Visiting a great nursery is inspirational. Colors and textures draw you in, and wish-list plants beckon to you from the benches and displays. You may even encounter a plant that you can’t live without, even though you had never seen it or heard about it before. Join Danielle and Carol as they stroll the aisles of a favorite Rhode Island nursery and chat about their favorite finds.

Expert guest: Sarah Partyka is the owner of The Farmer’s Daughter, a garden center in South Kingstown, Rhode Island.

Danielle’s Plants

‘Copper Harbor’ juniper (Juniperus horizontalis ‘Copper Harbor’)

Sensational!™ lavender (Lavandula × intermedia ‘Tesseract’, Zones 5–9)

‘Nickel Silver’ dyckia (Dyckia ‘Nickel Silver’, Zones 8–11)

‘Shiloh Splash’ river birch (Betula nigra ‘Shiloh Splash’, Zones 4–9)

Carol’s Plants

‘Venusta’ queen of the prairie (Filipendula rubra ‘Venusta’, Zones 3–8)

Agave-leaf sea holly (Eryngium agavifolium, Zones 6–9)

‘Eastern Star’ white wood aster (Eurybia divaricata ‘Eastern Star’, Zones 3–8)

‘Purpleleaf Bailey Select’ American hazelnut (Corylus americana ‘Purpleleaf Bailey Select’, Zones 4–9)

Expert’s Plants

‘Purple Knight’ calico plant (Alternanthera dentata ‘Purple Knight’, annual)

Cardoon (Cynara cardunculus*, Zones 7–10)

‘Limelight’ licorice plant (Helichrysum petiolare ‘Limelight’, Zones 9–11)

‘Kudos Mandarin’ agastache (Agastache ‘Kudos Mandarin’, Zones 5–9)

‘Xanthos’ cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus ‘Xanthos’, annual)

‘Profusion Double Deep Salmon’ zinnia (Zinnia ‘Profusion Double Deep Salmon’, annual)

Balloon plant (Gomphocarpus physocarpus, Zones 8–10)

‘Black and Blue’ anise-scented sage (Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’, Zones 7–10)

‘Kudos Yellow’ agastache (Agastache ‘Kudos Yellow’, Zones 5–9)

‘Aromatto’ basil (Ocimum basilicum ‘Aromatto’, annual)

‘Emerald Falls’ dichondra (Dichondra repens ‘Emerald Falls’, Zones 7–11)

Container 1

1. ‘Purple Knight’ calico plant
2. Cardoon
3. ‘Limelight’ licorice plant
4. ‘Kudos Mandarin’ agastache
5. ‘Xanthos’ cosmos
6. ‘Profusion Double Deep Salmon’ zinnia

Container 2

1. Balloon plant
2. ‘Black and Blue’ anise-scented sage
3. ‘Kudos Yellow’ agastache
4. ‘Aromatto’ basil
5. ‘Emerald Falls’ dichondra

To see more of Sarah Partyka’s beautiful pollinator-friendly containers, check out her article from Fine Gardening #206: 6 Beautiful Pollinator Container-Garden Designs.