces 1,000 blooms during the growing season
• Plant continuously blooms from spring to first frost
• Day length neutral; blooms on shorter days
• Seedless; puts all its energy into flowering
• Heat tolerant, great in pots and hot, sunny borders. Flowers re-bound quickly after hot, dry spells

Habit:

Rounded and compact

Photo Courtesy of Monrovia

Grows to height/width:

32 inches high by 40 inches wide

Sun/shade requirements:

Full sun to part shade

USDA Zone:

Annual to zone 11

Retail merchandising/display suggestions:

A SunBelievable Sales Kit that includes poster, bench tape and baseball caps is available, and it ties into the print, digital and social marketing campaign.