Thursday, August 27, 2009

Boltonia "Jim Crockett"

This little plant deserves two thumbs up. A non stop bloomer starting with a small show in July and now completely covered with little lavender daisies.


Don't be alarmed if the word boltonia conjures up images of a floppy shrub-like monster sprawling all over everything with 10 feet of it. This is the new and improved boltonia. Jim Crockett will remain under three feet tall. Mine was a foot tall and wide when I planted it and has increased to two feet tall and three feet wide.



No sign of mildew and it is drought tolerant. I planted one in very sharp drainage and the other in clay with only six hours of sun. We will see next year how they adapt to their new home. No pests but the tiny predatory wasps and flies like it as does the Pearl Crescent butterfly.


I'm very happy with this late season bloomer and recommend it to anyone in zones 5-8. Be sure to give it a site with good drainage if possible.


You sometimes find good plants in odd places. Mine were discovered in K-Mart/Sears garden center for a reasonable price. Haven't seen them anywhere else this year.

Have a great weekend everyone.

31 comments:

Lisa at Greenbow said...

If the insects and you both say it is a good plant, well, it must be. It sure is pretty.

tina said...

Kmart is a great place to find some really cool plants. I have also found good plants at Krogers (our local grocery store) of all places. I like this boltonia. I am not of fan of floppiness and lately everything has been flopping so it would be a good substitute. Most pretty and I bet the bees love it.

Susie said...

Hey Marnie,

This is a nice plant. I like the little happy faces it has.

Always fun to sashay thru K-mart or any other store that sells plants. You just never know what you might find.

Have a good day!

Carol said...

Lovely and great for late August blooms.

Dawn said...

Don't you just love it when you happen upon a surprise in the least expected places?
Love the lavender!

Jann said...

We have several blue asters growing wild in the Black Hills, like blue aster and New England aster, three-nerve fleabane, and more. And SD is a zone 4. Nice pics of a pretty, cheerful flower.

Rose said...

Thanks for recommending this plant, Marnie. Looking around my garden now, I realize I could really use some late summer blooms. Sometimes it's surprising where you can find good plants. We don't have any K-marts nearby anymore, but the local Meijer's usually have healthy plants with good sales. I've been trying to stay out of the garden centers for the past month, though:)

Chloe m said...

Who would have guess Kmart for plants?
Sometimes I find good bargains at wallyworld, although it depends on which end of town I go to.
Rosey
Pretty plants!

Anonymous said...

That is a nice addition to any garden.
donna

Monica the Garden Faerie said...

It's a beauty! But, LOL, I don't mind the spreading-all-over kind either! :)

Darla said...

I wish K-Mart wasn't all the way across town from me....

Cheryl said...

Hi Marnie....very pretty....I do like the colour....very soft....
I like your siting of the plant, it suits it well......

Some of my best plants are cheap supermarket buys.......

Kathleen said...

That's beautiful Marnie. The flowers look similar to the ones on the tag from the "Clara Curtis" mum I bought. (which, btw, thanks for the info on). I like the pink color (of course) and the delicate look of the blooms. I have not been to a K-Mart in years ~ looks like I've been missing out!

Benjamin Vogt said...

I just picked it up this spring and have 2 blooms. Glad it oes well! I often find unique things at Home depot, especially, but feel dirty doing so.

sweetbay said...

What a lovely Boltonia. I really like the lavender color. Unfortunately every Boltonia I have ever planted didn't last long -- but it grows wild here. The cultivars are a lot more showy than the species though.

BeadedTail said...

I like daisies but hadn't seen lavender ones before. These are pretty!

Pat said...

Hmmmmm...do I add this to my list.
Looks like a hardy healthy plant with lots of pretty blooms.
Like the fact that you put it in 2 different locations, good experiment.

Anonymous said...

Okay, I'll remember that one. Reminds me of purple asters! Like you, I dread winter, and don't even really enjoy fall because I know that winter comes right behind it!

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Marnie, I've never seen this one before. What a gorgeous late summer bloomer. Thanks SO much for sharing this one with us.... I'm going to remember its name.

Hugs,
Betsy

ndgardengirl said...

Thanks for the tip on boltonia - I had never heard of it (or seen it). I really like it!
I know what you mean by finding the coolest plants at different places. I have had good luck with plants from hardware store parking lot tent sales!

troutbirder said...

Darn it. You got me going Marnie. We are Zone 4 here.

Gail said...

Jim C is a gorgeous boltonia! I love cultivars of a natives~~Nice to know it's popular with the critters, too. I noticed that a local big box store was selling Kalimeris integrifolia Asian\Japanese False Aster which looks a lot like this boltonia. gail

Racquel said...

I've found some great perennials in unexpected places too this summer. Looks like this one is a real winner! :)

ShySongbird said...

What a very pretty little plant Marnie, the colour is so delicate.

marmee said...

so glad you found this happy little bloomer...love it.

Dig, Grow, Compost, Blog said...

Wow, that does look like a plant worth tracking down! I wonder if it's named for the first guy who used to be the host of The Victory Garden?

beckie said...

Marnie, we can always count on you to find interesting plants and to share them with us. I have been seeing what must be a native relative of the boltonia blooming along the roadsides. In fact they have just been bloomimg about a week now and I haven't had the chance to stop and check them out a little closer.

Gayle said...

Oh I love these little flowers! I use to have them growing at a rental we had. I'd love to find some to put here in our home now. They are just a lovely flower.

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