Missouri Botanical Garden's "Plant of Merit" program

If you already know about the “Plants of Merit” program, you know what an asset it is, steering you towards purchasing the best plants for your landscape.  The Plants of Merit program was created in 1998 as an aid for gardeners, assisting them in choosing plant material for our area, zones 5 and 6.  The goal was to create a list of trees, shrubs, annuals, perennials and vegetables that are easy to find and grow, and aren’t invasive. 

If you don’t know about the program, you’re missing the boat on one of the best tools out there to guide you in your plant selection.  I can personally attest that every Plant of Merit plant I have grown fits all these criteria.

Pamphlets listing the current and past winners are available at the Kemper Center for a small fee.  The list is also available online (www.plantsofmerit.org) at the Missouri Botanical Gardens (www.mobot.org) website.   Additionally, both the website and pamphlet includes photographs and a short, informative blurb about each plant. Some of my all-time favorite annuals have been given the distinction of being Plants of Merit. 

I have been growing Pentas lanceolata for some time now.  The common name is ‘Egyptian star flower.’  They take the heat and sun, are hummingbird and insect magnets, and come in a variety of colors.  If you visit the gardens around the house in , you will see some stunning Pentas in the back courtyard.   The beds are surrounded by brick and aren’t on a sprinkler system; they keep on performing spring through fall.  If you want a real workhorse in the garden, Pentas should be at the top of your list. 

By the way, the gardens at the park are a designated Plant of Merit garden; the distinction was attained in 2008.  Almost every plant selected for the back courtyard design is a Plant of Merit. 

Another great annual is Salvia guarantica, commonly called Salvia ‘Black and Blue.’  The tubular flowers have a deep blue to black appearance.  They take full sun and may, on occasion, return the next season if grown in a protected area.  As if that wasn’t enough, it’s another hummingbird attractor.

The Plants of Merit program also offers suggestions for perennials, shrubs, native plants, vegetables and trees.  The tree chosen as this years Plant of Merit is the Metasequoia, or Dawn Redwood.  It is named for Dr. Peter Raven as a tribute for all he has accomplished during his tenure at the Missouri Botanical Garden.  

I have one of these beauties in my back yard; it is placed where I can view it from my back porch. A Dawn Redwood can grow up to 100 feet tall and has the most beautiful, ferny foliage that defoliates in fall.  If you have a large yard, this is the tree for you.  They are available by contacting the Kemper Center for Home gardening. 

Another one of my favorite trees, the Ginkgo, is a Plant of Merit as well.

A vegetable new to the list this year is Swiss Chard ‘Bright Lights.’  The center rib of the Swiss Chard come in many eye-catching colors; pink, orange, and red are just a few.  The chard can be grown in a vegetable garden, but I actually grow it in containers.  It’s unusual and always a conservation starter.  The ornamental pepper, ‘Purple Flash’ is another new introduction in the vegetable category.  It does well in a container or the ground, but be warned- the peppers are as hot as our St. Louis summers!

Finally, as if the information provided by the garden wasn’t enough, a list of nurseries that routinely carry these plants is included online and in the pamphlet.  The botanical garden has done your homework for you, all you have to do is to make up your mind; there are so many great choices available!