Exciting new introductions from First Editions®

1. STRAIGHT TALK™ PRIVET

Ligustrum vulgare ‘Swift’

Perfect as a vertical accent in tight spaces, Straight Talk^™ is only 2 feet wide and tightly upright. This is the perfect substitute for ‘Sky Pencil’ holly in colder climates. In addition to being cold hardy and drought tolerant, it’s easy to grow in a wide range of soils and tolerates urban conditions. Flowers are white, followed by black fruit. Height: 12’ Spread: 2’ Shape: Upright Foliage: Dark green Fall Foliage: Insignificant Exposure: Full sun to part shade Zone: 4-8

2. FIBER OPTICS™ BUTTONBUSH

Cephalanthus occidentalis ‘Bailoptics’ PPAF

Fiber Optics^™ is a distinct improvement over the coarser Cephalanthus occidentalis that grows twice the size of this compact selection. Native from Florida to Mexico and north to Nova Scotia and Ontario, buttonbush is quite happy in moist conditions, tolerating flooding and wet spring soil. As such, it is often used in wetland restoration work, along streams and pond banks. It’s also a great plant for low areas in the landscape that don’t dry out until late in the season. Pollinators love the fragrant, creamy white, ball-shaped flowers, and many species of waterfowl eat the seed. Height:  5-6’ Spread: 5-6’ Shape: Compact, rounded Foliage: Bright green Fall Foliage: Bronze and yellow Exposure: Full sun Zone: 4-9

3. OPENING DAY™ DOUBLEFILE VIBURNUM

Viburnum plicatum ‘PIIVIB-II’ PPAF

With perfectly round, baseball-size flowers in April, we couldn’t resist calling this beacon of spring Opening Day^™. Compact plants are covered with snowball-like flowers that open with a tinge of green and quickly mature to pure white. Plants are tight in habit with dark green foliage that turns beautiful shades of cabernet in the fall. The deeply corrugated foliage is spring green and flawless through the growing season. Should be a garden staple. Height: 5-10’ Spread: 5-8’ Shape: Rounded Foliage: Dark green Fall Foliage: Deep purple Exposure: Full Sun to part shade Zone: 5-8

4. DIAMOND ROUGE^™ HYDRANGEA

Without a doubt, Diamond Rouge^™ is the reddest H. paniculata on the market. This new variety has abundant, long-lasting flowers on strong stems that start white and progress to pink, raspberry red and finally wine red. Flowers start blooming in July and take on red coloration earlier in the season than other pink paniculatas. Compared to Strawberry Sundae^®, Diamond Rouge is slightly bigger and has distinct raspberry-red flowers that color earlier in the season. Height: 4-5’ Spread: 3’ Shape: Compact, upright Foliage: Dark green Fall Foliage: Yellow, orange Exposure: Full sun to part shade Zone: 3-8

For more information, visit www.FirstEditionsPlants.com