Missouri Botanical Garden names 2011 Plants of Merit

Four of the 2011 selections are:

Dawn redwood ‘Raven’ Shaw’s Legacy (Metasequoia glyptostroboides). This deciduous redwood typically grows 70 to 100 feet tall in a conical form and features soft, flattened bright green needles and orange-brown bark. Trunks broaden at the base with age, developing elaborate fluting.

Wild ginger (Asarum canadense) is a Missouri native spring wildflower which occurs in rich woods and wooded slopes throughout the state. The stemless plant features two downy, heart-shaped, handsomely-veined, dark green leaves.

Burkwood viburnum (Viburnum x burkwoodii) is a densely-branched, multi-stemmed shrub which typically grows eight to 10 feet tall and five to seven feet wide. It features fragrant white flowers arranged in flat-topped clusters which are two to four inches wide in April. Flowers are followed by clusters of red berry-like fruit which ripen black. Glossy dark green leaves are four inches long and turn maroon in fall, but remain evergreen in warm southern climates (USDA Zones 7 and 8).

Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta 'Prairie Sun') typically grows three feet tall on stiff, upright, leafy stems. It produces a long summer-to-fall bloom of large, daisy-like flowers featuring yellow rays tipped with lemon yellow and greenish center disks. Single flowers bloom atop strong, sometimes-branching stems.

 

To see all 18 selections, go here.