Check out the Perennial Plant of the Year for 2018!

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Created: Monday, 22 January 2018 10:28

Recently announced, the Allium Millenium “Butterfly Magnet” was selected by the PPA membership as the 2018 Plant of the Year. This bright, cheery plant is a perfect selection for full-sun gardens, offering a sleek structure to the overall landscape. The cut flowers retain a blush of their summer color.

The plant’s unique qualities include attracting butterflies and offers beautiful color through multiple seasons, presenting colorful blooms and attractive foliage. Also, reseeding is known to be less problematic than in other alliums. In terms of the plant’s maintenance, it’s not known for serious insect or disease problems and deer and rabbits are not typically attracted to the plant.

Why is this plant so special?
Known as a workhorse of the late summer garden, the Allium Millenium has earned respect from gardeners year after year. Remaining attractive all season long, it is also quite hardy in droughts. Offering more than 900 species in the northern hemisphere, each plant typically produces an upright foliage clump of grass-like and glossy deep green leaves reaching 10-15” tall in spring. The shape of the flower is round and not domed or hemispherical like some allium species. When dried, they appear a light tan and often hold a blush of their former rose-purple color. It can be easily grown in zones 4-9 and possibly zone 3, making it a great perennial in many areas of the country. In extremely hot summer climates, it prefers afternoon shade.

Another benefit of the Allium Millenium is butterflies and bees will flock to it! If you pair the Millenium with shorter goldenrods, for example, you’ll love the size and color contrast as well as the pollinator benefits. The Allium Millenium looks great backed with many different plants, or enjoy it alone in large quantities. The rose-purple display is sure to impress!

This perennial plant of the year offers a low-maintenance solution to your garden or landscape. It blooms at a time when most of our garden begins to decline, towards the end of the season. Millenium offers us much needed color, with truly all-season characteristics with shiny foliage, spring through summer. You’ll love ending the season with it’s beautiful blooms!

Don’t let this weather get you down! You can start dreaming and planning your garden today. Why not include the “showstopper” Allium Millenium! Joe’s Market Basket has four locations and a trained staff to help you plan your spring planting. Visit us at any of our Edwardsville, Godfrey, Troy or O’Fallon, Illinois locations. You can also visit us online at www.joesmarketbasket.com.